Pleasures Of The Harbor

Sound DNA

• Rock
• Folk Rock

• warm
• earnest
• political

About

Phil Ochs' fourth album, <i>Pleasures of the Harbor</i>, represents a major step forward in his musical development. Though he'd still often perform live with just an acoustic guitar, his albums would take on baroque orchestrations, bringing new musicality to his songs. He was still a social critic; "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" remains one of his best-known critiques. Inspired by Kitty Genovese's infamous murder, it mocks human apathy with a deliberately jaunty and carefree Dixieland arrangement. "The Flower Lady" features Ian Freebairn-Smith's string arrangement as Ochs empathizes with a struggling lady selling flowers to no one. The title track, based on Ochs' viewing of the 1940 film <i>The Long Voyage Home</i> (starring his hero John Wayne), captures a somber tone for the lonely sailors who ache for human touch. The fine track "The Crucifixion" is one of the album's most ambitious, traveling through history to show how heroes are often betrayed by their own people.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits