| The Sixties | |
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In the first part of this series, I gave an overview of the "folk revival" that began in the late 50's and tried to suggest how the new interest in old songs might have led to the explosive era of original music that followed, especially political protest music.
Among the writers who defined political protest music in the 60's are Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, Buffy St. Marie, Tom Paxton, Paul Simon and Tom Lehrer. Each writer and performer had a unique approach - with differing styles of writing and music as well as different subject matter. A close look at the differences between Dylan and Ochs - the two most prolific protest writers - might give you an idea of the kinds of choices the songwriter can make.
If you listen to the two writers side by side, you can hear the differences right away, just in their singing and playing styles. Ochs' high tenor voice is earnest, almost naive - at least naive in the artistic sense of the naive painters. His was the voice of the idealist. By contrast, Dylan hardened and harshened his voice, affecting the time-worn wisdom of the old blues players whose work dominates his first album. Ochs always seems to be surprised and saddened by the ways of the world. Dylan never does. Even in a song full of questions like "Blowin' in the Wind," Dylan's voice never beseeches, never demands an answer, and more than sadness, his songs convey anger and the prophet's indignation.
You can also notice that Ochs' songs are always literal and direct. He deals with realities as they appear to us, like a good journalist. It's no surprise that he was a professional journalist and that his signature album was titled All the News that's Fit to Sing. Dylan is more of the poet's school, using the idea that "Poetry is news that never gets old." His lyrics are filled with symbols - myths, archetypes, Biblical and literary allusions. Even when his subjects are topical, as in "Oxford Town" or his ballad about Emmett Till. Dylan. Dylan also aspires to timelessness by stealing traditional folk song melodies and motifs. In a song like "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which makes use of a noticeably proto-rapping blues form and the Beat aesthetic, the style becomes the substance. The song becomes a psychological piece, as much about the mindset of the 60's as it is about the social aspect. Ochs' songs never leave the surface of things, which makes each one seem like an anthem, something you could sing to a crowd at a rally to cause action or laughter. It also often gives them the sense of being dated. Dylan's songs address the introspective listener, employing a distance that lets him address us as directly as he addressed his audiences then, as if no time had intervened. There are exceptions, of course. One of the most popular Phil Ochs songs today is "When I'm Gone" - a poetic ballad that captures some of the timelessness of "Blowin' in the Wind."
Tom Paxton's political work is most like Ochs' - rough-hewn and topical. He was even quicker than Ochs - if there was a hot topic, Paxton could crankout a song for it. Many of these short-lived gems are captured live on the recent Vanguard re-release, though the best of the bunch, "Talking Watergate," is from the 70's.
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