Seeking Donovan recommendations

I started a thread like this asking about The Kinks and the responses were SO very informative and helpful I thought I'd try again with Donovan, another artist whose reissue catalogue confuses me.

I have the Donovan's Greatest Hits (1999 reissue) and would like to start exploring more.

Which albums should I try next? I assume Mellow Yellow and Sunshine Superman but what else?

Which CD releases have the best sound and which should I avoid?

Should I go for mono or stereo?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Get the sundazed mono LPs. All of them. A good start.

 

I concur.

 

I'm more of a CD person. Are there good CD options?

 

On which CD releases (including Various Artists comps) does the Re-Recording (with the backing band) of "Catch the Wind" appear?

Would also be interested in SQ recommendations among those listed.

Thanks!

.

 

Are they not released on CD?

 

I think most of the lps up to around 1972 are good.
Especially Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow, Hurdy Gurdy man. Barabajagal is a bit more rocky and I still need to get the 2lp A Gift From A Flower to A Garden which contains the Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones lps.
I got a live set from 1968 French tv recently which was pretty good too


THe Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger cover of the song there Season Of The witch has been a favourite of mine for the last 30+ years. & I also love Jefferson Airplane's take on his Fat Angel which mentions them by name or possibly the dog they were named after.

I enjoyed his book The Hurdy Gurdy Man when I read it a few years back too.

 

If you like folk, you can't go wrong with What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid/Catch the Wind (US version). I have the mono version and I think that it sounds fantastic. I just did a needledrop this week and I've been listening to it all day. "Josie", "Cuttin' Out", and "Remember the Alamo" are great tracks. "Gold Watch Blues" is a fine song as well but there is a bit too much echo in the mix for me; I haven't heard the stereo mix so I can't say if it is any better.

 

If you like his Greatest Hits, you''ll probably be safe with anything from the psychedelic period that it covers - so, from Sunshine Superman (1966) to Barabajagal (1969), although the latter steers closer to folk-rock/hard-rock.

The UK CD of Sunshine Superman is in mono, though a more recent twofer has added the stereo version of the album.

The pre-pscyh albums, What's Been Did...and Fairytale are also a safe bet.

Personally, I'd avoid Donovan In Concert, as it's always struck me as a bit ropey.

After 1970, things get a bit more variable and I'm not that familir with his more recent stuff. Cosmic Wheels is probably worth a listen, though.

 

The expanded live CD in Concert in Anaheim is wonderful though.

 

Sunshine Superman (deluxe edition) has most of his classic 60s tracks

 

The 1990 Epic CD (Epic 26439) release of Donovan's Greatest Hits contained the 1968 re-recordings of 'Catch the Wind' and 'Colours'. All subsequent CD reissues of this album replaced the re-recorded versions with the original 1965 recordings.

 

Not much of a Donovan fan other than the hits, but I recently got a vintage copy of Barabajagal and I liked it a lot.

 

Get The Hurdy Gurdy Man cd with bonus tracks

 

If you're planning on getting a copy of Sunshine Superman, I'd highly recommend the deluxe edition with the stereo remix (the album was only available in mono until a few years ago). The stereo remix is the best the album has ever sounded in my opinion.

 

Sunshine Superman [EK 26217]
Mellow Yellow [ESCA 7650]
A Gift from a Flower to a Garden [BGO CD194]
The Hurdy Gurdy Man [EK 26420]

I love these

 

My favorite Donovan albums are Sunshine Superman, Hurdy Gurdy Man, A Gift from a Flower to a Garden and Open Road.

Donovan CDs are a pretty mixed bag. The best sounding Donovan digital release is the "Storyteller" hybrid SACD that Steve mastered. The early Donovan CDs sound a little flat but dynamics are mostly in tact, the later reissues are a little too compressed but they've got a lot of bonus material. There is no good digital version of Open Road as far as I'm concerned. Like most music from that time, the original LPs sound the best but I can understand wanting to go with CD.

The Troubadour 2-CD set is a really good buy in my opinion. The mastering isn't anything amazing, but it's not the worst I've heard in terms of Donovan CD releases.

 

I like his 60s and 70s albums a lot, especially the 60s albums. Also seek out the album, Open Road. Most of Donovan's LPs are easy to find on the used market at reasonable prices. Donovan's albums were all well recorded and sound great on vinyl.

I have been trying to track down a copy of H.M.S. Donovan but I guess it didn't get released in the US.

Scott

 

Big Donovan fan here. If you like the early Donovan material, give Beat Cafe a try. It's one of my favorite albums of his. Hard to believe that it's already been 11 years since he put that one out.

 

I recommend the two-disc Troubadour compilation, which is a combination of hit singles and choice album cuts. It will help you decide if you want to delve into complete albums.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubadour:_The_Definitive_Collection_1964–1976

 

I might be one of the few who feels Sutras is a truly great album. Produced by Rick Rubin during his time working with Johnny Cash, Sutras is a beautifully recorded minimal folk record. Donovan's voice is stunning and the songs fantastic

It bombed and easy to find cheap on CD but you really should pick it up.

It's an all time fave of mine.

 

Yes! I forgot to mention Sutras. Great album.

 

I agree 100% with Mazzy on Sutras. That album is vastly under rated. And yet over the years it has creeped into my list of all-time favorites -- seriously. It's among his best work if you give it a chance to work its subtle magic.

 

Stop at Greatest Hits.

 

"Stop at Greatest Hits."

I've noticed that Donovan has as many compilations and greatest hits collections as proper albums.

Scott