Let's talk about Donovan

First there is a mountain, then there is NO mountain, then there is!

i withdraw all mean things i evah said abt you: may donovan's silliness be the basis of our alliance against all hipster scoffers

NB I have not heard Belle and Sebastian's "I Love My Car" but find it hard to imagine it's not a deliberate reference to Donovan and his shirt. Also NB if Gap marketing campaigns were any more daring I'd like to think they would have used "I Love My Shirt" instead of "Mellow Yellow."

John Peel is the only public figure I know of who really rates Donovan. Peel has said that in the Sixties he enjoyed Donovan's records more than Dylan's.

I always preferred Jason anyway (ouch - sorry 'bout that one)

While I do feel his early work sounds a little too much like Dylan, luckily he went his own way eventually. People say Belle & Sebastian derive from him and I can see that, and yet he's much more versatile than they are, I think. Not afraid to jazz or blues it up a little here and there. And what a voice!

So far I've got the albums Mellow Yellow (which I played three times in a row - unusual for me, especially in this day and age), Sunshine Superman and Barabajagal. I think the latter might even be my favourite.

Anyone have any comments? Want to tell me something about the latter part of his career which I know next to nothing about? Come to think of it, what is he doing nowadays?

I see him pop up in movies now and then. He played Gerard Malanga in I Shot Andy Warhol and he was in Gas Food Lodging. Other than that, don't know.

Oh, I do remember watching a Simpsons episode that had "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" in it and set me off obsessively listening to that song (on my remastered Donovan's Greatest Hits CD for like a week or two.
All in all I like Donovan very much, and that Don't Look Back scene is priceless.

Sheesh folks, is it THAT hard to use a search engine? http://www.donovan.ie

Seriously, I had no compelling reason to google donovan until just now....

And 'Universal Soldier' I'm diggin too.

A friend told me about a recent interview he did for NPR because he has a new album called Beat Cafe coming out. The interview is archived on www.npr.org

http://thm-br1r2.search.vip.scd.yahoo.com/image/85735697

"Kiss me once more / Fill me with song"

I love this guy so much.

prick.

he was pretty good

"Atlantis"/"Barabajagal" could be the best double-sided hit single evah. Paul Macca harmonizes on the A, Jeff Beck burns wire on the B.

Greil Marcus should be forced to write a Donovan book. Season of the Witch is a better listen than Like a Rolling Stone.

Okay, this is going to sound retarded, but I've been hearing the song "Sunshine Superman" all my life and I never realized what it was until this morning. (A next-door neighboor had given me the album with that title in a pile of other used LPs two years ago, and I never got around to listening to it til now. I always knew Donovan did a song with that name; just never associated it with the song that goes "when I make my mind up you're going to be mine" and "Superman and Green Lantern ain't got nothin on me" etc. Not sure who else thought did it; guess I never wondered one way or the other. And never really checked out Donavan much at all, even though the person I'm married to is named after one of his songs. Anyway, the album -- which also has "Season of the Witch," which I've always loved -- is good. A lot better than the Wear Your Love Like Heaven LP, which the same neighbor gave me, but which I thought was boring since Donavan's voice didn't see pretty enough to support its tweeness, even though he's quite possibly inventing the genre.)

Husker Du covered "Sunshine Superman" once, right? Don't think I've ever actually heard that, either.

"Donovan's voice didn't seem pretty enough" I meant. (And "Not sure who else I thought did it." Etc.)

What would you say is the modern equivalent of Donovan? I'm trying to find a song with a similar sounf to Mad John's Escape or the same vibe found on the whole 'gift from a flower...' album but can't think of anything good enough.

rando request, but does anyone have an mp3 of the re-recorded "colours" from 1968-69? it's on the vinyl of his greatest hits, but was replaced with the original version when they put that LP on CD...

Really love Mellow Yellow LP the most, cos a friend did a cover of "Writer in the Sun" that made me seek this one out. I think A Gift From a Flower to a Garden is probably my 2nd favorite just cos there are so many songs and it starts with "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" and just gets more hippy-dippy from there on out. If you're listening to Donovan, you may as well get as hippy-dippy as possible...

There's a Sunshine Superman - The Journey Of Donovan documentary that is the most exhausting thing ever, like 3 hours long, and Donovan either must absolutely LOVE talking about himself, or the editor just didn't feel like throwing anything out. It's a decent way to pass an evening, with lots of funny stories about him doing drugs in the desert and stuff and his friend "Gypsy Dave", but it really is long as hell.

it's on the vinyl of his greatest hits, but was replaced with the original version when they put that LP on CD

this totally annoys me too. I have the Troubadour double-CD (which is GRATE) but yeah it has several songs that I knew from the Greatest Hits in inferior versions, including this one

that doc is okay but it's kinda sad how they couldn't afford/bother to get anybody to talk about Donovan besides... Donovan.

guess the 1968 version is on a recent reish of hurdy gurdy man, but can't find a download (legit or not) of it.

Do you just mean the 4:10 trippy version from Like It Is, as opposed to the earlier folky original? Or is there a third, later version still?

ummm, maybe?
from wiki: When Epic Records was compiling Donovan's Greatest Hits, they were either unable or unwilling to secure the rights to the original recordings of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours". Donovan rerecorded both songs with a full backing band, and the rerecordings were included on the greatest hits album.

The trippy version's one of my favourite songs ever. I'll get it to you now and you can figure out if that's the one you mean.

cool, thanks! basically looking for the non-dylanesque, psych version, yeah.

guess the 1968 version is on a recent reish of hurdy gurdy man, but can't find a download (legit or not) of it.

Take it from me, you're not looking very hard!

The '68 version is on the old/original (80s?) cd of Greatest hits.

you've got to pick up every stitch..

not trying very hard? i googled the hell out of it! anyhoo, clemenza hooked me up! yayyyy!

http://photoserver.ws/files/iyudvfog3h9jzg4gkybc.jpg

THIS RECORD IS AWESOME. The Music Makers is screaming for dance floore treatment.

Man, it had better rule with a bitchin cover like that!

One of the sun city girl dudes recorded Donavan's incoherent ramblings at a club a few years ago and was talking about putting it out on a 7" but i dunno if it ever happened.

Oh yeah Cosmic Wheels is cool!

beatniks are out to make it rich

Creepy Donovan is the best Donovan. Covered by King Crimson too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyxfCQG1t4w

ROFL. We sang "Get Thy Bearings" in church if you can believe it! It is seriously funky with a spiritual theme. I play it all the time now.

He was inducted into the HoF last night by John Mellencamp. Struck me as pretty random, but apparently John's a massive Donovan fan.

One of the sun city girl dudes recorded Donavan's incoherent ramblings at a club a few years ago and was talking about putting it out on a 7" but i dunno if it ever happened.

oh man I'd like to hear this

I try to avoid telling my donovan story online because I'm a nice fucking guy but he's a piece of fucking work imo

oh go on

Yeah, come on man.

BTW Donovan is so awesome on "Billion Dollar Babies." Kinda wish he and Alice had recorded a whole album.

it is very easy to imagine donovan being a complete dipshit irl
he did make some amazing music for a brief period of time

Bass on "Get Thy Bearings" is one of Danny Thompson's finest moments. As is "Sunny Goodge St"

it is very easy to imagine donovan being a complete dipshit irl

In fact he's a monumental egomaniac who claims to have invented and inspired every musical genre from 1965 onwards

HMS Donovan is a great album. I'd put it up there with the best of ISB.

I don't understand any comparison of the two Ds. It always comes up due to that movie but come on... Apples and oranges. Both have their merits and both have put some dreary shit on tape too.

agree that they're very different animals.

Dylan is the highly superior animal tho lol

SO good.

"Open Road" fans out there? Has a fun ramshackle live feel to it, which is super cool after all the fussy (but brilliant) Mickie Most stuff.
Find that I go back to this one even more than the rest.

I don't remember that one - Cosmic Wheels is the cutoff point with him for me

This is so perfect:

http://www.donovan.ie/en/2014/02/donovan-master-classes-composition-guitar-styles/

MASTER CLASS FEES SUPPORT STUDENT MEDITATION
Donovan invites students for private one-on-one tuition in Compostion and Gutiar style.
On a secluded Bahamain Island.
There are limited places for 7 persons over one week.
Only 6 string acoustic guitarist players and songwriters who compose on acoustic guitar can be considered.
No electric guitars can be considered, as the Master Class is an instruction by Donovan for composers and guitarists who compose on 6 string acoustic guitar.
No 12 string guitars are considered.
The dates and secret location for the Master Class will be given plus the fees when a student is accepted by Donovan. Total privacy will be ensured for the students and the location secret.
Only songwriters who have learned basic sets of guitar chords and have attempted songwriting can apply.
Students would need to send a simple video of their performance on acoustic guitar and solo vocal of a self-penned song of their own making.
An audio recording is not enough as Donovan needs to see you play your guitar also. Donovan will decide on the limited selection of students.
Send link to your clip to supp✧✧✧@dono✧✧✧.i✧
Send your videoclip link now!
The location of the Master classes will be at a small exclusive resort on a secluded Bahamian Island.
Accommodations and food included in the Fees.
The location will be given to students when Donovan accepts the student and the deposit is received. This is to protect privacy.
The Fee information for the 7 days is available only by email to supp✧✧✧@dono✧✧✧.i✧, and only after Donovan accepts the student.
Students may bring their wife, husband, partner or friend as the Private Beach Cottage is for two persons.
That means sharing a queen size bed not two separate beds in a cottage.
The week can be your holiday also.
The Tuition
The styles of guitar picking and chord structures that Donovan shared with The Beatles in India for their White Album will be taught as well as many more secret styles and compostion skills that have made Donovan one of the most unique guitarists and composers of this age.
“Donovan is all over The White Album”
George Harrison quote from The Beatles Anthology.
“I will also show you how to access the creative field.”
Donovan
AFTER EXPENCES, A PORTION OF THE MASTER CLASS FEES WILL GO TO TEACHING STUDENTS TO MEDITATE IN DONOVAN’S HOMELAND OF SCOTLAND.

I saw a film only a month ago that used "Colours"--pretty sure it was Donovan's version from Greatest Hits, the electric version. It wasn't Rules of Attraction, it was something much more recent, within the past couple of years.

What's the movie?! I went through my recent posts on the "Last (x) movies" thread and can't figure out what it was.

Listening to A Gift From A Flower to A Garden a fair bit at the moment - particularly the second half, which is goddamn lovely, especially Epistle to Derroll and The Mandolin Man.

xp Tower, animated documentary from last year?

Or maybe the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt?

Tower, yes--thanks a lot.

A Gift is really great but Mellow Yellow is still my favorite. esp "Writer in the Sun" and "Young Girl Blues" (and the title track ofc).

My safe word is "Barabajagal"

heh

I had no idea Donovan jumped on the disco bandwagon three years too late. Sadly most of it sounds like bad Bryan Ferry or his usual folky stuff, but this track is kind of a winner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bieyrpNaB-4

i've been obsessed w this dude lately. so much of his stuff i had just never heard, but that's been rectified thanks to spotify. well, the 60s stuff anyway. it doesn't appear that any of his 70s records are on there at all, jumping from '70s Open Road (p dope) to '80's Neutronica (which is...something). anything of interest in those intervening years?

Cosmic Wheels is p good

I see I said that upthread 7 years ago lol

cool. i'll see what i can find on youtube.

My antediluvian baby

Beatniks are out to make it rich

The continent of Atlantis was an island

Now go home and get your shinebox.

Now you’ve been away a long time. I got news for you: I don’t shine shoes no more.

Donovan by Bobbie Gentry. Odd song to choose and it doesn't really work but interesting nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CKgof91goo

Part 1 (posted part 2 on the Zodiac thread):

youtube.com/watch?v=eJW6KtvyvDE

I mangle Bret Easton Ellis's name once or twice, and there was something else I egregiously messed up.

(Donovan's music in To Die For, L.I.E., The Rules of Attraction, and a few other films.)