Barabajagal [IMPORT] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Donovan

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B00081MUYU
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,747 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2005 Digitally remastered re-issue that features twelve bonus tracks 'Snakeskin', 'Lauretta's Cousin Laurinda', 'The Swan' (Lord Of The Reedy River), 'A Poor Man's Sunshine' (Nativity), 'New Years Resolution' (Donovan's Celtic Jam), 'Runaway' (Demo), 'Sweet Beverley' (Demo), 'Marjorie' (Margarine) (Demo), 'Little White Flower' (Demo), 'Good Morning Mr Wind' (Demo), 'Palais Girl' (Demo), 'Lord Of The Universe' (Demo). On Barabajagal, Donovan made his first steps away from the folk rock of before towards an acid rock sound, with songs such as the title track and Trudi. EMI.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars EMI Opens the Vaults, June 26, 2005

By	J P Ryan (Waltham, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've always liked Donovan's "Barabajagal," right down to the Victoriana of the album's artwork. This is not his most consistent album - I really don't need to hear "I Love My Shirt" or "Happiness Runs" very often, and they embody a certain precious quality that has not worn well (and didn't sound so great in 1969). There are, however, several gems on the original set, including the double-sided hit "To Susan On the West Coast Waiting", a still-fresh, deceptively low-key anti-Vietnam song, and the grand, five-minute "Atlantis," one of Donovan's biggest US hits, recorded in L.A. with the great Jim Gordon (Derek & the Dominos) providing superb drumming. Forget the "Hey Jude" comparison, this song has a power and personality all its own. The original album also included two collaborations with the Jeff Beck Group (classic line-up, with Beck, Ron Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Tony Newman, and Rod Stewart who stayed home), opening with the ferocious title track, an almost unbelievably intense excercise in controlled dynamics - a hard rock/funk classic, with Donovan at his 'hottest' and the Group truly 'molten'. The other D/JBG collaboration, "Trudi," rocks out, albeit in a less overpowering manner. I should note these tracks were from the last session by the Beck Group (May '69) who would break up by the end of July. EMI has turned this (and their other Donovan reissues) into "The story of the making of..." with outtakes, demos, copious notes, and period photos and memorabilia. A long rumored third track with the Beck Group ("Stromburg Twins") finally sees the light of day (a fourth, "Homesickness," appears in abruptly truncated form on the fine "HMS"), and the alternates, demos and sketches all provide great context and background on this still underrated artist's work habits, not to mention some highly listenable music, making this the edition of "Barabajagal" to own. Kudos to EMI!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An okay album greatly improved by the bonus tracks, June 28, 2005

By	a music fan (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

Barabajagal is the last of the four remastered Donovan cds released by EMI in 2005. The original album was definitely a mixed bag. When it's good, it's excellent. Songs like Barabajagal, Superlungs and Atlantis rank among the best rock songs of 1969, and Happiness Runs is a charming children's song. Unfortunately, most of the other album tracks are just filler.

EMI seems to have solved the problem with this reissue. The addition of the bonus tracks, all previously unreleased, double the length of the album, and -- like Sanctuary's reissue of Kinda Kinks -- many of the best songs on the disk are bonus tracks. All the bonus tracks here are good, some are great, and Swan (Lord Of The Reedy River) is one of the most gorgeous songs Donovan ever recorded, which is quite saying something when you think about it.

Like the rest of the albums in this series of reissues, the sound quality is excellent and the liner notes are poor.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Mickie Most Years - Part 4, January 15, 2006

By	Morten Vindberg - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Barabajagal" was Donovan's last album to be released in the 1960's and his fifth produced by Mickie Most.

Compared to his previous albums this is probably the most versatile, partly due to the fact that it was recorded during several sessions, featuring different musicians.

The three hit singles "Atlantis"; "To Susan on the West Coast" and "Barabajagal" are good examples of the album's great variety. "Atlantis" is a fine folky tune with an ecstatic ending ending much like the Beatles' "Hey Jude". "To Susan on the West Coast" is an acoustic anti-war song and "Barabajagal" is an almost riff-based rocker with solid backing by Jeff Beck Group.

Among the tracks I like "Happines Runs" and "Superlungs My Supergirl", but the rest are mostly sub-par tracks. The original album had a very short playing time, a little more than thirty minutes. Fortunately a lot of relevant bonus-tracks have been added to the album.

Interesting to hear "Stromberg Twins", another track with backing from Jeff Beck and his band; and song that ought have been included originally. But the strongest material are found among the last seven tracks, which are just demos; but all sounding great.

"Marjorie" and "Palais Girl" are really great songs that finally get a deserved release.

The booklet contains the final chapter of the Mickie Most Years ( part 4, Nov. 68 to Dec. 1969 ), which is great read; and although the album is not quite up to the standards of its predecessors, it's still a quite fine album.