Donovan

Donovan - Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan (2005) {3 CD + DVD5 NTSC Boxset Epic E4K 93919 rec 1964-2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.05 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 475 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.27 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | LPCM, 2 ch | | ~ 36 min | ISO Image
Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 111 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964-2004, 2005 Epic / Legacy / Sony BMG | E4K 93919
Rock / Folk Rock / British Invasion / Psychedelic Rock / Singer/Songwriter / Psychedelic Pop

Donovan Leitch's instantly recognizable vibrato may not appear until track six, but the casual "Hurdy Gurdy Man" fan has no business picking up this four-disc/sixty-song collection of the Scottish troubadour's four decades of whimsical pop confections and beatnik balladry. Sony's Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan includes a previously unreleased documentary from 1970, a lovely book that chronicles the singer/songwriter's storied career, complete with quotes of praise from current hipster bards like Devendra Banhart and the Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter, and 15 B-sides, rare demos, and live recordings, all housed in the finest faux-purple velvet box one could imagine.

Donovan's last truly great album of the 1960s, 1968's BARABAJAGAL shows interesting artistic growth at least as marked as his transformation from folk troubadour to daffy hippie-pop guru. The title track and "Trudi" feature the Rod Stewart-era Jeff Beck Group as Donovan's backing band; consequently both these songs have a surprising amount of sonic heft to them…

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…

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…

This 1967 concert recorded at the Anaheim Convention Center, just a few weeks after his Hollywood Bowl show, was recorded in its entirety and released as a single LP with a total of 14 tracks. This double-disc CD reissue contains 23 tracks, and is, as it survives, the entire gig. In addition, the sound has been painstakingly remastered; the result is a brilliant sounding document…

"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…

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…

Like Johnny Cash before him, Donovan was selected by producer Rick Rubin as a childhood hero he would like to restore to glory. With Rubin's encouragement and production, Donovan does make an impressive comeback with Sutras, which is reminiscent of his earliest records. Sutras abandons the colorful psychedelic pop of his best-known songs for the spare acoustic folk of his first records, and while Donovan's songwriting is a little uneven, the warmth of the performances is charming and welcoming, especially for long-time fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine