Audio CD review:
Phil Ochs - The Early Years

Phil Ochs - The Early Years

Band: Phil Ochs Title: The Early Years Rating: Release Date: 20 June, 2000 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: William Moore 2: What Are You Fighting For 3: There But For Fortune 4: Paul Crump 5: Talking Airplane Disaster 6: How Long 7: Davey Moore 8: Introduction - Peter Yarrow 9: Ballad Of Medgar Evers 10: Talking Birmingham Jam 11: Power & The Glory 12: Draft Dodger Rag 13: I Ain't Marching Anymore 14: Links On The Chain 15: Talking Vietnam Blues 16: Cross My Heart 17: Half A Century High 18: Is There Anybody Here 19: The Party 20: Pleasures Of the Harbor

Editoral Review It seemed that Ochs was constantly playing catch-up, if not in his own mind, certainly in the consciousness of 1960s folk fans. It was Phil Ochs's burden to have emerged just as Bob Dylan was hitting his stride. Vanguard's 20-song Early Years collection offers seven tracks recorded in the early-60s for their Original New Folks anthology series while the remainder come from Newport Folk Festival performances from the mid-1960s. (Two previously unreleased tracks from the New Folks sessions, including "Davey Moore," surface here; interestingly enough, the ill-fated boxer chronicled in Ochs's song was also the subject of a Dylan tune. ) Ochs, like Dylan, would become more introspective with the changing times, but this set captures the Texas-born firebrand at his most idealistic and topical, as he rails against war ("Draft Dodger Rag," "What Are You Fighting For") and oppression ("Ballad of Medgar Evers," "Talking Birmingham Jam"). The from-the-headlines tirades that dominate The Early Years may be dated, but Ochs sings them with such rousing conviction that a strange sense of immediacy seeps through. --Steven Stolder .. You can see a complete list of all Phil Ochs discography, or go back to the Phil Ochs tabs