Barabajagal

01 Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) (With The Jeff Beck Group, Lesley and Madeleine)

02 Superlungs My Supergirl

03 Where Is She

04 Happiness Runs

05 I Love My Shirt

06 The Love Song

07 To Susan On The West Coast Waiting

08 Atlantis

09 Trudi (With The Jeff Beck Group, Lesley and Madeleine)

10 Pamela Jo

All songs written by Donovan.

Make no mistake, "Barabajagal" is still a good album - but it's just not in the same league as the superb albums that Donovan had been recording since the end of 1965. Take the title cut, for instance, where Donovan rocks out, joined by the Jeff Beck Group. It works... it's catchy, but it says absolutely nothing and seems like posturing, as if Donovan wanted to refashion himself as a rock star and thought this would be the best way to go about it. "Superlungs," which he had already recorded (and left unreleased) twice, finally gets released. This version is still good because it's a good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to the earlier 1966 "Sunshine Superman" outtake. "Where Is She" was recorded in May, 1968, right after the sessions for "Hurdy Gurdy Man," and may be the best song on the album, with a lovely languid melody and poetic lyrics that recall Donovan's earlier work. A live version of "Happiness Runs" was previously issued (as "Pebble And The Man") on the "Donovan In Concert" album. This studio recording is fine, but I prefer the live version without the other singers (one of whom is Mike McCartney, by the way). Donovan would re-record the song for his 2002 "Pied Piper" CD and again in 2004 in a new recording issued on the "Try For The Sun" boxed set. Just as you might have been thinking that the album was getting a bit, well, twee, we have "I Love My Shirt," a singalong where Donovan tells us how much he loves his shirt. Thanks, Don. I was wondering.

You see, one goofy singalong is fine - that's why "Yellow Submarine" works so well on "Revolver," but you can't play that card too often or you begin to come off as insubstantial and silly - and that's exactly what Donovan does for most of the rest of the album. As much as I like "Atlantis" (which features one of Donovan's best vocals) the lyrics are absurd ("all hail Atlantis!"). "Trudi" (originally titled "Bed With Me" on the UK single) is an uptempo rewrite of "Lay Of The Last Tinker" from "A Gift From A Flower To A Garden," and is almost an insult to the earlier version of the song. "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting" is the obligatory Vietnam song, and is mostly a bore. "Pamela Jo," which ends the album, is another singalong, where the entire point was evidently for Donovan to show us how much fun everyone was having in the studio, as if we're expected to join in and have fun, too. After 50 years, though, it just doesn't work.

Released in the US in August, 1969, "Barabajagal" was the first Donovan album issued only in stereo. It was not originally released in the UK.

Although the LP itself is the same, some early copies of "Barabajagal" have an alternate track listing printed on the back cover (see above), which includes "Lord Of The Reedy River," a song which isn't actually on the album. Had it been, it would certainly have been a highlight. Ironically, for me at least, the original sequence plays better. Some copies also came with a flyer advertising "Donovan's Isle," a US fan club based out of Indiana. As for sources, the best CD version of "Barabajagal" is the 1994 "Four Donovan Originals" box, although you'll still need the 2005 reissue which features a different mix of "Superlungs My Supergirl." This omits the overdubbed second vocal near the end and replaces it with Donovan shouting "Hey!" (this version is also on the "Breezes of Patchouli" box). Unfortunately, "I Love My Shirt" and "The Love Song" have their beginnings cut off on the 2005 CD (two errors that were fixed on the "Breezes of Patchouli" box), but most of the CD sources fade "Atlantis" 10 seconds early compared to the original US vinyl, the exceptions being the 2003 "Storyteller" compilation and the 2 CD "Essential Donovan" compilation. Speaking of "Atlantis," Donovan would re-record the song in 2001 with No Angels as a tie-in for the Disney film "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." This was issued in Germany, although it's not used in the English versions of the film or included on the soundtrack CD.

Donovan's Greatest Hits

01 Epistle To Dippy

02 Sunshine Superman (unedited version)

03 There Is A Mountain

04 Jennifer Juniper

05 Wear Your Love Like Heaven

06 Season Of The Witch

07 Mellow Yellow (duophonic)

08 Colours (re-recording)

09 Hurdy Gurdy Man

10 Catch The Wind (re-recording)

11 Lalena

All songs written by Donovan.

Unlike most artists, Donovan's "Greatest Hits" LP (issued in early, 1969) was not simply a cash-grab, but a worthwhile product that offered stereo mixes of several songs that had only previously appeared on mono 45s, plus two very different re-recordings of several of Donovan's earlier hits, and a much longer version of "Sunshine Superman." Although Epic only issued a stereo version of the album in the US, a mono version did come out in the UK, though this is a fold-down of the UK stereo. In Brazil, for some reason, the album omitted "Season Of The Witch," "Colours" and "Catch The Wind" and replaced those songs with "Atlantis," "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting" and "Isle Of Islay." The album was re-released in the US in 1978 without the booklet or gatefold cover.

"Donovan's Greatest Hits" was later issued on CD in various countries, but in 1999 Epic added several bonus tracks and replaced the new performances of "Catch The Wind" and "Colours" with the original 1965 tracks. Needless to say, that's not the source you want if you intend to enjoy the album as it was released in the 1960's. Unfortunately, the original US CD fades early on some cuts, and the US and Japanese copies cut off the first few seconds of the beginning of the re-recorded "Colours" compared to the UK issues (this slightly longer version, in stereo, is on the "Breezes of Patchouli" CD, if you want it).

Barabajagal - Single mixes and CD bonus tracks

01 Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) (mono 45 mix)

02 Atlantis (mono 45 mix)

03 Trudi (mono 45 mix)

04 Lord of the Reedy River (The Swan) # * +

05 Stromberg Twins # *

06 Snakeskin # *

07 Lauretta's Cousin Laurinda # *

08 A Poor Man's Sunshine (Nativity) # *

09 New Year's Resolution (Donovan's Celtic Jam) #

10 The Runaway (demo) (overdubbed) #

11 Sweet Beverley (demo) #

12 Marjorie (Margarine) (demo) #

13 Little White Flower (overdubbed demo) #

14 Good Morning Mr. Wind (overdubbed demo) #

15 Palais Girl (overdubbed demo) #

16 Lord Of The Universe (demo) #

All songs written by Donovan.

# = found on the 2005 "Barabajagal" CD.

* = found on the 2005 "Barabajagal" CD as well as the "Breezes of Patchouli" boxed set.

+ = found on the 2005 "Barabajagal" CD as well as the "Try For The Sun" boxed set.

As I mentioned above, the "Barabajagal" LP (released in August, 1969) was only issued in stereo. However, several of the songs were given mono mixes for their release as singles - namely, "Barabajagal," "Atlantis" and "Trudi." "Barabajagal" sounds better in mono, and runs six seconds longer than the stereo version. "Barabajagal" and "Atlantis" are on the "Retrospective" CD, but "Atlantis" (at least) seems to be lifted from vinyl and further compressed, so you're better off with a rip of the original single. The mono mix of "Trudi," the b-side of the "Barabajagal" single, has not appeared on CD.

The 2005 CD reissue of "Barabajagal" featured 13 bonus cuts - many of which are superior to some of the songs that appear on the original album.

"The Swan (Lord Of The Reedy River)" is not the performance released later on "HMS Donovan," and is very likely the take that was originally intended to be on the "Barabajagal" LP, where, as I said before, it would have been a highlight. Donovan performed the song live in late 1968 and also played guitar (and sang backing vocals) on Mary Hopkin's 1968 recording of the song, for her "Post Card" LP (as well as "Voyage Of The Moon," which Donovan himself wouldn't release until "HMS Donovan," in 1971).

Donovan performed "The Stromberg Twins" on the "At Home With Donovan" BBC broadcast, recorded in early 1969, and performed it live later in the year. This unusual composition wouldn't have sounded out of place if, say, Syd Barrett had performed it. "Snakeskin" sounds more like an FM-friendly rocker. Julie Felix would release a cover version of it as a single in 1971. "Lauretta's Cousin Laurinda," a bluesy shuffle, sounds unfinished. "A Poor Man's Sunshine (Nativity)" is one of the better outtakes - well played and sung. Donovan would re-record it many years later for the 2004 "Beat Café" album.

In addition to these stereo studio recordings, there are also eight solo demos on the "Barabajagal" CD, in mono. "New Year's Resolution (Donovan's Celtic Jam)" is mostly instrumental and isn't to be confused with the similarly titled "New Year's Resovolution" which Donovan would release on his next album, "Open Road." "Majorie [Margarine]" is dated as December, 1968 by the liner notes in the 2005 "Barabajagal" reissue. It's a good song which would be re-recorded years later for 1981's "Love Is Only Feeling" LP. "Runaway" is also very good. A slightly more worked up performance of it was released on the "Buried Treasures - The Morgan Studio Sessions 1971" CD and it was re-recorded far later for the marginally released "One Night In Time" album in 1993.

"Sweet Beverley" dates back a few years – Donovan had performed the song on "Bouton Rouge" for French TV in May, 1967. He also performed "Little White Flower" on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" about the same time as he recorded this demo, but it's otherwise unreleased. "Good Morning Mr. Wind" would be re-recorded (as "Mr. Wind," with annoying vocal effects) for "HMS Donovan." This version is better. "Lord Of The Universe" would also be re-recorded, this time for 2004's "Beat Café." A longer tape (and different mix) of this performance was released on the "Buried Treasures - The  Morgan Studio Sessions 1970" CD (although obviously the song wasn't recorded in 1970). Donovan also performed "Lord Of The Universe" in concert in December, 1968 - further validating the date of these demos. The remaining number, "Palais Girl" (also known as "She Knew Not Why") dates back to at least 1967, when Donovan performed it on the "Donovan Meets The Poet Christopher Logue" BBC television program. I discuss additional demos from this period on page 7.

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

01 Lord Of The Reedy River

Donovan appears for several minutes in the 1969 film "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium," performing "Lord Of The Reedy River" in a club which the heroine wanders into.

He also composed the title track, though it was performed by J.P. Rags. There was a soundtrack album released from the movie, but, unfortunately, while it contains J.P. Rags' performance of the title track, Donovan's "Lord Of The Reedy River" isn't on it. This begins the unfortunate trend of Donovan being non-represented on soundtrack albums, since his music doesn't appear on the "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" soundtrack either, and no soundtracks were issued for "Poor Cow" or "The Pied Piper." Since Olive Films went out of business, the home video releases of this are out of print, though still readily available.

U.S. 45 Sleeve                        Alternate cover from 8-track

In An Old-Fashioned Picture Book

This flexidisc was produced in 1969 as a promotion for Donovan's US fan club "Donovan's Isle."

It contains a mono mix of the song "In An Old-Fashioned Picture Book," a different performance of which would be released by Donovan two years later on "HMS Donovan." This is arguably the better of the two, and is substantially the same as the unreleased demo which I'll discuss on the next page.

Back cover with original track line-up

Original UK 45 of "Trudi"