I guess the first Donovan song I remember hearing when I was kid was
“Mellow Yellow” on the radio and on those TV commercials for
classic rock compilations
and his songs have been used with great effect in some of my favorite films including
Goodfellas,
Rushmore,
Election, and
Zodiac (his daughter is actress Ione Skye who married one of the
Beastie Boys). I started discovering more of Donovan’s music in the mid-‘00s and it’s impressive to hear how many different styles of music he was able to cram into such a brief time period- and yet it all sounds distinctively Donovan.
I suppose if you asked him about his music Donovan would say he’s most proud of his proficiency and how he was able to take
folk,
rock,
blues,
jazz,
classical, and even
funk and make it into something completely his own. While like
Bob Dylan his earlier and folkier songs may be sad, introspective, and earnest, I like that Donovan’s later ‘60s work incorporates more fun, humor, and freakiness in which he proudly let’s his peace and love flag fly (and a little flute or violin never hurts, either). Here are some more of my favorite Donovan songs- all recorded before he was 24 years old! Enjoy!
01. Donovan – “Universal Soldier” (1965)
02. Donovan – “Jersey Thursday” (1965)
03. Donovan – “Superlungs My Supergirl” (1969)
04. Donovan – “Barabajagal” (1969)
05. Donovan – “The Fat Angel (Live)” (1967)
06. Donovan – “Guinevere (Live)” (1967)
07. Donovan – “Widow with a Shawl (A Portrait) (Live)” (1967)
08. Donovan – “Epistle to Dippy” (1967)
09. Donovan – “Celeste (Live)” (1967)
10. Donovan – “I Love My Shirt” (1969)
Listen to the playlist on Spotify...
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