Cosmic Wheels/Essence to Essence [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Cosmic Wheels

2. Earth Sign Man

3. Sleep

4. Maria Magenta

5. Wild Witch Lady

6. Music Makers

7. Intergalactic Laxative

8. I Like You

9. Only the Blues

10. Appearances

11. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

12. Lazy Daze

13. Life Goes On

14. There Is an Ocean

15. Dignity of Man

16. Yellow Star

17. Divine Daze of Deathless Delight

18. Boy for Every Girl

19. Saint Valentine's Angel

20. Life Is a Merry-Go-Round

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
UK twofer combines both the British folk-rock icon's 1973 albums, 'Cosmic Wheels' produced by Donovan & Mickie Most along with 'Essence To Essence' produced by Andrew Oldham & Donovan. 21 tracks. Edsel. 2004.

Tracks:

Cosmic Wheels
Earth Sign Man
Sleep
Maria Magenta
Wild Witch Lady
Music Makers
Intergalactic Laxative
I Like You
Only the Blues
Appearances
Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth
Lazy Daze
Life Goes On
There Is an Ocean
Dignity of Man
Yellow Star
Divine Daze of Deathless Delight
Boy for Every Girl
Saint Valentine's Angel
Life Is a Merry-Go-Round
Sailing Homeward

Album Description

UK twofer combines both the British folk-rock icon's 1973 albums, 'Cosmic Wheels' produced by Donovan & Mickie Most along with 'Essence To Essence' produced by Andrew Oldham & Donovan. 21 tracks. Edsel. 2004.

Album Details

In 1973, Donovan Signed to Cbs and Released "Cosmic Wheels" which Reached #15 in the UK and #25 in the is Album Charts. In the Producer's Chair, He was Reunited with Mickie Most, Producer of all his Greatest 60s Successes, who Hired Top Session Guitarist Chris Spedding, Along with Yes Drummer Alan White and Rolling Stones Saxophonist Bobby Keyes. The Album features "The Intergalactic Laxative" which Donovan Still Performs Live in Concert. "Essence to Essence" Issued in 1974, was Co-produced with Erstwhile Stones Manager Andrew Long Oldham, and features a Stellar Line Up of Guest Musicians (Carole King, Peter Frampton, Steve Marriot, Tom Scott, Danny Thompson, Henry Mccullough and Danny Seiwell of Wings).

Customer Reviews:

To Error Is Human.......2007-06-22

This is where things start to change and not for the better. Did you ever have the feeling that producer Micki Most and guitarist Jeff Beck undertood Donovan and his music a lot more than they ever recieved credit for? Change is inevitable, but production values are still production values and guitar licks are still guitar licks. The essence of Donovan starts to disappear here. For the next few albums, Donovan seems intent on a change of direction that leads him far away from what he does best. He trades his unique poetry and celtic charm for something that seems a lot less than he is capable of. The magic has dwindled and the fairy dust has scattered. The acoustic Donovan appears, disappears and reappears whenever the muse hits him. Both of these albums are uneven and need a lot more attention from Donovan and a lot less interference from everyone else. It makes you wonder if anyone ever listened to any of his previous work on Epic.

From pop star to has been.......2006-01-12

Cosmic Wheels was Donovan's last LP to chart in the top 40 (#25 in the U.S.). Essence to Essence only made it to #174, and a few years later Donovan slid off the charts for good. While there are many reasons why this happened (and it happened to many of the 60s stars), Cosmic Wheels certainly has to take some of the blame. It really isn't that good when compared to his fabulous albums from the 60s. His lyrics lack the whimsy and poetry of his previous songs (something he wouldn't fully regain until his "Beat Cafe" CD 31 years later!), his music is lackluster, and the whole LP is just not compelling.

To top it off, the LP also contains the worse song that Donovan ever wrote - "Intergalactic Laxative." I like to think of this song as one of the final nails in the coffin, the song that instantly pushed Donovan from popular to has been. In an instant, Donovan goes from whimsical to crude, from hip to insipid, from mystical to juvenile. It's truly an embarrassing song, and it blights the entire LP.

So why 3 stars for this CD? Actually, it's for the Essence to Essence part of it because that LP has always had a certain charm to it. Certainly it can't hold a candle to his 60s LPs or to "Beat Cafe", but it's more consistent than Cosmic Wheels, and while the lyrics still aren't great, his music has a playfulness to it that makes it fun to listen to. Worthwhile songs include "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth," "Yellow Star," and "Life is a Merry-Go-Round."

If you're just starting to get into Donovan, don't buy this CD. Start with one of his excellent best of CDs, either his greatest hits, or "Try for the Sun" or "Troubadour." If you want to explore Donovan's music further, try any of his masterpieces from the 60s, and get the remastered imports because the sound is fantastic. I also highly recommend "Beat Cafe" his 2004 CD which compares favorably with his 60s music. But if you're a Donovan die-hard, you might as well get this CD too.

The Mystic Minstrel of the 20th Century.......2005-03-19

I was glad to find these two albums paired together. I don't have to sell anyone on Cosmic Wheels, one of Donovan's better efforts from the 70's. But Essence to Essence has always been slammed as a weak album, with so-so production and subpar material. However, there are always hidden gems and this LP has a few. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth and The Divine Daze of Deathless Delight remain two of my personal favorites. But if you are a true Donovan fan, or just now beginning to discover the wonder of his talent, then There Is An Ocean and
Sailing Homeward are absolute musts to have in your collection.
They both have minimal accompaniment and in my opinion that is when Donovan is at his best. Although he has made some great electric music over the years, all he really needs is an acoustic guitar and that great built-in vibrato voice of his to bring goose bumps to your skin. Listen and enjoy.

Finally on CD!.......2004-02-28

Cosmic Wheels was issued in Europe on CD for a very short time in the 1990s and went out of print shortly thereafter. Finally it's re released and available, this time as a twofer with Essense to Essense, the followup CD. Cosmic Wheels is Donovan's last great album, featuring his whimsical but still lyrical concerns with the earth, stars, astronomy, astrology, etc. There are some amazing and powerful orchestrations on this album, particularly on the title track, arranged by Chris Spedding. Great musicianship and songwriting on this overlooked and underrated album. Essense to Essense has some interesting material but is not nearly as good as Cosmic Wheels either in consistency of songwriting or in performance. Sound quality is good, thank God they refrained from using noise reduction, and this CD sounds quite acceptable.

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. Cosmic Wheels
2. Earth Sign Man
3. Sleep
4. Maria Magenta
5. Wild Witch Lady
6. Music Makers
7. Intergalactic Laxative
8. I Like You
9. Only the Blues
10. Appearances
11. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth
12. Lazy Daze
13. Life Goes On
14. There Is an Ocean
15. Dignity of Man
16. Yellow Star
17. Divine Daze of Deathless Delight
18. Boy for Every Girl
19. Saint Valentine's Angel
20. Life Is a Merry-Go-Round