Phil Ochs - Changes

[willmartinfilms]

that's clearly phil if you know what he looks like.

[11xzxzxz]

HORRIBLE. who can tell if that is Phil? The playing is not in sync and probably not Phil. Why isn't there a Phil version of this great great song. This sucks. sorry. 

[Sydwayman]

@11xzxzxz I can tell... it's Phil.

[11xzxzxz]

@Sydwayman I know you are right and I was afraid of that. 

[11xzxzxz]

liam12 - sorry I didn't mean this sucks .. just that a taste has me longing for the whole song but then I know it's probably not Ytube available or someone would have it up. I guess Changes it sells .. that's good . But they don't allow Men Behind The Guns and I love that but that is not going to sell anyone .. oh well .. take care.

[TheGB1950]

I love the way the video begins with Phil singing then fades to almost a memory (like the way our world (changes),nice effect , even if not contrived.

[rockerphelps]

When Phil got away from "protest songs" he showed he was a major talent. "Pleasures of the Harbor" is a classic of music & lyrics.

[LeeMike233]

Such an awesome song. I love the line"come as close as the air". WOW!!!! Such poetry. Makes me CRY !!!!

[11xzxzxz]

Cat Stevens is miles apart from Phil. Phil wrote literary almost cinema-graphic songs and his rhymes of rebellion r rarely reached. Yeah Phil was good at alliterations too.

[11xzxzxz]

Probably not Phils hands picking and maybe not his face and he was singing nothing and didn't ever look like the great PHil Ochs I know. .

[vboredv]

This song has a real resemblance to much of Cat Stevens' works.

[bbear8]

@vboredv

yer stoned

[mayalavender]

a fab 39 seconds of music!!!!!!

[sc1460]

I play this to my little daughters, they find the words so beautiful, when they sing along to it i feel an infinite happiness...

[yankee321x]

I miss him, so much.

[guyglowmore1]

back atcha mussman. yeah, that's what i read too but it was also inferred that dylan thought phil somewhat of a lightwieght and not the type of music he aspired to. "creative differences" you might say.

meanwhile buffy street, mccartney, and winwood continue to soar to new heights as the world becomes more neilistic

[mussman717word]

I see where you're coming from, but Dylan realized, in the words of Janis Joplin, "there's always gonna be a huge bulk of straight people out there." Phil was depressed, partially by that realization, but mostly by what happened to him personally. And since he was heavilly involved with political individuals, "public figures" to some were actually "dear friends" to Phil. For example, when Victor Jara was slaughtered in Chile, he lost a true friend, a human he really cared about. It was real.

[discussislam]

Such a beautiful song - always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I wish I could see Phil singing it in it's entirety.

[ChiroQuacker]

@discussislam

it makes the hir on the end of my ballsack stand on end..and salma hyack makes the rest of my package stand up as well...down boy

[guyglowmore1]

agree with comments. dylan was mean to phil, tho, from what i have gathered

[mussman717word]

@guyglowmore1

No, Dylan wasn't mean to Phil. He just didn't want to be part of a "movement," and he'd tasted that wine already, wasn't crazy about it. Ochs wanted to perform with Dylan in the midst of Vietnam, against it, and Dylan wanted to become a "visionary artist" through music. He certainly succeeded in doing that. As far as I could gather, they got along fine and agreed on most things, evidenced by their early songs. They just had "creative differences," so to speak, lol.

[11xzxzxz]

@mussman717word Dylan didn't want to be part of a "movement" but he also just didn't like Phil or they argued over something Dylan could not forget and he kicked him out of the cab.. so the story goes. Or the little bit that I know.

[OMGDeBest]

@11xzxzxz Dylan was just being a dick. Bet he regrets the way he treated Phil. Later on he did come to help Phil at a live performance or something which would've never happened from what I remember if Dylan didn't show..

[11xzxzxz]

@OMGDeBest Right - I just read that. I know in was it "don't look back" that Dylan should what a dick he could be (funny how his friends didn't point this out to the emperor with no manners or clothes). I heard Phil was homeless for a while and then got on meds before the day the real music died. Would have been great if Dylan wrote him a song anonymously, called Sonny and she called Phil to the phone and Phil put away that rope... happily ever after stuff.

[VJ254]

Amazed by all of the comments discribing Phil as timeless, and how we all would have wanted to meet him, he was so genuine that in a way, we feel like we did meet him, if not in person, thru his music. That is why we refer to him simply as Phil so much of the time.

[94lukepl]

@VJ254 I often say that with his music you almost feel as if you know him. Like he's an old friend, like sometimes I trick myself into thinking that I see him out of the corner of my eye. Or i'll listen to songs that say things that I wanted to express but didn't know how.

Bob Dylan seems liek a myth, something that I can't grasp or understand. Phil seems like an hold friend whom I love with all my heart and could just punch him for leaving everyonee. Idk. It's hard to express...

[Hanzi89]

@94lukepl Very well said. I feel the same!

[11xzxzxz]

Forgot - Half a Century High.

[GeorgiaPat]

I discovered Phil around 1969 through a very strange but brilliant girl in my dorm, and I guess that was relatively late in his career. "Changes" is in the top 5 for me, with "When I'm Gone," "I'm Going To Say It Now," "Is There Anybody Here," and "There But For Fortune." I trust that he knows how much he is loved and appreciated, all these years later.

[11xzxzxz]

Your top 5 are great. I also like Tape from Calfornia, Flower Lady, Cross my Heart, Celia (what a beautiful sad love song), The Men behind the guns, I kill therefore I am, Ringing of Revolution.

[60phile]

MY 3rd favorite song of all time .. I'd listen to it more but I'd be crying all the time.

[naoussa2you2]

so what are your first 2 favorites???

[11xzxzxz]

1. "I've been waiting for you" by Neil Young

2. "Tell Her No" by the Zombies

[11xzxzxz]

Sure, Needle and the Damage Done is great too. Just a little bit of trivia but Neil Young (a big fan of Dylans) more than once went out of his way to say how much he admired Phil Ochs.

[slownoman]

tough call, but I'd have to go with In My Life (Lennon/McCartney) and River (Joni Mitchell). Anthem by Leonard Cohen. American Tune, Paul Simon. Wish You Were here, Pink Floyd. Death Letter Blues, Son House. the world is screwed up, big time, but are we blessed with great music, or what?

[1946don]

Hundreds of great songs, scores of outstanding songs but only one song is my all time #1 ... In My Life ... greatest love song ever written ... (so good that my #2 is Judy Collins singing the same song)

[slownoman]

I have to agree. In My Life and Here, There, And Everywhere were played at our wedding 39 years ago last month. Genius doesn't grow old any more than does real love. and I'll be singing Changes at my solo acoustic gig tomorrow evening. Music is one of life's greatest gifts.

[shurob]

The file has been corrupted and all you hear is one chorus. What a tragedy. This song/poem must be yeard in its entirety by the poet/composer. Nobody else can do it justice.

[Babyhowdy233]

Just an EXQUISITE song, so utterly PERFECT..especially when performed by Phil!

[clydeandangus]

no one sings things song better than phil ochs its the passion

[accomplice55]

I never heard anyone sing this but Phil, and I don't want to! :)

[LMUDewey]

Do yourself a favor and listen to Jim & Jean's version. (Jim was Phil Ochs' friend/roomate at Ohio St. - I think) Their version is wonderful

[accomplice55]

Ok, I bought their CD. I like it, but I still like Phil's "Changes" better, but maybe because I heard it first. I like their "Flower Lady."

[LMUDewey]

I always find that the the version you hear first - especially when done by the author himself is usually the best. I'm glad you liked Jim & Jean's version. Ian & Sylvia also do a pretty job. Great song regardless.

[zu0832]

Man, I heard Jim and Jean sing this song live at a free concert one evening in'68 at Central Park...they opened for Phil...it was quite impressive to a kid from central Texas, on his first trip to N.Y. who had never previously heard this music.

[LMUDewey]

They were pretty good. I wonder what happened to them. Do you still live in TX?

[zu0832]

nope...call Denver home now...but currently escaping the winter (as done for the umpteenth time)in Buenos Aires...how bout you?

[LMUDewey]

I took your place in Texas. I moved from So. Cal and now live in Plano. Not many people here or in So. Cal have heard of Jim & Jean. I'll bet there's not too many fans in Argentina either. They were still pretty darn good.

[guitarman2214]

Gordon Lightfoot did a wonderful job with this song on his Lightfoot! album in 1966

[hangeygirl]

what a beauty this man was. timeless american hero.

[shurob]

Still an all time favourite.

[skilski2003]

Ochs and my cousin Hardin ended their lives. What a loss, what a sad thing that they chose to not live with their own genius. RIP both of you.

[skilski2003]

Check out Tim Hardin also.

[guibox3]

Yeah I don't think so...Lightfoot's version is WAY better.

[naoussa2you2]

A fan of Lightfoot's but think his version way too upbeat. When Och's sang this song, it was heartwrenching.

[JosephEaorle]

not to mention that Phil Ochs actually wrote the frickin song!!!!

[skilski2003]

So? The writer is not always the best singer "for" a song. I.E., The Grass Roots. I won't say what Dylan said about Ochs..very controversial, but so Dylan.

[skilski2003]

Agree, and have you heard Crispian St. Peters version? A bit different, but lovely. Ochs was a master, but Lightfoot's was better.

[reckonman]

fukin sucks wasnt complete dammit

[Coltron3]

I am in a political punk band. Phil Ochs is my BIGGEST influence. THANK YOU PHIL!! I am getting my first tattoo as a tribute to you!

[rpare666]

he was our last chance

[aquage]

I'll never forget him

[skilski2003]

As, the other song goes...."this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you".

[skilski2003]

Ah, so short, but beautiful. Ochs was a first and I wish this song could be found all the way through, such beautiful lyrics. Gordon Lightfoot/Chrispian St. Peters...but I'd like to hear Ochs' through and through. Peace to ya.

[anaberke]

great song!!!

[JerryX68]

Beautiful. Phil Ochs had that quality of 'gentle strength' that Victor Jara, Miguel Enriquez, Olaf Palme, Bobby Sands, Huey Newton, Dr King, Petra Kelly, and their ilk had!

[RAWRAMP1]

i will definitely be learning more about him,so down to earth singer/songwriter

[RAWRAMP1]

hiya bluebell,ive never honestly heard of phil ochs until now,but im very much impressed..thanx x

[willm19]

we've won another one over!

[bluebellrock]

The first Phil Ochs song I ever heard - about a decade ago. It blew me away and I was obsessed instantly. What a rare creature. I once met his sister who works tirelessly to spread Phil's message(s) all over the world and to keep his spirit and music alive, but I wish I'd met him. Like someone else said, I'm glad to know you're all out there too.

[dlobron]

My favourite song from my favourite folk singer. He is sadly missed.

[sooka5]

i almost cry every time i hear this song. RIP Phil Ochs. Your needed here every day to change the world. My fav song is "A long time ago"

[bdcocker]

I do cry, I try to play this song, and often can't even finish singing it. We can't let all those gifted social thinkers and artist pass through life in vain, we must somehow find a way to wake up the sleeping masses in America as Phil was trying to do. Thanks to all on this post thread..

[natashathweatt]

I had no idea all of u were out there. I've loved him all my life. I'm SO glad to know others feel it too. If only we could have been there when he took that fatal step.

[natashathweatt]

I had no idea all of u were out there. I've loved him all my life. I'm SO glad to know others feel it too. If only we could have been there when he took that fatal step.

[orleydogjones]

I never cared much for the contrivance of protest songs. It's all blah-blah-blah and wannabe Woody Guthrie stuff...but, when this guy wrote from his heart, well it's a different story. Rare and compelling fare not likely to be seen again.

[lassiebug1o1]

tony rice does a great version of this song.

[rplende]

If you have never heard Crispian St Peters' version of Changes... do yourself a favour, you need to.

[rplende]

All praise to Phil for writing the song but Cripian St Peters version is the best rendition of Changes.

[woodrailking]

Lightfoot took out the verse about "The World is spinning madly, it drifts in the dark..." Too downbeat for Gordie I guess.

[dadangel51]

Phil wrote and sang his own songs. Others copied him, but his soul lives on despite his tragic death by his own hand in 1976. Rest well, Phil, rest well Mr. Train.

[dadangel51]

Passions will part to a strange melody, all fears of the forest are gone, like petals in the wind we're victims to the golden dreams of dawn, of changes. Oh, I forget the words but not the spirit. Rest well, Phil. Rest well.

[piratejenny37]

probably the most beautiful, and possibly well-covered song he did. he looks beautiful in this too. i wish there were more, and i wish he were still here.

[lindapinda]

Of the videos of Phil Och's, I like this one the best since it seems to echo a tragic end to one of the finest protest singers of the century.

Thank you for posting this clip.

Regards, Jack

[Ascentia]

Thank you for posting this! Even a brief glimpse of this beautiful and amazing man serves to help remember that he once lived and sang among us, and was a hero to so many. That his willingness to take a stand, and the scope and impact of his art is largely forgotten, only serves to empower those who condemn us to repeat the mistakes of the past, rather than effect 'Changes' in our collective outlook.

[gjsjrr]

One of my favorite Ochs songs. He still looked healthy there. I only wish it were longer.

[vsibirsky]

The Tune Changes was written by Phil Ochs. IT can be heard on his third recording which is a live concert at Carnegie Hall. This recording was reissued on cd.

Perhaps Gordon Lightfoot recorded the tune as a cover but Phil wrote it.

[HelterSkelter07]

Very Good this video, Phil Ochs is very depress here

[skilski2003]

One of the most beautiful songs....written by Gordon Lightfoot.

[njgodfrey]

written by Phil Ochs

[jeffkahl]

interesting how Ochs' voice is more free time than Gord's! still a good version!

[tkoe2007]

ONE OF FEW LIBERAL FOOLS I LIKE WAS OCHS

[Refrescospepito]

Beautiful.

Great performance.

Ochs appears more handsome than ever!

Don't you have the complete video?

Thanks for share it!

[lindalevi]

Please post more Phil. He's a great and important singer and composer.

[Gumbo77]

@jt: yep, i feel the same

[jt20042]

Even though it's a mere 38 seconds long, it's still haunting to see. Thanks!

[Ringoisgod]

Too bad it's so short. I love him.