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Donovan — 535, 534, 533

ALBUMS: The Real Donovan (1965  ); Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968); Barabajagal (1969).

MVC Ratings: Hurdy 4.5.$$$; The Real Donovan 3.5/$$$; Barabajal 4.0/$$$$

I am skipping ahead here only slightly in my alphabetical placement. I should be doing my Dire Straits and Bo Diddley and db’s before Donovan.

But in the previous post I compared up-and-comer Mac DeMarco to Donovan and since I brought him up, I figured  let’s review my three Donovan records before I get back to my not-so-strict alphabetization. At least we’re keeping it in the D’s.

If Donovan sounds interesting to you, I’d probably start with one of his several greatest hits albums. The three records I have cover most of his hits: Sunshine Superman, Hurdy Gurdy Man, Atlantis, Catch the Wind, Mellow Yellow and Colours to name the bigger hits.

The first song of the 1965 album is called Turquoise and it was what first made me  connect DeMarco’s style to Donovan. And from DeMarco, Salad Days, the title song, sounds like a whimsical Donovan song.

As for other comparisons, the Donovan song Atlantis with its repetitive singalong chorus could just as well have been an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ song, had Donovan not done it 40-something years ago.

Donovan was born in Glasgow, Scotland and was a high school dropout and sort of wandering beach bum, according to his bio. His early work seemed heavily influenced by folk music and Bob Dylan. Although Donovan has said some of his songs that people say sound like Dylan were composed and recorded before Donovan even knew who Dylan was.

Donovan comparisons go only so far. Donovan isn’t or wasn’t as ‘chill’ as DeMarco, at least from what I hear on Salad Days. Donovan had some pretty heavy electric guitars in Sunshine Superman, Hurdy Gurdy Man, and Barabajagal to name some.

While DeMarco’s ‘lo-fi’ sound has just a tincture of psych, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck played on some of Donovan’s songs and  Donovan dove head-long into that 60s psych-o-melodics. (My word, just going to try it out for a while.)

And then there’s Mellow Yellow and the ‘electrical banana’ — yes he wrote that.

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Mac DeMarco –536

ALBUM: Salad Days (2014)

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$$

Of course, I have to stifle a laugh when I hear an earnest young singer of 23 open the album with: ‘As I’m getting older, chip upon my shoulder.’

Mac DeMarco, who is now 27, says his ‘salad days are over.’

Well at 58 my lettuce wilted long ago.

Act your age, he says on the record. Not going to do it.

One thing, this Canadian is as mellow (maybe even yellow) as an old folkster.

I like him.

He’s got an updated Donovan style with a  little frost on it. That’s Donovan Leitch of Hurdy Gurdy man and Sunshine Superman fame. (See now I’m pulling my old man references — back to the 1960s, how about that! Donovan was charting 50 years ago). Also that’s Donovan of Mellow Yellow fame if you missed the reference above.

Donovan was kind of dismissed as a hopelessly helpless hippie at points in his career, a Dylan clone at other parts.  But he put out some great music.

Like Donovan, Mac does some spacey slow note-bending  guitar work. His words, despite my funning with them, are good. Production is immaculate. It’s that ethereal feel that reminds me of Donovan mixed with a little sleepy time jazz as you hear on Johnny’s Odyssey.

This is a new album, 2014.  My sister and her family gave me this one along with some others still yet to be reviewed. The idea being that if I keep my vow of counting down all my vinyl before I die of brain disease, she (and others) are extending my life by adding to my collection. I can’t argue with that, although I do have a lot of albums before I get to the Z’s!

Thanks for this one, nice gentle sound. DeMarco is a young person  with a wise heart. Just like my younger sister.