Donovan Donovan

This four CD set consists of Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow, Hurdy Gurdy Man, and Barabajagal, remastered and repackaged with detailed historical notes. Each of those titles is available in the U.S. catalog, but this box offers advantages beyond the notes – the sound on each is superior to its domestic Epic equivalent…

"Breezes of Patchouli" achieves what previous Donovan compilation releases have attempted, but failed, to achieve. The 4 cd set here contains 90 tracks, 5 albums released during Donovan's heyday 1966-1969, accompanied by essential related recordings…

Donovan was always an affected performer and songwriter, relying too often at times on stances and mannerisms he probably really didn't need, and he never really let go of the cosmic flower-power phase that washed over the 1960s…

Upon his emergence during the mid-'60s, Donovan was anointed "Britain's answer to Bob Dylan," a facile but largely unfounded comparison which compromised the Scottish folk-pop troubadour's own unique vision. Where the thrust of Dylan's music remains its bleak introspection and bitter realism, Donovan fully embraced the wide-eyed optimism of the flower power movement, his ethereal, ornate songs radiating a mystical beauty and childlike wonder; for better or worse, his recordings remain quintessential artifacts of the psychedelic era, capturing the peace and love idealism of their time to perfection…

Donovan had the best of L.A. session help here, but his writing remained cosmic ("Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" was the title of the lead-off track), and he seemed to have lost the knack for appealing whimsy that had floated his career thus far…