Donovan

The Hurdy Gurdy Man

IMPEX 180g LP (Stereo)

Selections

Side I:

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

Side II:

1. Jennifer Juniper
2. The River Song
3. Tangier
4. A Sunny Day
5. The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow
6. Teas

"Although Donovan had already captivated listeners with hits like 'Sunshine Superman' (a #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit in September of 1966) and 'Mellow Yellow' (#2 on the chart in December of that year), it's The Hurdy Gurdy Man issued in the fall of '68 that became a benchmark of the psychedelic era. The album artfully captured the essence of the moment with its fresh, smart and stylistic approach to songwriting, endearing melange of rock, pop, drone, folk, world and jazz overtones (coupled with deeper psychological undertones, i.e. transcendental consciousness and a yearning for an 'ideal' world).

"Musically, Donovan and [producer Mickie] Most made liberal use of multiple feels inspired by a wide range of styles, most remarkably the drone: a harmonic effect in which a note or chord is continuously repeated throughout a composition and commonly forms the tonality on which the piece is built. This brought an unusual and memorable quality to many tunes on the album, as did Donovan's whimsical, spiritual-esque vocals. Then, too, both 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' and its namesake album reflect a tougher rock sound than the singer's earlier recordings."

—Charles L. Granata

Our AAA HQ-180 33.3-rpm LP was mastered from 1 to 1 copy of the US analog master tape by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, plated and pressed at RTI for flat and silent surfaces and incredible detail. The 4-page insert features a new appreciation by producer, author, and historian Charles L. Granata that puts in context the positive effects of Donovan's clever, innovative writing and performances.

I compared Impex's new edition of the record to my seventies, orange-label one on Epic, and for the most part, both are similar in terms of sound stage (excellent) and tone (beautifully balanced). Whether it's because my seventies pressing is from the seventies or because Impex's is simply better, the Impex generally beats the Epic in terms of clarity, as the Epic has slight sibilance and very slight distortion. The Impex plays clean all the way to the inner groove. On certain songs, such as 'Hi, It's Been a Long Time' and 'The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow', the Impex also makes some dramatic sonic improvements with more distinct definition of instruments and more all-around oomph...the heavy-cardboard sleeve and liner-notes insert are nice bonuses, but it's the robust audio that makes Impex's edition of The Hurdy Gurdy Man shine.

This is one of the finest—and perhaps the finest—LP reissue I've ever had the pleasure to experience. I was expecting to enjoy this record, but not with the level of obsessiveness I've accorded to every playback session with this excellent LP. It will be an indispensable addition to your record collection.