By most accounts, 1973 was not a good time for
Phil Ochs
; it had been three years since his last album arrived to indifferent reviews and dismal sales, and his drinking and creative lethargy took a heavy toll as the great protest singer of the '60s was trying to find a new voice in the '70s. But you wouldn't guess any of that to listen to this recording of
Ochs
playing a club date that year in the Midwest;
Live Again!
captures
on a night when he was in good voice and good spirits, playing songs from his catalog for an audience clearly happy to be hearing them. While there are a few songs from
' later albums, including "Pretty Smart on My Part" and "Chord of Fame," for the most part this set is devoted to material from his years as a "singing journalist," and he performs "I Ain't Marching Anymore," "Santo Domingo," and "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" with genuine commitment and strength. Significantly, the biggest hand of the night goes to "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon," a then-topical rewrite of "Here's to the State of Mississippi," preceded by a fiery speech from
calling for the president's impeachment that brings the crowd to their feet. The show took place at the Stables, a folk and blues club near the campus of Michigan State University, and it's likely
was playing for a crowd of old college-town lefties, but they were clearly happy to see the folk icon up close and personal, and
makes it clear
was not a spent force as a performer. This concert was also recorded at a fortuitous time; later in the year,
would be mugged during a visit to Africa, causing his vocal cords to be damaged and sending him on a downward spiral that would end with his suicide in 1976.
documents
at one of the last shows where he was performing at full power. While this concert had circulated before as a bootleg; this edition from
Rockbeat
features subtly cleaned-up audio and a bonus track from a Chicago show a year later, allowing listeners to hear how the mugging has changed
' voice. ~ Mark Deming