All the News That's Fit to Sing

Phil’s 1964 debut release was all that and more, sporting not only songs drawn from the tumultous events of the day but also an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe poem (The Bells) and a tribute to Woody Guthrie (Bound for Glory)—immediate notice of a major new songwriting talent on the scene. When we were surveying the Elektra catalog to determine which albums to reissue, we were surprised, nay, astonished to discover that the first two albums by Phil Ochs had fallen out of print! These are only two of the most important albums of the early-to-mid-’60s folk music explosion, sporting some of the most barbed topical songs of the decade, and they are reissued here with new notes and mastering. A pair of indispensable exclusives!

As one of the greatest protest folksingers of the 1960s, Phil Ochs sang with a strong sense of purpose and an even stronger sense for melody. His songs, which champion the rights of the downtrodden, promote world peace, and memorialize the lives of great men, are among the most memorable of the genre. This is his first album and while in many ways a young man's record--Ochs redefines the term "earnest"--it is also steeped in the folk tradition. Danny Kalb of the Blues Project accompanies Ochs on second guitar, adding quick bursts of color. "Talking Cuban Crisis" and "Talking Vietnam" are now dated, but "Bound for Glory" (his tribute to Woody Guthrie), "One More Parade," and "Too Many Martyrs" are human rights songs always in fashion. --Rob O'Connor