''Chords of Fame'' is a two-LP compilation from American folk singer

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

, compiled by his brother

Michael Ochs Michael Andrew Ochs (born February 27, 1943) is an American photographic archivist best known for his extensive collection of pictures related to rock music dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. The Michael Ochs Archives, located in Venice, Califo ...

shortly after Phil's death and released in 1976 on

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. With the exception of 1969's '' Rehearsals for Retirement'', all studio albums are represented, as well as a number of live releases. The compilation also included several rarities not previously available on an album: *An

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

version of "

I Ain't Marching Anymore ''I Ain't Marching Any More'' is Phil Ochs' second LP, released on Elektra Records in 1965. History Ochs performs alone on twelve original songs, an interpretation of Alfred Noyes' " The Highwayman" set to music (much as Poe's "The Bells" had ...

", released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in the UK in 1966. *Both sides of a 1974 single: **"Power and the Glory", recorded with a

fife and drum corps A fife and drum corps is a musical ensemble consisting of 2 Fife (instrument), fifes, a snare drum and a bass drum. In the United States of America, fife and drum corps specializing in colonial period impressions using 2 fifes, a snare drum and ...

. **"Here's to the State of Richard Nixon", a revision of "Here's to the State of Mississippi", taped live at

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

. *An acoustic version of "

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

" recorded at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

on March 27, 1970, at the show that had produced '' Gunfight at Carnegie Hall''. Notably, ''Chords of Fame'' compiled tracks Ochs had recorded for both A&M and

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. With the exception of the 1997 box set ''

Farewells & Fantasies ''Farewells & Fantasies'' is the 1997 posthumous box set of the work of singer/songwriter Phil Ochs, chronicling his life and career in music from 1964 through 1970. With its non-chronological running order, it plays like three separate albums, e ...

'', the album marked the last time Ochs' Elektra material would be released on A&M, or vice versa.

Ed Sanders Edward Sanders (born August 17, 1939) is an American poet, singer, activist, author, publisher and longtime member of the rock band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and hippie generations. Sanders is considered to have bee ...

wrote the liner notes, which were printed on the back of the album.

Track listing

All songs by Phil Ochs unless otherwise noted. Side One #"

" – 2:47 #"One More Parade" (P. Ochs,

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (November 9, 1935October 2, 2020), nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competi ...

) – 3:00 #"

Draft Dodger Rag __NOTOC__ "Draft Dodger Rag" is a satirical anti-war song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military industrial complex. Originally released on his 1965 album, ''I Ain't Marching An ...

" – 2:07 #"Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" – 2:19 #"The Bells" (

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

with musical interpretation by P. Ochs) – 3:00 #"Bound for Glory" – 3:15 #"Too Many Martyrs" (Ochs, Gibson) – 2:46 #" There But for Fortune" – 2:35 Side Two #"I'm Gonna Say It Now" – 2:46 #"Santo Domingo" – 3:48 #"Changes" – 4:30 #"Is There Anybody Here" – 3:17 #"

Love Me, I'm a Liberal "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" is a satirical political song by Phil Ochs, an American singer-songwriter. Originally released on his 1966 live album, '' Phil Ochs in Concert'', "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" was soon one of Ochs's most popular concert staples ...

" – 3:46 #"When I'm Gone" – 3:51 Side Three #" Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" – 3:41 #"Pleasures of the Harbor" – 4:59 #"Tape from California" – 3:39 #"Chords of Fame" – 3:32 #"

" – 7:40 Side Four #" The War Is Over" – 4:25 #"Jim Dean of Indiana" – 5:02 #"

Power and the Glory "Power and the Glory" (sometimes titled "The Power and the Glory") is an American patriotic song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military and industrial establishment. Origina ...

" – 2:21 #"Flower Lady" – 6:06 #"No More Songs" – 4:33

Source material

*Track 1 from the 1966 single. *Tracks 2, 5, 6 and 7 from ''

All the News That's Fit to Sing ''All the News That's Fit to Sing'' was Phil Ochs's first official album. Recorded in 1964 for Elektra Records, it was full of many elements that would come back throughout his career. It was the album that defined his "singing journalist" phas ...

'' (1964). *Track 3 from ''

'' (1965). *Tracks 4 and 22 from the 1974 single. *Tracks 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 from ''

Phil Ochs in Concert ''Phil Ochs in Concert'' is Phil Ochs' third long player, released in 1966 on Elektra Records. Despite its title, it was not entirely live, as several tracks were actually re-recorded, owing to flaws in the live recordings made in Boston and New Y ...

'' (1966). *Tracks 15 and 23 from ''

Pleasures of the Harbor ''Pleasures of the Harbor'' is Phil Ochs' fourth full-length album and his first for A&M Records, released in 1967. It is one of Ochs's most somber albums. In stark contrast to his three albums for Elektra Records which had all been folk music, ...

'' (1967). *Tracks 16 and 17 from '' Gunfight at Carnegie Hall'' (1974). *Tracks 18, 21 and 24 from ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' (1970). *Track 19 previously unreleased (recorded 1970). *Track 20 from ''

Tape from California ''Tape from California'' is Phil Ochs' fifth album, released in July 1968 on A&M Records. It continues Ochs' musical shift away from straight-ahead protest songwriting toward more orchestral and baroque arrangements. Track listing All songs by ...

'' (1968).

References

{{Authority control Phil Ochs compilation albums 1976 compilation albums A&M Records compilation albums