Search - Phil Ochs :: 20th Century Masters: Best Of Phil Ochs

Folk Noir before anyone called it that...

John Grimlan | Los Angeles, California United States | 07/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This little compilation brings together on one CD some gems from the later years of one of America's finest folk singers, from a time near the end of his life where idealism had given way to disillusionment at the same time as his musical creativity was taking new and unexpected directions. This CD includes his apocalyptic folk masterpiece "The Crucifixion" in its original studio version from the "Pleasures Of The Harbor" LP, complete with dark, disturbing, and dissonant effects that anticipate similar stylistic element in contemporary dark folk artists like Darkwood and Current 93 by several decades. That track alone is worth the price of this CD."

Probably as good a summary as any

jblyn | Maryland, USA | 11/03/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"People who are big fans of his get purple with rage when anyone is less than laudatory about the work of Phil Ochs. "He was an underrated genius!," "How can you compare him to Dylan?,"He's so much better than music nowadays!," and on and on. But, be honest now, how many of those of us who grew up in the Sixties still listen---really LISTEN---to his music? Face it, it doesn't wear well over time. Ochs' topical material, with some exceptions, sounds very dated and self-righteous now (He sang snotty stuff like LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL, but exactly who did he think was buying his records back then? It wasn't Goldwater conservatives, that's for sure), and his "poetic" songs--again, with some exceptions--sound overreaching for effect where someone like Dylan managed it with ease. And if he really was an underrated genius, why is it that his CDs keep getting deleted and that this review is for an MP3 download version of this collection? I'll take whatever flames on this you want to throw and maintain that Phil Ochs' heart was in the right place, but his talents weren't equal to his passions.



That said, this collection contains a lot of his better, post-topical songs and ample proof that he could hit the mark when he just sang from the heart. "Cross My Heart" and "Flower Lady" are two of his simplest but most rewarding songs, the former a heartfelt declaration of life and the latter a melancholy portrait of someone's downward spiral. Ochs' best song, for my money, is the one that presaged his OWN tragic downward spiral: "No More Songs" is a man's personal demons laid out bare and stark for all to see, and it's one of the few of his allegory-laden songwriting period where each image hits home. "Chords of Fame" covers that same ground in less lyrically-dense terms, but it, too, is very powerful and compelling. "The Crucifixion," a song Ochs wrote to eulogize John F. Kennedy, is one of the few where the topical side of him and the lyrical side of him merge to terrific effect. The studio version of this song, included here, is a mess, full of tape effects and weird orchestras, and I recommend his solo live version from THERE AND NOW: LIVE IN VANCOUVER instead. It's a great performance of a great song.



Some, no doubt, will find my review mean-spirited, but, ultimately, I don't think blind devotion to any performer does them any favors, or does any new listeners any favors, either. I've tried to be fair about my judgements and ultimately hope that anyone encountering Ochs for the first time will find something rewarding in that encounter. This collection isn't a bad place to start."