Track Listing

1. Colours
2. To Try for the Sun
3. Sunny Goodge Street
4. Oh Deed I Do
5. Circus of Sour
6. Summer Day Reflection Song
7. Candy Man
8. Jersey Thursday
9. Belated Forgiveness Plea
10. Ballad of a Crystal Man
11. Little Tin Soldier
12. Ballad of Geraldine
13. Universal Soldier [*]
14. Ballad of a Crystal Man [*]
15. War Drags On [*]
16. Do You Hear Me Now [*]
17. Turquoise [*]
18. Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) [A- and B-Side of Original Single][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #432962 in Music
• Released on: 2005-02-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

soul-searching folk
Early Donovan album on which for the large part he sings accompanied only by his own excellent guitar-playing and poignant harmonica.

People often credit Dylan and Joan Baez with writing the best protest songs of the '60s, but there are some excellent examples of Donovan's own contributions here, not least 'Ballad of a Crystal Man'. It's also important to point out that Donovan's singing, songwriting and playing style are very much his own and i've always thought the Dylan comparisons superficial and a bit like saying the Stones sounded just like the Beatles.

There are some wonderful songs here about freedom of spirit, love and the reality of finding love and fighting for it in difficult circumstances.

'I'll try for the sun' is a truly touching song which will stay with you for a long time. 'Circus of sour' is a surreal and amusing detour, and 'Summer day reflection song' is a psychedelic classic. Meanwhile 'Colours' is one of the most uplifting songs of the '60s.

DONOVAN'S 2nd UK Album Remastered & Bolstered Up With 6 Superb Extras!
Released in October 1965, Donovan's 2nd album for Pye Records is represented here by Tracks 1 to 12 and it's something of a lost Sixties Folk/Rock classic.

The album's opener "Colours" is a balls-to-the-wall 60's classic - it truly is. "Fairytale" features a lot of tracks like that - just Donovan and his acoustic guitar - more Folk than Pop really.
In fact, when you hear almost any track on this very hard-to-find LP, it's easy to see why Donovan was often referred to as Britain's Bob Dylan. And it wasn't just because of the similar vocal styles - they were both such good songwriters and commentators on the times.

Highlights include "The Ballad Of A Crystal Man" which is represented on this disc twice - the full album version and the edited EP version - it's a fantastically strong and emotive anti-Vietnam piece equal to anything his Bobness put out on the other side of the pond. Lyrically the other songs are equally clever and even witty too. There's a "violent hash smoker" in "Sunny Goodge Street", while a quietly sinister "Jersey Thursday" gives us sly white powder references, "on a tiny piece of coloured glass, my love was born - and reds, and golds and yellows were the colours of the dawn..." Oh yeah!!

The extras (13 to 18) also make the purchase so worthwhile for fans. "Turquoise" and "Hey GYP (Dig The Slowness)" are his 3rd 7" single for Pye Records and both tracks are non-album. The last four songs, "Universal Soldier", "Do You Hear Me Now", "Ballad Of A Crystal Man" and "The War Drags On" are again non-album and make up the 4-tracks of the rare UK-only "Universal Soldier EP" from September 1965. ("Universal Soldier" and "Do You Hear Me Now" were released as a 7" in the States on Hickory).

So - a good album bolstered up with relevant bonuses. And the remastered sound quality on all is excellent too - very clear and not excessively hissy like some Sixties recordings can be.

"Fairytale" is a snip at any price for fans and a great way of discovering the wildly underrated Donovan for the uninitiated - especially those who want to veer away from his better-known hits. Highly Recommended.

Nostalgia is not what it was.
I bought this out of curiosity,not having heard any Donovan for over forty years. I used to like him a lot, but judgements made during drunken student life are likely to change. The music and his voice are pleasant if insipid, and the words lack the inspiration they one seemed to have. It was interesting to hear again, but I'm not too bothered if I never hear any more.