This Audio CD Music item from Elektra / Wea was reviewed on 23-Oct-2008.
There But for Fortune Reference Music. Classifications : Country General Compilations Live Albums Alt-Country & Americana Bluegrass Cajun & Zydeco Christian Country Classic Country Comedy Cowboy Instrumental Neotradtional Outlaw Country Roadhouse Country Si . Click the following link to view the cover of There But for Fortune. Related topics: What´s That I Hear?. One More Parade - Phil Ochs, Gibson, Bob. Too Many Martyrs - Phil Ochs, Gibson, Bob. Power and the Glory. I Ain´t Marching Anymore. Draft Dodger Rag. The Highwayman. Here´s to the State of Mississippi. There But for Fortune. I´m Going to Say It Now. Is There Anybody Here?. Cops of the World. Ringing of Revolution. Santo Domingo. Bracero. Love Me, I´m a Liberal. Changes. When I´m Gone. Country. General. Compilations. Live Albums. Bluegrass. Cajun & Zydeco. Christian Country. Classic Country. Comedy. Cowboy. requestid: 0590e399-45db-4e41-8d35-199d13474d4a
requestprocessingtime: 0.1602020000000000
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1) Audio CD Music There But for Fortune by Elektra / Wea. The cd was sent quickly and it was flawless. It also had a very good price. Thank you.¤ 2) Audio CD Music There But for Fortune by Elektra / Wea.
Up front, I´m not into folk music, so I´m hardly qualified to judge, except for this anecdote: I heard a song played on Wisconsin Public Radio that snagged my ear so hard I decided to track it down. It was Phil Ochs´ "When I´m Gone." I purchased the CD by mail, but then downloaded this particular song from the web, because I couldn´t wait to hear it the second time. It is so utterly profound!
When I tell people I have abandoned the faith of my childhood as inadequate (Christianity), they nearly always ask, like a reflex, "What are you now?" I respond, "Just a very spritual, thinking person." From now on, I should add that if they want to know my spiritual philosophy, it is in this particular song. There are so many things we can do, while we´re still here on this planet, that will not only make this place a little better, but will bring us spiritual meaning and a personal sense of fulfillment.
"But For Fortune" also has a good message. "Here´s to the State of Mississippi" was fascinating. But most of these songs will, I´m afraid, collect dust in my computer--only because I´m not much drawn to folk music. I can´t deduct stars for that.¤ 3) Audio CD Music There But for Fortune by Elektra / Wea. Of all the topical folk singers of the sixties, none surpass Phil Ochs. Whether he´s singing about student protests, the horrors of segregation, the U.S. war on Vietnam, police repression, or U.S. intervention in the Americas, his lyrics are always right on target. A much more militant voice for social justice than Dylan or Baez, his legacy has largely been erased. Sadly, while many of the lyrics are about events that took place some forty years ago and politicians who have long been out of office, his songs are just as meaningful today. Just substitute Vietnam for Iraq. For activists new to his music, this cd is the perfect introduction to his work as it is more or less a collection of his greatest hits. It is also an excellent way to learn about the turbulent sixties.¤ 4) Audio CD Music There But for Fortune by Elektra / Wea. Writing this on the 30th anniversary of Phil´s death (4/9/06
begs the question of relevancy. How real were his perspectives?
How meaningful were his observations? Are what he was singing about then make any sense now? I guess it all depends upon one´s own point of view, but when looking back at all he said and where we´ve been, one must suck a breath and gaze upon the sully load through the years that beat us down today. If any relevancy is negated through time, how is it that we gape in wonder at his lyrical splendor and his seeing the emperor´s hairless [...] swinging through the air from side to side? Perhaps the idea of fruitless protest persists at his self-imposed demise, or perhpaps the importance of standing tall remains from his struggle. In any, or all situations one picks his/her path and shimmys through the aisles. No doubt, some special thoughts will always remain at his listenning. This album is a a valid stream of thoughts, of timbered melodies, and harrowing lyrics. There are so many samples in the workplace, that this is just one of many. However, it will do for the short term as we continue to question who he really was, what he really did, and what have we become. Give a listen¤ 5) Audio CD Music There But for Fortune by Elektra / Wea. ´There But For Fortune´ is an omnibus album of 18 tracks from three important Phil Ochs albums. Unfortunately, ´Pleasures of the Harbor´, the album for which I always had the highest regard is not among them.
Ochs, along with Richard Farina is one of the two great pretenders to Bob Dylan´s throne (inherited from Woody Guthrie), as the great American folksong singer / songwriter, after Dylan went electric.
Unfortunately, both Ochs and Farina died long before they were able to achieve their full potential. It is especially interesting with Ochs to imagine if he would ever outgrow his tendency to write songs which rapidly became dated. In this album, there is an odd mix of references and subjects which are probably totally unfamiliar to young people today, with some other songs, such as ´Cops of the World´ which have become remarkably more relevant with recent events.
In contrast, Dylan´s genius was in writing so many great songs which, like many of Guthrie´s songs, have all the earmarks of enduring for a long, long time.
With some caveats, I agree with other reviewers that this is about as good as it gets for Ochs collections. Enjoy them often.¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 20-Nov-2008, 075596083225, 6UB-6ZB-12B-J3B-AIB-C2B-8 
There But for Fortune, Music, Image © Elektra / Wea
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