List of songs recorded by Phil Ochs

American singer-songwriter Phil Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) wrote or recorded at least 238 songs during his brief career.[1] Most of the songs which he performed he composed himself: they ranged in style from protest songs and topical songs to ballads and folk rock. In concert, Ochs sometimes covered songs made famous by other performers. On one occasion, during the height of Beatlemania in 1964, he and Eric Andersen performed The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" at a hootenanny, something Ochs described as "very much out of character with this whole program".[2] In the early part of 1970, Ochs shocked his fans by donning a gold lamé suit (commissioned from Elvis Presley's tailor) and going on tour with a rock band; during the brief concert tour, he sang his own material along with medleys of songs by Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Merle Haggard.[3]

Ochs never had a hit single, but one of his records broke into the charts. "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" reached #20 in Los Angeles and was #119 on Billboard's national "Hot Prospect" listing.[4] Joan Baez had a hit in the U.K. with her cover of "There but for Fortune", a song written by Ochs.[5] (In the U.S. it peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts[6]—a good showing, but not a hit.[7])

The most unusual songs by Ochs may be "Bwatue" and "Niko Mchumba Ngombe", which he co-wrote with two African musicians named Dijiba and Bukasa.[8] These songs, written and recorded in Kenya in 1973, are early examples of blending Western popular music with world music, and critics note that they predate Paul Simon's Graceland by more than ten years.[9][10] The lyrics to "Bwatue" are in Lingala, and the lyrics to "Niko Mchumba Ngombe" are in Swahili. The songs were released as a single in Africa, and most Ochs fans never heard them until they were included on a compilation album in 1997.[11]

This is a list of all songs recorded by Ochs that have been officially released. (Camp Favorites, an album of traditional children's songs that was released anonymously, has not been included.) In the case of studio recordings released during his lifetime, the album title and date of album release have been included. For posthumous releases and demo recordings, the approximate date of recording is shown as well. In the case of live recordings, the date of recording and album on which the track appears have been included. Some recordings have been re-released on compilation albums; their reissue has not been noted.

Except where indicated, all songs were written by Ochs.

A

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"All Shook Up" Live recording: Written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley.[12]

Performed as part of a medley of Elvis Presley songs.[12]

"A.M.A. Song" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

"Another Age" Studio recording:

Live recording:

"Another Country" Demo recording:
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Live recording: Written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman.[12]

Performed as part of a medley of Elvis Presley songs.[12]

"Automation Song" Studio recording:

B

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Me" Studio recording: About Ochs and his circle of friends.[13]
"The Ballad of Alferd Packer" (also titled "The Ballad of Alfred Packer") Demo recordings: About Alferd Packer, a Rocky Mountain guide who ate the other members of his party.[14]
"The Ballad of Billie Sol" Studio recording: About Billie Sol Estes, who was accused of swindling investors, banks, and the federal government of $24 million.[15]
"The Ballad of Davey Moore" See "Davey Moore"
"The Ballad of John Henry Faulk" Demo recording: About John Henry Faulk, a popular radio show host who fell victim to the blacklist when he was falsely accused of being a Communist.[16]
"The Ballad of Medgar Evers" See "Too Many Martyrs"
"The Ballad of Oxford (Jimmie Meredith)" (also titled "The Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi") Demo recording:

Studio recording:

About James Meredith, the first African American student to attend the University of Mississippi.[17]
"The Ballad of Rubén Jaramillo" See "Jaramillo"
"The Ballad of U.S. Steel" Demo recording:
"The Ballad of the Carpenter" Studio recording: Written by Ewan MacColl.[18]
"Ballad of William Worthy" Demo recording:

Studio recordings:

About U.S. journalist William Worthy, who traveled to Cuba despite State Department restrictions.[19]
"Basket in the Pool" Studio recording: About a drunken incident at a party Ochs attended, in which he threw a gift basket into the host's swimming pool.[20]
"The Bells" Studio recording:

Live recording:

Lyrics adapted from the poem by Edgar Allan Poe.[21]

The 1969 live recording features Allen Ginsberg on bells.[22]

"Bobby Dylan Record" Demo recording:
"Bound for Glory" Studio recording: About U.S. folk singer Woody Guthrie.[23]
"Boy in Ohio" Studio recording: About Ochs's childhood in Columbus, Ohio.[24]
"Bracero" Live recording: About Mexican migrant workers under the Bracero Program.[25]
"Bullets of Mexico" See "Jaramillo"
"Bwatue" Studio recording: Written by Ochs, Dijiba, and Bukasa.[26]

C

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Canons of Christianity"

(also titled "Cannons of Christianity")

Live recording:
"Celia" Studio recording: A love song inspired by William Pomeroy and Celia Mariano, a married couple who were imprisoned in the Philippines.[27]
"Changes" Demo recording:

Live recordings:

Inspired by Ochs's separation from his wife.[28]
"Changing Hands" Demo recording:
  • Broadside Reunion (1972, recorded 1963)
"Chords of Fame" Studio recording:

Live recordings:

"Christine Keeler" Demo recording: About Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, two women at the heart of the Profumo Affair.[29]
"City Boy" Studio recording:
"Colored Town" Studio recording:
"The Confession" Demo recording:
"Cops of the World" Live recording: About U.S. intervention in the affairs of foreign countries.[30]
"Cross My Heart" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

Live recordings:

The studio version was released as a single in 1967.[31]
"Crucifixion" Studio recording:

Live recordings:

About the rise and fall of a hero, and the public's role in creating, destroying, and deifying its heroes. The song usually is interpreted as an allegory likening the life and assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy to the career of Jesus, although the song may refer to other heroes as well.[32][33]

D

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Davey Moore" (also titled "The Ballad of Davey Moore") Demo recording:

Studio recording:

About Davey Moore, a boxer who died as a result of injuries sustained during a match.[34]
"Days of Decision" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

"Doesn't Lenny Live Here Anymore?" Studio recording:
"The Doll House" Studio recording:

Live recording:

"Don't Try Again" Demo recording:
"Do What I Have to Do" Studio recording:

Live recording:

  • Sing for Freedom (May 1964)
Written in May 1964 at a Freedom Song workshop at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.[35]
"Draft Dodger Rag" Studio recording:

Live recording:

  • Evening Concerts Volume 1 (July 1964)

E

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Everyday" Live recording: Written by Norman Petty and Charles Hardin.[36]

Performed as part of a medley of Buddy Holly songs.[36]

F

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"First Snow" Demo recording:
"The Floods of Florence" Studio recording:
"Flower Lady" Studio recording:
"A Fool Such as I" Live recording: Written by Bill Trader.[37]

G

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Gas Station Women" Studio recording:
"Going Down to Mississippi" Studio recording:

H

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Half a Century High" Studio recording:

Live recording:

"The Harder They Fall" Studio recordings: The single version of "The Harder They Fall" has never been included on any album or compilation.[8]
"Hazard, Kentucky" Demo recordings: About the poor work and living conditions of coal workers in Kentucky.[38]
"Heartbreak Hotel" Live recording: Written by Thomas Durden, Elvis Presley, and Mae Boren Axton.[39]

Performed as part of a medley of Elvis Presley songs.[39]

"Here's to the State of Mississippi" Studio recording: Inspired by the murder of three civil rights activists in Mississippi.[40]
"Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" Live recording: Recorded at Max's Kansas City in New York City.[8]

A revised version of "Here's to the State of Mississippi", with lyrics updated to refer to U.S. President Richard Nixon.[42]

"The Highwayman" Studio recording:

Live recording:

Lyrics adapted from the poem by Alfred Noyes.[43]
"The Hills of West Virginia" Studio recordings:
"How Long" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

"Hunger and Cold" Demo recording:
  • Broadside Reunion (1972, recorded 1963)

I

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"I Ain't Marching Anymore" Studio recordings:

Live recordings:

An anti-war song that became a 1960s protest anthem.[44]

The 1966 single was a folk-rock version of the song that included accompaniment by The Blues Project and a bagpipe player.[45]

"If I Knew" Demo recording:
"I Kill Therefore I Am" Studio recording:

Live recordings:

"I'll Be There" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

"I'm Going to Say It Now" Live recordings: About student activism in the U.S., particularly the Free Speech Movement.[46]
"I'm Gonna Love You Too" Live recording: Written by Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, and Norman Petty.[47]

Performed as part of a medley of Buddy Holly songs.[47]

"I'm Tired" Studio recording:
"In the Heat of the Summer" Studio recording: About urban riots, particularly the Harlem Riot of 1964.[43]
"The Iron Lady" Studio recording: About the death penalty.[43]
"I Should Have Known Better" Live recording: Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[47]

Performed with Eric Andersen.[47]

"Is There Anybody Here" Live recordings:
"I've Had Her" Studio recording:

J

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Jaramillo"

(also titled "The Ballad of Rubén Jaramillo" and "Bullets of Mexico")

Demo recording:

Studio recording:

About Mexican revolutionary Rubén Jaramillo.[49]
"Jim Dean of Indiana" Studio recording: About actor James Dean.[50]
"Joe Hill" Studio recording:

Live recording:

About labor activist and songwriter Joe Hill.[51]

K

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Kansas City Bomber" Studio recording: Written as the theme song for the film Kansas City Bomber, although it was not used in the soundtrack.[52]
"Knock on the Door" Studio recording:

L

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Links on the Chain" Studio recordings:

Live recording:

About the relationship between the labor movement and the Civil Rights Movement.[53]

The 1964 studio recording is credited to the Broadside Singers; Ochs sings lead.[54]

"Lou Marsh" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

About Lou Marsh, a social worker and former Yale Divinity School student who died trying to prevent a gang war in New York City.[55][56]
"Love Me, I'm a Liberal" Live recording:

M

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo" See "Santo Domingo"
"The Men Behind the Guns" Studio recording: Lyrics adapted from the poem by John Rooney.[57]
"Miranda" Studio recording:
"Mona Lisa" Live recording: Written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston.[57]
"Morning" Demo recording:

Live recording:

Live recording from Bob Fass's radio program on WBAI in New York City.[58]
"My Baby Left Me" Live recording: Written by Arthur Crudup.[57]

Performed as part of a medley of Elvis Presley songs.[57]

"My Kingdom for a Car" Studio recording:
"My Life" Studio recording:

N

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Never Again" Demo recording:
"New Town" Demo recording:
"Niko Mchumba Ngombe" Studio recording:
  • B-side of "Bwatue" single (1973)
Written by Ochs, Dijiba, and Bukasa.[59]
"No Christmas in Kentucky" Studio recording: About coal miners and their families.[38]
"No More Songs" Studio recording:

Live recording:

The studio recording was the last song on the last studio album released during Ochs's lifetime.[60]
"Not Fade Away" Live recording: Written by Charles Hardin and Norman Petty.[59]

Performed as part of a medley of Buddy Holly songs.[59]

O

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Oh, Boy!" Live recording: Written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, and Norman Petty.[59]

Performed as part of a medley of Buddy Holly songs.[59]

"Okie from Muskogee" Live recording: Written by Roy Burris and Merle Haggard.[59]
"Once I Lived the Life of a Commissar" Demo recording: Music based on "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out".[61]
"One More Parade" Studio recording: Written by Ochs and Bob Gibson.[62]
"One Way Ticket Home" Studio recording:
"On Her Hand a Golden Ring" Demo recording: About the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four girls.[63]
"On My Way" Demo recordings:
"Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" Studio recording:

Live recordings:

Inspired by the case of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed to death outside her home while dozens of her neighbors reportedly ignored her cries for help.[64]

The studio version was released as a single in 1967. The song's reference to marijuana led A&M to release two alternate versions of the single.[4]

P

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"The Party" Studio recording:

Live recording:

"The Passing of My Life" Demo recording:
"Paul Crump" Demo recording:

Studio recordings:

About Paul Crump, a death row prisoner whose sentence was commuted.[65][66]
"Pleasures of the Harbor" Studio recording:

Live recordings:

Inspired by the John Wayne film The Long Voyage Home.[67]
"Power and the Glory" Demo recording:

Studio recordings:

Live recording:

  • July 1963 (Evening Concerts Volume 1)
An American patriotic anthem.[68]

On the 1974 single, Ochs was accompanied by a fife and drum corps.[69]

"Pretty Smart on My Part" Studio recording:

R

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Ready Teddy" Live recording: Written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco.

Performed as part of a medley of Elvis Presley songs.[70]

"Rehearsals for Retirement" Studio recording:
"Remember Me" Demo recording:
"Ringing of Revolution"

(also titled "Rhythms of Revolution")

Demo recording:

Live recordings:

"Rivers of the Blood" Demo recording:

S

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Santo Domingo" Live recordings: Inspired by the U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic during April 1965.[71]
"Say What I Have to Say" See "Do What I Have to Do"
"School Days" Live recording: Written by Chuck Berry.[72]
"The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns" Studio recording:

Live recording:

Inspired by the disappearance of the USS Scorpion (SSN-589), a nuclear-powered attack submarine that disappeared at sea during May 1968.[73]
"Song of a Soldier" Demo recording:
"Song of My Returning" Studio recording:
"Spaceman" Demo recording:
"Spanish Civil War Song" (also titled "Spanish Lament") Demo recordings:

T

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"Talkin' Cuban Crisis" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

About the Cuban Missile Crisis, a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba in October 1962.[74]
"Talking Airplane Disaster" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

  • New Folks Volume 2 (1964)
"Talking Birmingham Jam" Studio recording:

Live recording:

  • Newport Broadside (July 1963)
About the Birmingham campaign during the Civil Rights Movement.[74]
"Talkin' Pay TV" Demo recording: Inspired by cable television.[75]
"Talkin' Vietnam"

(also titled "Talking Vietnam Blues")

Studio recording:

Live recording:

About the growing involvement of the U.S. in the Vietnam War.[76]
"Tape from California" Studio recording:

Live recording:

"Ten Cents a Coup" Live recording: About U.S. President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew.[77]
"That's the Way It's Gonna Be" Demo recording:
"That's What I Want to Hear" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

"That Was the President" Studio recording: About the life and assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.[78]
"There but for Fortune" Studio recording:
  • New Folks Volume 2 (1964)

Live recordings:

"Think It Over" Live recording: Written by Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, and Jerry Allison.[79]

Performed as part of a medley of Buddy Holly songs.[79]

"The Thresher" Studio recording: About the USS Thresher (SSN-593), a nuclear-powered attack submarine that sank by accident on April 10, 1963.[74]
"Time Was" Demo recordings:
"A Toast to Those Who Are Gone" Studio recording:
"Too Many Martyrs"

(also titled "The Ballad of Medgar Evers")

Studio recording:

Live recordings:

  • Newport Broadside (July 1963)
Written by Ochs and Bob Gibson.[80]

About the assassination of NAACP leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963.[81]

"The Trial" Studio recording:

U

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"United Fruit" Demo recording:

W

Contents 
Song title Recordings Notes
"The War Is Over" Studio recording: A cynical anti-Vietnam War song.[32]
"We Seek No Wider War" Demo recording: About the role of the U.S. in the Vietnam War.[82]
"What Are You Fighting For?" Demo recording:

Studio recording:

  • New Folks Volume 2 (1964)
"What's That I Hear" Studio recording:
"When I'm Gone" Live recording:
"Where Were You in Chicago?" Studio recording:

Live recording:

Inspired by the police riot that broke up protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.[83]

Sometimes considered part of "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed".[83]

"White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" Studio recording: About the role of the U.S. in the Vietnam War.[32]
"William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed" Studio recording:

Live recording:

Inspired by the police riot that broke up protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.[83]
"William Moore" Studio recordings: About William Moore, a postal worker who staged lone civil rights protests.[84][85]
"The World Began in Eden and Ended in Los Angeles" Studio recording:

Live recording:

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. Cohen, pp. 241–272.
  2. Ochs, Phil (November 1, 1964). The Broadside Tapes 1 (CD). Smithsonian Folkways.
  3. Schumacher, pp. 227–233.
  4. 1 2 Eliot, p. 137.
  5. Warner, Jay (2008). Notable Moments of Women in Music. Milwaukee, Wisc.: Hal Leonard. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-4234-2951-7. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  6. "Billboard singles". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  7. Schumacher, p. 95.
  8. 1 2 3 Cohen, p. 188.
  9. Brend, p. 109.
  10. Strong, Martin C. (1998). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 592. ISBN 978-0-86241-827-4. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  11. Cohen, p. 35.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Cohen, p. 243.
  13. Schumacher, p. 223.
  14. All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (3d ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. 2002. p. 814. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  15. Cohen, p. 7.
  16. Eliot, p. 62.
  17. Heylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957–1973. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-55652-843-9. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  18. Cohen, p. 244.
  19. Eliot, p. 70.
  20. Schumacher, pp. 217, 223.
  21. Schumacher, p. 76.
  22. Cohen, p. 25.
  23. Eliot, p. 63.
  24. Schumacher, pp. 223–224.
  25. Schumacher, p. 116.
  26. Cohen, p. 246.
  27. Fuller, Ken (September 1, 2009). "Farewell, Celia". The Daily Tribune. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  28. Schumacher, pp. 107–108.
  29. Kaplan, Paul (1989). The Broadside Tapes 1 (CD). Phil Ochs. Smithsonian/Folkways. p. 1. SF40008.
  30. Eyerman, Ron; Jamison, Andrew (1998). Music and Social Movements: Mobilizing Traditions in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-521-62045-1. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  31. Cohen, p. 187.
  32. 1 2 3 Brend, p. 106.
  33. Schumacher, p. 110.
  34. Eliot, p. 55.
  35. Sing for Freedom (LP). Folkways. 1980. p. 2. FD5488.
  36. 1 2 Cohen, p. 251.
  37. Cohen, p. 252.
  38. 1 2 Schumacher, p. 74.
  39. 1 2 Cohen, p. 253.
  40. Cohen, pp. 12–13.
  41. Cohen, p. 224.
  42. Schumacher, p. 255.
  43. 1 2 3 Schumacher, p. 91.
  44. Brend, p. 102.
  45. Unterberger, Richie (2002). Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-87930-703-5. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  46. Cohen, p. 15.
  47. 1 2 3 4 Cohen, p. 255.
  48. Cohen, p. 12.
  49. Shorris, Earl (2004). The Life and Times of Mexico. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. p. 336. ISBN 978-0-393-05926-7.
  50. Schumacher, pp. 225–226.
  51. Schumacher, p. 185.
  52. Schumacher, pp. 263–264, 271.
  53. Schumacher, p. 84.
  54. Cohen, p. 206.
  55. Berg, Jay (June 13, 1976). "Growing Up With Phil Ochs". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2010. (subscription required)
  56. Cassels, Lou (February 8, 1963). "'Greater Love Hath No Man'". The Dispatch. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  57. 1 2 3 4 Cohen, p. 259.
  58. Farewells & Fantasies (CD). Phil Ochs. Elektra. 1997. p. 91. R2 73518.
  59. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cohen, p. 260.
  60. Schumacher, p. 226.
  61. "Review: Phil Ochs – On My Way". No Depression. August 5, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  62. Cohen, p. 261.
  63. Cunningham, Sis (1976). Sings for Broadside (LP). Phil Ochs. Folkways. p. 2. FD5320.
  64. Schumacher, p. 149.
  65. Connelly, Dan (2007). "I Ain't Marching Anymore". In Barker, David. 33-1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 1. New York: Continuum. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-8264-1903-3. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  66. "Governor Spares Condemned Slayer in Illinois". The New York Times. August 2, 1962. Retrieved March 27, 2010. (subscription required)
  67. Schumacher, p. 118.
  68. Schumacher, pp.59–60.
  69. Cohen, p. 36.
  70. Cohen, p. 256.
  71. Schumacher, p. 114.
  72. Cohen, p. 264.
  73. Schumacher, p. 205.
  74. 1 2 3 DeLeon, David (1994). Leaders from the 1960s: A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-313-27414-5. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  75. "SAM". Winston-Salem Journal. June 7, 2008. (subscription required)
  76. Perone, James E. (2001). Songs of the Vietnam Conflict. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-313-31528-2.
  77. Estey, Chris (2010). "Phil Ochs Greatest Hits". In Powers, Ann. Best Music Writing 2010. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press. pp. 289–290. ISBN 978-0-306-81925-4. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  78. Cohen, p. 11.
  79. 1 2 Cohen, p. 267.
  80. Cohen, p. 268.
  81. Schumacher, p. 62.
  82. Edmonds, Ben (1997). Farewells & Fantasies (CD). Phil Ochs. Elektra. p. 75. R2 73518.
  83. 1 2 3 Cohen, p. 24.
  84. Eliot, pp. 50–51.
  85. Mackay, Cliff (April 27, 1963). "Assassins Ambushed Postman". Baltimore Afro-American. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

Works cited

Further reading

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.