A Gift From A Flower To A Garden [Original recording remastered]

This review is mainly for Donovan fans.

The first CD release of this was by BGO back in 1993 and it was mono, although the remastering was great. BGO realised their mistake and quickly issued a stereo version. Unfortunately they did a crap job 'remastering' (for want of a better word) and the result was that it stayed in the CD drawer and was rarely played.

I was apprehensive when I saw the upcoming release of this by EMI using THAT word 'Remastered' again, but ordered it none the less. 4 days after release date it turns up on my doorstep on the other side of the world for less than a local release (including postage). Great job Amazon U.K..

The verdict: SOUND IS SUPERB. Don't hesitate getting this one.

The only down side is EMI couldn't use the Karl Ferris cover shots, but they do have most of the Mick Taylor and Sheens McCall artwork and the presentaion is top class.

I still have my original boxed set of this double album, complete with all it's beautifully presented sheets of lyrics. It was always a favourite of mine, not just because I like folk music, but because it lacks the pop music bias of much of Donovan's otherwise excellent work. In these tracks he isn't trying to appeal to just those people who liked his top 10 music, he's out to create beautiful and etheral soundscapes which arise naturally from the long legacy of British folk music. There are mystical images, romanticism and impressions of idyllic landscapes .... yet underneath many songs there is also a subtle darkness that gives his music great depth.

Without wanting to sound grandiose or precocious, this album strikes me as being the musical equivalent of 'art nouveau' .... beautiful in the way it is designed and presented; inherently associated with an individual's view of the natural and mythical world; and timeless.

Having said all that, there are subtle influences of jazz and modern rhythms which prevent 'Gift' from being a reworking of stale ideas. Even so long after it's initial release, the whole thing remains fresh and will repay you handsomely the more times you listen to it.

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.