I began listening to Donovan in late April 2024. I was very pleased with his initial career as a folk singer but wasn't as high on his psychedelic period. After seeing that 1967's Mellow Yellow was not on streaming platforms and half-heartedly skimming Donovan's Greatest Hits (which mostly picks from his psychedelic period), I decided not to continue with Donovan.
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid (1965): A-
Fairytale (1965): A-
Sunshine Superman (1966): B-
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid (1965):
It wasn't long after the release of Donovan's debut that the Dylan comparisons started popping up in the newspapers, which was not helped by the British press's general lack of awareness of Woody Guthrie. Whether or not Donovan came to Guthrie and other early American folk musicians through being an early fan of Dylan piques my curiosity but is hardly important. What is important is that Donovan is a tranquil singer and a talented fingerpicking guitarist who pulls off metaphorical songwriting with the same modesty that grounded Guthrie and early Dylan. But that's not all. The justice he does to American traditional songs even as he liberally writes modern arrangements has no obvious parallels in Britain--those London blues purists never come close to being as downright enjoyable--or even in America. It's hard to imagine Donovan could have so freely experimented with backing to his folk music if he had started in New York City. Although mostly sticking to an acoustic guitar, he lets loose on several songs with bass and drums and isn't afraid to rock with swagger either (see the bluesy "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond"). A-
Fairytale (1965):
As Donovan transitions almost completely to original songwriting (alas, "Candy Man" is the only juicy rearrangement of traditional music we get--and I mean juicy, this is my favorite interpretation of the song ever), the Bob Dylan influence becomes harder to ignore. His harmonica playing on "To Try for the Sun" is a spitting image of his American counterpart and the increase in songwriting means that much of the attention is focused on his metaphorical lyrics, which are obviously indebted to Dylan (as opposed to Donovan's enjoyable reinventions of old folk songs, something Donovan was uniquely gifted at). Sonically, Fairytale is much more stripped back than his debut, which also doesn't help the fledging artist escape the comparisons. But even as he moves closer to Dylan's lane, Donovan holds his own. His expertise on guitar only becomes more evident and he continues to deliver strong lyrics, interesting melodies, and employ just the right amount of backing--that bass on "Colours" really does add a lot. A-
Sunshine Superman (1966):
With Donovan's flowery imagery now paired with a sitar, his first album with a full band boasts a prominent psychedelic sound. The title track, "Season of the Witch," and "The Trip" show that Donovan is still able to produce strong material but this new direction often lacks energy and excitement. Donovan's subdued acoustic guitar, the sitar, and rhythm section make up what is basically a pretty lame folk band and the often slow pace of the performances makes the album very one note. B-
