Search - Donovan :: Definitive Collection

Epistle to the Flower Power Era

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 02/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Donovan began his career as a folkie, but he will be remembered forever as the leading proponent of flower power hipness.Early folk-oriented tunes like "Catch the Wind," "Colours" and "Universal Soldier" all charted in the UK, but only "Catch the Wind" dented the US charts (No. 23). In late-65 Donovan splits from his manager and hooks up with new producer Mickie Most (Herman's Hermits, Animals, Lulu, etc.). In the process he switches direction from folk to pop.His first single for Most is "Sunshine Superman"--which was originally titled "For John and Paul." It goes to No. 2 in the UK and tops the US chart. What follows is a string of memorable hits, including "Mellow Yellow" with Paul McCartney on background "whispered" vocals. [Did anyone REALLY believe this was about smoking banana skins! ] There's the percussion-flute workout "There Is a Mountain," (which the Allman Brothers would convert to "Mountain Jam" on Eat a Peach.] Unlike many of his contemporaries, Donovan would maintain his popularity throughout the sixties. This also meant expanding his sound. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" starts out with Donovan's trademark vibrato vocal and cosmic lyrics, but with Jimmy Page on guitar and the future Led Zeppelin rhythm section on board it was one of the few Donovan tracks that rocked. Another hard-driving song (and Donovan's last US top 40 hit), "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)," features the Jeff Beck Group. Donovan leaves Mickie Most and releases "Celia of the Seals" as a duet with longtime bassist Danny Thompson. It only reaches US No. 84. His next single "Riki Tiki Tavi" is what Donovan dubbed an experiment in "Celtic rock." it peaked at US No. 84. His final US single is "I Like You" from Cosmic Wheels. [I bought this album on vinyl when it was released in 1973. Thankfully this disc does not also include the embarrassingly insipid "Intergalactic Laxative."] The single only went to No. 66. It was becoming apparent that by the early seventies, there were very few listeners still paying attention.For this baby-boomer, this collection is everything I would expect in a box set: all the hits, a few unreleased songs, tracks from throughout the artist's career (the latest song is from 1976's Slow Down World), and an emphasis on the artist's commercial peak (1966-1969: 26 of the 44 songs). If all you want is the hits, the remastered Greatest Hits' 15 tracks will do the job cheaper, but for six dollars more you get nearly three times the songs and enough Donovan to put you into cosmic euphoria. Go for it. RECOMMENDED"

Donovan DinoMIGHT

Steve Vrana | 09/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've loved Donovan's music for a long time and accumulated albums, singles, tapes, CDs, etc., of his by the bushelful. However, I write this at a time when my infatuation with the man has faded quite a bit. This could be due to overkill on my part. At any rate, this collection has some good things going for it. All his hits are here. Some previously rare tracks have been included that are mostly quite good. A few oddball album tracks made it on here that really didn't deserve to be here. For big fans, this set is a must. For casual, "I just want the hits and the rest make me throw up" fans, you are getting a bit too much here. Go with a single CD of hits and not this 2-CD collection. You have to at least like the sentiment behind flower power to get into the lesser-known songs here. In reality, the choice of album cuts from both the 60s and 70s material is somewhat questionable--there are superior tracks that could have been chosen in some instances. Put a good band behind him, and Donovan can do magic with a song. He can also do quite well with just him and his guitar, as many of the songs on this set demonstrate. I think Donovan himself chose the songs on here--so I guess a few of the choices I don't agree with. Some of his favorites songs he wrote for his beloved wife Linda--"I Like You" is one that doesn't come off real well; "Dark-eyed Blue-Jean Angel" works better. For most listeners, the collection probably should have been limited to the years 1965-1971 or perhaps 1973, and trimming off the last few years of input. That would have allowed more space for great songs like "Three Kingfishers" from the Sunshine Superman album and "Young Girl Blues" from Mellow Yellow. All in all, his songs have aged well and deserve to be remembered for posterity."

Unique, Wonderful, and Uplifting

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 02/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How this spirit might have emerged from the hard heart of Glasgow is anybody's guess, but it did, and we are all the beneficiaries. Today it is quite fashionable to marginalize Donovan as a flower-power hyper-sensitive embarrassment. This is misguided. Remember that he suffered under the "British Bob Dylan" pressure, and held up. Then, ask yourself the question, when was the last time you were hanging out with George Harrison in India, studying meditation?



Donovan has had a rather amazing life, and he has stayed true to his artistic integrity throughout - how many entertainers could make that claim? More to the point, Donovan has crafted his own, unique style, a style so distinct it seems to be influenced by nobody and can be spotted at a thousand paces. Now take his spirit itself. Is there any writer/performer you can name quite so brave, so willing to be emotionally honest and vulnerable, so eager to look at life through the eyes of a child?



Yes, he crosses the line at times, even for me. But at the price of just over 1 CD, this 2 CD set offers at least an 80% hit rate of definite keepers, making it a certified value. And before you pass him off as "the flake that did Mellow Yellow" - look at the distance and evolution from folky Codine to funky rock Cosmic Wheels, with a stop at Epistle To Dippy in between. That's a lot of very interesting, consistent forward motion from a man who did what true artists must, that is, pursue his own vision with a bold disregard for detractors. So enjoy. This music is always good and at times it's so beautiful one can barely stand it."