Donovan - The Essential Donovan
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CD Details
Artist: DonovanBrand: Sony
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2004-03-30
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Catch the Wind [Mono Version]
- Colours [Mono Version]
- Sunshine Superman [Unedited Version]
- Season of the Witch
- Mellow Yellow [Mono Version]
- Epistle to Dippy
- There Is a Mountain
- Wear Your Love Like Heaven
- Jennifer Juniper
- Hurdy Gurdy Man
- Lalena
- To Susan on the West Coast Waiting
- Atlantis
- Barabajagal - Jeff Beck Group, Donovan
Music reviews of The Essential Donovan
Music Review: Superman or Green Lantern Ain't Got- Nothing On Metamorpho......
Rating: 4 Stars
Well, it used to be when you went to an airport there would be natural flower children, with flower print dresses, with (of all things) flowers to hand out to weary passer-bys. Their buttons revealed their true thoughts: "Make Love, Not War", "Groovey!", "Don't Trust Anyone Over 30!" How foolish to think anything like this could survive into the modern day a go-go world we all know and love. (!)
These days we have persons of a different ilk. You know the ones. They have many piercings, are very loud (urgent that they be heard!) and walk around with placards that read "Save Britney!" or "Free Paris!". As if I didn't have anything better to concentrate on - like freeing and saving myself. Ah! The price we pay for progress folks!
Anyway - I found my old crystal spectacles in the bottom of a drawer and cleaned all the cobwebs off. I am now wearing them (where did all these colours come from? Oh wow!) and am writing this review on "The Essential Donovan".
I have to say that this is quite a respectable collection of goodies from him. That said, I often have reservations about someone else calling it "essential". How does anyone know what I would consider essential as opposed to you or she or he as me and we are all together? ;) Donovan has had tons of tunes, many of which could easily have been included. A one disc retrospective can't do him justice. But, aside from that complaint - this really is not too shabby.
It begins from his acoustic phase and includes the wonderful "Catch the Wind" and "Colours". I guess because he included a harmonica they referred to him as the English Bob Dylan. That really was unfair to him. Although definitely talented- he's no Dylan.
I do recall his earlier folk-rock music to be very diverse and included some great reflective songs. Here, they only give you "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch" from his album "Sunshine Superman". And, as I recall, that whole album was superb. And while there is nothing wrong with including these songs, you're all missing a wealth of unheard music.
Donovan amazes by being so diverse. He can give you a lilting, french inspired tale of a "Jennifer Juniper" and then the grinding, more intensive rock of "Hurdy Gurdy Man". He goes from the calypso-inspired metaphysical folk of "There is a Mountain" to drowning in a sea of love with "Atlantis". It seems that Donovan's fantasies took him all over the map!
I am happy to see that they included the rare gem "Epistle to Dippy". Now that is one creative song. Donovan's own brand of stream-of-conciousness flowing (or flowering?) though a jaggedy, haphazard meter that makes total sense. Let us not forget the lovely and wispful "Lalena". The quiet orchestra and flutes give this a richness beyond words. Very nice.
A word of warning though, Donovan does rely on repetition quite a bit in lyrics and music. This can prove either annoying or a delicious pop hook. It's up to you to decide. One of my least favorites is "To Susan On the West Coast Waiting" = annoying ;( . Then that unique celtic voice on "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" = tantalizing pop hook with some stratospheric enunciation going on. But, you can all decide to take these compositions in any way you want.
In closing, a most pleasant recollection of a bygone age but nowhere near complete. If you do not have this artist in your archives (and you should!), then this is one to get. But complete? No, far from it.
Now please excuse me. I have to get back to repainting the day-glo flowers on my volkswagon mini-bus. And, oh yeah, those Peter Max prints arrived today! Gotta set up that blacklight!
writing by lava lamp ------ Metamorpho!
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