(RockAndMetal.com) (03/28/05)

Edited By Michael Bennett

LONDON, UK - To celebrate long-time Folk/Rocker DONOVAN's 40th Anniversary (1965-2005), Sanctuary Midline in association with Sanctuary Records Group has announced the May 9th release of the 2-disc anthology, "Donovan's Summer Day Reflection Songs."

The album coincides with Donovan's extensive upcoming 26-date UK tour this May, as well as the May 9th release of The EMI Group's four digitally re-mastered Donovan albums "Sunshine Superman" (1966), "Mellow Yellow" (1967), "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (1968) and "Barabajagal" (1969).

During his rise to fame during the mid-sixties, Donovan was often referred to as Britain's answer to Bob Dylan.

Donovan fully embraced the wide-eyed optimism of the "flower power" movement - his ethereal, ornate songs radiating a mystical beauty and childlike wonder.

His recordings remain quintessential artifacts of the Psychedelic era, capturing the peace-and-love idealism of their time to perfection.

Born Donovan Leitch on May 10, 1946 in Glasgow, Scotland, Donovan was raised outside of London.

At just 18 years old, he recorded his first demo, and in 1965 was tapped as a regular on the television Pop showcase "Ready, Steady, Go!"

Donovan soon issued his debut single 'Catch The Wind,' earning the first round of Dylan comparisons with his ramshackle Folk sound and ragamuffin look.

The single nevertheless reached the UK Top Five, with a subsequent meeting with Bob Dylan in the D.A. Pennebaker documentary, "Don't Look Back."

Donovan's follow-up single, 'Colours,' was also a hit, and after making his American debut at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, he issued "Fairytale," his second and last album for the Hickory Records label.

Signing with Epic Records in 1966, Donovan released his breakthrough album, "Sunshine Superman," which -- in it's exotic arrangements and pointedly psychedelic lyrical outlook -- heralded a major shift from his previous work.

The title track topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, with the enigmatic 'Mellow Yellow' reaching the #2 spot a few months later.

Donovan remained a chart fixture throughout 1967, generating a series of hits including 'Epistle To Dippy,' 'There Is A Mountain' and 'Wear Your Love Like Heaven.'

That year, he traveled to India alongside the Beatles to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a journey which inspired him to renounce drug use and encourage his listeners to turn to meditation.

The ambitious double album "A Gift From A Flower To A Garden" followed, and in 1968 Donovan resurfaced with 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man,' scoring a Top Five smash with the hallucinatory title cut.

"A Gift From A Flower To A Garden" also yielded another hit in 'Jennifer Juniper.'

It was 1969's "Barabajagal" which generated Donovan's final Top 40 hit, 'Atlantis.'

For the title track, he collaborated with The Jeff Beck Group, with whom he also worked on 1970's "Open Road."

Donovan subsequently retreated to Ireland, emerging from a period of seclusion by starring in and scoring the 1972 film, "The Pied Piper."

A pair of new albums, "Cosmic Wheels" and "Essence To Essence," appeared the following year.

Following 1974's "7-Tease," Donovan spent the following years living quietly in California's Joshua Tree desert, mounting only a small club tour to promote 1976's "Slow Down."

A self-titled album appeared a year later, and in the wake of 1983's Jerry Wexler-produced "Lady Of The Stars," he essentially retired from writing and recording altogether.

The Donovan revival began in earnest in 1991 when the Happy Mondays titled a song in his honor for their groundbreaking "Pills 'n' Thrills & Bellyaches."

He later toured with the group as well.

Five years later, Donovan released his comeback album, "Sutras," helmed by famed producer Rick Rubin.

He toured briefly to support "Sutras," after which Donovan went on to play live sporadically.

In 2004, Donovan reappeared with the intimate and stylish "Beat Cafe," a collection of nearly all orignal songs produced by keyboardist John Chelew.

He also enlisted bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Jim Keltner to round out his quartet.

"Beat Cafe" also featuered a pair of covers, a spoken word rendition of poet Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle," and a startling rendition of the traditional tune, 'The Cuckoo.'

In 2005, Donovan remains a major influence on a generation of new artists, including fellow Scotsmen Belle And Sebastian.

"Summerday Reflection Songs" Track Listing:

Disc One:
1. Catch The Wind (With Strings)
2. Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do
3. Josie
4. Catch The Wind (No Strings)
5. Remember The Alamo
6. Cuttin Out
7. Car Ca
8. Keep On Truckin'
9. Gold Watch Blues
10. To Sing For You
11. You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond
12. Tangerine Puppet (Instrumental)
13. Donna Donna
14. Ramblin' Boy
15. Every Man Has His Chain (French EP)
16. Colours (With Harmonica)

Disc Two:
1. Universal Soldier
2. Ballad Of A Crystal Man
3. The War Drags On
4. Do You Hear Me Now
5. Colours (No Harmonica)
6. To Try For The Sun
7. Sunny Goodge Street
8. Oh Deed I Do
9. Circus Of Sour
10. Summer Day Reflection Song
11. Candy Man
12. Jersey Thursday
13. Belated Forgiveness Plea
14. Ballad Of A Crystal Man (Alternate Take)
15. The Little Tin Soldier
16. Ballad Of Geraldine
17. Turquoise
18. Hey Gyp (Dig Your Slowness)

Digitally Remastered Donovan Album Track Listings:

Sunshine Superman:
1. Sunshine Superman
2. Legend Of A Girl Child Linda
3. Three Kingfishers
4. Ferris Wheel
5. Bert's Blues
6. Season Of The Witch
7. The Trip
8. Guinevere
9. The Fat Angel
10. Celeste
Bonus Tracks:
11. Breezes Of Patchulie
12. Museum (First Version)
13. Superlungs (First Version)
14. The Land Of Doesn't Have To
15. Sunshine
16. Good Trip (Demo)
17. House Of Jansch (Demo)

Mellow Yellow:
1. Mellow Yellow
2. Writer In The Sun
3. Sand And Foam
4. The Observation
5. Bleak City Woman
6. House Of Jansch
7. Young Girl Blues
8. Museum
9. Hampstead Incident
10. Sunny South Kensington
11. Epistle To Dippy
Bonus Tracks:
12. Preachin' Love
13. Good Time
14. There Is A Mountain
15. Superlungs (Second Version)
16. Epistle To Dippy (Alternative Arrangement)
17. Sidewalk (The Observation) (Demo Version)
18. Writer In The Sun (Demo Version)
19. Hampstead Incident (Demo Version)
20. Museum (Demo Version)

The Hurdy Gurdy Man:
1. The Hurdy Gurdy Man
?. Peregrine
3. The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl
4. As I Recall It
5. Get Thy Bearings
6. Hi It's Been A Long Time
7. West Indian Lady
8. Jennifer Juniper
9. The River Song
10. Tangier
11. A Sunny Day
12. The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow
13. Teas
14. Teen Angel
Bonus Tracks:
15. Poor Cow
16. Lalena
17. Aye My Love
18. What A Beautiful Creature You Are
19. Colours
20. Catch The Wind

Barabajagal:
1. Barabajagal
2. Superlungs My Supergirl
3. Where Is She
4. Happiness Runs
5. I Love My Shirt
6. The Love Song
7. To Susan On The West Coast Waiting
8. Atlantis
9. Trudi
10. Pamela Jo
11. Stromberg Twins
Bonus Tracks:
12. Snakeskin
13. Lauretta's Cousin Laurinda
14. The Swan (Lord Of The Reedy River)
15. A Poor Man's Sunshine (Nativity)
16. New Years Resolution (Donovan's Celtic Jam)
17. Runaway (Demo Version)
18. Sweet Beverley (Demo Version)
19. Marjorie (Margarine) (Demo Version)
20. Little White Flower (Demo Version)
21. Good Morning Mr Wind (Demo Version)
22. Palais Girl (Demo Version)
23. Lord Of The Universe (Demo Version)

2005 UK Tour Dates:

05/11 Portsmouth, UK [Guild Hall]
05/12 Folkestone, UK [Leas Cliff Hall]
05/13 Brighton, UK [Hove Hall]
05/14 Tunbridge, UK [Wells Assembly Hall]
05/16 Cardiff, UK [St. David's Hall]
05/17 Bristol, UK [St. Georges Brandon Hill BBC]
05/18 Cheltenham, UK [Town Hall]
05/19 Wolverhampton, UK [Wulfrun Hall]
05/20 Torquay, UK [Babbacombe Theatre]
05/21 Reading, UK [Hexagon Theatre]
05/23 Cambridge, UK [Corn Exchange]
05/24 Newcastle, UK [City Hall]
05/25 Edinburgh, UK [Queens Hall]
05/28 Dundee, UK [Caird Hall]
05/30 Southport, UK [Southport Theatre]
05/31 Leeds City, UK [Varieties Theatre]
06/01 York, UK [Grand Opera House]
06/02 Blackburn, UK [King George's Hall]
06/03 Derby, UK [Assembly Rooms]
06/05 Stoke, UK [Victoria Hall]
06/06 Stratford, UK [Civic Hall]
06/07 Wepre Park, UK [Private Show]
06/08 Sheffield, UK [Montgomery Hall]
06/09 Oxford, UK [Town Hall]
06/10 Hays, UK [Becks Theatre]
06/11 Southend-on-Sea, UK [Cliffs Pavilion]

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