Donovan

[ducktrapper]

Any Donovan fans out there? I've been listening to early Donovan albums and there is so much good stuff. I especially like his version of Candyman and have been working on it. Season of the Witch may be another possibility as a jam song. Three chords and the truth!   

[mike in lytle]

Heard Catch the Wind in early high school and ordered the 45, then bought the album. It's great. It was my first effort at learning music from a recording, breaking away from old folk songs. Not sure how many Donavan albums I have, maybe three. I liked the guitar sound. I imagined I heard something special about the tone. But for sure it sparked my interest in Martin guitars. I lost interest in Donovan when he stopped recording with just himself and a solo guitar, plus I was getting a heavy intro in the Chicago bluegrass scene.
Mike

[ronmac]

Huge Donovan fan, although I have never seen him live in a concert setting.

However, mid eighties in Halifax, NS there was a large contingent of Buddhists moving from (expensive) Colorado to a much cheaper real estate market in Halifax. They wasted no time getting immersed  in the local arts and party scene. One lazy Sunday afternoon I received a call from one of the local radio jocks saying Donovan was in town for a visit (no performance scheduled) and wanted to put on a street performance. He gave me the location, a 5 minute walk from my house, and I was there in about 2 minutes! A couple of minutes later a long, white limo pulled up and out he climbed with guitar in hand. He nodded to the 4 or 5 of us there and launched into "Sunshine Superman", followed by a half dozen more of his songs. The limo showed up, he nodded again and jumped in. It was surreal, to say the least.

 

[ducktrapper]

Huge Donovan fan, although I have never seen him live in a concert setting.

However, mid eighties in Halifax, NS there was a large contingent of Buddhists moving from (expensive) Colorado to a much cheaper real estate market in Halifax. They wasted no time getting immersed  in the local arts and party scene. One lazy Sunday afternoon I received a call from one of the local radio jocks saying Donovan was in town for a visit (no performance scheduled) and wanted to put on a street performance. He gave me the location, a 5 minute walk from my house, and I was there in about 2 minutes! A couple of minutes later a long, white limo pulled up and out he climbed with guitar in hand. He nodded to the 4 or 5 of us there and launched into "Sunshine Superman", followed by a half dozen more of his songs. The limo showed up, he nodded again and jumped in. It was surreal, to say the least.

 

Wow! Cool. I know a lot of Dylan fans, not this one, took a disliking to Donovan after seeing Bob treat him like poop in Don't Look Back. Bob could be a dick. But who can't?

[ducktrapper]

Heard Catch the Wind in early high school and ordered the 45, then bought the album. It's great. It was my first effort at learning music from a recording, breaking away from old folk songs. Not sure how many Donavan albums I have, maybe three. I liked the guitar sound. I imagined I heard something special about the tone. But for sure it sparked my interest in Martin guitars. I lost interest in Donovan when he stopped recording with just himself and a solo guitar, plus I was getting a heavy intro in the Chicago bluegrass scene.
Mike

I probably have most of his albums. Stopped at Sutras. I find it interesting that both Dylan and Donovan went electric but Bob got harder and Don got softer. I love the Mellow Yellow album. Probably his best. I've always been able to listen to the blues and all the other hues.   

[Silence Dogood]

I'm resisting the urge to Google, but isn't Donovan the guy who sang about the Hurdy Gurdy man?

[ducktrapper]

I'm resisting the urge to Google, but isn't Donovan the guy who sang about the Hurdy Gurdy man?

Yes, he is. Good album. He's backed by some of the players who would become Led Zeppelin. It also contains another of my favorite Donovan songs, Jennifer Juniper, which I used to do a fingerpicking arrangement of. Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to dig that up. Apparently, these are many of the songs he wrote in India when he hung out with The Beatles and the Maharishi and taught Lennon Travis style picking.     

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hurdy_Gurdy_Man 

[mike in lytle]

Anyhow an update. I actually seem to have at least 5 Donovan albums, and 2 copies of the Real Dovovan, on which the back of contains the following...
His Copying Dylan -- "It doesn't bother me at all. It just shows a lack of understanding in the idiom by the people who say it. It's been said about me a few times in the past. I first had it said about me before I had even heard of Bob Dylan."
I didn't know what "idiom" meant back then, let alone a "lack of understanding in the idiom", but eventually figured it was one of the earliest examples of bul!$h!t I had been exposed to. Still a great album.
Mike

[ducktrapper]

Anyhow an update. I actually seem to have at least 5 Donovan albums, and 2 copies of the Real Dovovan, on which the back of contains the following...
His Copying Dylan -- "It doesn't bother me at all. It just shows a lack of understanding in the idiom by the people who say it. It's been said about me a few times in the past. I first had it said about me before I had even heard of Bob Dylan."
I didn't know what "idiom" meant back then, let alone a "lack of understanding in the idiom", but eventually figured it was one of the earliest examples of bul!$h!t I had been exposed to. Still a great album.
Mike

LOL. Well, hey, back then if you weren't copying Bob, you weren't really trying or you were Pat Boone.

[jpmist]

Wow! Cool. I know a lot of Dylan fans, not this one, took a disliking to Donovan after seeing Bob treat him like poop in Don't Look Back. Bob could be a dick. But who can't?

Yikes, really? I kinda knew they were contemporaries, likely to run into each other at festivals and shows. The egos and maturity levels of 20 year old superstars has never been their strong suit. I googled it and found this https://greenandblackmusic.com/home/2017/04/22/dont-look-back-bob-dylan-vs-donovan/

[ducktrapper]

Yikes, really? I kinda knew they were contemporaries, likely to run into each other at festivals and shows. The egos and maturity levels of 20 year old superstars has never been their strong suit. I googled it and found this https://greenandblackmusic.com/home/2017/04/22/dont-look-back-bob-dylan-vs-donovan/

I've seen it many times and own a copy of the DVD. One thing for sure, no one accused Donovan of being "Judas". Everyone wanted to be Bob Dylan and have a piece of him. Hard boots to wear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_c1YM53Wwo

[Queequeg]

Haven't listened to him for years but liked him quite a bit growing up.
Always especially liked this one.

[ducktrapper]

Haven't listened to him for years but liked him quite a bit growing up.
Always especially liked this one.

I'm not sure the talking part has aged that well but I remember imbibing in secret substances and enjoying it! 

I've been playing Jennifer Juniper again. Fingerpicking in D. Works well. Just sort of falls out of the fretboard. Je n'ai peur, by the way, translates as I have no fear, en francais.

He seems to play it in C. I'll have to try it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtcXDCxh7w&t=47s

Cool guitar! Zemaitas, I believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMknrmuDD0o

[Queequeg]

I'm not sure the talking part has aged that well but I remember imbibing in secret substances and enjoying it! 

Insofar as I've aged right along with that old song, and I enjoy the spoken word, I can still listen to it on occasion and appreciate his soft, slow Scottish delivery as I await the chorus in forté.

[ducktrapper]

Insofar as I've aged right along with that old song, and I enjoy the spoken word, I can still listen to it on occasion and appreciate his soft, slow Scottish delivery as I await the chorus in forté.

What can I say? I'm not sure I've aged that well either but, to me, it now sounds a little, er, cheesy?     

[Queequeg]

What can I say? I'm not sure I've aged that well either but, to me, it now sounds a little, er, cheesy?     

"Cheesy" huh?
You say that like it's a bad thing...
 

[Queequeg]

Reminds me of an old flame of mine from days gone by.
Went by the name Velveeta. Lord have mercy.
❤️

[ducktrapper]

"Cheesy" huh?
You say that like it's a bad thing...
 

I live in Wisconsin, how could it be? 

[ducktrapper]

Reminds me of an old flame of mine from days gone by.
Went by the name Velveeta. Lord have mercy.
❤️

Which reminds me of a classic Seinfeld episode. Mulva? 

[Queequeg]

Which reminds me of a classic Seinfeld episode. Mulva? 

I see where this is going.
⚠️