The Hurdy Gurdy Man – Part 1

Perhaps no artist personifies the freedom, experimentation, and revolutionary sounds of ‘60s popular music better than Donovan. Decades before bands like Ween and Butthole Surfers lovingly mocked his music and Beck stole his act, Donovan was the pied piper of the ‘60s flower children scene- the psychedelic minstrel who came at the right time when new ways of thinking, living, and making music were suddenly everywhere; and for a brief time Donovan made the most of it by mixing folk, rock, blues, jazz, Celtic, classical, Baroque, and world music- and whatever else struck his fancy (he even traveled to India with the Beatles in 1968.)

Emerging from Scotland as a teenage folkie in the mid ‘60s, Donovan Leitch soon began journeying into- and trail blazing- psychedelic music and by the late ‘60s he was all over the musical map; no one knew what to expect next from him- often the sign of a good artist. His music from this period usually contains just the right amount of childishness and whimsy but never feels silly to me. History, fantasy, science-fiction, mythology, ecology- it’s all fair game for Donovan who seems most at home in an imaginary pagan world where spirits- both good and evil- still inhabit everything and damp, cool forests beckon. And I love when he incorporates that harpsichord. Here are some of my favorite Donovan songs. Enjoy!

01. Donovan – “The Trip” (1966)
02. Donovan – “Bert’s Bues” (1966)
03. Donovan – “Season of the Witch” (1966)
04. Donovan – “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” (1967)
05. Donovan – “Hurdy Gurdy Man” (1968)
06. Donovan – “Jennifer Juniper” (1968)
07. Donovan – “Catch the Wind” (1965)
08. Donovan – “Hampstead Incident” (1967)
09. Donovan – “The Enchanted Gypsy” (1967)
10. Donovan – “Atlantis” (1968)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

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Donovan talks about the end of the ‘60s