A very good, but not classic Donovan album. "Barabajagal" is Donovan at his most hippie twee, with songs like "Happiness Runs" and "I Love My Shirt." And even "Atlantis," still, there is really no such thing as a bad Donovan song or performance. There is the image of Donovan as the universal folkie turned flower child, which is true. On the flip of the other side of the coin is that Donovan is a brilliant stylist/singer who brings jazzy overtures to his melodies and arrangements. Mickie Most produced the classic Donovan sides (like this album), but I'm never sure what Most brings to the sonic table to a Donovan session. Most is/was comfortable working with the Jeff Beck Group (who back Donovan on two songs on this album) and Terry Reid at the time who had a "heavy" sound.
One of my favorite Donovan songs is on this album, and it's "To Susan Waiting on the West Coast." A tune about a soldier in Vietnam writing to his girl back home. Simple narrative but Donovan can bring out the pathos with his overly British twee-Jazz, that works brilliantly with this song. I'm also a fan of "Superlungs My Supergirl." Terry Reid also did a fantastic cover of this song around the same time this album was released - again, the Mickie Most connection. Beck and gang back Donovan on the title cut, and clearly the Beck aesthetic on guitar is very prominent on "Barabajagal." He's riffing like crazy under the mix of rhythm and the backup singers. Although not individually credited, I imagine Nicky Hopkins is on the album. The piano playing is superb throughout the disc, and the only song besides the Beck group (none of the musicians besides Beck is clearly credited) is the song "Where Is She," with session great Alan Hawkshaw on piano. The rest I think is Hopkins.
In real time, I bought the Donovan albums when they originally released. This was the last Donovan album for me. Perhaps due to the marketing of that time, or me moving on to my teenage years, I gave up on Donovan. It wasn't until recently that I started to pick up on Donovan's great Epic albums to provide them with that serious re-listen. I'm now a bigger fan of his work, looking back on material that is of course, charming, but also has elements and textures that was very much present in the late 1960s - the acceptance of music from other cultures. In that sense, Donovan was or is a great traveler.
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