Monday, January 19, 2009

France.... ?

The French, it transpires, have an award that has been given to Bob Dylan, Salman Rushdie, Kylie Minogue and now Donovan. These people have something in common which is only visible to the French. There are so many things that are only visible to the French; they are probably the only nation that can still see Donovan.
Posted by Bryan Appleyard at 6:06 am

11 comments:

  1. BritJanuary 19, 2009 9:57 am

    The essence of Donovan is exemplified by the song 'Atlantis'. This consists of a terrific, family-friendly sing-along chorus ("Way dooooown below the oceaaaan..."), preceded by a spoken passage of some of the most twee and pretentious hippy twaddle ever committed to vinyl.

    The combination must appeal to those perverse and unfathomable Frenchies.

    Now I must stop commenting on this blog so much - it seems to have become a compulsion in recent weeks and even I'm sick of me.

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  2. Bryan AppleyardJanuary 19, 2009 9:59 am

    Don't do that, Brit, it would take much of the flavour out of the proceedings. Actually, Nige and I agree Donovan had his moments. Nige, I recall, was particularly keen on the long version of Catch the Wind and who could forget Mellow Yellow?

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  3. Ian russellJanuary 19, 2009 11:57 am

    well, if there's a kind of carbon trading going on when assessing the worth of the man, I'll offset your Catch the Wind with the long version of Hurdy Gurdy Man.

    I think that's what the connection is, they're all vinyl neutral.

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  4. maltyJanuary 19, 2009 12:51 pm

    Nothing summed up Donovan better than his fawning appearance in Don't Look Back, sitting at the feet of the great one. In his defence his performance was stirring compared with Price's deeply embarrassing 3 minutes of fame, another sixties lump of driftwood from the banks of the Tyne. In Price's defence his was an amateur performance compared with that of the lady mayoress in a dead mink overcoat, sumfink else that was.
    The French should give their highest award to Carla, for services above and beyond the call of duty, supplying as she does the biscuit tins used by Sarko during knee trembler's.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 19, 2009 12:54 pm

    ...who could forget Mellow Yellow?

    Bryan, I'm really, really hoping that wasn't the aesthetic experience you've been hanging your anti-Darwinist hat on.

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  6. BritJanuary 19, 2009 1:04 pm

    I wasn't fishing for that Bryan; for the sake of my sanity one or two posts need to go by without Brit throwing his two penn'orth at them.

    Now immediately breaking my resolution: God, Malty, you are so right about Donovan in Don't Look Back - that was a real cringer. And God, Ian, so are you. I've heard a version of Hurdy Gurdy Man that contains an endless anecdote about how he hung around in India with the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; quite shameless name-dropping and I see he's dropped Lennon again in his acceptance speech to the Frogs.

    I carbon-balance this blast with his best song, Sunny Goodge Street. Go and find it, it's lovely.

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  7. NigeJanuary 19, 2009 6:00 pm

    Brit! Sunny Goodge Street! You are so right. And I think Sunshine Superman is a really really good pop single. What's more, there's an album of children's songs (or songs for children) called HMS Donovan which is really rather fine. Bryan will no doubt deny it, but he and I spent many supine hours listening to it, while cold mist swirled up from the Cam and rubbed its back against the windowpane...

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  8. BritJanuary 19, 2009 7:39 pm

    ...and poetry books stained with butter drips from hot crumpets, and sensitive crimes in a punt with a chap called Norman who had red hair.

    Yes, I can see it all, Nige.

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  9. mahlermanJanuary 19, 2009 8:03 pm

    Yes, Donovan Leitch is a minor talent who, when he was passing through his golden period fashioned some really good 3 minute pop songs, but he also managed to fashion a rather unattractive and self-serving personality along the way. And although he must have known that he would never be fit to lace the boots of the great one in Dont Look Back, we should all remember that music should never be a competitive sport (Listening Cowell?), and it is only fairly recently that it has become so notwithstanding, say, the Leeds Piano Competition, which spawned a number of modern me-too classical jamborees of doubtful merit.
    Frankly I am happy to tip my hat to anybody who can take up an instrument or open their mouth and sing, and I think these skills should be celebrated, even if we wouldn't want one or two of their practitioners around our dinner tables.

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  10. JamesJanuary 20, 2009 12:07 am

    I'm with Nige on this one, he produced some great records in the sixties and (early) seventies, unjustly neglected IMO.

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  11. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2009 3:47 am

    He looks ghastly!

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