Donovan - A Gift From A Flower To A Garden - Rare Mono 1st Issue Double Box Set

	£		37
	$		49

Donovan - A Gift From A Flower To A Garden

Double Album Boxed Set With Portfolio of 12 Poems

MONO Recording, Cat No NPL20000

1st Issue Set, Released 16th April 1968

After recording the Mellow Yellow album, Donovan focused on releasing hit singles. "Epistle To Dippy" (essentially an inside-joke/open letter for a childhood friend) hit the top 20 in February 1967 and "There Is A Mountain" (#11 US; #8 UK) followed in August.

Riding high on the success of these singles, Donovan entered the studio in October to record his next album. The double album that resulted from these sessions consisted of one disc of electric pop music ("Wear Your Love Like Heaven") and another of acoustic children's music ("For Little Ones"). The acoustic album allowed Donovan to present a facet of his songwriting that had not been featured on his singles. It also allowed him to show his strength as a guitar player and performer in a way that he could not when augmented by session musicians In fact, Donovan's live performances of the time featured instrumentation and performances more in line with For Little Ones than his hit singles and the first record of A Gift From a Flower to a Garden.

While Mickie Most produced the single from the album ("Wear Your Love Like Heaven" b/w "Oh Gosh"), and is credited with the album's production, Donovan actually produced the bulk of the material himself, allowing Most the credit to help sales.

"Mad John's Escape" is a song written for a friend of Donovan's who escaped from a mental health centre. The song details Mad John's escape and subsequent adventures.

"Under the Greenwood Tree" was originally written by William Shakespeare, and set to music by Donovan for the Royal National Theatre, who planned to use it in a stage production. At the end of the song, Donovan sings "Will you, won't you... join the dance?" in reference to the chorus of "The Lobster Quadrille" in Chapter X of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

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"Epistle to Derroll" is dedicated to the Banjo Player and singer Derroll Adams, an early influence on Donovan.

In the album's liner notes, Donovan explained his purpose in creating two rather different discs (one for the present generation, and the other for the "dawning generation"), and also denounced the use of drugs. Several of his earlier records had contained both veiled and open references to drug use, but since the release of Mellow Yellow, he had both been arrested and prosecuted for marijuana possession, and had seen people he knew turning to harder drugs, and the damage this caused in their lives. Instead, Donovan promoted the use of Meditation and other techniques, in his new songs.

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Matrix Numbers: -

NPL 20000A-1*G

NPL 20000B-1*G

NPL 20000C-1*G

NPL 20000D-1*G

Cat No NPL 20000/1 & NPL 20000/2

Vinyl weight: 173g & 182g

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The original UK PYE Records Mono Blue Boxed Set

Comes With The Original Orange Portfolio of 12 Poems

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CONDITION

Records: Excellent

Records are in Excellent condition, There are No Deep Scratches or Bad Marks on Either Disc, There are Light Storage Marks on Both Records but nothing Effecting Playback, it plays Very Well with no Jumps or Loud clicks, There is Some Very Light Crackle But Only in the Quieter Segments, All in all an Excellent playable Double Album.

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Labels: VG+

Again in Great Condition with Just A Small Manufacturing Fault To Side 1 Label, The Original Owners Name is On Side 2 of Both Discs, Very Little Sign Of Any Spindle Marks..

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Inner Sleeves : VG+

Inner Sleeves In VG+ Condition, With No Splits Or Other Damage.

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INSERTS : Excellent

The 12 Inserts and the Orange folder they are presented in are all in excellent condition as shown below, I have seen these individually framed on a wall and they are worth what I am asking for the boxed set on their own.

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Box : VG+

The Original Box Is In VG+ Condition With No Splits or Tears, There Is Slight Wear To The Edges And Back But No Splits On The Corners As Is Common With This Box, The Previous Owners Name is Written On the Front. All of Which Can Be Seen In the Pictures Below.

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ALTHOUGH THIS RECORD HAS BEEN CAREFULLY STORED FOR MANY YEARS I RECOMMEND THAT IT IS CLEANED BEFORE PLAYING.

I HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO CLEAN IT MYSELF AS I KNOW MOST COLLECTORS HAVE THERE OWN PREFERRED METHODS.

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PLEASE NOTE ALL ABOVE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN BY MYSELF AND ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM FOR SALE.

I HAVE TRIED TO BE AS THOROUGH AS POSSIBLE WITH THIS LISTING, BUT IF YOU REQUIRE ANY MORE INFORMATION OR PICTURES PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK.

Record Will Be Professionally Packaged and any Selling For More Than £50 Will Be Sent Recorded Delivery In The UK and International Signed For Worldwide.