* Donovan Guest Shots, Covers and Related Songs *

last updated: 4th May 1999

compiled and maintained by John McIver
this file is (c) John McIver 1995-2000
please send any corrections/additions to john@sabotage.demon.co.uk

produced with help from:
Richard Adams, Erin Marie Agree, Ione Maire Andrea, Gordon Atwood,
Dave Ball, Joel Bash, Heather Brown, Robert Cavallo, Paul Culnane,
Richard Dahlman, G. Gardner, Michael Geppner, Spook Handy, Kenspigle,
Ivan Kocmarek, Myron Lieberman, Ken Lynch, Wim van der Mark,
Rob McCaffree, David McKeon, Serge Mironneau, Roger Mock, Mike Noll,
Moises Norena De Luca, Randy Reeves, Jason Rogers and Geir Winje


I have tried to list the songs in the order that they were recorded. For the standard released tunes, their release date can be taken to be a good approximation of their recording date. For the `archive' releases (i.e. on box sets, etc.) I have used the original performance date.


Guest Shots

Donovan as session player, co-vocalist, etc.

  • Colours - Joan Baez and Donovan {3:23?}
    available on the box set Rare, Live & Classic (1993)
    [U.S.] CD - Vanguard 125/27-2

    Recorded live at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. This was the famous festival when Dylan went electric.

  • Lord of the Reedy River - Mary Hopkin (2,34)
    from the album Postcard (1969)
    [U.K. - #3] LP - Apple SAPCOR 5
    [U.S.] LP? - Apple ST 3351

    Donovan sings backing vocals and plays guitar on this version of his song. Donovan's own version first appears on H.M.S. Donovan.
    He sings the song in the film If it's Tuesday, this Must be Belgium but the song on the soundtrack album is performed by J.P. Rags.

  • Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper {3:39} [Alice Cooper/Mike Bruce/R. Reggie]
    from the album Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
    [U.K. - #1] LP - Warner Bros. K 56013
    [U.S.] LP - Warner Bros. BS 2685 ???
    CD - Warner Bros. 7599-27269-2
    and the compilation Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits (1974)
    and the compilation The Beast of Alice Cooper (1989?)

    During the recording of Cosmic Wheels, Donovan was asked if he wanted to do a duet with Alice Cooper. They sang a verse each and both did the chorus. Understandably a very strange mix of voices.
    I don't know for sure whether Donovan wrote any of the lyrics, but the last name in the copyright credits is the mysterious R. Reggie - a pseudonym for Donovan?
    One final word: there is a double bootleg album called Fearless which contains studio out-takes from the Billion Dollar Babies recording sessions but I don't know whether any Donovan stuff is on this.

  • Lord of the Reedy River - Kate Bush {2:42}
    from the B-side of the single Sat in Your Lap (r. 21st/29th? June 1981)
    [U.K. - #11] 7" - EMI 5201
    and on I - the first bonus disc of the box set This Woman's Work (1990)
    also on the bootleg This Woman's Work Extended Edition I

    Donovan sings backing vocals and plays guitar on this cover.
    The back of the single picture cover has a colour drawing of a swan and the lyrics to the song. Kate thanks Donovan for "writing such a beautiful song" on the sleeve.
    You can read more about how Kate Bush and Donovan got together here and see the lyrics to Kate's version of the song here.

  • Wind in the Willows - Donovan
    from the album Wind in the Willows (1985)
    [U.K.] LP? - President Records PTLS 1078

    Donovan sings lead vocals on the title track of this album by Eddie Hardin and Zak Starkey.

  • Melody In The Wind - Nigel Kennedy featuring Stephane Grappelli (7:59) [Nigel Kennedy]
    from the album Kafka (1996)
    CD - EMI 7243 8 52212 2 4

    Donovan plays acoustic guitar on this song. Danny Thompson plays double bass on this and another song on the album, Fallen Forest. Even Brix E. Smith pops up with some vocals for From Adam to Eve! The credits contain the byline: `DONOVAN LEITCH appears courtesy of AMERICAN RECORDS'.


    The Ones he Gave Away

    These are songs that Donovan gave to others but never recorded and/or released officially himself.

  • The Most of What is Least - Marianne Faithfull {2:55/3:03?}
    recorded: late May 1965
    from the EP Go Away From my World (r. 28th May 1965)
    [U.K.] EP - Decca DFE 8642 / mono
    and as a bonus track on the CD re-issue of North Country Maid
    CD - London 820 631-2 (r. August 1990)

  • If it's Tuesday this Must be Belgium - J.P. Rags
    from the OST If it's Tuesday this Must be Belgium (1969)
    [U.S.] LP - United Artists UAS 5197

  • If it's Tuesday this Must be Belgium (Reprise) - J.P. Rags
    from the OST If it's Tuesday this Must be Belgium (1969)
    [U.S.] LP - United Artists UAS 5197

  • Walkin' - C.C.S.
    from the album Whole Lotta Love (1970)
    [U.S.?] LP? - RAK Records Z30559
    and the single Walkin' (1971)
    [U.K. - #7] 7" - RAK Records RAK 109
    27th February 1971 - #7 - 16 weeks ???

  • Electric Moon - Claudine Longet
    from the album We've Only Just Begun (1970?)
    [Japan?] Barnaby Records Z30377

  • Brother Sun, Sister Moon - Sister Janet Mead
    from the single Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1973)
    [U.S.] 7" - A&M Records 1491-s
    did not chart ???

    The song is arranged by Les Sands and the B-side is The Lord's Prayer.

  • (You Just Gotta) Know my Mind - The Hummingbirds
    from the single (You Just Gotta) Know my Mind (1992)
    [Australia] CD - rooArt/Warner 9031773002

    This is by a Sydney-based indie guitar band. It's a great little single and features a distinct funky Donovan feel not unlike his work on Epistle to Dippy and songs from around that time.
    The cover of this CD single credits the song to D. Leach (sic), published by Southern Music. It has photos of Donovan on the front and on the inlay of the jewel case.


    Covers

    Covers of Donovan tunes, with no involvement, singing or playing or otherwise from Donovan.

    I've put most of the covers into the songs file because it makes more sense for them to be there.

  • In the Night Time (Hampstead Incident) - Marianne Faithfull {2:58}
    recorded: February 1966
    from the U.S. album Faithfull Forever (r. September 1966)
    [U.S.?] LP - London LL 3482 / mono?
    LP - London PS 482 / stereo
    and the U.K. album Love in a Mist (r. 3rd February 1967)
    [U.K.?] LP - Decca LK 4854 / mono?
    LP - Decca SKL 4854 / stereo
    CD - London 820 632-2 (r. October 1988) / stereo
    did not chart ???

  • Good Guy (Bert's Blues) - Marianne Faithfull {2:41}
    recorded: 21st October 1966
    from the album Love in a Mist (r. 3rd February 1967)
    [U.K.?] LP - Decca LK 4854 / mono?
    LP - Decca SKL 4854 / stereo
    CD - London 820 632-2 (r. October 1988) / stereo

  • Saturday Night - Julie Felix
    from the album Flowers (1967)
    LP - Fontana TL/STL 5437 (mono/stereo)
    re-issue: Contour 6870507 (1970)
    and the single Saturday Night (1967)
    [Netherlands] 7" - Fontana TF 786

    The B-side of the 7" is Ones I Love The Most which is probably not a Donovan tune.

  • Pebble and the Man (Happiness Runs) - Mary Hopkin (2,03)
    from the album Postcard (1969)
    [U.K. - #3] LP - Apple SAPCOR 5
    [U.S.] LP? - Apple ST 3351

  • Widow With Shawl (A Portrait) - Julie Felix
    listed as Widow With A Shawl (A Portrait)
    from the compilation This Is Julie Felix Vol. 2 (1970)
    LP - Philips 6382094

  • The Pebble and the Man - Bridget St. John
    from the album Songs for the Gentle Man (1970)
    [U.K.] CD - See For Miles [two albums on one CD - Ask Me no Questions/Songs for the Gentle Man] (1994)

    Proof of her Donovan influence is found with a lovely rendition of The Pebble and the Man complete with madrigal choir.

  • The Mountain Song - Allman Brothers Band
    from the album Eat a Peach (1972)
    [U.K.] LP? - Capricorn K67501
    [U.S.] LP? - Capricorn 2C4 0102
    CD - Capricorn 531 261

    A thirty minute instrumental jam based on the There is a Mountain rift. Donovan is listed as a co-composer of their version.

  • Lord of the Reedy River - Kate Bush
    from the B-side of the single Sat in Your Lap (r. 21st/29th? June 1981)
    [U.K. - #11] 7" - EMI 5201
    and on I - the first bonus disc of the box set This Woman's Work (1990)
    also on the bootleg This Woman's Work Extended Edition I

    Donovan sings backing vocals and plays guitar on this cover (see the `guest shots' section).


    In addition to the covers above, there are also five entire albums of covers of Donovan tunes. The four orchestral anthologies were issued in the late Sixties/early Seventies and I imagine them to be fairly cheesy, but I haven't heard them so I may be wrong.

    The Les Williams Orchestra Plays the Collected Works of Donovan

    [U.S.] LP? - Imperial Records LP-12422

    The Golden Songs of Donovan Played by the Johnny Arthey Orchestra

    [U.S.] LP? - RCA LSP-4106

    Donovan my Way (32.01) (1968)

    as performed by Vic Lewis and his orchestra
    [U.S./Canada] LP? - Epic BN 26418

    The Boy in the Saffron Robe (1973)

    as performed by Vic Lewis and his orchestra
    [U.S.] LP? - NEMS 6 63388

    Donovan: Island of Circles (r. June 1992)

    [Canada] CD? - Nettwerk W2-30075


    The Les Williams Orchestra Plays the Collected Works of Donovan

      A:
    1. Poor Cow
    2. Jennifer Juniper
    3. Oh Gosh
    4. Be not Too Hard
    5. Sunshine Superman
    6. Mellow Yellow
      B:
    1. Catch the Wind
    2. Skip-a-long Sam
    3. There is a Mountain
    4. Wear Your Love Like Heaven
    5. Sunny Goodge Street
    6. Colours
    The Golden Songs of Donovan Played by the Johnny Arthey Orchestra
      A:
    1. Mellow Yellow
    2. Catch the Wind
    3. There is a Mountain
    4. Sunny Goodge Street
    5. Wear Your Love Like Heaven
    6. Sunshine Superman
      B:
    1. Jennifer Juniper
    2. Skip-a-long Sam
    3. The Fat Angel
    4. Colours
    5. Hurdy Gurdy Man
    6. Hampstead Incident
    Donovan my Way
      1:
    1. Sunshine Superman (2.18)
    2. There is a Mountain (3.00)
    3. Poor Cow (2.38)
    4. Laleņa (2.26)
      listed as Lelainia
    5. Lord of the Reedy River (3.20)
    6. Mellow Yellow (2.22)
      2:
    1. Hurdy Gurdy Man (2.42)
    2. Catch the Wind (2.19)
    3. Young Girl Blues (3.30)
    4. A Sunny Day (2.40)
    5. Three King Fishers (2.30)
    6. Jennifer Juniper (2.16)
    The cover features a montage of three colour pictures of Donovan working with Vic Lewis and is quite nice. Tony Carr appears on percussion and Harold McNair on flute.
    There's also     a note from Donovan on the back cover.

    The Boy in the Saffron Robe

      1:
    1. Sunshine Superman
    2. There is a Mountain
      listed as Mountain ???
    3. Mellow Yellow
    4. A Boy Called Donovan
      [Vic Lewis]
    5. Poor Cow
    6. Laleņa
      listed as Lelania
    7. Three King Fishers
      listed as King Fisher ???
      2:
    1. Hurdy Gurdy Man
    2. Jennifer Juniper
    3. Lord of the Reedy River
    4. Catch the Wind
    5. Young Girl Blues
    6. A Sunny Day
    7. The Boy in the Saffron Robe
      [Vic Lewis]
    This appears to be a re-release of Donovan my Way with two extra songs by Vic Lewis. There's a short comment by Donovan included on the LP.

    Donovan: Island of Circles

    1. Intro: Donovan
    2. Hurdy Gurdy Man - Brix E. Smith
    3. Epistle to Dippy - Hypnolovewheel
    4. Sunshine Superman - Sprit of the West
    5. The Fat Angel - Windwalker
    6. Mad John's Escape - Young Fresh Fellows
    7. Laleņa - Papa Sprain and Butterfly Child
    8. Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Sarah MacLachlan
    9. Armageddon - Julian Jones
    10. The River Song - The Posies
    11. Changes - Black Sox
    12. Turquoise - No Man
    13. Colours - Superconductor
    14. Barabajagal - Chocolate Factory
    15. Black Widow - Change of Heart
    16. Riki Tiki Tavi - When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water
    A tribute album with songs by (then) contemporary artists performing a number of Donovan's songs. Donovan contributes a spoken intro. Apparently it is now deleted.
    Julian Jones is Donovan's step-son. He's the son of Brian Jones (of The Rolling Stones) and Linda Lawrence (now Donovan's wife).


    Songs that Donovan Covered

    Songs that Don didn't write himself, but he covered anyway and sometimes made more famous than the original.

  • Donna Donna - Joan Baez (3,13) [Zeitlin/Secunda]
    from the album Joan Baez (1960)
    [U.K.] LP - Fontana STFL 6002
    [U.S.] LP? - Vanguard VSD 790773

    A cover from her first album, reissued in the UK in 1965 (with the same catalogue number) where it got to #9.

  • Car Car (Riding in my Car) - Bob Dylan and Dave van Ronk (2,31) [Woody Guthrie]
    available on a Dylan bootleg

    Recorded live 6th September 1961 at the Gaslight Cafe, New York City, U.S.

  • Remember the Alamo - Johnny Cash {2:48?} [Jane Bowers]
    from the album Ring of Fire (1963)
    [U.K.] LP? - CBS 62171
    [U.S.] LP? - CBS 8853
    [U.K.] LP? - Hallmark SHM 998 (1979)

  • Do You Hear Me Now? - Bert Jansch (2.05) [Bert Jansch]
    from the album Bert Jansch (1965)
    available on the CD Bert Jansch/It Don't Bother Me
    CD - Transatlantic Records Ltd. ESM CD 407 (1996)

    This and Needle of Death both recorded by Bill Leader, 1964.

  • Needle of Death - Bert Jansch (3.19) [Bert Jansch]
    from the album Bert Jansch (1965)
    available on the CD Bert Jansch/It Don't Bother Me
    CD - Transatlantic Records Ltd. ESM CD 407 (1996)

    Performed by Donovan in concert throughout 1965.

  • London Town - The Pretty Things (2,21) [Dick Taylor]
    from the album Get the Picture (1965)
    [U.K.] LP? - Fontana TL 5280
    and the EP The Pretty Things (1965)
    [Netherlands] 7" - Fontana TE 465 283

    Credited to Dick Taylor, although it is a traditional song. Presumably he should be credited with the arrangement.

  • Donna Donna - Joan Baez {3:57} [Zeitlin/Secunda]
    available on the box set Rare, Live & Classic (1993)
    [U.S.] CD - Vanguard 125/27-2

    Recorded for CBC Radio, Montreal, Canada in 1969 and previously unreleased until its appearance on her box set.

  • Rock 'n Roll with me - David Bowie {3:54?} [David Bowie/Pearce]
    from the album Diamond Dogs (1974)
    [U.K. - #1] LP - RCA Victor APLI 0576

    Recorded at Olympic and Island Studios in London, U.K.


    References to Donovan

    It may be a namecheck, or even a vague allusion. The Donovan connection is pulled to even more tenuous links!

  • Yellow Submarine - The Beatles [John Lennon/Paul McCartney]
    from the single Yellow Submarine (1966)
    [U.K. - #1] 7" - Parlophone R 5493
    and the album Revolver (1966)
    [U.K. - #1] LP - Parlophone PMC 7009/PCS 7009
    CD - Parlophone CDP 7 46441 2
    and the album Yellow Submarine (1969)
    [U.K. - #3] LP - Apple PCS 7070
    CD - Parlophone CDP 7 46445 2 ???

    Donovan contributed the line "sky of blue/sea of green".

  • Fakin' It - Simon and Garfunkel [Paul Simon]
    from the single Fakin' It (1967)
    [U.S.] 7" - Columbia 44232
    Billboard - 12th August 1967 - #23 - 5 weeks ???
    and the album Bookends (1968)
    [U.K. - #1] LP - CBS 63101
    [U.S.?] LP - Columbia KCS 9529
    [U.K.?] CD - Columbia CD 63101

    In the bridge, a woman's voice says "Good morning Mr. Leitch. Have you had a busy day?" Is this an example of Paul Simon's sarcasm? Is he saying that Donovan is a slacker?

  • I Dig Rock 'n' Roll Music - Peter, Paul and Mary

    Peter, Paul and Mary refer to and parody Donovan in a verse dedicated to Don, with lyrics like `his crystal images, well, they tell you 'bout a brighter day' with appropriate Sunshine Superman type backing music. They have a decent go at replicating his voice.

  • Leitch on the Beach - Noel Harrison
    from the album Santa Monica Pier (1968)
    [U.S.?] LP? - Reprise Records ???
    and the single Leitch on the Beach
    did not chart ???

    The entire song is a tribute to Donovan. In America, Noel Harrison was famous for Windmills of Your Mind and for being the son of Rex Harrison.

  • Hurdy Gurdy Glissando - Steve Hillage (8.54)
    from the album L (1976)
    [U.K. - #10] LP - Virgin V 2066
    [U.S.] LP? - Atlantic SD 18205
    [U.K.?] CD - Virgin CDV 2066

  • A Little Light Music - Jethro Tull

    In this song, someone says, "Christmas is a time for spiritual uplift and ... Donovan"

  • Car Thief - Beastie Boys (3:39)
    from the album Paul's Boutique (1989)
    [U.K. - #44] LP? - Capitol EST 2102
    CD - Capitol CDP 7 91743 2

    In this song, from their second album, there's a line that goes: "Bass cake cookie/I discover who I am/I'm a dusted old bummy hurdy gurdy man". Not very complementary, hmmm.

  • Donovan - The Happy Mondays (4:04)
    from the album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
    [U.K. - #4] CD - Factory Communications FACD 320
    LP - Factory FACT 320

    Apparently a homage to the man and his music. He supported them on one of their tours. They love him. The song is credited to [Happy Mondays] even though some lines are pinched from Sunshine Superman.

  • Legend Of A Cowgirl - Imani Coppola (3.47)
    from the album Chupacabra (1997)
    CD - ?

    This song uses a sample from Sunshine Superman as the backbeat for a rap song.

  • This is my Life - T-Rex [Marc Bolan]
    from the compilation T-Rex Unchained

    The song is autobiographical and Marc sings "Donovan sings songs for you/Donovan he knows the truth".