The plan for today was to listen to and write about Phil Ochs Greatest Hits but I hit problems because (a) I don’t have a copy. (b) it isn’t available on Spotify as far as I can see and (c) it isn’t available in coherent form on YouTube. For various reasons it was too late to change plans, so instead here are some interim thoughts on this project.
My first thought is that I’m pleased, and a little surprised, to make it this far. Starting this was a spur of the moment thing, and it was only after I started doing some research that I discovered what it might entail. As much as I enjoy doing this, it has turned into a time sink that I didn’t expect. The only days I missed were due to the unexpected death of an old friend.
It’s remarkable how quickly I came to be able to tell very quickly whether something I listened to was worth persevering with; this is not the same as whether I liked it. It’s interesting to (to me) how I’ve been able in my own mind to discriminate between music that sounded new and music that was stuck somewhere in the sixties. I’m wary of taking of ‘progress’ or indeed of ‘progressive’ because the words are loaded with baggage, and progress carries a tacit sense of ‘improvement’, and I don’t want to go there.
With the exception of Jerry Garcia, who was always something of an outlier, and possibly Frank Zappa, I have so far avoided ‘guitar heroes’. This isn’t deliberate, but it is a relief. They will come in due course–it’s hard to be in 1970 and avoid Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher and Alvin Lee. The Allman Brothers are on the horizon too.
I feared the project might cement my prejudices and biases in place; I think the opposite has happened. Whatever I’ve chosen to listen to, I’ve tried to be open minded and the effect has been to enjoy things I didn’t expect and leave me critical of things I thought I’d like. The only things I’ve listened to and recoiled against even mentioning are some free jazz and some novelty singles. Atomic Rooster came close 🙂
So far it hasn’t cost me much money. To date I’ve only bought two albums I didn’t previously know (Nilsson Sings Newman and Shelagh McDonald’s debut album that will appear here later in the year). There are one or two more on my list for when I get round to it.
Finally, I haven’t had many comments here, but for those I have had, and for those on email, Twitter and WhatsApp, many thanks
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