Tune du Jour: “Changes” – Phil Ochs
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Gene Clark & Carla Olson vs. Christy Moore vs. Neil Young
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
This beautifully poignant song illustrates that Phil was more than capable of writing excellent apolitical material. A wistful song of romance and reflection with such brilliant imagery. After Phil completed it, he called his ex-wife, Alice Skinner, and sang it to her over the phone. I imagine it was a last attempt to win back her love but, consistent with so many personal setbacks, it was not to be. Alice told him twice that it was a great song before she hung up. Phil Ochs, wracked with lifelong depression, hung himself in 1976. Could the world ever use a compassionate political force like Phil Ochs today …
Phil Ochs:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Gene Clark & Carla Olson vs. Christy Moore vs. Neil Young
Gene Clark & Carla Olson:
Christy Moore:
Neil Young:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
This song gets to me every time. Just can’t help but picture an emotional Phil Ochs delivering it to his ex-wife.
Gene and Carla’s version is just too upbeat. I can’t believe that this is how Phil intended it to sound.
Not surprisingly, Christy nails it.
Neil is just such a versatile musician that it amazes me. From “Like a Hurricane” to “Changes” … like I said, amazing. Obviously, Neil was referring to Kurt Cobain in the intro (love how he shuts down the guy calling for him to ‘c’mon let’s go’). Kurt admired Neil and Neil was trying to reach out to Kurt about his music and lifestyle. Kurt’s suicide note included a lyric from Neil’s “Hey Hey, My My”, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”. I would guess that its inclusion must still haunt Neil.
Neil’s passionate delivery wins the day.
If I were to compile a very short list of favorite artists, Ochs, Clark, Moore, and Young would all be included. I’ve never seen as many personal heroes in a single competition on this site.
Clark’s version was disappointing. During this period, he was backed by a rock band and sharing vocals with a female singer. He should have covered this on one of his solo acoustic albums. I agree it was too upbeat, and didn’t require drums.
Christy Moore is always great, and does a fine job here. He almost got the vote.
Neil carries the day, aided by the live video and spoken word intro.
I am admittedly late to the game regarding Phil Ochs. I’ve certainly read a lot about him. Richard Barone’s excellent book about the Greenwich Village folk scene, Revolution + Music, gave Ochs his proper reverence. About a year ago, I found a 3CD boxed set by Ochs and got caught up to speed, as best I could. This is a great song, and I liked all of the covers, but I’m giving it to Christy Moore, even though Neil’s introduction alone nearly sealed the deal on the vote. But Moore quiet, solemn rendition carried the day.
Fucking Neil, He’ll never change, God love him,
can you imagine trying to speed Neil up on an intro to an icon he admires? Or an intro on anything for that matter. Yeah, that’s gonna go really well for ya That Jaboney was surely there to hear Heart of Gold and hopefully a cover of horse with no name.
Beautiful song, well done by all but I think Neil wins the day on a walk off
Thanks for bringing this one in. Never among my favorite Phil Ochs songs, I had forgotten how pretty and lyrical it is. I never knew that Neil Young covered anything by Ochs so it was good to hear how much he thought of Phil’s songwriting. It fits Neil’s style well and his version is heartfelt and well delivered. I like the opening of Gene and Carla’s take with Clark reaching up to extend each syllable until they shift to mid tempo and the band joins. Carla adds color and texture as their voices blend and I hear an echo of The Byrds in the guitar accompaniment. All good but I chose Christy Moore. So smoothly enveloping, warming and reassuring. Like slipping into a velvet embrace. I saw Christy on Finding Your Roots. It turns out that his DNA contains traces of Woody Guthrie, Finn MacCool, Gandalf and Yoda