Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'd give it 4 and a half out of 5 but what the hell!, 1 Jun 2005
Here we have another fine album from one of my now all-time favourite singer-songwriters. Be aware the two albums are distinctly different: the first is a collection of more upbeat and more commercial material (most of which was added as the record label felt the music of the second half of this album wasn't commercial enough but I'll come to that in a moment) and the second half is mainly folky, acoustic material, with 'songs for children' as Donovan himself put it.For me, the first half of the album is good, but the second half is amazing. Check 'The Enchanted Gypsy', 'Isle Of Islay' and 'Lullaby Of Spring', wonderful songs about nature, enchanting tales and the passing of the seasons. It's perhaps not as surreal as the music on 'Sunshine Superman' but as the cover art suggests, Donovan's love of the seaside really shines through on this set. Whilst I am quite a fan of music with the darker emotions I can't help but appreciate this guy's mastery of writing about all that is good and beutiful in this world. I wouldn't quite say it's 5 out of 5 for me because of how I feel about the first 10 songs overall but this CD is worth the last 12 alone. Highly recommended.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Garden Of Ethereal Delights, 15 Feb 2006
By A Customer
A Gift From A Flower To A Garden sees the fruition of many of the themes and ideas hinted at in Donovan’s two earlier ‘electric’ records. Here, there is a unity of musical purpose and vision, and a richness of textures, which only surfaced at times on Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow. As you may know, the project was sumptuously packaged in its original form: a double album with a folio of lyrics and drawings, all presented in a box with the famous Donovan –in-robes photo on the front. Wonderful. And as for the music, well this is something else…
The first half, for grown-ups, is characterised by a richness and depth of musical performance, and by a coherent ‘sound’ which fits perfectly with the lyrical content. Bass, drums, organ, guitars and jazz inflections provided by vibes, create a wonderfully deep and rich soundscape. Wear Your Love Like Heaven is probably the best known of these compositions, and that sound is reproduced on other songs such as Mad John’s Escape, Skip Along Sam, Someone Singing and The Land of Doesn’t Have To Be, to simply gorgeous effect. This deep and rich sound is complimented by lyrics which perfectly capture the optimism of the times and Donovan’s poetic sensibility. From Mad John in his transport café, to the terrific adaptation of Under The Greenwood Tree, this is music which just makes sense. And everything is enveloped in melodies to just die for. If you think All You Need Is Love is the pinnacle of flower power sentiments, listen again to this perfect pop psychedelia.
The second half, For Little Ones, compliments the first half perfectly. Its always confused me this. Many of the songs just do not reflect child-like concerns: Widow With A Shawl is a case in point. This is a terrific song of lamentation, a real nod by Donovan to his earlier folk-period and the themes present in some of the old folk songs, but hardly a theme for children. The Enchanted Gypsy is similar. A song steeped in folk tradition, but entirely original and also a bit mysterious, not child-like at all (an aside: why hasn’t this song been around for a hundred years? It sounds as if it should have been. Like Colours. Donovan didn’t write these, he just wrote them down!). The same with Lullaby Of Spring and Isle Of Islay. No, these are not child concerns. For Little Ones might refer to some of the material here, but not all. It may well refer to the sounds, the music. The accompaniment is much sparser than the first half. Gone are the rich and deep orchestrations, instead replaced by a lightness of touch: acoustic guitars, flutes, light percussion…a simplicity which it is tempting to describe as a throwback to his earlier folk days. But it isn’t really. In its own way, its as far removed from Catch The Wind as Sunshine Superman. A more sophisticated Donovan is playing here. It may be the same acoustic guitar, but that’s where the similarity begins and ends.
So, give A Gift From A Flower To A Garden a listen. Be transported to Donovan’s simply wonderful world, a garden not of earthly delights but a delightful place all the same. And those melodies, those textures, those trippy lyrics…Colour of sky Prussian Blue, scarlet fleece changes hue…Like Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow, just extraordinary and quite beautiful. Miss this and you miss a once in a lifetime treat. Ethereal, but not ephemeral.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epistle to Donovan, 17 Dec 2004
Very rarely do albums such as ''A Gift from a Flower to a Garden'' come along. If ever you seek comfort, inspiration or wonderment from a musician then settle upon this record as your resting place.For within each song is a magical (some would say twee) world where Donovan employs Jazz, Folk, Psychedelia, Shakespeare and Indian philosophy as his musical and lyrical templates of choice. It is a testament to Donovan's white hot creativity of this period that he manages to cover so much ground just on a lyrical basis over so many songs. Suffice to say, buy this album immediately and dig ''Skipalong Sam'', ''Sun'', ''Wear Your Love Like Heaven'' and best of all ''Mad John''.
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