Reverend_Smitty
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Tue May-31-05 06:15 PM
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I spent the last few hours listening to Phil Ochs |
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and I know this might be a DU sin but I say Ochs is better than Dylan...there I said it, plus he has a better voice.
Flame away!
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intheflow
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Tue May-31-05 06:19 PM
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1. "Ochs is better than Dylan" |
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You got that right, Rev! A) His lyrics made sense. B) He could carry a tune. It was truly a musical loss that he died so young.
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Reverend_Smitty
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Tue May-31-05 06:21 PM
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2. plus Ochs had a great sense of humor |
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his lyrics were so snarky that *this* wise ass could really appreciate
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The empressof all
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Tue May-31-05 06:22 PM
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I've been thinking about Phil since the "best writer of folk songs" thread yesterday.
I have been known to just weep to his music-it never ages for me. It always seems so present yet takes me back to a time in my youth when I really had no doubts that we could change the world.
Since his death he has really fallen off even the mainstream folk music radar. I think most of old time folkies though do recognize that he was pure genius, under-rated and under-valued even in his own time and a true inspiration to all who have heard and learned from him.
And you are correct his voice is amazing.
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The River
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Tue May-31-05 06:24 PM
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4. I Wouldn't Say Better.... |
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but I would say angrier than Dylan. As a Poet/Writer, Dylan wins hands down. As a pure protester, Ochs wins. I played a lot of both on guitar as a teen. Dylan when the song/message needed to be "mellow" Ochs when you could let it all hang out (no cops or parents around). Phils best song is "Changes". These days "Cops Of The World" seems more appropriate
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Reverend_Smitty
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Tue May-31-05 06:27 PM
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6. Changes is the song that is playing right now |
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and Cops of the World was also on the playlist
Change the words Richard Nixon to George Bush and this song is right up to date
Here's to the State of Richard Nixon
For underneath his borders the devil draws no line If you drag his muddy rivers nameless bodies you will find And the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes And the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Richard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the schools Richard Nixon Where they're teaching all the children they don't have to care All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere And every single classroom is a factory of despair Oh, there's nobody learnin' such as foreign word as fair Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Richard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the laws Richard Nixon Where the wars are fought in secret, Pearl Harbor every day He punishes with income tax that he don't have to pay And he's tapping his own brother just to here what he would say But corruption can be classic in the Richard Nixon way Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Richard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the churches Richard Nixon and Billy Graham Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust And the Sunday mornin sermons pander to their lust All the fallen face of Jesus is chokin' in the dust And Heaven only knows in which God they can trust Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Richard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the government Richard Nixon In the swamp of their bureaucracy their always boggin' down And criminals are posing as advisors to the crown And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sound And the speeches of the President are the ravings of a clown Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Richard Nixon find yourself another country to be part of
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enigmatic
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Tue May-31-05 06:27 PM
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5. I prefer Ochs to Dylan |
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Although both are Gods. Best topical songwriter there ever was, and his later albums (Pleasures Of The Harbor, Tape From California, Rehersals For Retirement) are overlooked classics.
And if you've never heard the "Gunfight At Carnegie Hall" album try to get it; the version of "Pleasures Of The Harbor" on it is superior to the album version.
Phil was one of the good ones..
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murielm99
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Tue May-31-05 06:31 PM
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His songs are pure genius. His voice was beautiful. Look at the lyrics to Cops of the World. Has anything changed? Will we be singing the Draft Dodger rag again?
Ochs is by far my favorite.
He was right in the thick of things at the Chicago convention. He even testified at the trial.
I saw him and heard him once. He came to my college, to sing at the McCarthy headquarters, and to urge us to vote for McCarthy. I was a Kennedy supporter, but what the hell? I went to hear him sing. He was in the loft above the headquarters, a big open space. We sat on the floor. There were only about thirty people there. It was unbelievable.
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tmooses
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Tue May-31-05 06:37 PM
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8. I just recently heard Ochs on the radio and it reminded me what an |
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incredible voice he had-along with lyrics that seemed written more by a poet than a musician. I think his take on love,war,loss,society, etc. just struck a more vivid chord with me than Dylan (maybe because he was about the first "protest" folk singer I remember). I do wonder what his take on our current state of affairs would be. "Chaplain of the War" foretold the world of Bush and neocons:
" Give thanks to the parents who taught them as a boy they must obey Give thanks to the church who taught them how to pose and how to pray Give thanks to the schools who taught them well what they are fighting for Blessings from the Chaplain of the War.
I know it will be hard, your finger on the trigger might refrain But someone's dealt the cards and the Bible says you're clearly not to blame Just think about the past, all the Christian guns who've carried on before with the Blessings of the Chaplain of the War.
The enemy is godless, the holy way is one they never knew Forgive them as you kill them, believe me, they know not what they do And the prisoners you take, you can try to lead them to the Christian shore now Blessings from the Chaplain of the War.
Now you may find it strange that a man of peace is asking you to fight But the church is known to change, embracing half the wrongs it hopes to right I can't describe the times, I've wrestled with my conscience to the core now Blessings from the Chaplain of the War."
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