Page 14 - Into The '90's

Coming Soon

01 Moon Over Clare

02 Watching The Sun Go Down

03 Glasgow Town

04 The Ferryman’s Daughter

05 Ghost Of Pagan Song

06 Where Are You Now?

07 Living On Love

08 The Lake Isle Of Innesfre

09 Madrigalinda

10 Down By The Harbour

11 Rock Me

12 Lover O Lover

13 Awaking Year

All songs written by Donovan except the lyrics to #8, which are from a poem by W.B. Yeats.

Gaelia

Recorded "Live In" Sulan Studios, Ireland, February 1990, released in 2022.

After "One Night In Time" fell through, Donovan went back into the studios to record another album's worth of material, reportedly to be released in August by Great Northern Arts Records. Obviously, that didn't happen and instead, they ended up releasing the live compilation "Donovan Rising" in the States. The unauthorized album (titled "Celtia") is reported to have been distributed at some point on cassette by the "Donovan’s Friends" fanzine. This tape is the source for versions of the album that circulate on-line. The official CD from these sessions, "Gaelia," wasn’t released until 2022, when it was touted on Donovan's website as a "New Donovan Album" with no indication that it contained decades-old material. Unfortunately, because of noise reduction, the sound quality of the tracks on "Gaelia" is slightly inferior to "Celtia," even though Donovan’s people were presumably in possession of the master tapes. In addition, one track, "Lover O Lover," has been heavily compressed and given an extra dose of echo. "Gaelia" is also missing four songs from the album’s earlier, unauthorized incarnation (these are discussed below). But checkered release history and sound quality issues aside, most of the tracks on "Gaelia" are quite good, with Donovan backed by members of the Scottish group The Waterboys as well as renowned violinist Nigel Kennedy and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. It’s a shame it took 32 years to issue this material, and only then to whatever fans managed to find it. It could be argued, perhaps, that the album is a little too laid back, but compared to much of Donovan’s commercialized '70’s and '80's output, it's a masterpiece.

Let’s take a closer look at the songs themselves. Although he performed it on the radio and played it in concert for several years, this is the only studio recording of "Moon Over Clare," a lovely little acoustic ballad. An earlier demo for "Watching The Sun Go Down" (sans didgeridoo) was listed on page 8. That doesn’t sound like it comes from the 1990 Sulan sessions, but, honestly, it could have been recorded any time in-between 1971 and 1990, since it’s just Donovan and his guitar. In any case, it’s an interesting song with definite echoes of the '60's. "Glasgow Town" is lively jig, with what one assumes are autobiographical lyrics which, to me, sound a little too contrived. "The Ferryman’s Daughter" dates all the way back to 1969 / 1970, when it was recorded for the unreleased "Moon In Capricorn" album. It was demo’d again in March, 1971 and released on the "Live In Japan 1973" album. Here, we have a slower arrangement, featuring some additional lilting from Donovan, which he’d also feature on his live performances of the song around this time. Running almost nine minutes, "Ghost Of Pagan Song" is far and away the longest song on the album, reminiscent of Donovan’s earlier performances of traditional ballads. His guitar playing is, as always, sublime, but he no longer has the voice he had twenty years earlier. It’s also poorly sequenced, since the first few bars are the same as the previous number. "Where Are You Now?" is a mournful song about lost love which he also recorded during the "Lady Of The Stars" sessions in 1983. Since this was mentioned at the time as having been compeleted for "One Night In Time," it's possible that this performance dates from that period. "Living On Love" features a similar, sad and reflective mood. When Donovan played it in concert in 1985, he dedicated it to John Lennon. Like the much earlier "The Song Of The Wandering Aengus" on "HMS Donovan," "The Lake Isle Of Innesfre" sets one of William Butler Yeats' poems to music, which is again wistful and meditative. Nor is this mood broken by another recording of "Madrigalinda," which was previously released on "Neutronica" in 1980. This is the better arrangement because of the sympathetic backing, though Donovan's performance of it is much the same. "Down By The Harbour," which Donovan had played in concert in 1988, is another lovely song with a tinge of sadness to it, featuring a nice harmonica break. "Rock Me" is one of two songs featuring David Gilmour on guitar, and is close as the album gets to rock and roll, though not so much that it completely breaks away from the feel of the album's other tracks. That said, it’s the least interesting song on the album in every way. The next number, "Lover O Lover" is a remake of the song from 1981’s "Love Is Only Feeling" (it would be recorded again for 2004's "Beat Café"). This version features some distinctive guitar licks from David Gilmour, but goes on a bit too long. Donovan also re-recorded "Awaking Year" for his 2017 "Brother Sun Sister Moon" CD (where it's titled "The Year Is Awaking"). This might suggest that it was originally intended for that 1972 film, but it does not appear there, and it may be that Donovan simply thought the song fit well with the actual songs from the film, and needed some additional material for the album. In any case, it ends "Gaelia" on a reflective tone, perfectly in keeping with most of the album.

Invariably, Donovan’s 1986 album "Sutras" is acclaimed as his best post 1960's work. I think, though, that if the material from "Gaelia" had been released at the time, it might have been a contender for that honor. There are certainly a lot of strong and memorable songs on it, and the quality of both the compositions and performances is consistently high.

01 To Love You (from "Celtia")

02 Wahine (from "Celtia")

03 Against Your Will (from "Celtia")

04 Everlasting Sea (from "Celtia")

05 Lover O Lover

06 Awaking Year

07 Glasgow Town (1)

08 Glasgow Town (2)

09 Down By The Harbour

Celtia, Plus Additional Tracks and Demos from 1990

Tracks 1-4 were on the original unreleased "Celtia" album, but not included on "Gaelia."

"To Love You" is one of Donovan’s best love songs that would have fit in well on "Gaelia." Although it was not included on that CD, It was re-recorded and appeared in 2013 on Donovan’s album "Shadows Of Blue" (as well as 2021’s "Lunarian" compilation). "Wahine" is, perhaps, a little too plodding – in this case, "Gaelia" was probably improved by omitting it. "Against Your Will" is a good song with some nice background singing and an unidentified woman sharing some of the vocals (possibly the reason it wasn’t included on "Gaelia," since it would have taken the focus off of Donovan). "Everlasting Sea" had been demo’d as far back as 1970. This would have fit well on "Gaelia," but would ultimately be re-recorded and released on "Sutras" in 1996. This shorter, alternate take of "Lover O Lover" also features David Gilmour, but is different from the one on "Gaelia." The alternate performance of "The Year Is Awaking" is taken a bit faster, and also features Nigel Kennedy on violin (what sounds like an earlier home recording of the song also circulates). The two alternate takes of "Glasgow Town" are very close to the take heard on "Gaelia," but are without overdubs. An alternate performance of "Down By The Harbour," sans sound effects, appears on the bootleg "Shape In The Sky." This might be taken from a television or radio performance, but since there’s no sign of an audience it’s impossible to tell.

The Singing Corner Meets Donovan - Jennifer Juniper

"The Singing Corner" was a fictional duo from a BBC children’s program that liked to make fun of 1960’s hippie excess. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, and Donovan’s persona certainly presents the perfect target. But why choose to trash the lovely little number "Jennifer Juniper" (from "Hurdy Gurdy Man") and what on earth might have possessed Donovan himself to participate in mocking one of his own creations? Released in 1990, this isn’t just bad, it’s offensive.

Wind In The Willows - A Rock Concert

In June, 1991, Donovan appeared on-stage with Eddie Hardin and Zak Starkey for a live presentation of their "Wind In The Willows" concept album, originally released in 1985. This was staged for German television and released on both CD and DVD. On the original album, Donovan sang the title track. Here, he sings "The Life We Left Behind."

Island Of Circles

Donovan opines for a minute or so, bordering on self-parody, as he introduces a 1992 "tribute" album from a bunch of people that you either never knew of or have completely forgotten performing dreadful cover versions of Donovan classics. Although Donovan's intro is titled "Island of Circles" on the CD, it's not music. A song by the title, however, would be recorded and included on his 2004 "Brother Sun Sister Moon" CD.

Three More Guest Appearances

Newest Bath Guide

In 1990, Donovan contributed a performance of the song "Newest Bath Guide" to the various artists LP / CD "Poetry In Motion," where poems by John Betjeman are set to music by Mike Read. In 1992, a CD EP was released by Silhouette Music, adding Donovan’s performance of the Betjeman / Read "Moira McCavendish" and his own composition, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon," taken from the soundtrack of the 1972 film. Except for an obscure cassette I discussed on page 9, this is the only official release of "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" - or any of Donovan’s original performances of songs from that film, for that matter. The two Betjeman / Read songs, which are also quite nice, were reissued on an expanded double CD of "Poetry In Motion" in 2002 (and again in 2006 and 2008). Those are easy to find, but the "Newest Bath Guide" CD is not.

A new album from Donovan was announced for release in Spring, 1990 by Polygram. Obviously, for whatever reason, that never happened. In 1993, the fanzine "Donovan's Friends" was reportedly selling unauthorized cassettes of it under the title "One Night In Time." If so, I’ve never seen a copy. There are also mentions on-line of a "Japanese cassette" release - which is almost certainly untrue, since the tracks would have been owned by Polygram at the time. A resequenced version of the album (with two additional tracks) was finally released digitally on Donovan's website in December, 2025, under the title "What's A Girl." Even though they tend to fade a bit earlier, the officially released tracks generally mirror "One Night In Time" (which is, itself, available on YouTube). The few significant differences will be noted below.

"What's A Girl" is a strange choice for an album title, given that the song itself is nothing more than another generic, forgettable rocker. "Do You Belong," a trite song about teenage suicide, was demo’d for 1973's "Essence To Essence." The same recording heard on "What's A Girl" was previously released in 2019 on the "Eco~Song" compilation. An earlier recording of "One Night In Time," appears on the "Sweet Ecstasy" bootleg. This is the better of the two, perhaps, but that’s not saying much. The version on "What's A Girl" has some additional vocals at the end that aren't on the original "One Night In Time" mix. "Forever Your Love" is pretty enough, but a bit too generic. Donovan performed it live a couple of years earlier, and there’s even a home recording of it, but it’s still too insubstantial. "Dear Heart" is another instantly forgettable "rock" number, once again featuring an unknown female singing some of the lyrics. The version on "One Night In Time" has a different lead vocal and some minor variations in the lyric. An earlier, solo version of "When All The World Was Young" was recorded, then left off of Donovan's 1983 album "Lady Of The Stars." As I mentioned earlier, when he played this song in concert in 1990, he introduced it as coming from his "new album," which would have been "One Night In Time." It’s a good song. "The White Gold Ring" is not found on "One Night In Time." I've written about a less produced, but very similar performance as having been recorded in 1981, during the "Love Is Only Feeling" sessions. Either that's a misattribution on my part or Donovan reached far back into the vaults for this one when assembling "What's A Girl" for release. In any case, it's a lovely song that fully deserved an official release. "The Sensitive Kind, " a fine cover of a J.J. Cale number, is also one of the better songs on the album. Unfortunately, the version on "What's A Girl" fades 1:13 earlier than the one on "One Night In Time," even though they're the same performance. "Only For You" is titled "You Got Me Reeling" on the circulating versions of "One Night In Time." It's the same performance that I discussed on the previous page, with some very minor additions (the result of either an overdub or alternate mix, your choice). It might be that the version I listed earlier doesn’t belong under "undated 1980’s sessions" at all, but is simply an alternate version of the "One Night In Time" track, but given Donovan’s propensity to raid his back catalog, I have a feeling things are correct where they are. The version on "One Night In Time" runs slightly longer and has more kick to the snare - whether this is the result of a different mix or simply different EQ, I don't know. I talked about the awful "American Girl" on the previous page. "Runaway" dates back to 1969, where Donovan first recorded a demo during the "Barabajagal" sessions. Another recording of it, from his 1971 demo session, was released on "Buried Treasures 1971." The earlier demos are both superior. The final number, "There Are No Roads" is one of the handful of really good songs on the album. It was previously demo’d in the 1970's and performed in concert in the late '80's.

Although there are a handful of good songs here, "One Night In Time" / "What's A Girl" is mostly forgettable. In spite of that, I do wish it had gotten a physical release so it wouldn't remain in a digital ghost in Donovan's recorded history.

One Night In Time

01 One Night In Time (alternate mix)

02 Dear Heart (alternate vocal)

03 Only For You (aka You Got Me Reeling) (longer)

04 The Sensitive Kind (complete)

The rest of the songs on the bootleg "One Night In Time" are the same as the released versions on "What's A Girl."