Favorite Phil Ochs Song?

I just discovered Ochs a few years ago. I heard a cover of "Draft Dodger Rag" and it led me to investigate this wonderful songwriter. I was only eleven when he killed himself in 1976.

My favorites:

Love Me, I'm a Liberal
Here's To The State Of Mississippi
Cops Of The World
Ringing Of Revolution
There But For Fortune

The Crucifixion...

and of course, Small Circle of Frinds.

*points toward sig line*

;)

chord progressions are classic Ochs.

And don't forget KANSAS CITY BOMBER! Best Raquel Welch movie, ever.

Also like White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land and I Ain't Marchin' Anymore.

Glad so many people here listen to him. What a sad story is his life.

We could sure use him now!

his best has to be "Changes" ...

also on the top of my Phil Ochs list are:
The Highwayman and
I Ain't a-Marching Anymore

Incredibly powerful song about getting involved, and making a difference.

I heard the Joan Baez version of that song when I was a kid, and it changed
my life.

"I Ain't Marching Anymore" is also amazing.

But I'm gonna have to go with "Another Age".

I love "I Ain't a Marchin' Anymore," but someone had already mentioned it. So here's this one. Kinda dated, but still good.

It was just a little while ago I glued my ears to the radio
The announcer was sayin' we'd better beware
A crisis was hanging - a wave from the air
crawlin' on the ground
swimmin' in the sea
headin' for me

Well, I didn't know if I was for or agin' it
He was yellin' and screamin' a mile a minute
Well, he said "Here comes the President
but first this word from Pepsodent
Have whiter teeth
Have cleaner breath
When you're facin' nuclear death"

And then President John began to speak
And I knew right away he wouldn't be weak
Well, he said he'd seen some missile bases
And terrible smiles on Cuban faces
Close Pictures
carryin' land reform too far
Giving land to the USSR

Well, he said we mustn't be afraid
We're settin' up a little blockade
Put our ships along the Cuban shores
And if the Russian bear yells and roars,
We'll let him have it

From Turkey and Greece, Formosa and Spain
The peaceful West European Plain
From Alaska and Greenland we'll use our means
And twenty thousand submarines
We're gonna teach the Russians a lesson
For trying to upset the balance of power

Now most Americans stood behind
The President and his military minds
But me, I stood behind a bar
Dreamin' of a spaceship getaway car
Head for mars
Any other planet that has bars
Like Gerde's Folk City

Yes, it seemed the President's stand was strong and plain
But some Republicans was a-goin' insane
And they still are
They said our plan was just too mild
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Let's sink Cuba into the sea
And give 'em back democracy
Under the water

Well, the deadline was set for ten o'clock
For a cold war it was a-gettin' hot
Well, the Russians tried, the Russians failed
Homeward bound those missiles sailed
Mr. Khruschev said, "Better Red than dead."

Is there anybody here, because it hasn't been mentioned yet.

Other favs - When In Rome, Pleasures of the Harbor, and Links on a Chain (great pro-labor song)

And:
Cops of the World
Gas Station Women
Chords of Fame
When I'm Gone
The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns
The Highwayman

Among others - he's my absolute favorite songwriter ever!

...because it shows his range as a writer and his desire to confound expectations. Expecting another wry but quietly vicious political screed, were you? Here's a moony, densely symbolic dirge in the mode of Leonard Cohen! Haahahahaha! :crazy:

Where he does a whole verse singing like Dylan. It's terrific.

http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics.html

As for favorites - All of the above.

A lot of his word-music goes straight to the core.
Pleasures of the Harbor and When I'm Gone are maybe my tops on my list of essential Ochs - oh, and Changes and I Ain't Marching and all the rest above.

But add:
Flower Lady
The Cannons of Christianity
Bracero
Draft Dodger Rag
The War Is Over
What's that I Hear
...

Well, I could go on. Anyone unfamiliar with Ochs should read the lyrics to get a vague idea of why some of us are so passionate about his music, but the words themselves are only a hint.

ballad of the carpenter
that was the president
hills of west viginia

he had an incredible, incredible voice.

meaningful in these DLC infested times

It's been covered recently by the indie pop/punk outfit, the Weakerthans.

"of Phil Ochs's songs on CD - recorded by avante-garde and "outsider" smiling/snarling luminaries such as Dr. EUGENE CHADBOURNE w/ CAMPER VAN CHADBOURNE!, ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE, LINDA DRAPER (produced by KRAMER!), JAD FAIR AND DANIEL JOHNSTON (together!), the jr. grease chiefs, and FRANCK SINISTRA! plus Jon Thompson, LAM, NitwiT, MWF, Charles Fyant, MJ, Johnny J, and Lolwolf. This exquisite little sucker comes fully wrapped and ready to heat and eat! over 60 min. and ONLY $17.00 .. and as a further tribute to the songs of Phil Ochs, all profits are for the benefit of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL!
see a review: http://www.indieville.com/reviews/poisonochs.htm "

http://www.woodrecords.com/woodrecords/PHIL_OCHS_TRIBUTE_CD

Not much "like" Ochs' music, altho a few resonate well, but good to see contemporary artists like this honor him.

Favorites: Changes, When In Rome, We Seek No Wider War, Song Of A Soldier, Pleasures Of The Harbor, Cops Of The World, and Gas Station Women.