Pleasures Of The Harbor – PHIL OCHS***

Cross My Heart/Flower Lady/Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends/I’ve Had Her/Miranda/The Party/Pleasures Of The Harbor/The Crucifixion

Pleasures Of The Harbor was the first of his A & M albums, in which folk songwriter Phil Ochs moved away from simple acoustic guitar performances to experiment with ensemble and orchestral instrumentation, a style that was dubbed baroque-folk. (US:168)

“For those seeking more musical content, rather than just social commentary, this has to be considered his most interesting release to date. Too bad so much of that new musical content is by an orchestra.”

“Something of a baroque folk album this time around from Phil Ochs. Highly ornate and florid stuff. There are only eight songs, and most of them are rather long - some too long. Most of the arrangements are very busy and feature layers of different instruments - guitars, pianos, strings, horns and numerous other instruments and sound effects. Despite their excessive lengths and cluttered arrangements, the songs are very well written, in general.”

“This record was Ochs' first for A & M, and a departure from his signature strict-folky 'singing reporter' style. He dives into the pop and burgeoning experimental scenes of Southern California for musical inspiration, and uses more poetic, but straight-forward lyrics and longer, more free song-structures to create an album that is an early blueprint for what is now known as chamber-pop.”

“Pleasures Of The Harbor starts off with a harpsichord laden, jaunty pop song that's definitely not about social injustice lifted from the headlines. This track really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Phil Ochs decided to stretch his music and songwriting to include not only rock instrumentation and themes, but also jazz and classical elements as well, all the while painting lyrical pictures of society's ills using satire and narrative to expertly get the job done.”

“Deep down at the bottom of his protesting, politically minded heart, Phil Ochs is a guy that deeply longs for romanticism and beauty. He just wants a little bit of peace, and finally, this ideal has manifested itself into the actual music. He takes on a strictly musical based, baroque style of folk music that incorporates plenty of strings and piano arrangements into the magic of Phil Ochs' brilliant consciousness.”