There But for Fortune

Phil Ochs recorded for two different labels, Elektra and A&M. This greatest-hits set is from his Elektra years, where he recorded his first three albums. The third album, Phil Ochs in Concert, has 10 of its 11 tracks featured here, with the between-song banter often removed and the sequence thrown out of order. His earliest albums—1964's All the News That's Fit to Sing and 1965's I Ain't Marchin' Anymore—are represented here by four songs apiece. Over time, Ochs would become less political—or at least more careful to couch his concerns in music that was lush and melodic. But here he's at his journalistic best, treating the events of the day as perfect fodder for modern folk singing. Sadly, many of his concerns are as relevant today as they were at the time he wrote these tracks. Anyone looking to summarize the folk-protest movement of the '60s should start here and balance it with the works of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Pete Seeger for a full-spectrum view.