Donovan Mellow Yellow (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) **** (A)
Genres: (in order) Folk rock; prog; pop/rock; Beatle pop; New Zealand/ Country; Pop/rock; prog.
Gear costume: This Is Pop (XTC - White Music)
The first song is the title track which has been a continual earworm all week. It's a peach of a song. The rest of the album is not quite replicating that audacious peak but it's close.
Again - that first song somewhat overshadows the album. That said, it's full of Donovan's lovely voice and hippy philosophy and this time features a wider musical palette. Session musicians like Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Phil Seaman, Big Jim Sullivan are joined by John McLaughlin and Paul McCartney as well.
On the surface, not a lot had changed by 1976 and Slow Down World. Donovan is still singing songs about flowers, silk, and incense on the first song, but it quickly becomes clear that Donovan in 1976 felt the need to warn us to slow down.
His contract with Epic ended with Slow Down World, and he was on Mickie Most's Rak label for his next one - Donovan, in 1977.
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Like Donovan's late seventies albums, Night Flight from 1980 is like punk never happened. These guys just keep doing what they do - gotta admire that, right? So, we have some typical catchy songs, but also some out of character synth based dance moves and some love songs - not really his typical subject matter. It's a good, brave album, but not essential.
Fast forward many years later and I have long since bought a replacement CD, and then, this week, I finally decided to regain a vinyl copy, having become a Slade completist of late. An attempt at recapturing my youth? You bet.
While at Tron, Rocky gave me the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band compilation called Orange Blossom Special after we had a discussion about Colleen Trenwith and when she'd passed away (it was in 2021). Thanks Rocky - it's found a good home alongside all of my other HCBB records - only Kersbrook Cottage evades my grasp!
The 2016 version is terrific, by the way. The familiar country/bluegrass tropes are all delivered effortlessly and Pam Findlay's vocals are a very welcome addition. Song selection is spot on as always.
White Music is a five star classic - every song a work of genius. I'm so glad to have that back in the collection. I'm not that fussed with the title though. White Noise would have been better - even though this is brilliant pop (This Is Pop has been an earworm all week) rather than any kind of incoherent industrial noise. White Music is kind of appropriate if you ignore the jingoistic aspect that wasn't intended.
Their fourth album, Black Sea, came along after Drums And Wires and I have no idea why I didn't buy it back in 1980 as it was fantastically successful commercially and I'd bought the previous three records without a second thought. Stupid, but I suspect I wasn't as keen on the new singles from it compared to previous ones.
I'm even later to the charms of Wasp Star. What a stunning album! Easily a 5 star classic. How did I miss this first time around?
Hawkwind were not something I explored in my teenage years - they seemed too tripped out on acid for me to take a punt. I'm not sure I missed too much. This is pretty incomprehensible stuff but fun all the same! I'll be hanging on to it and contacting My Music to see if they actually have the other disc [I subsequently have, and they do - another trip to Taupo needed at some stage].
Donovan Donovan P. Leitch (Vinyl, Janus Records, 1970) **** (A)
Donovan Slow Down World (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1976) *** (A)
Donovan Donovan (Vinyl, Rak, 1977) *** (B)
Justin Hayward Night Flight (Vinyl, Decca, 1980) *** (B)
Slade Old New Borrowed And Blue (Vinyl, Polydor, 1974) *** (B)
John Lennon Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1974) ***** (B)
Hamilton County Bluegrass Band Orange Blossom Special (Vinyl, HMV, 1983) **** (B)
Hamilton County Bluegrass Band HBCC These Old Hands (CD, Self produced, 2016) **** (B)
XTC White Music (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1978) ***** (A)
XTC Black Sea (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1980) **** (C)
XTC Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (CD, Idea Records, 2000) ***** (B)
Hawkwind Doremi Fasol Latido (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1973) *** (D)
Places I remember: A) Real Groovy Records (Auckland)/B) Tron Records (Hamilton)/ C) Passionate About Vinyl (Waipawa)/ D) My Music (Taupo)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Donovan)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Donovan)
Active compensatory factors: This entry combines last week's record collecting via on-line purchases (Real Groovy) and then my trip to Hamilton for work included a visit to Rocky at Tron Records - a fine little record and CD shop just outside the CBD. Plus some stop offs in Taupo and then, finally, Waipawa on Saturday
Having listened to Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness' The Album Years podcast, I needed to expand my Donovan collection because they raved about his 1967 album A Gift From A Flower To A Garden with gay abandon. Back in 1967 it was released as a double but also as two individual albums: Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones.
The title track, Mellow Yellow, is where I first became aware of Donovan. NZ's pirate radio station - Radio Hauraki, started operations in 1966 and I can distinctly remember hearing this song appearing often on their playlist. It really captured my 10 year old imagination at the time.
The sound is fuller, but nothing detracts from Donovan's fine playing and songs. A lovely album that captures 1967's hazy days well.
The Donovan P Leitch double album from 1970 is a compilation of tracks from his 1965 albums. I love this period of folk songs delivered in simple settings (mainly acoustic guitar and some harmonica) with Donovan's smooth, beautiful voice. Search Donovan on this blog to find a fullsomer review of the source albums.
Cryin' Shame details the things that are bothering him, and there are a lot! Apart from relationships gone bad, religious fundamentalism and the evils of the government, he also lists sex in the cinema and fear in the school! Maybe it was the pace of change for the worse that he's warning us about.
Then there's the scary Black Widow. Yikes. What was happening in Donovan's world that he wrote that song?
It was his (last) big push to recapture his sixties mass adulation and I like it. But it didn't do the trick for him commercially.
Justin Hayward is another sixties musician aiming to remain relevant in the eighties. I find his solo albums to be tricky things. With John Lodge and in the context of The Moody Blues the man is peerless! Even without them, he is never without melodies and that voice, but the solo role finds him a little exposed at times.
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Slade is a band that I've loved since Slade Alive destroyed me in 1972. Of course I bought and loved Slayed? next and then, in 1974, came Old New Borrowed And Blue and I was disappointed because they had moved away from their trademark sound. That included piano! Whaat?? Each track also sounded different sonically. As a teenager I was yet to develop a more mature, sophisticated appreciation for a band's need to develop. So I sold it.
It still sounds like lesser Slade to my ears, but lesser Slade is still a million miles better than zillions of other bands.
The John Lennon record is a rarity that I found in Tron Records for Noel Forth, an old friend in Australia. Noel's been after my Apple Records orange label copy of this album to complete his collection of oranges so I've been looking for one for him for a while now. Success at Tron! Go Rocky!!
The second HCBB album is a CD copy of an album made by the 2016 version of the band with next generation players and friends joining Paul Trenwith and Alan Rhodes - the two originals. Colleen also makes an appearance through the magic of digital recording.
The re-collecting of my missing XTC albums continued this week with three additions, two of which I didn't actually have in the collection previously (Black Sea and Wasp Star).
Special mention needs to go to the extraordinarily brilliant deconstruction of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. What an amazing piece of art-rock! Totally inspired. And Set Myself On Fire is such a confident song for a band's debut album. What a giant band they had with both Andy Partridge AND Colin Moulding writing these songs. Another Lennon and McCartney situation with them egging each other onwards and complementing each other marvelously.
To my ears back then there was a slightly more mainstream sound to Generals And Majors and Towers Of London which I guess I was worried would translate to a greater extent to the album. Baseless fears. It's a great album - still experimental in an art-rock fashion and a grower. I'm glad I eventually caught up with it!
The guys (just Moulding and Partridge by 2000) have molded (pardon the pun) into a less abrasive duo. Partridge always appeared to be the one with the spikier ideas and sounds but by Wasp Star he's as melodic as Moulding. I love this album!
Another album that Wilson and Bowness discussed in passing, and waxed lyrical about on their podcast was Hawkwind's Hall Of The Mountain Grill. They were obviously discussing 1974 at the time. So I saw a copy in My Music (Taupo) on my home from Hamilton.
When I got home and put the album on the turntable I noticed that it was actually their previous record, 1973's Doremi Fasol Latido inside the Mountain Grill sleeve. Hilarious! A cosmic joke.
As well as all those records and CDs I also managed to find three singles by The Chills at a second hand shop in Woodville last weekend while Jacky looked for cushion covers.
All three were in good to very good condition, all dressed in their original picture sleeves and they cost $1.50 each. Great find I'd say!
Where do they all belong? A few more Donovan albums to collect - For Little Ones and Sunshine Superman being two. I don't have anything post 1977 but I'd be keen if I come across any. Donovan is a great talent with a terrific catalogue.
Kersbrook Cottage by the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band remains on my list and I'm slowly reclaiming my XTC collection, but still more albums to get than those I've found so far.
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