Donovan

Woebot

Woebot

Well-known member
very underrated artist

came up thanks to @Leo in the underrated lps thread

naturally i am interested in his connection to TM (from the back of from a flower to a garden)

R-2220194-1321302307.jpeg.jpg

but of all the sixties artists his reputation is most cruelly tarnished

i always remember joe boyd's embarassment that he "foolishly" called his label witchseason

www.discogs.com

Witchseason Productions

Production company. Please use Witchseason Productions Ltd. If stated that way on the release.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

so many great tracks but here's one to start off



GREAT lyrics

The sun was going down behind a tattoo tree
And the simple act of an oar's stroke put diamonds in the sea
And all because of the phosphorus there in quantity
As I dug you digging me in Mexico

There in the Valley of Scorpio beneath the cross of jade
Smoking on a seashell pipe the gypsies had made
We sat and we dreamed awhile of smugglers bringing wine
That crystal, thought time in Mexico

Sitting in a chair of bamboo sipping grenadine
Straining my eyes for a surfacing submarine
Kingdoms of ants walk across my feet
I'm a-shaking in my seat in Mexico

Grasshoppers creaking in the velvet jungle night
Microscopic circles in the fluid of my sight
Watching a black-eyed native girl cut and trim the lamp
Valentino vamp in Mexico

The sun was going down behind a tattoo tree
And the simple act of an oar's stroke put diamonds in the sea
And all because of the phosphorus there in quantity
As I dug you digging me in Mexico.
 
Woebot

Woebot

Well-known member
TLDR:

a smashing couplet:

Grasshoppers creaking in the velvet jungle night
Microscopic circles in the fluid of my sight
 
Murphy

Murphy

cat malogen
My Mum is a Donavotee, among the soundtracks of my nipperhood

She recommended a tv series called Britannia (terribly naff) but Donovan’s tunes are theme tracks and the highlights of respective audio detours

Maybe a true Dissensus comment would be for her to photo all her Donovan records, mail a few pics over and I drop them as a post
 
P

polystyle

Well-known member
Donovan seems to have done pretty well from a view this side of the pond.
Main memories are of the hits and they were massive !
Def remember too the crit he got here and there but he seems to have navigated things in his own way , on his own terms.
Being that famous , imagine the pressure of every move, any meeting with another artist say getting panned by those who thought themselves hipper or cooler.
Same time, how many none music loving people heard, were exposed or grooved to his songs. Millions on millions.
True one does not hear his songs played say on the radio when you are in the deli as you do many others.
But car radio stations, probably he is on there still.

Putting out a track called Hurdy Gurdy Man with Jimmy Page stinging away on it
over John Bonham ( wasn't it ? )
- and having it become such a large hit , hey not a bad way to go.
He's still alive isn't he ?
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
always wondered if Genesis P-Orridge stole some of his schtick from the intro to this...

 
william_kent

william_kent

Well-known member
Synchronicity - this came up in my youtube feed...



Dr Lonnie Smith featuring Iggy Pop - Sunshine Superman (2021)

A cover version from this year...
 
B

blissblogger

Well-known member
I remember that Donovan suddenly became hip in 1989-90 or so - Butthole Surfers covered "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and Happy Mondays started going on about him

Actually they went as far as doing a song named in tribute to him



But it was a passing thing, no doubt related to the enormous quantities of drugs being taken and the general love 'n' peace vibes, Second Summer of Etc
 
B

blissblogger

Well-known member
I had this half-memory that Ione Skye had hung out with the Mondays, or dated one of them. But turns out it was another Donovan daughter

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Unhappy Mondays

SHE was the privileged daughter of mellow sixties troubadour Donovan - and he was the hedonistic anti-hero of the Madchester era.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
 
B

blissblogger

Well-known member
Actually they were thick as thieves, the Leitchs and the Ryders

"Oriole is the youngest daughter of Donovan, who enjoyed a string of sixties hits with songs like Mellow Yellow, Jennifer Juniper and Hurdy Gurdy Man. She met Shaun after her father supported the Happy Mondays in the early 1990s, when the band of scallies from Salford were at their height.
Her sister, Astrella, was living with Shaun's brother, Paul, bass player with the Happy Mondays, when Oriole came to Manchester with her son from a previous relationship, Sebastian."
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
blissblogger said:
I remember that Donovan suddenly became hip in 1989-90 or so - Butthole Surfers covered "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and Happy Mondays started going on about him

Actually they went as far as doing a song named in tribute to him



But it was a passing thing, no doubt related to the enormous quantities of drugs being taken and the general love 'n' peace vibes, Second Summer of Etc
Click to expand...

Wasn't Ryder shagging his daughter or something?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top