Phill Ochs I Ain't Marching Anymore.

[Affair on Touhy Ave.]

I just found out there are 2 versions of the song. 1 is a little more sped up and the other a little bit slower though not real slow. I typed him up but couldn't find out anything on it.

[Auburn Annie]

Proably more than one recording of it, studio and live, or several live recordings, each one a little different. Here's something from the wikipedia article:

I Ain't Marching Anymore was Phil Ochs' second long player, released on Elektra Records in 1965. Dispensing with second guitarist Danny Kalb, Ochs appeared all by his lonesome as he tore through twelve originals, an interpretation of Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman" set to music (much as Poe's "The Bells" had been set to music on the previous album) and a cover of Ewan MacColl's "The Ballad of the Carpenter".

Of the twelve originals, probably the most noted was the title track, with its distinctive trilling guitar part, that spoke of a soldier sick of fighting. Also of note was the album closer, "Here's to the State of Mississippi", a biting criticism of that state's lack of civil rights and general bigoted attitude. Other important songs include "Draft Dodger Rag" (assailing those "red blooded Americans" who were all too ready to stay out of Vietnam yet because they were just summer soldiers and sunshine patriots), "That Was The President" (a tribute to John Kennedy written soon after his assassination), "Talking Birmingham Jam" (which used the melody to "John Hardy" to assail the racist leaders of Birmingham) and "Links on the Chain" (attacking labor unions for not being all-inclusive).

On the 2002 CD reissue, an alternative electric version of "I Ain't Marching Anymore" follows "Here's to the State of Mississippi". Released as the A-side of a British 45, it had first appeared in the States on the now out-of-print 1997 box set Farewells And Fantasies.


Track Listing
I Ain't Marching Anymore (P. Ochs, 2:37)
In The Heat of the Summer (P. Ochs, 3:08)
Draft Dodger Rag (P. Ochs, 2:13)
That's What I Want To Hear (P. Ochs, 3:10)
That Was The President (P. Ochs, 3:26)
The Iron Lady (P. Ochs, 3:37)
The Highwayman (A. Noyes, with musical interpretation by P. Ochs, 5:42)
Links on the Chain (P. Ochs, 4:20)
The Hills of West Virginia (P. Ochs, 3:21)
The Men Behind The Guns (P. Ochs, 3:03)
Talking Birmingham Jam (P. Ochs, 3:13)
The Ballad of the Carpenter (E. MacColl, 3:54)
Days of Decision (P. Ochs, 3:14)
Here's To The State of Mississippi (P. Ochs, 6:02)
I Ain't Marching Anymore (electric version) (P. Ochs, 2:50) +
+ = bonus track on 2002 CD reissue

Participants
Phil Ochs - vocals, guitar
Jac Holzman - production supervisor
Paul A. Rothchild - recording director
The Blues Project - backing group on "I Ain't Marching Anymore" (electric version

[Robby Lake]

Ya know,Ochs was a fantastic acoustic strummer,if I do say so myself!Too bad he hung himself-we could sure use him rite now,
32yr old Robby Lake:Ultimate Lightfoot
Fan

[<jbt>]

i'm a very loyal fan of phil ochs and love his songs (amazing lyrics) and what he stood for in life, but i'm not sure of the following although i've always assumed it to be true: in the beck song "Loser", the line "...folk-singer slob, he hung himself with his guitar string...", is that referring to phil? i know beck's earlier music was folky and he seems to be a student of music history. if anyone can answer this strange question of mine i'd appreciate it!

[Auburn Annie]

"Over the next few years, Phil became more isolated from his friends and spent most of his time drinking, watching TV and traveling to other countries. In South Africa, he was robbed by three men. In the process, his vocal cords were ruptured and he lost his upper register. Convinced he would never sing professionally again, he fell deeper into bouts of manic depression and paranoia....
His nephew David found him hanging from his own belt in his sister's bathroom. He was thirty-five years old...."

Phil Ochs Remembered at http://www.furious.com/perfect/philochs.html