🎵 AotW AOTW: Phil Ochs GREATEST HITS (A&M SP 4253)

[LPJim]

PHIL OCHS
Greatest Hits
A&M SP 4253

Phil Ochs' final studio album consisted of new material with the title being a satire. "50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong" reads the banner on the back cover. Between 1970 and his suicide death in 1976 he only released singles and live recordings.
Side One: One Way Ticket Home 2:39/ Jim Dean of Indiana 5:02/ My Kingdom for a Car 2:50/ Boy in Ohio 3:45/ Gas Station Woman 3:35*.
Side Two: Chords of Fame 3:32*/ Ten Cents a Coup 3:15**/ Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Me 5:05/ Basket in the Pool 3:40/ No More Songs 4:33.
* co-producer Andrew Wickham/ Harmany Bobby Wayne/ Arranger Earl Ball
** recorded at Fall Moratorium 1969 Servicemen of Methodist Church, Long Beach and United High School Rally, El Rancho Park, Los Angeles.

Producer Van Dyke Parks/ Engineers Peter Pilafian, Don Landee, Douglas Botnick/ Recorded at A&M Studios, Sunset Sound and Capitol Studios/ Mixed at Sunset Sound and Sunwest.
Secret Service: Clarence White, Bob Rafkin, Chris Ethridge, Ryland Cooder, James Burton, Gene Parsons, Bobby Bruce, Don Rich, Mike Rubini, Tom Scott, Gary Coleman, Richard Rosmini, Laurindo Almeida, Anne Goodman.
Girls' voices: Clydie King, Mary (Merry) Clayton, Sherlie Matthews/ Art Director and back cover photo Tom Wilkes/ front cover photo Jim McCrary.

Reissued as SP 3125 on vinyl and on CD in 1986 by Edsel Records (division of Demon Records Ltd. of England) as ED CD 201.
JB

 

[Rudy]

Sort of ironic that his "Greatest Hits" would follow real Greatest Hits albums from the other A&Mers in the catalog sequence.

= N =-

 

[Harry]

I've not heard anything from this album, but wanted to mention my recent interest in Mr. Ochs, and this seemed like as good a place as any.

A couple of months ago, I decided to throw together an A&M artists compilation, selecting one track from each act as they appeared on an album. Track 1, Alpert; track 2, McCurn; track 3, BMB, etc. I began to cop out when I got to Dave Lewis, since I didn't own the album (the only one in the first 20). I had a tape of it, but deemed it not worth of inclusion for sonic reasons. Later, I'd skip Lee Michaels and Liza Minnelli -- the former because I didn't own anything from him, the latter because I didn't have much and just didn't care for her.

Along the way, of course, I'd run into Phil Ochs, just after the Merry-Go-Round. I don't albums from either of those two, but decided to use the tracks that appeard on Family Portrait. Phil Ochs' "Cross My Heart", the song that appears on that album, has 'gotten under my skin', enough so that I'm considering grabbing a full album by him. I've seen that the full first album, Pleasures Of The Harbor has been released on CD, and "Cross My Heart" is a strong enough reason for me to buy that. But I've also seen another compilation that includes "Cross My Heart" as part of some kind of 'real' greatest hits album. Knowing my fondness for actually seeing the A&M logo on a dics, I'm tempted to buy the hits package, since the Pleasures Of The Harbor album is on the Collector's Choice label. And there are two 'A&M' hits packages to choose from, the cheap 20th Century Millennium Collection disc with the following track selection:

1. Cross My Heart
2. Flower Lady
3. Outside of a Small Circle of Friends
4. Pleasures of the Harbor
5. The Crucifixion
6. Tape from California
7. The War Is Over
8. Rehearsals for Retirement
9. William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed
10. No More Songs
11. Chords of Fame
12. I Ain't Marchin' Anymore (Live)

or the other one called with the A&M logo on it called The War Is Over: The Best Of Phil Ochs with this track listing:

1. Tape from California
2. Flower Lady
3. Half a Century High
4. The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns
5. The War Is Over
6. One Way Ticket Home
7. Rehearsals for Retirement
8. Chords of Fame
9. Gas Station Women
10. Outside of a Small Circle of Friends
11. Pleasures of the Harbor
12. Kansas City Bomber
13. White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land
14. Jim Dean of Indiana
15. No More Songs
16. I Ain't Marching Anymore

The obvious weakness in the second one is that it doesn't include "Cross My Heart", the whole reason I'm considering an Ochs disc in the first place, so I suspect that one's out.

So, to those who've heard all of these songs -- should I forget about logos and just get the first album that's out on Collector's Choice, or will the 20th Century Millennium disc serve my purposes?

By the way, by the time I got through Pete Jolly in the compilation, I decided to abandon the 'artists-in-order' format that I'd locked myself into, and grabbed a few more from the early CTi series, and added a few repeat artists from the favorites of the Alpert's, Wechter's, Mendes', etc. to fill up the remaining time on the disc. It turns out to be a good disc to grab when I'm in an A&M mood, but don't have anything specific in mind. Track list available on request.

Harry
...asking for advice, online...[/i]

 

[Rudy]

Not knowing any Phil Ochs, I can't say one over the other. However, i'd be inclined to get the Collector's Choice, logo or no logo, only because this is the only time you might see this entire album in print on CD. Compilations will come and go. No idea if this will be collectible in the future or not, but if I were Ochs-ing, I'd probably get the CC along with one of the compilations. Same reason I may get their Sandpipers two-fer eventually.

-= N =-
...still looking for Chris Montez' The More I See You/Call Me on CD...

 

[W.B.]

Sort of ironic that his "Greatest Hits" would follow real Greatest Hits albums from the other A&Mers in the catalog sequence.

Of course, the fact that this particular Greatest Hits LP did not have the same design as the TJB, BMB, Sandpipers, Wes Montgomery and B'66 sets, may have been a clue to this one not being a compilation.

Also, wasn't one of Mr. Ochs's 1970-76 period singles entitled "Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon"?

 

[Mr Bill]

Also, wasn't one of Mr. Ochs's 1970-76 period singles entitled "Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon"?

Yes. It was a tune of his from 1963 or 4 originally entitled "Here's To The State Of Mississippi" and he simply altered the words to apply to Nixon. I'm not sure if this is what got Ochs put on Nixon's "enemies list" or was done by Ochs because he was on the list... At any rate the flipside of that single was a new fife and drum version of another early 60s Ochs tune, "Power & The Glory" which is truly a marvelous song made better with "patriotic trimmings." The rehash of older material only reinforced that Ochs' creative flow was drying up, a fact that led to his eventual suicide after the John Train incidents...

Anyone interested in Ochs is strongly advised to read David Eliot's Death Of A Rebel. There's another book out there which I can't seem to find right now (my library is still largely in boxes) which dovetails nicely with the Eliot book.

HARRY -- logos be damned! I recommend you get the CC reissues. "Cross My Heart" is the tune that hooked me on Ochs. Politics aside, I love the man's music. His earlier Elektra stuff is purely guitar-strumming political troubador stuff. It was at A&M that he stretched into experimental (and dare I say Dylanesque) arrangements and orchestrations. "Crucifiction" is from POTH shows Larry Marks at his best.

--Mr Bill
Ochs fan from way back... Waiting for the movie!

 

[Harry]

HARRY -- logos be damned! I recommend you get the CC reissues. "Cross My Heart" is the tune that hooked me on Ochs. Politics aside, I love the man's music. His earlier Elektra stuff is purely guitar-strumming political troubador stuff. It was at A&M that he stretched into experimental (and dare I say Dylanesque) arrangements and orchestrations. "Crucifiction" is from POTH shows Larry Marks at his best.

Well, it turns out I was at the mercy of market forces. I went into Borders today, where I'd seen all of these Ochs disks before, with the idea that I'd buy Pleasures Of The Harbor on the CCM label. Problem is -- it wasn't there. The A&M compilation from the 80s was there, as was another CCM two-fer (not including Pleasures) and some Vanguard/Elektra stuff. But what really caught my eye was the 20th Century Millennium disc in the sale bin as I entered the store. They're still selling these for $7.99, so I grabbed the Phil Ochs entry in the series. At this point, I've listened to the five tracks from Pleasures Of The Harbor and am quite impressed. I'd always imagined Phil Ochs stuff to be of the guitar-strumming protest-song singing variety. I didn't listen all that much to "Cross My Heart" on the Family Portrait album all these years, and now I wish I had! These arrangements are killer! So tell me -- if I now have five of the eight Pleasure tracks, am I missing anything great with "I've Had Her", "Miranda", and "Party", the three not on this compilation? Will I still need to get the full album? Are the other tracks from the other albums this good? Should I be searching eBay for an ochre Ochs?

Harry
...with two oaks in his back yard, and one Ochs in hs CD player, online...

 

[LPJim]

The other book is "There But For Fortune - The Life of Phil Ochs" by Michael Schumacher (author of "Crossroads"), published in 1996.

Collectors Choice reissued PLEASURES and TAPE FROM CALIFORNIA individually, along with a 2-disc set containing REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT (SP 4181) and GUNFIGHT AT CARNEGIE HALL (Canada SP 9010). You'd be well advised to grab these while they're still in print.
The best compliation IMHO is AMERICAN TROUBADOR, a 2-CD U.K. package ( 31454 07282) containing the first CD reissue of two rare African singles, "Bwatue" and "Niko Mchumba Ngobe." "Cross My Heart" is the first song on the first disc.
JB

 

[Rudy]

So tell me -- if I now have five of the eight Pleasure tracks, am I missing anything great with "I've Had Her", "Miranda", and "Party", the three not on this compilation? Will I still need to get the full album? Are the other tracks from the other albums this good? Should I be searching eBay for an ochre Ochs?

Ochre oaks and Fill Oxe...

One thing about having the original album reissue is that you get to hear the songs in their original sequence. That, to me, is often worth getting an original album for. Although in this case, I'd almost rather get a clean vinyl version just to have an "authentic" version in the collection. Sort of like wanting to own the Roger Nichols LP even though I have a CD version to listen to.

To be honest, I can't remember if I have this one or not! I don't think I do...I did end up with a clean copy of the Jimmie Rodger's Child Of Clay which is another I have never had time to listen to. After things settle down, I"ll have a lot more listening time on my hands.

-= N =-

 

[Harry]

Although in this case, I'd almost rather get a clean vinyl version just to have an "authentic" version in the collection. Sort of like wanting to own the Roger Nichols LP even though I have a CD version to listen to.

Yep. I think I'm gonna need to find me one of these:

Except, with the detail of the production on this album, I want one in stereo!

Harry
...wanting an ochre Ochs, online...

 

[jimac51]

"The Party" could have used an editor but Phil's sarcasm over some cocktail piano noodlings courtesy of Lincoln Mayorga is worth a spin or two. Phil's box set on Rhino,"Farewells & Fantasies" is still available. Jim's recommendations for reading are right on the money. A fascinating story of someone who always pi**ed against the wind. Mac

 

[bob knack]

That's a coincidence! I was at a tent sale yesterday.(No, I didn't buy a tent)
And along with 35 other LP's, all priced at one dollar, I found two Phil Ochs records. I bought 'em not to listen to cause I'm not a fan but in hopes of a sale or trade. A like new "Pleasures of the Harbor" in Stereo and one called "All the News That's Fit to Sing" on a label I did not take note of. Maybe I hit on something good? All the rest were things like Al Hirt, Mancini, and a Herb Alpert MFP label compilation from England. Well, anyway, just thought I'd drop in.

 

[Rudy]

Find anything good in Mancini-land? Don't have much Al Hirt here, but did get a great two-fer CD featuring Honey In The Horn and Our Man in New Orleans (which, IIRC, has Marty Paich arrangements, which makes it worthwhile).

Sounds like the Ochs is a keeper! Bummer you didn't buy the tent, though.

-= N =-

 

[LPJim]

ALL THE NEWS and any other pre-A&M Ochs albums you find would be on the Elektra label.
JB

 

[bob knack]

They had some Mancini soundtracks and his standard stuff, but nothing startling. I picked up the Stereo soundtrack LP of the 1955 “The Glenn Miller Story” that Hank worked on. I was very upset because I came up with Al Hirts’ “Soul in the Horn” and when I got it home, “Hirt Plays Bert” was inside. I should have checked it more carefully. How about “Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass Salute the Big Bands”…and plenty of Boots Randolph.

The MFP label release of Herb’s had “Fire & Rain” and thirteen others. I didn’t know F&R ever made it on any LP. Twenty years ago in England I bought a Wes Montgomery on the same label with his A&M stuff. There must have been 200 copies of "Whipped Cream" at this tent sale. For a buck a piece, I’m thinking of buying them all and papering my record room with just that cover.

Thanks, I checked that other Ochs record and it is Elektra. I think I’ll hang on to them.

And yes, it is a bummer that I didn’t buy a tent. That would make the next few months the “Winter of My Discount Tent”.

 

[Mr Bill]

And yes, it is a bummer that I didn’t buy a tent. That would make the next few months the “Winter of My Discount Tent”.

*GROAN *

--Mr Bill
who loves punography...

 

[Mr Bill]

Just an update to add aotw image...

--Mr Bill