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[quote="Ayah Gagöhn"]Ah ben bravo othall, ça c'est de l'accueil !
Je ne connais que très peu l'artiste : je n'ai que le best of de 1969 qui est déjà très bon et Essence To Essence qui est bien foutu aussi. Après, je suis comme toi, j'essaie de découvrir tant bien que mal[/quote]
Petit mouvement d'humeur avant d'aller me coucher, ça arrive.
Il faut dire que Donovan est un des artistes majeurs de la scène folk anglaise avec une voix inimitable. Même maintenant, elle est restée aussi envoutante.
Tiré de Tapestry of Delights:
ALBUMS:
(up to 1976)
1 WHAT'S BIN DID AND WHAT'S BIN HID (Pye NPL 18117) 1965 SC 3
2 FAIRYTALE (Pye NPL 18128) 1965 SC 20
3 SUNSHINE SUPERMAN (Pye NPL 18181) 1967 SC 25
4 UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (Marble Arch MAL 718) 1967 5
5 A GIFT FROM A FLOWER TO A GARDEN (dbl box set) (Pye NPL 200000) 1968 R1 13
6 DONOVAN IN CONCERT (Pye N(S)PL 18237) 1968 -
7 DONOVAN GREATEST HITS LP (Pye N(S)PL 18283) 1969 -
8 WORLD OF DONOVAN (Marble Arch MAL 1168) 1969 -
9 OPEN ROAD (Dawn DNLS 3009) 1970 30
10 GOLDEN HOUR OF DONOVAN (Pye GH 506) 1971 -
11 HMS DONOVAN (dbl) (Dawn DNLP 4001) 1971 R1 -
12 COLOURS (Hallmark HMA 241) 1972 -
13 COSMIC WHEELS (Epic SEPC 65450) 1973 15
14 ESSENCE TO ESSENCE (Epic SEPC 69050) 1973 -
15 7 - TEASE (Epic SEPC 69104) 1974 -
16 SLOW DOWN WORLD (Epic SEPC 86011) 1976 -
NB: (1) reissued on Marble Arch (MAL 795) in 1968. Catch The Wind originally a US-only release in 1965 issued on Hallmark (HMA 200) in 1971. (2) also released as Songs For Sunshine (Pye 2053) in 1965 with one different track. (2) reissued on Marble Arch (MAL 867) in 1969 and on CD (Castle CLACD 226) in 1991. A slightly later compilation was Donovan File (Pye FILD 004) 1977, but this was bettered by Greatest Hits And More (EMI EMS 1333) 1989, also on CD. (3) reissued on CD (Beat Goes On BGOCD 58) 1990. The Collection (Castle CCSCD 276, also on cassette) 1990 is probably the most interesting and wide ranging of his compilations. (6) reissued (Beat Goes On BGOLP 90) 1991, also on CD (BGOCD). (10) reissued on CD (Knight KGHCD 107) 1990. (12) reissued on CD (PRT AYC 7004) 1987. Also on CD is Introspective (Baktabak CINT 5007) 1992. Four Donovan Originals (EMI DONOVAN 1) 1994 is a four CD set of his Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow, Hurdy Gurdy Man and Barabajagal albums in the form they were originally issued in the US. Donovan fans who don't already have the US issues will probably want this well-packaged set. Universal Soldier (Spectrum 550 721-2) 1995, is a compilation which concentrates on material from his early years as a folksinger. There's also a live album that has been issued in recent years as In Concert (Happy Price Records), Colours Live (Magnum Force) and The Very Best Of Donovan (Artful CD 5).
EPs:
1 THE UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (Pye NEP 24219) 1965
2 COLOURS (Pye NEP 24299) 1966
3 DONOVAN, VOLUME ONE (Pye NEP 24239) 1966
4 CATCH THE WIND (Pye NEP 24287) 1968
5 HURDY GURDY DONOVAN (Pye NEP 24299) 1968
NB: These are compiled on The EP Collection (See For Miles SEE 300) 1990, also on CD (SEE CD 300) 1990.
45s:
(up to 1976)
1 Catch The Wind/Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do (Pye 7N 15801) 1965 4
2 Colours/To Sing For You (Pye 7N 15866) 1965 4
3 Turquoise/Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness) (Pye 7N 15984) 1965 30
4 Josie/Little Tin Soldier (Pye 7N 17067) 1966 -
5 Remember The Alamo/The Ballad Of A Crystal Man (Pye 7N 17088) 1966 -
6 Sunshine Superman/The Trip (Pye 7N 17241) 1967 2
7 Mellow Yellow/Preachin' Love (Pye 7N 17267) 1967 8
8 There Is A Mountain/Sand And Foam (Pye 7N 17403) 1967 8
9 Jennifer Juniper/Poor Cow (Pye 7N 17457) 1968 5
10 Hurdy Gurdy Man/Teen Angel (Pye 7N 17537) 1968 4
11 To Susan On The West Coast/Atlantis (Pye 7N 17660) 1969 -
12 Atlantis/I Love My Shirt (Pye 7N 17660) 1969 23
13 Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)/Bed With Me (Pye 7N 17778) 1969 12
14 Riki Tiki Tavi/Roots Of Oak (Dawn DNS 1006) 1970 -
15 Celia Of The Seals/Mr. Wind (Dawn DNS 1007) 1970 -
16 I Like You/Earth Sign Man (Epic EPC 1471) 1973 -
17 Maria Magenta/The Intergalactic Laxative (PS) (Epic EPC 1644) 1973 -
18 Sailing Homeward/Lazy Daze (PS) (Epic EPC 1960) 1973 -
19 Rock And Roll With Me/Divine Daze Of Deathless Delight (Epic EPC 2661) 1974 -
20 Rock And Roll Souljer/Love Of My Life (Epic EPC 3037) 1975 -
Reissue 45s:
21 There Is A Mountain/Jennifer Juniper/Sunshine Superman/Mellow Yellow (Pye PMM 104) 1971
22 Sunshine Superman/Mellow Yellow (Epic 152251) 1975 -
23 Jennifer Juniper/Hurdy Gurdy Man (Epic 152280) 1975 -
24 Colours/Universal Soldier (Pye 7N 46105) 1978 -
25 Catch The Wind/Colours (Old Gold OG 9134) 1982 -
26 Mellow Yellow/Sunshine Superman (EMI G 4545) 1985 -
27 Jennifer Juniper/(Flip by different artist) (Fontana SYP 1) 1990 68
NB: (5) and (11) withdrawn. (13) with The Jeff Beck Group. (14) as Donovan with Open Road. (15) as Donovan with Danny Thompson. There's also a CD single, Sunshine Superman (EMI CD EM 98) 1989 which contains Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Jennifer Juniper and Mellow Yellow, in addition to the title track.
Donovan was born in Glasgow on 10 May 1946. He was hanging around the South with a guitar when he was discovered in early 1965 and given a residency on ITV's brand new rock programme, 'Ready Steady Go'. In these early days he played a form of gentle, melodic folk and was inevitably dismissed as a poor man's Dylan. He also carved a distinctive image with his blue denim cap. Without the exposure on 'Ready Steady Go' it's doubtful if his career would have gone anywhere, but with TV exposure Catch The Wind and Colours were both catapulted high up the Charts as was his first EP, which also included Buffy Sainte-Marie's Universal Soldier. However, by the Autumn of 1965 there were signs that the frequent and unfavourable comparisons with Dylan were beginning to harm him. His first folkie album had sold well but the more reflective Fairytale only peaked at No 20 and his third single, Turquoise, peaked at No 30. These factors led the singer to change musical direction and to this end he enlisted the assistance of producer Mickie Most and musical director John Cameron. However, a legal battle between his new management and his previous management agency froze his progress initially. To maintain public interest in him, Josie from his first album was issued as a 45 in February 1966 but it made little impression. Another EP was put out, too, and Remember The Alamo was released and then withdrawn.
The legal battle delayed the release of Sunshine Superman in Britain from January 1966 until December of that year. Along with Eight Miles High by The Byrds it was one of the first psychedelic singles to be recorded and when it was released in America in July 1966 it climbed to No 1 in a few weeks. It's reference to 'blowing your mind' was ideally suited to those heady days. It was a classic 45 with its distinctive guitar work, whilst the flip was more uptempo R&B.
The legal disputes also delayed the release of the Sunshine Superman album, which had climbed to No 11 in the US after its release in July 1966 in the US. It's certainly well worth checking out. Highlights included Seasons Of The Witch, a chilling song with a sparse arrangement later covered by Vanilla Fudge; Fat Angel, which became a big favourite for Jefferson Airplane and was covered by them on their Bless It's Pointed Little Head live album (Donovan referred to the band in the lyrics 'fly Jefferson Airplane, getcha there on time'); Legend Of A Girl Child Linda, a fairytale set to a string backing with lots of harpsichord and woodwind; Bert's Blues, a jazzy song which acknowledged his influence on Donovan's music and the beautiful finale Celeste.
His follow-up 45, Mellow Yellow, came out in November 1966 in the US and was almost as good as Sunshine Superman. It again had a very catchy intro tapped out on drums but was essentially a jazzy sorta pop song, with lots of brass and percussion. The flip side, Sunny South Kensington, was similar in style to The Trip. A sorta R&B style description of swinging London with references to Mary Quant. In the US it climbed to No 2. In the UK it was not released (because of the legal wrangle) until February 1967 and came with a different flip side, Preachin' Love, a jazzy number which was also used to back Donovan's next US single, Epistle To Dippy, which featured trippy lyrics but was weaker than its two predecessors. It was not released in the UK presumably because of its lyrics.
His Mellow Yellow album (a US-only release) came out in March 1967 and climbed to No 14 in the US Charts. Aside from the title track other highlights were Sunny Goodge Street (later covered by Marianne Faithful on her Country Maid album); Hampstead Incident, Sand And Foam (about smugglers in Mexico); Young Girl Blues (a song about bedsitter living) and Museum, which had an unusual string accompaniment and was later covered by Herman's Hermits and Beverly (Martyn).
When the Sunshine Superman album was eventually released in the UK in May 1967 it comprised a selection of tracks from Donovan's US Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow albums. Inevitably much good material was omitted, including The Trip and Fat Angel (from the US Sunshine Superman) and Museum, Sunny South Kensington and the title track (from Mellow Yellow) and readers are recommended to buy the two US releases.
Donovan's next 45 was the calypso-style There Is A Mountain, which marked a further change in musical direction away from his early more psychedelic sound. It peaked at No 11 in the US and No 8 in the UK. This was unusual for he was far more popular in the States than in his homeland. Indeed, he toured the States regularly in this era and his next Donovan In Concert album used material from a performance at the Anaheim Convention Centre in LA.
In December 1967 Donovan provided three songs for the Soundtrack of the film 'Poor Cow':- Colours, Be Not Too Hard and the title cut itself.
His next album, A Gift From A Flower To A Garden, was a double package which was also available separately (each album had its own title). The first, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, was named after his next US-only single. It tended to consist of fairly simple rock numbers and the better tracks included There Was A Time; the organ-driven The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be and Someone Singing, which featured some nice horns, strings and harp and Jack Bruce on bass. The second disc, For Little Ones, contained twelve charming songs including The Tinker And The Crab and Epistle To Derroll, a lengthy nursery tale. Lavishly packaged, this double set is generally regarded as an essential item of the flower power era. In the UK it was preceded by the lovely love song Jennifer Juniper, which climbed to No 5 in the Charts. The 'B' side, Poor Cow, was a folk-influenced song.
Donovan's next UK single, Hurdy Gurdy Man, was arguably his finest moment. The backing marked a return to the heavier psychedelic sound of Sunshine Superman and his vibrato vocals were near to perfection. It was later covered by Steve Hillage. Hurdy Gurdy Man was allegedly written by the Danish band Hurdy Gurdy, who allowed Donovan the rights to the song in exchange for Donovan paying their fare to London. The non-LP 'B' side was a sad love song with a sparse backing. Peaking at No 4 it was his second most successful UK single to Sunshine Superman. It also climbed to No 5 in the US. It was followed by a US-only single, Lalena, which was less striking than its predecessors and only climbed to No 33. This was followed by a US-only album, Hurdy Gurdy Man, which was rather patchy. Aside from the title track and Jennifer Juniper, other more notable tracks were the psychedelic Peregrine, with its Celtic and Eastern-style instrumental backing; The River Song and the jazz-influenced Get Thy Bearings.
His next single, Atlantis, was five minutes long and featured a lengthy spoken intro which then gave way to a repetitive chant rather reminiscent of Hey Jude, indeed Paul McCartney, even contributed to its backing vocals. Backed by the inane I Love My Shirt in the UK it climbed to No 23. In the US Atlantis was originally the flip side to a Vietnam-related song, To Susan On The West Coast Waiting, which managed to climb to No 35 before the record company flipped the disc and Atlantis achieved the No 7 spot.
Released in March 1969 Donovan's Greatest Hits climbed to No 4 in the US but surprisingly didn't Chart in the UK. It included the original unedited version of Sunshine Superman and rerecorded versions of Catch The Wind and Colours that were very different from the originals. In fact, given that it contained most of his hits the album is a good first purchase for anyone unfamiliar with Donovan's material.
For his next single Donovan joined forces with The Jeff Beck Group to record Barabajagal (Love Is Hot). This was one of his finest moments and certainly his heaviest offering climaxing (after a guitar intro) into a wall of sound. Other points of note about the single were the female backing vocalist and the brief frenzied spoken passage. Early copies in the UK saw its flip side Trudi entitled Bed With Me. Unusually, it was more successful in the UK, where it climbed to No 12 than in the US, where it could only manage No 36. He also had another US-only album Barabajagal, which was variable in content but included both sides of his last two US singles.
With the onset of the seventies Donovan's popularity began to wane. Open Road sold quite well but spawned no hit singles. The follow-up, HMS Donovan, sold poorly and financial problems forced him to become a tax exile living in Ireland, although he later retreated to Joshua Tree in California. However, he did write a few movie scores:- 'If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium', 'The Pied Piper' (1972) in which he starred and 'Brother Sun Sister Moon' (1973).
His last album to obtain any sort of commercial success was Cosmic Wheels in 1973, but his albums and singles back in the sixties are essential ingredients in any collection of sixties folk and psychedelia. He also contributed Jersey Thursday to Marble Arch's 1970 Hitmakers compilation.
The best introduction to his music for those of you who missed out first time around is undoubtedly EMI's 1989 Greatest Hits And More compilation, which includes his hits, some of his better album tracks and a few rarities not previously issued in the UK (To Susan On The West Coast Waiting, Happiness Runs and Superlungs My Supergirl) before. Donovan collectors should note EMI's 1994 four CD set mentioned in the earlier discography.
Another interesting fact is that he provided co-lead vocals for Alice Cooper's 1973 Billion Dollar Babies track, which reached No. 57 in the US single charts.
Retrospective compilation appearances have included: Sunshine Superman on Jimmy's Back Pages - The Early Years (CD); Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness) on Maximum '65 (CD), Ripples, Vol. 6 (CD) and Your Starter For Ten!! (CD); Sunshine Superman and Sunny South Kensington on Psychedelia At Abbey Road (CD); The Sunny Day Reflection Song on Ripples, Vol. 3 (CD); Jennifer Juniper on Hard Up Heroes, Vol. 2 (CD).
Et je serai assez d'accord, ma période préférée est celle plus électrique de Barabajagal.
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