Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan [Box set] [Enhanced] [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered]

Tracks:

Catch the Wind [Single Version] - Donovan
Josie
Co'dine [Demo Version]
Colours
Universal Soldier
Sunny Goodge Street
Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) - Donovan
Sunshine Superman [Extended Version] - Donovan
Trip [Single Version] - Donovan
Legend of a Girl Child Linda
Three King Fishers
Season of the Witch
Guinevere
Fat Angel
Mellow Yellow
Sand and Foam
Young Girl Blues
Museum
Hampstead Incident
Sunny South Kensington

Tracks:

Epistle to Dippy
Preachin' Love
There Is a Mountain
Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Oh Gosh
Isle of Islay
Epistle to Derroll [Live][#]
To Try for the Sun [Live][#]
Someone's Singing [Live][#]
Tinker and the Crab [Live][#]
Jennifer Juniper
Poor Cow {From Poor Cow}
Hurdy Gurdy Man
Get Thy Bearings
Lalena
Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) - Jeff Beck Group
Lord of the Reedy River [#]
Moon in Capricorn [#]
To Susan on the West Coast Waiting
Atlantis

Tracks:

Celia of the Seals
Song of the Wandering Aengus
Ferryman's Daughter [#]
She Moved Through the Fair [#]
Traveling People [#]
Riki Tiki Tavi
Clara Clairvoyant
Young But Growing [Live][#]
Keep on Truckin' [Live][#]
Stealin' [Live][#]
I Like You
Maria Magenta
Working Man [Live]
Tinker Tune [Live]
Sailing Homeward
Your Broken Heart
Dark-Eyed Blue Jean Angel
Please Don't Bend
Love Floats
Happiness Runs [2004 Version] [#] - Donovan
Riding Song [Audio Bed] - Donovan

Tracks:

Bonus Material [DVD] [*]
Sailing Homeward [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Beach Song [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Pee Song [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Very Thing [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Garden Of Truth [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Electric Moon [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Gas AD [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Barabajagal 2 [Audio Bed]
Sailing Homeward [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Riki Tiki Tavi [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Moonrise [Audio Bed] - Donovan
Moonrise [Audio Bed] - Donovan
There Is An Ocean [Audio Bed] - Donovan

Amazon.com

Donovan Leitch, at his most memorable, reflected and connected the folky beginnings of Bob Dylan with the pop instincts of the Beatles, and counted both among his friends. The singer-songwriter's airy voice and whimsical songs were malleable enough to encompass wildly diverse styles, including the sparse protest-folk of "Universal Soldier," the smoky cabaret jazz of "Sunny Goodge Street," and the harder psychedelia of "Hurdy Gurdy Man," as well as the easygoing sunshine sound of "Mellow Yellow" and the plush, orchestral "Lalena." Add some whimsical fairy tales, darker blues, and bouncy Caribbean rhythms, and you have an artist whose enormous swath is difficult to absorb, let alone anthologize.

This three-CD-plus-one-DVD set covers Donovan's work from 1964 to 2004 and is the most ambitious attempt yet to organize his extensive career. It includes 60 tracks, 15 of them previously unreleased or hard to find (many of these live and acoustic). The remastered sound is so clear it often seems Donovan is whispering into your ear. Try for the Sun is geared toward the hardcore fan, as those just wanting a taste can make do with Donovan's Greatest Hits or Troubadour: The Definitive Collection, 1964-1976. But for those with the time, interest, and patience, this nearly four-hour set, with its sumptuous packaging, extensive liner notes, and rare video footage, is a journey of its own that presents the most complete portrait available of this enigmatic and legendary artist. --Hal Horowitz

More Donovan

Donovan's Greatest Hits

Troubadour: The Definitive Collection, 1964-1976

Beat Cafe

Customer Reviews:

The Best So Far.......2006-05-30

Amazon.com did me a real favor with the better together offer. I had bought the Donovan Box Set "Try For the Sun" and the Autobiography "The Hurdy Gurdy Man". The combination was fantastic and worth every penny. But let's talk about the box set. I believe they did a fantastic job. The sound remaster quality is fantastic. It covers a huge time frame. I'm very satisfied with it. The only problem song wise is 1) it would have been nice to present all the `B' sides. 2) There is one charting single that did not make the set, though it did not break the top 100 it still is a charter, the song `Summer Day Reflection Song'. The book that came with it was not bad but I would recommend getting the autobiography for the real info. Hint for Sony and Donovan you'd be better of if you did a special edition that would include the book. So my recommendation buy the Box Set and The book.

A MASTER RE-MASTERED.......2006-04-17

Popular forms cast that curious net comprised of the music itself and -- often more important to most listeners -- the way that music sounds. Donovan has always covered both bases exceedingly well: interesting and memorable melodies, distinctive sound. His voice, in both his lyrics and singing, is as capable of defining an era as few others are -- gratefully he's still here, still sharing his work with the world.

In terms of the past, though, this is an exceedingly well assembled collection. There are plenty of alternate takes and live versions of familiar parts of the catalog, but the re-mastering is a wonder to hear. That very particular character of early-ish analog recording, seemingly eccentric decisions about the stereo mix, early amplification and electric instrument design which many now strive to recreate in the digital domain is on display in remarkable detail and feel on every track. The presence, especially voice, is often startling in detail and power.

And in addition to demonstrating Donovan's talent, this collection does us the important service of demonstrating that not every example of popular musical forms are intrinsically transient and, as is so important to maintaining sales today, ultimately and rapidly disposable. Certainly much of the music here, and many of the ideas within and behind it, deserve and seem to be achieving sustained interest and longevity.

This is a great set, a perfect complement for his recent book, "The Hurdy Gurdy Man" and the equally recent and excellent EMI remasters of his early lps. You'll even get a sampling from "Sutras" which, it's hard to believe, somehow finds itself out of print...

More than expected.......2006-03-26

The packaging made the item even more special, as it was a gift for someone. Very pleased. Great price. Thank you.

Yummmy purple velvet.......2006-03-17

What a Magical boxed set, thoughtfully arranged, The perfect Donovan collection, I'll keep mine forever.

Bound to be a sudden craze.......2006-01-24

I had no idea when I was a tyke and first heard Mellow Yellow what an "electrical banana" was, but found out recently (hey, admittedly I haven't given this matter a lot of thought in the intervening years)what such phrase meant....Donovan you nasty little man...

Still, although there is a lot of great stuff here, I don't really know how to peg my review here...I don't really see Donovan as an essential artist at all, merely an extremely pleasurable one to listen to...And there is a ton of beautiful, great stuff here..."Young Girl Blues", "Catch the Wind", "Atlantis" and "Sunshine Superman"... the guy has a gift with a melody, that's indisputable...

People always quibble about comps, because it's virtually impossible not to leave something off some dweeb thinks is important, but having said that -where's "Cosmic Wheels"? Extremely dorky, hippy dippy, but still...catchy, fun...

Overall though, this is nicely done. Donovan, what a font of positive energy and just, for lack of a better phrase, melodic goodness...

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