A thread to get to know Donovan and why he's an important piece of 60s culture that mustn't be forgotten

Disclaimer:
- if you think something is incorrect/if you want to add anything please qrt the thread and I'll add anything :)
- english is not my first language so I apologize in advance for any eventual mistake!

basic info:
> donovan leitch
> born may 10, 1946 (Glasgow)
> activity: 1964 up to now
> genres: psychedelic rock, baroque pop, jazz, folk, celtic, glam, raga rock, calypso and more

being in an environment particularly appreciative of folk music, at 14 donovan picked up the guitar and learnt cross picking guitar technique by local Glasgow players such as Mac MacLeod and Mick Softley.
His main influences were clearly Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, along with the

local folk scene of Glasgow. He then left his studies and in '64 had the opportunity to record a demo of "Catch the Wind" and "Josie", while the single came out in '65. As soon as the press found him, they viewed him as the "british bob dylan", a new identity in the folk scene

Dylan himself was interested in Donovan and their meeting is included in the documentary about Dylan "Don't Look Back" directed by Martin Scorsese

when they met they did a small performance each, Donovan bringing his "To Sing for You" and Dylan replying with "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"

however, pinning them against each other was useless as Donovan only released two albums that were in the style of Dylan, hence "What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid" and "Fairytale" which include Catch the Wind, Josie, Colours and the Universal Soldier

"Paul Simon, John Sebastian and John Philips and people like this, and Donovan, specially Donovan, have got this great, universal love, man. And today, because the kids are so tolerant, and they really, they really want to understand what people are trying to say, then they'll go

with Donovan 99% of the way. Because what he's trying to put over is best for everybody. It'll stop-what Donovan is trying to put over will stop wars dead."
(Graham Nash)

With the end of 65, very little will remain of his guthrie/dylanesque style
Working with the producer Micky Most, the recording of the third album goes from December 1965 to May 1966, and this is where things get interesting:
in 1966 Sunshine Superman comes out!

Was Sunshine Superman the first psychedelic rock record? It's very hard to tell; according to music critics it's like trying to find the deepest roots of rock itself.
What we know is that Sunshine Superman was one of the first psychedelic records: it was released on August 26th,

just a little later than the Beatles' Revolver (August 5th). In that period the 13th Floor Elevators, the Byrds, the Deep, Jefferson Airplane; all these bands were coming together to create a new, unique sound that would've defined the late 60s

Donovan didn't completely abandon his folk roots here, but it's clear that the change he made will be remarkable. In this album he melts narrations about the swinging london of the time with his passion for the medieval era that we can see reflected in "Legend of a girl child

Linda" and "Guinevere". In this sense, having Mickie Most as producer was a blessing as he spurred Don to experiment.

Jimmy Page, that at the time was just starting out, played on Donovan's hit "Season of the Witch"

but what's even more remarkable is how Sunshine Superman was used in the Beatles' A Day in the Life MV to indicate how that album has been essential for the making of Sgt. Pepper's. Basically Donovan and the Beatles influenced each other a lot

"Mellow Yellow" comes next, in 1967. The genre is the same as sunshine, but with more jazz sounds. In this album we have Paul McCartney as back vocals and John Paul Jones as arranger

the arrangements are sumptuous and precise, the lyrics surreal to the point of being dadaesque: overall the album shows once again Don's versatility

one thing we don't mention enough imo is how he touched the topics of vibrators (title track) and especially female masturbation (Young Girl Blues), both taboo at the time... and still quite taboo nowadays

still in 1967 we have "A Gift from a Flower to a Garden" where both in terms of lyrics and sounds, Donovan seems to come back to pure psychedelic music that perfectly matches the summer of love

this "regression" wasn't necessarily bad as it's a key album that perfectly describes the atmosphere of the time. It's pretty homogenous and once again it melts Donovan's passion of medieval sounds and the current music interests. Also Jack Bruce and JPJ are present on here

I think we all know that Donovan took part in the trip to India with the Beatles and because of this, Donovan had a BIG influence on the white Album (1968).
George even said "Donovan is all over the white Album"

He was especially crucial to John Lennon as he taught him the finger picking technique with witch he played songs like "Julia" or "Dear Prudence"

In this video Don talks about it more in depth:

In the same year, Donovan released "Hurdy Gurdy Man"; he wrote part of it while in Rishikesh. Donovan not only keeps the psychedelic sound but goes back to the jazzy influences, "uses" the drone effect on some songs, not to talk about the indian influences + pastoral lyrics

part 2 :) https://twitter.com/Iazystardust/status/1296167915675365381?s=19