I Ain’t Marching Any More – PHIL OCHS***

I Ain’t Marching Anymore/In The Heat Of The Summer/Draft Dodger Rag/That’s What I Want To Hear/That Was The President/Iron Lady/The Highwayman/Links On The Chain/Hills Of West Virginia/The Men Behind The Guns/Talking Birmingham Jam/Ballad Of The Carpenter/Days Of Decision/Here’s To The State Of Mississippi

Phil Ochs was an influential American folk singer during the mid 1960s, best remembered for his trenchant protest songs. Many examples of these can be found on his second LP I Ain’t Marching Anymore.

“Phil Ochs seems to have a reputation among some as a singer with his heart in the right place, but who sacrificed musical quality for politics. It's a reputation he does not by any means deserve. These are inspirational songs with a great message behind them, but perhaps more importantly they're great songs in their own right.”

“I can't think of a more listenable folk album than I Ain't Marching Anymore. This is a valuable document of progressive opinion in the mid-60s. The dual injustices of Vietnam and white racism are tacked here, with a salute to the still-warm body of JFK and a nod to Appalachian labour troubles. There's a lot of romanticism, but despite the occasional loftiness of the lyrical content, I find these songs touching.”

“As the conflicts and divisions in American society deepened in the mid-'60s, Phil Ochs sharpened his songwriting pen on I Ain't Marching Anymore to deliver some of the most passionate and pointed protest songs of the decade. With topics ranging from American militarism, civil rights, labour struggles and the Vietnam War, the album may sound dated...or maybe not.”

“Phil Ochs does not have the lasting fame he deserves. The topics of his songs may have aged but, in one way or another, they're still relevant. I Ain't Marching Anymore is an excellent, timeless tribute to non-violence. The Draft Dodger Rag is great, even catchy, and his version of the poem The Highwayman shows off his excellent ballad-singing voice, accompanied by beautiful acoustic guitar.”

“It was with the confident and nuanced I Ain't Marching Anymore that Phil began to take off as a songwriter. The title track became an anthem for the more radical elements of the anti-war movement. Phil had the intellectual understanding to separate the soldiers who fight wars from the politicians who start them.”

“His songs are right on the pulse of the times and some are just as right on today.”