Punknews.org

|
Sign In | create an account

Kind of Like Spitting

Learn: The Songs of Phil Ochs (2005)
Hush

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Jesse
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on October 11th 2005

Now, I've never been the hugest Kind of Like Spitting fan. Some of the acoustic stuff I've heard was alright. The full band stuff was alright. Nothing ever really struck me. It wasn't memorable, but it wasn't bad. Was it the delivery or the songwriting?

It must have been the songwriting. On the release of Learn: The Songs of Phil Ochs, Kind of Like Spitting (hereby consisting of Ben Barnett and Daivid J.) shows that they can take nine songs from 60's singer/songwriter Phil Ochs and turn it into an entertaining twenty-two minutes of acoustic fun. From bouncy, fun songs like "Draft Dodger Rag" and "Where Were You in Chicago" to the heartfelt "I'm Tired" and "When I'm Gone" to the political "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and "Remember Me," Ben and David share their harmony-laden warbles with jangling guitars.

The problem is that the album doesn't quite flow very well. While "I'm Tired" or "When I'm Gone" are masterfully taken by Ben and David as their own songs, songs like "Where Were You in Chicago" and "Draft Dodger Rag" are helplessly stuck in the era in which they were written. The clash generated by these different types of songs makes the album feel less like an album and more like a "Best Of..." collection. Which, I guess it sort of is, seeing as how the songs are selected from the entire Phil Ochs catalog.

All in all, this would be a must-have for any Phil Ochs fan or any Kind of Like Spitting fan. If neither is really your bag, than maybe this isn't quite for you.

Login to rate this album

Please login or register to post comments.

What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Anonymous (March 23, 2006)

You people are fucking morons. acting like ben is some fucking seventeen year old trying to care about what you fucking think!

seriously i know the guy and he dosen't GIVE A FLYING FUCK about you, your opinion, your family, who beat you up and made you such a little bitch. FIRST, pull your fat fucking acne faced assed out of your mouth and get that kols is fucking gangster and you fools can talk all the shit you want. but tomarrow ben will be on tour and chillin with his lady and feelin good while YOU just fucking WISH you were that cool.

This band will succeed with or without punkdouch.net or anyother bullshit unrealistic, hyper uninformed scrub such as the fucks that think they give a fuck.

eat balls you fucking bastards.

ben is fucking cooler than you will ever be or could ever hope to be, and that guy can play the FUCK out of a guitar.

go back to fucking friendster where your weak shit can find a clue.

you fucking ungratefull bitches, ben works fucking hard.

his shit is tight.

DEAL WITH IT!

Anonymous (October 20, 2005)

Firstly, I'd like to applaud anyone who attempts to expose the artistry of Phil Ochs to yet another breed of listener. Phil's philosophies and principals will always be a desired moral compass. And if this were to be the only criteria by which I were to grade this effort, I would have to rate it a 10.
However KOLS would be more honest to rename themselves ELCT ( Exactly Like Cat Torturing ). To call them "Terrible" is to pay them a compliment. I didn't realize this kind of "sound"(?) was possible.
One of Ochs's releases was "50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong". Based on the sound of this CD, this would be at least 48 more than KOLS has.
Final recommendation: Take their advice - Learn the Songs of Phil Ochs. But be kind to yourself & don't try to learn them from this CD.

Anonymous (October 13, 2005)

can one guy break up?

Marlon (October 12, 2005)

I'm glad KOLS hasn't broken up.

Anonymous (October 12, 2005)

the KOLS song "sherriff ochs" was enough of a tribute.

Anonymous (October 12, 2005)

Not sure I'm all that interested in this record myself, but...

I'm amazed how many people don't know who Phil Ochs was and have never heard his music. Anybody who trys to bring more attention to him is fine by me.

Anonymous (October 11, 2005)

hearing ben do these songs live is pretty cool
recording them seems pointless
if he's just doing them acoustic, i can put my phil ochs records on and hear them
if you're gonna record a cover, do something different with it
like the mojo nixon/jello song or the weakerthans one

the hush website says "phil ochs is to bob dylan what kind of like spitting is to bright eyes." thats the single worst advertising slogan i've ever read.

Inspection12e (October 11, 2005)

I didn't know this was coming out shit.

Anonymous (October 11, 2005)

Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon do a good version of "Love Me, I'm A Liberal," with updated (mid-'90s) lyrics.

backupdork (October 11, 2005)

saw a couple of these songs live. i know two of them were "Draft Doger Rag" and "You Can't Get Stoned Enough." they were pretty entertaining. i love KOLS. never heard any Phil Ochs stuff, though.

Benjasauruss (October 11, 2005)

Phil Ochs is some of the catchiest and best and most intelligent political folk out there.

Anonymous (October 11, 2005)

Phil Ochs good. Kind of Like Spitting bad. Honestly, what separates these guys from the ten thousand other acoustic acts currently dressing themselves up in punk/emo clothes? They don't sing or play guitar very well and their songs aren't that good.

To hear Ochs (re)done right, check out the Weakerthans' cover of "The Ringing of Revolution" or Pinhead Gunpowder's version of "Song of My Returning."

thirtyseconds (October 11, 2005)

I was wondering where the Jesse reviews were at.

Anonymous (October 11, 2005)

kind of like shitting