Friends Perform in Ochs Concert

by Robert Palmer
New York Times
May 30, 1976

Late Singer of 60's Honored at Felt Forum Tribute

The concert tribute to the late Phil Ochs that was held at the Felt Forum on Friday offered few surprises, except for the number of absentees. Of the star performers rumored to be considering appearances -- Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez had been mentioned, though not by the concert's organizers -- none showed up.

But there were plenty of performers and speakers, enough to provide a fast-moving 5 1/2 hours. Most of them had been associated with the peace and civil rights movements of the 1960's at one time or another, most sang topical songs and most had been close to Mr. Ochs, who died last April 19 and was a tireless organizer as well as a gifted songwriter.

It was interesting to see the diverse ways in which these children of the 1960's had adapted to the present decade. David Blue sang in a suit and boosted California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.'s Presidential candidacy. Pat Sky disdained traditional folk singing and offered instead a bagpipe solo. Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Len Chandler and Peter Yarrow might as well have been performing for a 1960's audience, and Pete Seeger offered a brief sampling of his timeless banjo-picking.

If the folk singers had anything in common, it was their general lack of musical sophistication. Too often, voices were flat or sharp, melodies and chords skeletal. The concert's musical highlights were a heartfelt rendition of Mr. Och's "Pleasures of the Harbor" by Tim Hardin and Rob Stoner's energetic Elvis Presley imitation of "Heartbreak Hotel," with Alan Ginsberg, the poet, on finger cymbals.