Rehearsals For Retirement

Rehearsals for Retirement was Phil Ochs' sixth album, released in 1969 on A&M Records. Recorded in the aftermath of Ochs' presence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago (where his exploits included selecting and purchasing a pig for Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies to nominate for President), it is the darkest of Ochs' albums, a fact exemplified by its cover, a tombstone proclaiming that Ochs had died in Chicago. Yet is is perhaps the richest in humor and sarcasm. "Pretty Smart On My Part," the album opener, is a satirical, sardonic celebration of cultural paranoia and its violent expression in American culture. It depecits a right-wing reactionary, who plans to, among other things, "assassinate the President and take over...