Donovan

This is a great record, with one important caveat – anyone looking for the Donovan of AM radio and upbeat ditties like "Sunshine Superman" will have to go for more recent live albums. Donovan in Concert has been neglected over the decades by the fans, who apparently would have preferred a set that encompassed the hits, yet it presents a surprisingly vital side of Donovan's music, as well as excellent versions of some of his best album cuts and good versions of the two actual hits that are here. In contrast to his studio sides, which often reflected the sensibilities of producer Mickie Most more than those of Donovan, the live material here, cut at the Anaheim Convention Center in early 1968, features Donovan doing his music, his way…

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 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…

Bearing the same name as the 2004 compilation The Essential Donovan and containing every one of that disc's 14 songs, the 2012 double-disc set The Essential Donovan – its release timed to coincide with the singer/songwriter's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…

Donovan - Sunshine Superman: The Journey Of Donovan (2011) [2DVD Deluxe Edition] {SPV Recordings}
2xDVD9 -> 15.2 Gb | All Regions | PAL 16:9 | ~ 180 min | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ISO Images
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 183 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2008, 2011 SPV Recordings | SPV 78657 2DVD
Rock / Folk Rock / British Invasion / Psychedelic Rock / Documentary

“Sunshine Superman – The Journey Of Donovan” is the ultimate life story of the 60´s folk-pop phenomenon. The deluxe double-DVD set contains classic 60´s film and TV appearances, rare archive footage and never-before-seen material as well as 5 previously unreleased songs and all of the hits. With appearances by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Mickie Most, Rick Rubin, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Franco Zeffirelli, David Lynch (and many more) and a 40 page booklet chock full of informative liner notation and exclusive photo material, Sunshine Superman is the ultimate story of Donovan s remarkable and unique four decade career.

Epic's Greatest Hits may not be a perfect collection – for instance, it contains re-recordings of his earliest folk songs, "Catch the Wind" and "Colours," not the originals – but for many casual fans, that may not matter since the remaining nine songs offer an excellent summary of his hit singles…

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…

Beat Cafe is Donovan's first record in nine years. His last, the Rick Rubin-produced Sutras was issued in 1993 and was hopelessly misunderstood – especially coming as it did on the heels of Rubin's first collaboration with Johnny Cash. This side, produced by the rootsy yet eclectic John Chelew who has worked with everyone from Richard Thompson to the Blind Boys of Alabama and John Hiatt goes right to the heart of Donovan's particular musical esthetic. The title on this set is significant. The instrumentation is spare, with drums by Jim Keltner, acoustic , upright bass by the legendary Danny Thompson, and keyboards by Chelew…