Rehearsals for Retirement

Rehearsals for Retirement is Phil Ochs's sixth album, released in 1969 on A&M Records.

Background
Recorded in the aftermath of Ochs's presence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago (where Ochs claimed to have witnessed the symbolic "death of America") it is often considered to be the darkest of Ochs's albums, exemplified not just by the lyrical matter but also by its cover: a tombstone sardonically proclaiming that Ochs had died in Chicago.

The album saw Ochs exploring folk rock, incorporating orchestral accompaniments and electric guitar into his music.

Reception
Rehearsals for Retirement was the poorest-selling of all of Ochs's albums released during his lifetime, having been deleted from the A&M Records catalog before sales of 20,000 units had occurred.

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said the musical arrangements are "excellent and work for [Ochs'] voice". While observing "some predictable bummers", Christgau highlighted two flashes of greatness with "The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns" and "Another Age".

Track listing
All songs by Phil Ochs.

Side one

 * 1) "Pretty Smart on My Part" – 3:18
 * 2) "The Doll House" – 4:39
 * 3) "I Kill Therefore I Am" – 2:55
 * 4) "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed" - 2:55
 * 5) [Untitled] (commonly called "Where Were You in Chicago?") – 0:29
 * 6) "My Life"  – 3:12

Side two

 * 1) "The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns" – 4:15
 * 2) "The World Began in Eden and Ended in Los Angeles" – 3:06
 * 3) "Doesn't Lenny Live Here Anymore?" – 6:11
 * 4) "Another Age" – 3:42
 * 5) "Rehearsals for Retirement" – 4:09

Personnel

 * Phil Ochs – guitar, vocals
 * Larry Marks – producer
 * Lincoln Mayorga – piano, accordion
 * Bob Rafkin – guitar, bass
 * Kevin Kelley – drums (rumored)
 * Ian Freebairn-Smith – arrangements