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Favorite Phil Ochs Song

For me it has to be divided into two categories: his folk period and the rock/pop period. Anyway, my two faves are "Here's to the State of Mississippi" and "Crucifixion."

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kim Ruehl on August 16, 2010 at 9:16pm

I think "When I'm Gone" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I guess it would be in his "pop" period, though I think it's a pretty damn strong folk song. I'll add "Draft Dodger Rag" and "Crucifixion" in there too, to round out a top 3.

Permalink Reply by Adam Sheets on August 16, 2010 at 9:23pm

Yeah, "pop" period is probably the best word for his Pleasures of the Harbor album and work afterward, but it really defies description.

Permalink Reply by G-Das on August 19, 2010 at 5:58pm

"The Highwayman" is my absolute favorite Phil Ochs song. I sat at his feet at a concert in a High School in Phoenix, AZ in the late 60's and asked him to play it as an encore, which he did. I cried as I listened and get chills, to this day, when I think about it. After that, "Here's to the State of Mississippi" is my second favorite.

Permalink Reply by lou paschall on August 21, 2010 at 2:23pm

well out in the barn i think i have two lps
pleasures of the harbour
i listened to it on the best mescaline of the sixties
but wound up with judy collins marat suzanne in my head from that time
so fav phil is the earlier
forgot draft dodger rag
have there but for fortune burned into my brain
my pick
i ain't marching anymore

Permalink Reply by lou paschall on September 4, 2010 at 3:51pm

well maybe there aren't 50 phil ochs fans
but i'll wait hoping for a couple more

Permalink Reply by Ron Frankl on September 4, 2010 at 5:53pm

Hi, everybody. Great idea for a group.

My favorite Ochs song is "Pleasures of the Harbor." I think the entire album is a stunner, one of the most mature and ambitious works of the era, and I think that's saying a lot.

I've tried to picture Phil Ochs surviving his demons and living in our current world, continuing to make music. I'm sorry to say that I can't. The world has changed so much and seems infinitely more complicated. Ochs had difficulty accepting the moral ambiguities of the Seventies; what in the world would he make of today?

Permalink Reply by JoelB on January 18, 2011 at 12:47pm