Donovan's Greatest Hits
| Donovan's Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by Donovan | ||||
| Released | January 1969 | |||
| Recorded | January 1966 – September 1968 | |||
| Length | 39:07 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer |
Mickie Most (original issue) except for on expanded CD reissue: "Catch the Wind" prod. by Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens and "Riki Tiki Tavi" prod. by Donovan Leitch Expanded CD reissue prod. Al Quaglieri | |||
| Donovan chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Donovan's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in January 1969 on Epic Records, catalogue BXN 26439 in stereo, and in the United Kingdom in March 1969 on Pye Records, catalogue NPL 18283 in mono and NSPL 18283 in stereo. Donovan's Greatest Hits peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[2]
History
Donovan's Greatest Hits is a distinct entry in Donovan's discography for several reasons. First, it collects three singles that were previously unreleased on any album: "Epistle to Dippy"; "There Is a Mountain"; and "Laléna." It also presents the unedited "Sunshine Superman" (one minute and fifteen seconds longer than the original 1966 single and LP release), and most of the songs appear for the first time in stereo. Lastly, Donovan's Greatest Hits contains re-recordings of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours" with Big Jim Sullivan playing guitar. Epic Records could not obtain the right to release the original recordings of these two songs, so Donovan recorded new versions in May 1968 with a full backing band and a lavish production by Mickie Most.
Donovan's Greatest Hits marked the high point of Donovan's popularity in both the United States and United Kingdom. It also most likely had the effect of keeping many of Donovan's recordings on the shelf to avoid oversaturating the market. Nearly all of Donovan's next studio album was already recorded by the time of this release but remained unreleased until August 1969.
Reissues
The original album was issued for compact disc in North America on July 7, 1987. On March 30, 1999, Epic Legacy reissued a remastered version of Donovan's Greatest Hits, catalogue 65730, which substitutes the original versions of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours" in place of the 1968 remakes, places side two ahead of side one, and adds four bonus tracks which were later hits after this album was first released. On July 25, 2002, Sony Music's Legacy Records division reissued the 1999 version again.
Track listing
All tracks by Donovan Leitch. On NSPL 18283, "Season of the Witch" is the first track on side two.
Side one
- "Epistle to Dippy" – 3:08
- "Sunshine Superman" (long version) – 4:32
- "There Is a Mountain" – 2:33
- "Jennifer Juniper" – 2:40
- "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" – 2:23
- "Season of the Witch" – 4:54
Side two
- "Mellow Yellow" – 3:37
- "Colours" (1968 version) – 4:10
- "Hurdy Gurdy Man" – 3:15
- "Catch the Wind" (1968 version) – 5:01
- "Laléna" – 2:54
1999 remastered reissue
- "Mellow Yellow" – 3:40
- "Colours" (original version) – 2:44
- "Hurdy Gurdy Man" – 3:19
- "Catch the Wind" (original version) – 2:55
- "Laléna" – 2:55
- "Epistle to Dippy" – 3:10
- "Sunshine Superman" (long version) – 4:31
- "There Is a Mountain" – 2:34
- "Jennifer Juniper" – 2:42
- "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" – 2:24
- "Season of the Witch" – 4:55
- "Atlantis" – 4:59
- "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting" – 3:11
- "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)" – 3:19
- "Riki Tiki Tavi" – 2:56
Personnel
- Donovan — guitar, harmonica, vocals
- Mickie Most — producer
- Mike Thompson — guitar, vocals
- The Jeff Beck Group — backing instruments on "Barabajagal"
