DONOVAN HMS Donovan 1971 UK DAWN 2LP 1st PRESSING w/TRI-FOLD POSTER
£
113
$
149
£ 113
Sold For
Nov 20, 2015
Sold Date
Nov 10, 2015
Start Date
£ 48
Start price
11
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
DONOVAN HMS Donovan 1971 UK DAWN 2LP 1st PRESSING w/TRI-FOLD POSTER
DONOVANHMS Donovan
UK DAWN (DNLD 4001) FIRST PRESSING (July 1971)
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL TRI-FOLD POSTER
PRESSED WITH SOLID ORANGE DAWN LABELS
MATRIX RECORD ONE: DNLD 4001 A-1 *T / DNLD 4001 B-1 *T
MATRIX RECORD TWO: DNLD 4001 C-1 *T / DNLD 4001 D-1 *T
THE TWO RECORDS ARE HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATT GATEFOLD “Sleeve printed and made by Howards Printers (Slough) Ltd”
COMPLETE WITH THE TWO ORIGINAL POLY-LINED INNER SLEEVES WITH UK PATENT NUMBER AND “FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING” PRINTED IN BLUE
Anyone who likes the Donovan of "Sunshine Superman" or "Mellow Yellow" will probably want to ignore this album -- but anyone who liked the Donovan of "Colours," "Turquoise," or "Poor Cow," or A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, will have to track it down, because they'll find it essential.
One has to give Donovan a lot of credit for attempting a release like HMS Donovan in 1971, although it never came close to charting at the time of its release.
The drugged-out hippie era that had spawned trippy folk-based albums such as A Gift from a Flower to a Garden was long past, and acoustic folk recordings were considered passe, yet here was Donovan setting words by Lewis Carroll, Thora Stowell, Ffrida Wolfe, Agnes Grozier Herbertson, Lucy Diamond, Edward Lear, Eugene Field, William Butler Yeats, Natalie Joan, and Thomas Hood, among others, to what were often hauntingly beautiful melodies, mostly strummed on a guitar.
What's more, it just about all works perfectly, once one gets past the tape-effect tricks and other silliness of the opening track, "The Walrus and the Carpenter." Spawned at a time when the singer/songwriter was about to become a father, the album has a decidedly playful tone, even more so than its obvious predecessor, For Little Ones. Lovely as that record was, there are also long stretches of HMS Donovan that have far prettier melodies, arrangements, and accompaniment, played at more attractive tempos.
The playing here, which is mostly just Donovan's solo guitar with maybe a string bass and organ, and an unnamed female singer or two backing him on a few tracks, is crisper and more focused (along with the recording), and the tunes are seldom short of gorgeous, whether written by Donovan or simply his arrangements of traditional folk melodies.
HMS Donovan marked the singer's last venture of this kind, into his mid-/late-'60s folk style, or into folk-style children's songs, and it was the last of his albums to be characterised by whimsy.
As a sign of some of the behind-the-scenes tensions that characterised its production, HMS Donovan contains one attempt at a rock track, in the form of "Homesickness" - the only failed track on the album, and the only track on which Donovan's longtime producer Mickie Most had any input
Side 1:
The Walrus And The Carpenter (8:34)
Jabberwocky (2:38)
The Seller Of Stars (2:58)
Lost Time (2:30)
The Little White Road (2:40)
The Star (1:38)
Side 2:
Coulter's Candy (1:41)
The Road (1:00)
Things To Wear (1:05)
The Owl And The Pussycat (2:24)
Homesickness (2:28)
Fishes In Love (1:00)
Mr. Wind (2:39)
Wynken, Blynken, And Nod (2:17)
Side 3:
Celia Of The Seals (3:00)
The Pee Song (2:00)
The Voyage Of The Moon (5:14)
The Unicorn (0:50)
Lord Of The Dance (3:36)
Little Ben (1:39)
Can Ye Dance (1:29)
Side 4:
In An Old Fashioned Picture Book (3:10)
The Song Of The Wandering Aengus (4:41)
A Funny Man (1:40)
Lord Of The Reedy River (1:33)
Henry Martin (5:08)
Queen Mab (2:15)
La Moora (2:20)
LABELS: EXCELLENT
Clean, unmarked labels with carry light to moderate spindle traces
VINYL Visual: VERY GOOD+
The surfaces display a few light brush marks/hairlines but nothing of any major audible significance
VINYL Audio: VERY GOOD+
My play-check at volume found little to fault the crystal clear sound - some low-level background noted on the quietest sections/track divisions and the occasional tick but nothing I found at all intrusive - a strong VG+
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
Crisp, clean, sharp and fresh - some light rub from storage to the bottom edge/corner - strong spine with all text clear and bold
POSTER: EXCELLENT
The trifold poster is clean, bright and unmarked - no pin holes or creases
POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW ANTI-STATIC INNER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: FREE (2nd class standard)
UK: £9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm)
EUROPE: Airmail: £14.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £17.00 (International Signed For delivery)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period (@£2 for each additional LP).
However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for.
Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period.
I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: All records are unconditionally guaranteed (including sealed and/or unplayed) and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Thanks 625 (GS 6.9.7 (625))
