This was a good choice of album, Mr.Soul! Why didn't you tell me about it when it came out ?! That was back in 1967 and I'm sure I would have totally loved it back then, when my interest in singer/songwriters was at a peak.
Phil Ochs, afaik, has never been well-known in the UK, and so this album is the first time I've actually listened to any of his music. I really enjoyed the first half-dozen songs from this clearly a multi-talented guy. The lyrics are consistently interesting; on first hearing, Outside A Small Circle and The Party impressed me in particular. I liked the old-timey sound of the piano on I've Had Her, Miranda and other tracks. In addition to that, and unintentionally, the album now carries a different old-timey vibe - the touch of mid-60s pop, on tracks like Flower Lady, which adds another layer to its appeal I think.
Phil's voice is well-modulated and easy on the ear, but after a while I felt I needed a break from his voice. The song structures seemed too focused on his singing for my liking - too often it felt like the attitude was "deliver the lyrics, then stop the song". The cummulative effect of this was that by the last couple of numbers I'd rather lost interest in what he was telling me.
Of course, back in the day, I would've taken a break between Side A and Side B; I would've played the album over and over again and, most likely, got more out of it each time. I might well have rated it a 9/10. Today, alas, me and the internet have moved on and even for Phil Och's sake, I can't go back to that earlier attitude to an album; that's why I'm going for 8/10 instead.
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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953
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