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GREATEST HITS ALBUM REVIEW

Donovan's

GREATEST HITS

Released - January, 1969 on Epic Records. Produced by Mickie Most

Donovan Leitch - Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica

With:

Jimmy Page - Electric Guitar on "Epistle to Dippy", "Sunshine Superman", "Season of the Witch" & "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
John Paul Jones - Keyboards on "Mellow Yellow", Bass on "Sunshine Superman", Season of the Witch" & "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
Eddie Hon - Drums on "Sunshine Superman" & "Season of the Witch"
Skip Alan - Drums on "Colors"
John Bonham - Drums on "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
Keith Webb - Drums on "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"
Aynsley Dunbar - Drums on "Atlantis"
Jeff Beck - Guitar on "Atlantis"
Brian Locking - Bass on "Colors"
Jack Bruce - Bass on "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"
Ron Wood - Bass and Backing Vocals on "Atlantis"
John Cameron - Harpsichord on "Sunshine Superman" & Strings on "Epistle to Dippy"
Nicky Hopkins - Keyboards on "Atlantis"
Rod Stewart, Madeline Bell - Backing Vocals on "Atlantis"

All songs written by Donovan Leitch

 **Important Note: The song order noted above is for the original Donovan's Greatest Hits album. In 1999, this album was re-released with the songs in a different order, plus four extra songs added in. Also note that for the re- release, the original versions of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours" are included instead of re-recordings of these songs. The ratings above for these two songs are for the poorer re-recorded versions, since I do not own the newer reissued album and the 1969 LP was what I rated and reviewed.

Review

Donovan Leitch, better know as just "Donovan", was at first called England's Bob Dylan. Guess back in 1965 somebody from England was going to get that tag, but it wasn't totally what Donovan wanted or even needed. Today looking back, you think of him as the guy who played all that hippy music in the '60s, and yes, he really was the godfather of psychedelic music, even if his psychedelic music was a bit more mellow than most of the other psychedelic music of that time. On this greatest hits album you get to hear a lot of these type of mellow songs.

My 3 personal all-time favorite Donovan songs are found on this collection: "Atlantis", "Mellow Yellow" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man". "Atlantis" was recorded with the Jeff Beck Group, and isn't really psychedelic, but it is still very trippy, you just can't get more hippish with a song. "Mellow Yellow" was a number 2 hit single in the US and a great feel good number. Then "Hurdy Gurdy Man", which is fantastic, starting out with its errie vocal hum and it just builds from there, along with some great music to boot, thanks to the soon to be members of Led Zeppelin (sans Robert Plant) who back the track.

Other outstanding songs found on here range from "Sunshine Superman", yet another upbeat number and written for the Beatles' John & Paul; the far out "Season of the Witch", and "There Is a Mountain ", which would be covered by many others in the years to pass, including the Allman Brothers Band with their live extended jam of the song.

It is hard these days to still find or purchase this 1969 Donovan's Greatest Hits album, but it is still out there if you look for it, but I would suggest the newer remastered 1999 release at this point in time, since you will get more for your money with the added tracks.

- Keno 2007

To listen to some soundclips from Donovan's Greatest Hits, or to purchase it, click on: Donovan's Greatest Hits or Donovan's Greatest Hits

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