Donovan - The Hurdy Gurdy Man
US Sundazed Mono LP, LP5432
First released October 1968
This reissue released May 2013
1. Hurdy Gurdy Man
2. 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
Bonus tracks
14. Poor Cow (B side Epic single 5-10300; Mar 68)
15. Teen Angel (B side Epic single 5-10345; Jun 68)
16. Lalena (A side Epic single 5-10393; Oct 68)
==About the album==
From Sundazed.com...
"With 1968’s The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Donovan delivered one of his most full-realized works, with a psychedelic/progressive edge as well as an exotic Eastern flavor that reflects the influence of his then-recent trip with the Beatles to India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—an experience that helped to inspire Donovan to renounce drug use and encourage his fans to try meditation instead of chemical consumption. While the title track introduced a heavier-sounding Donovan to AM radio listeners and became one of his biggest hit singles, the smash “Jennifer Juniper” maintains his gentle, romantic side. The album’s playful experimental spirit is reflected in the innovative use of drones on such tracks as “Peregrine” and “Tangier,” and in the music-hall diversion of “As I Recall It,” while “A Sunny Day,” “The River Song” and “The Entertaining of a Shy Girl” showcase Donovan’s knack for idyllic, pastoral songcraft. Sundazed’s vinyl edition of The Hurdy Gurdy Man features the album’s rare, much sought-after original mono mix, doing justice to the sonic presence and creative imagination of this vintage gem."
This is my fave Donovan album, yet it seems to get universally panned by music critics. Admittedly, it is a mix of styles thrown together, but in amongst the mix are some true gems. The title track, "Get Thy Bearings", "Hi It's Been A Long Time" and "The River Song" are all, in my opinion, great tunes. An album well worth a listen anyway.
==About this transfer==
Wow - that's all I can say!
This has to be one of the quietest records I own. And it also sounds great - Kevin Gray did a great job mastering this one!
The vinyl was so clean and quiet that whatever minimal declicking was required was done completely by hand. NO NR or EQ has been applied to these transfers.
The bonus tracks have been taken from Epic's excellent 1992 "Troubadour: The Definitive Collection" compilation and thus appear only in the CD quality package. They represent period singles (unfortunately, I do not have a mono copy of "Aye My Love", the flipside to "lalena", in suitable quality).
==Vinyl transfer and 24bit mastering by Q==
Source Matrices
01-07: LP5432 88725454181-A KrG@CA
08-13: LP5432 88725454181-B KrG@CA
14-16: Epic CD "Troubadour: The Definitive Collection" - E2K 46986
Hardware
- Project Xpression III Turntable
- Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge
- Project SpeedBox II Quartz-Generated Electronic Speed Regulator
- Denon PMA-700AE Integrated Amplifier
Software
- Audition 3.0.1 (audio capture and editing)
- iZotope RX 3 Advanced (audio editing and resampling/dithering to Red Book audio specifications)
Artwork included