Phil Ochs was a trailblazer. The above description suggests that Ochs was always second behind Dylan. Let's stipulate, for argument's sake, that this is true. Is that so bad? It could also be said that the Stones were generally second to the Beatles. The last I looked, they're in the HOF. Like Dylan, Ochs began his career writing issue-oriented songs. "I Ain't Marching Anymore" is timeless, and more upliftiing than, let's say, Dylan's "God on Our Side." Like Dylan, Ochs underwent a change, moving away from being identified purely as a folkie. Appropriately, the song "Changes" was a prelude for what was to come.
Here's my pet theory. It could probably be shot full of holes, easily, until it resembled Swiss Cheese more than a theory. Nonetheless, I like it. When Dylan went electric, the traditional folkies rejected him, but on the other side was a welcoming audience, there to embrace "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Highway 61". When Ochs released his "Pleasures of the Harbor", once again the traditional folkies felt betrayed...but this time, there was no audience waiting to embrace the new Phil Ochs, at least, certainly, not on the level Dylan was accepted.
Make no mistake about it. "Pleasures of the Harbor" is a great album. "Cross My Heart" ("and I hope to live") is generally overlooked when this album is discussed, but given that Ochs ended up a suicide, the song can be understood as earnest, not glib, not cute. He was actually laying things on the line. "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" is a lively, piano-driven song with a serious message. Largely overlooked is the progression within the song. It starts with apathy/rationalization concerning someone elses circle of friends and ends with the same attitude toward one's own.
"The Flower Lady" is beautiful. And then there is side two. "The Party" is filled with wicked insights, including a stab at the narrator/piano player himself. Then strings are heard as "The Pleasures of the Harbor" begins. the listener is swept into another world. And just when you thought you'd heard everything, Ochs ends the album with "The Crucifixion" which many consider to be his masterpiece.
In 1968 Ochs put out the album "Tape from California" which featured the song "The War Is Over". which includes the lyric:
I believe the war is over
It's over, it's over
Ochs was declaring the war over, in the middle of the Vietnam War. He was inviting others to take that mental leap three years before John Lennon made a similar proclamation in "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)". Phil Ochs deserves recognition. Do you need another reason? How about his song, "There but for Fortune" which ws covered by both Joan Baez and Marianne Faithfull.
