Customer Reviews

Fairytale

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Being born in 1949, I grew up in the sixties, and was caught up in the Folk movement of the Kingston Trio, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and the lesser-known Phil Ochs. In the midst of these protest singers was the gentle, mystical sound of a young Scotsman named Donovan. Of all his recordings, my favorites were Fairytale, Catch the Wind, and A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. So now I am one down, two to go. I love his effortless way of singing, and the soothing sound of the flute. The imagery of Circus of Sours, the delicacy of Summer Day Reflection Song, the sadness of Ballad of Geraldine (Battle? Was your proofreader napping on the job?), and the power of Universal Soldier all create an absolutely beautiful listening experience. How fortunate we are Donovan had the ability to take a chance on his songwriting and singing skills and enrich our lives and souls with his magic.

"Fairy Tale" is one of my favorite albums from the sixties. Donovan, the Scottish minstrel, has often been accused of being a Dylan wannabe. "Fairy Tale", recorded in 1965, proves Donovan to have carved-out a unique musical idenity before the folk rock explosion in the USA. All of the material is strong and the classics are "Sunny Googe Street", "Try For the Sun", "Universal Soldier", and of course, "Colors." Donovan went on to enormous popularity in the States with his cosmic mish-mash of world music. He even had three quarters of Led Zep as a back-up band before that band was formed. Then it ended as quickly as it began, it ended....Donovan got married, dropped out of public life and persued things unrelated to the shallow life of a pop music icon. Good for him...Fairy Tale is Donovan's greatest gift from his flower garden.

This is Donovan's second album, from his "folk singer" period. Most of the songs feature Donovan performing solo. It's quite lovely, really. Folk music fans should really dig it. One thing I have to point out is that the songs on the CD are in the wrong order. The information on the CD booklet (and here online) lists the songs in the order they appeared on the original British album. In reality, the CD features the songs in the order they appeared on the American version of the album. Here is the correct sequence:

1. Universal Soldier
2. I'll Try For the Sun
3. Sunny Goodge Street
4. Colours
5. Circus of Sour
6. The Summer Day Reflection Song
7. Candy Man
8. Jersey Thursday
9. Belated Forgiveness Plea
10. The Ballad of a Crystal Man
11. The Little Tin Soldier
12. The Ballad of Geraldine
13. Oh Deed I Do

The rest of the songs (the bonus tracks) are in the same order as listed.

Recorded in an underground London studio in the summer of '65, this one is even better than Donovan's debut album What's Been Did and What's Been Hid. Highlights include:

Colours- Donovan's second single and one of his best!

To Try for the Sun- about the life he lived on the road in Cornwall with Gypsy Dave (and no it is not what "some people" say it is about) It is a song about caring and friendship and was recently covered by Lindsey Buckingham.

Sunny Goodge Street- This is the song that got Mickie Most into Donovan as a pop-folk-jazz piece. Goodge Street is a subway stop in London and the song mentions hashish for the first time in rock history as well as jazz artist Charles Mingus,not to mention the magician whose name is "Love, Love Love!"

Oh Deed I Do- One of two Bert Jansch songs here, this is actually a Jansch originally and Gypsy Dave is even namechecked.

Circus of Sour- Written by the little known Paul Bernath, this is a funny look at life seen as a circus. The catch here if you go to this circus- watch out! You're in ring no. 3!

Summer Day Reflection Song- Featuring Shawn Phillips on 12- string this is one of Donovan's best early summertime songs with hilarious lyrics.

Candy Man- By Rev. Gary Davis

Jersey Thursday- Also accompianed by Shawn Phillips this is a tribute to a festival held on the English Channel island of Jersey. This song is included on the soundtrack of Rushmore

Belated Forgiveness Plea- aka "Island of Sadness" this was originally part of Don's '64 demos and is another look at life by the sea.

Ballad of a Crystal Man- A different version of the protest song that originally appeared on the Universal Soldier EP

The Little Tin Soldier- Shawn Phillips retelling of the classic Andersen fairy tale about a soldier with one leg and a ballerina who meet a tragic fate.

The Ballad of Geraldine- Donovan takes a female role here, this was written for a friend.

The bonus tracks are taken from the Universal Soldier EP: Universal Soldier (Buffy St. Marie)- a true classic, The Ballad of a Crystal Man (original version), The War Drags On (Mick Softley) and Do You Hear Me Now (Bert Jansch) and two from a single recorded in late '65.

Turquoise- written for Joan Baez after Donovan's one night stand with her. Joan recorded this on her '67 album Joan.

Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)- Although attributed to Donovan this is in fact, an old 1930s song originally titled "Can I Do It For You". Donovan retitled it "Hey Gyp" in honor of Gypsy Dave Mills (now a scluptor- Gyp Mills- who lives in Greece and Thailand) and it was under that title that The Animals redid it.

I want to first say that I was not very familiar with this, Donovan's 2nd release. I was alway's able to hear the majority of the later works at my buddy Dan's house, and of course knew he started out as very much the acoustic guitar/folk singer type heard on Universal Soldier, but I was not prepared for this. Several years ago I was lucky enough to see Donovan at Chicago's Park West. He talked about how he went back to re-learn some of his older material and had forgotten how intricate some of it was even though it might seem fairly simple at first blush (he liked to tell a story before each song...way cool). I was amazed at the songs he played that night which I'd never heard before. Years later, I get this and realize that it contains many of those same songs. The atmosphere he creates on this disc is almost too beautiful, too rich, for words. It's the musical equivalent of having a friend share their deepest feelings with you. I found it very emotional from start to finish. While it doesn't have the overt psychedelia of his subsequent releases, it nonetheless is so amazing in its brilliance that it carries all the Donovan trademarks he was to become known for. In fact, you will probably hear some songs you heard before but forgot about. I could go song by song, but I think the best comment I could make is about Circus Of Sour where he spontaneously lets out a laugh in the middle of the tune. It's one of those rare warm moments that makes the listener realize that the performance is often as important as the song itself. Don't be afraid to get this if you aren't a huge folk music fan; it transcends the genre while at the same time remaining within it. The additional bonus tracks comprise the Universal Soldier EP and are the icing on this cake.

Donovan's second album, originally released in 1965, continued the mystically-charged folk direction of his debut, but it also charted the more varied directions he'd soon be exploring. The album version of the single, "Colours" (missing the harmonica bridge of the original 45) is arranged with acoustic guitar and bass, and gives off the dreamtime vibe of "Mr. Tambourine Man," as does the finger-picked, sleepy-eyed "To Try for the Sun." Neither feel imitative of Dylan (or Woody Guthrie for that matter), but instead reveal themselves as hippiefied versions of the same bohemian roots.

There are a few lightweights, like "Circus of Sour," but they're balanced by more experimental songs such as "Sunny Goodge Street." The latter shows off Donovan's jazz influences in its moody cello-and-flute lined waltz-time arrangement and impressionistic verse. The six bonus tracks include a quartet from the "Universal Soldier" EP, featuring a stark take on Buffy St. Marie's anti-war title tune and a droning version of Mick Softley's anti-Viet Nam lament "The War Drags On." Also included are single A- and B-sides "Turquoise" and "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)." The former a beautiful, contemplative song that fits well with "Colours," and the latter a superb acoustic blues that found favor in rock form with both The Animals and The Soul Survivors. Missing is the 45 version of "Colours," which can be found on recent expanded CD editions of Donovan's debut.

Psychedelic flower power (and producer Mickie Most) would soon take center stage in Donovan's music with the follow-on "Sunshine Superman" LP, making this his last effort that focused so fully on acoustic-guitar based folk. Donovan's U.S. releases on the Hickory label rearranged the material on his early albums, making this U.K. reproduction the version to get. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

thanks again for distributing donovans cd i just ordered my third cd again wish you have a song book with guitar chords or if you know where i can purchase one thanks

Released in October 1965, Donovan's 2nd UK album for Pye Records is represented on this "Expanded Edition" by Tracks 1 to 12 - and it's something of a lost Sixties Folk/Rock classic.

The album's opener "Colours" is a balls-to-the-wall 60's classic - it truly is. "Fairytale" features a lot of tracks like that - just Donovan and his acoustic guitar - more Folk than Pop really. In fact, when you hear almost any track on this very hard-to-find LP, it's easy to see why Donovan was often referred to as Britain's Bob Dylan. And it wasn't just because of the similar vocal styles - they were both such good songwriters and commentators on the times.

Highlights include "The Ballad Of A Crystal Man" which is represented on this disc twice - the full album version and the edited EP version - it's a fantastically strong and emotive anti-Vietnam piece equal to anything his Bobness put out on the other side of the pond. Lyrically the other songs are equally clever and even witty too. There's a "violent hash smoker" in "Sunny Goodge Street", while a quietly sinister "Jersey Thursday" gives us sly white powder references, "on a tiny piece of coloured glass, my love was born - and reds, and golds and yellows were the colours of the dawn..." Oh yeah!!

The extras (13 to 18) also make the purchase so worthwhile for fans. "Turquoise" and "Hey GYP (Dig The Slowness)" are his 3rd 7" single for Pye Records and both tracks are non-album. The last four songs, "Universal Soldier", "Do You Hear Me Now", "Ballad Of A Crystal Man" and "The War Drags On" are again non-album and make up the 4-tracks of the rare UK-only "Universal Soldier EP" from September 1965. ("Universal Soldier" and "Do You Hear Me Now" were released as a 7" in the States on Hickory).

So - a good album bolstered up with relevant bonuses. And the remastered sound quality on all is excellent too - very clear and not excessively hissy like some Sixties recordings can be.

"Fairytale" is a snip at any price for fans and a great way of discovering the wildly underrated Donovan for the uninitiated - especially those who want to veer away from his better-known hits. Highly Recommended.

This is my fist internet purchase with Amazon. You were yery professional, and the item purchased arrived in record time,and was exactly as described. Ill be back !! David