Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky

Subject: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: GUEST,Don Meixner, Not a Guest
Date: 01 Feb 00 - 10:11 PM

It thrills me no end to see the threads that revolve around th music of these guys. Each, in their way, a giant talent of the age.

I have a son who is the throes of being 17 and wondering about purpose, hoplessness, misunderstood expression. He plays the metalmusic of his age, SlipKnott, Rammstein, Creed, NIN, et al. Lyrics that to me express a dead end, no hope, and futility. They define no cause to live for and no common cause. Greg was sure i couldn't understand what he felt. I played "I'm Gonna Say It Now" by Phil Ochs and 30 years were transcended by a song. He said, "Thats really cool." and he undestood. I told him it was OK to rage. But don't rage against the machine without a purpose or a solution. Its OK to scream but have a goal. He agreed.

I have more hope for him than I did this morning. I think he has a direction , maybe not a clearly defined one yet, but a direction non the less. Would have been less directed without the war and civil rights to give me purpose? I wonder.

But I am listening again to these songs and remembering what I was and still am and maybe redefining my purpose.

Don

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 01 Feb 00 - 10:59 PM

Thanks for putting that out there, Don. I think we've all become better people because of the likes of those singers. I remember playing "White Boots Marching In a Yellow Land" for my dad in 1970, when I was not quite 17, and his response was, "Just remember he's making money off that." But he was a product of his times, just as you are a product of yours. Fortunately, my relationship with my dad improved by the time he died in 1991. Your son is lucky to have you.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: bbelle
Date: 01 Feb 00 - 11:05 PM

Don ... isn't it funny how music transcends? I thought my parents didn't "understand" until I heard the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. And our kids don't think we "understand" until they hear the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton and Buffy St. Marie, and the list goes on. Thanks so much for sharing that story. I think you should have titled the thread "Music Transcends Generations." ... moonchild

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 12:02 AM

Well told Don........

As you've probably noticed, Greg and I have posted a couple of Pat's songs....think you could put up "Nectar of God?"............and did you get the electric we talked about before Christmas?

One last thing......Today you had one of those signal moments. They don't happen often, but they're treasured when they do.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Midchuck
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 10:09 AM

Ahh...But Pat Sky recorded "Songs That Made America Famous," the last and most telling strike back against political correctness before we were all swept under, and humor died in the face of the fear that someone, somewhere, might take offense. Then he quit and went off to study the Uelian (sp?) pipes.

I treasure that album. I saw some claim that it's been reissued on CD, but I would not have believed it would be possible to do so in the 90s.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Wesley S
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 10:26 AM

Peter - Believe it - I've seen it. Shocked me that it was released but it's out there. I saw one at a used book store. I was tempted to pick it up but I already have the LP.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Jon W.
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 12:15 PM

Click here to go to Pat Sky at MP3.com. The Waco song is hardhitting protest ala Country Joe & The Fish "The Fish Rag" but not about Viet Nam.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 02:48 PM

Apologies to Don, if I've stepped on any toes, but had Nectar of God ready to go...... maybe I saved him some work? Wish I could o the 'midi magic'; these losesomething w/o the tune.

What about Bruce Murdoch tunes...... or David Blue?

Best, Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Noah Zacharin
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 03:18 PM

greg f. who are you, and why are you interested in the music of a man that was a tremendous inspiration to me when i was beginning to perform back in montreal. i speak of course of bruce murdoch. he was a master performer, wonderful singer and writer. if there are any tunes for which you want the lyrics, just give me a shout ([e-mail]). one record was released by CBC in canada in the early 80's. and of course there was that 33 1/3 revolutions per minute produced by richie havens. music!!!!

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 04:11 PM

YO JON!!!! Thanks for the SITE!!! Simply fantastic!

Thank you again!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Lanfranc
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 06:47 PM

From the Old side of the pond, and following in Don's footsteps yet again. I've been a Paxton fan since I was knee high to an 016, Ochs came a little later (he never came to the UK, as far as I know) and I saw Pat Sky at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1969(?) and at a couple of other gigs. The trouble was, every time I saw Sky, he did the same set !!!! Didn't stop me learning "Only Love will Endure" and "Jimmy Clay" and trying to wrap myself round his version of "Rattlesnake Mountain" - kinda tough for a Limey.

However, if they ever do a Folk songwriters version of Mount Rushmore, they've all three got to be there.

ps I've been hunting for years for copies (vinyl or CD) of Ochs' "Pleasures of the Harbor" album and Paxton's "Outward Bound" - any offers??

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: GUEST,Don Meixner, who is not a guest!!!
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 02:22 PM

Bruce Murdock recorded a sampler on Electra, "The Singer-Songwriter Project" with Pat Sky, Richard Farina, and David Blue. The sampler had four Bruce Murdock songs on it and They are all gems. They were some of the first songs I sang in my Rompin' Rovin' Days, so to speak, :-) The only other recording I ever saw of Murdock's was a vinyl with a picture of Bruce in a bullseye or Crosshairs playing a Gibson (I think) with the pickguard missing. But that was yeas ago.

David Blue recorded several with a different last name and I lost touch of him in the early 70's. And Richard Farina, died in a bike accident.

Alan, I can send you tape of "Outward Bound" if you like. Pleasures of the Harbor I don't have.

Greg, don't worry, I appreciate the consideration tho'

Don

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 03:28 PM

I HAD a tape of that Don & Alan.....Many moons ago and I have no idea whatever became of it....Bummer. It was where I learned "Many Times Before" as I recall (I just added it to the DT).

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 04:06 PM

Pleasures of the Harbor--A great, but not very well known or much appreciated album--there are a couple of cuts on the Phil Ochs boxed set that was put together by his daughter, but the arrangements seem different than I remember from the original vinyl, which, sadly, I lost about ten years ago--

I had heard that there was a movie being made about Phil, does anyone know about this?

This thread brings back a lot of 60's memories--the kind of music that never makes it to the oldies stations, but was much more important, personally, politically, spiritually--than the stuff that is there--

I just pick up the old 12-string and play "I can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" and started to go into "I ain't a Marchin' Any More"and "Outside a Small Circle of Friends" and "Mr. Blue" and it's got me thinking about a time when songs could have irony, wit, and poignancy, a melody you could sing, and a hook that you could remember--oh, and a message that you could actually understand!!!

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 06:26 PM

Noah- just an old fan of his, I suppose- sent you a separate note.

Alan- can send you a tape of "Pleasures of the Harbor" if you don't mind a few scratches-

Thanks, Don.

Best, Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Lanfranc
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 06:59 PM

Don and Greg, I would love the tapes you offer, scratches on records are like laughter lines on faces - it shows they've been enjoyed! Don already has my address, I will send a message to Greg.

I have an old (Betamax!!) tape of a 1980s TV program about Phil Ochs, called, if I remember right "God Help the Troubadour (who wants to be a Star)". I must get round to transferring it to VHS before the Beta machine finally dies.

This is becoming a nostalgic thread for those of us of a certain age - but there is no harm in that.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 09:29 PM

OK, this is a long shot, but I've gotta ask- anyone know where I might get a tape of the memorial concert for Phil Ochs held in New York city in '76- especially the rendition of "Pleasures of the Harbor" by Tim Hardin?

Thanks! Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 09:57 PM

Maybe some of you other old fogeys can answer this one for me. I have a Phil Ochs songbook that has some odd illustrations by somebody named Cobb. One of them gave me a very strong sense of deja vu, and I thought it might have been an illustration from a science fiction book I read way back in junior high school days but can't really remember (so what else is new?). Anybody know who Cobb was, and if he was a SF writer or illustrator? The book is called "The War Is Over," and among other gems it has a great pseudo-review of Phil's performance written by him.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 10:31 PM

I remember that Cobb was a political cartoonist who was often featured in underground papers--

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Marymac90
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 12:41 AM

There is a Phila Ochs email list which you can get on if you want to. You might be able to find what you want there. To get on, send an email, with "Subscribe" in the message, to: [e-mail]

Mary McCaffrey

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: canoer
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 03:00 AM

Mark, additional speck of info, the cartoonist signed himself as R. Cobb.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: GUEST,Greg F.
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 09:44 AM

OLD FOGEYS, eh??!!! Watch it! (hee, hee)

There's a web page for R. Cobb if you Click Here Think this is the guy you're talking about, but been wong before & will be again.

Regards, Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 10:22 AM

Midchuck, Pat Sky's "Songs that made America famous" is still listed on CDNow.
RtS

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Noah Zacharin
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 12:34 PM

trying to send a message to do meixner-- as i mentioned, bruch murdoch had one record produced by richie havens. this was 33 1/3 revolutions per minute--his face in the cross hairs. a number of years later--probably late 70's--the CBC put out an l.p. of his music produced by bill garrett. as far as i know, that (in addition to the marvelous sampler you mentioned, that featured him as a boy of 17 years old or so, in the company of patrick sky, david blue, and richard farina) is his recorded output. pity.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: DonMeixner
Date: 04 Feb 00 - 11:29 PM

Alan,

If you like, there are at least two copies of Pleasures of the Harbor, currently for sale on EBay. One of them has at least 5 days yet to go on the bid cycle. You can have it in vinyl if you are the lucky, winning, bidder.

Noah, thanks for the info on Bruce Murdock, I'm glad to see a 60's protest singer found honest work some place.:-)

Don

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Feb 00 - 06:21 PM

Mary- Thanks! will definately check on it.

Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: raredance
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 12:14 AM

If you fail on Ebay, the local vinyl connection in my fair city had copies of "Pleasures of harbor" "Tape from Calif" and 2 copies of "Rehersals for Retirement" as of this AM when I was in there browsing. I didn't check to see if the "Rehersals" were the original or the Pickwick reissues with one less song.

rich r

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 01:31 AM

Have any of you got or located the "singer/Songwriter Project" that we were discussing at one point. I had a tape copy of that and I'd love to have it again.

Also do any of you have and can post the words to "Enjoy,Enjoy,Enjoy"....I'm missing a few bits from old age.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 05:42 PM

Spaw,

Send me an address, your tape is in the mail as soon as I vivit the attic of no return.

Don

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 06:18 PM

Indeed my prayers are with you Sir Donald......Ya know its funny, but when I do one of those things, its either a NO Return because I'm lost in the mess or a No Return because I've found some long lost treasure and have completely forgotten why I went there in the first place. There is a third option......you know, the time you run across the stuff which brings up memories you'd rather forget, like, oh gawd, here's the kaleidoscope I never finished for Karen, and here's the ... OHGAWDNOTTHATWHYTHEHELLDIDIKEEPTHAT!!!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 08:23 PM

Spaw & Don- should the Attic of No Return let you down for any reason, have just made it back from the Garage of the Same Name with album in hand- just let me know.

Best, Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Lanfranc
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 09:08 PM

I have bid on Ebay - here's hoping.

Thanks, one and all, you've made a happy man very old!

Having moved house recently, my attic of no return is comparatively tidy. Obscure vinyl transfers a possibility, wherever required.

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Feb 00 - 11:23 PM

Greg,

I would imagine that your copy could possibly be clearer than mine. Many of my older recordings have survived a fire but not without damage. I'd love a copy of what you have if possible.

Don

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: Greg F.
Date: 08 Feb 00 - 07:47 AM

Don- no problem- sent you a note.

Greg

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 Feb 00 - 06:50 PM

Just received the tape this afternoon from Greg and I thank him for sending it!!! I have played it at least half a dozen times and indeed am playing it now. Its a real shame that so many of these things have not been released again. Really took me back in the best possible way. Thanks Greg.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pat Sky
From: DonMeixner
Date: 11 Feb 00 - 09:29 PM

Greg,

Thanks for the tape, Pat and I are the lucky ones here. My son Greg who is the progenitor of this thread will be stunned by the Farina and Murdock recordings. Such eloquence in simplicity. Thanks again.

Don