Date Label Number Country Format Comments ---- ----- ------ ------- ------ -------- 1962 Cameo C-1047 LP out of print, mono
David Cohen wrote about this long-lost Ochs album
Someone was selling a copy of this on Ebay and had this commentary (which is undoubtedly exagerated if not false, but it is good for a laugh):
This is the ultra-rare LP by folk legend Phil Ochs' first professionally-recorded band. For a short while in the early '60s The Campers were a popular touring act, bringing traditional campfire songs to hundreds around the globe. Consisting of Ochs, a woman who preferred anonymity and several children (who also preferred anonymity), The Campers reached the peak of their success with the smash hit single "Polly Wolly Doodle" b/w "Friends Friends Friends." Although the follow-up single "Hambone" b/w "Crucifixion" failed to chart, The Campers remained a top attraction on the campfire circuit until an unfortunate incident while on tour doomed the group forever. Although the circumstances remain unclear, Ochs was arrested at a campfire in Florida and charged with violating federal child labor laws. As part of a plea bargain agreement, Ochs agreed not to play in a band for seven years. All copies of the yet-to-be-released "Camp Favorites" were ordered destroyed but, amazingly, several copies -- including this one -- managed to escape the incinerator! Ochs reluctantly retired The Campers and soon moved to New York City where he began performing as a solo artist. Bitter about his legal troubles and the demise of his band, Ochs wrote scathing songs blasting the government and its policies... And the rest is history.