A Gift from a Flower to a Garden

A Gift from a Flower to a Garden

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The complete two-record set from 1967 on one CD, with all of the artwork intact. Includes 'Wear Your Love Like Heaven', 'Mad John's Escape', 'Oh Gosh', 'The Tinker and the Crab, 'The Lullaby of Spring' and more. 22 tracks. 2000 release.

Tracks:

Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Mad John's Escape
Skip-A-Long Sam
Sun
There Was A Time
Oh Gosh
Little Boy In Corduroy
Under The Greenwood Tree
The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be
Someone Singing
Song Of The Naturalist's Wife
The Enchanted Gyspy
Voyage Into The Golden Screen
Isle Of Islay
The Mandolin Man And His Secret
Lay Of The Last Tinker
The Tinker And The Crab
Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)
The Lullaby Of Spring
The Magpie
Starfish-On-The-Toast
Epistle to Derroll

Product Description

1. Wear Your Love Like Heaven
2. Mad John's Escape
3. Skip-A-Long Sam
4. Sun
5. There Was A Time
6. Oh Gosh
7. Little Boy In Corduroy
8. Under The Greenwood Tree
9. Land Of Doesn't Have To Be, The
10. Someone Singing
11. Song Of The Naturalist's Wife
12. Enchanted Gypsy, The
13. Voyage Into The Golden Screen
14. Isle Of Islay
15. Mandolin Man And His Secret, The
16. Lay Of The Last Tinker
17. Tinker And The Crab, The
18. Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)
19. Lullaby Of Spring, The
20. Magpie, The
21. Starfish-On-The-Toast
22. Epistle To Derroll

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Donovan at his best!.......2007-07-18

This album was introduced to me at 14 years old (I am 27). I feel like its melodies and lyrics actually helped to shape who I am. The songs on this album range from meaningful and delicate to quirky and hopping. Each song deserves equal credit for making this one of my all time favorite albums. A smile on your face, a tear in your eye, Donovan can bring out the feeling. A MUST HAVE!

Wear Your Love Like Donovan.......2007-06-12

This is vintage Donovan.Most of it has a medieval feel to it, and is perfect for sitting back and relaxing after a stressful day.The only "commercial" cut is "Wear Your Love Like Heaven." The rest is unconventional, and well...pure Donovan.

Higher and Higher.......2007-06-05

When you are young and just starting out in life, you could care less about such things. But, as you get older, the "road" shortens . . . and you get a better view of where you have been, where you are today, and where you will be tomorrow. I am a "child of the sixties" . . . and there is no shortage of great music that helped define my generation. And, of course, It would be difficult to say good-bye to any of the old friends that helped provide me with the soundtrack of my life. But, this I do know, when I leave this world, the two albums that will be safely tucked under my arm will be "Sgt. Pepper" and this one. Enough said. It was and is that personal.

Fresh from a garden to me.......2007-01-10

I have looked for this music for quite awhile. When I got it, it transported me back to the late sixties, early seventies. The music was as good as I remembered it to be....thanks again, it made my year!!!

Life is so good.......2006-11-10

A very happy CD that depicts an era when there was some optimism in music. This is a double album. The first part is so 60's; you want to say Groovy and Neat-O again.

The second part is very accoustic and poetic. This part was one I listened to as a child and was glad to hear again.

Average customer rating:

SEEK OUT THE COLLECTORS CHOICE ISSUE
SIMPLY -- AND BEAUTIFULLY -- ONE OF HIS BEST...
Donovan's enduring classic
The land that I use to walk
A Enchanted Land of Gypsies, Tinkers, Starfish And Magpies

A Gift From A Flower To A Garden
Donovan
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Mellow Yellow
HMS Donovan
The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Sunshine Superman
Barabajagal

ASIN: B0000011N5
Release Date: 1999-05-10

Tracks:

Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Mad John's Escape
Skip-A-Long Sam
Sun
There Was a Time
Oh Gosh
Little Boy in Corduroy
Under the Greenwood Tree
Land of Doesn't Have to Be
Someone Singing
Song of the Naturalist's Wife
Enchanted Gypsy
Voyage into the Golden Screen
Isle of Islay
Mandolin Man and His Secret
Lay of the Last Tinker
Tinker and the Crab
Widow with Shawl
Lullaby of Spring
Magpie
Starfish-On-The-Toast
Epistle to Derroll

Amazon.com

Originally packaged in a two-record box set with an expensively printed set of lyric sheets, A Gift was sincerely meant as a possible present for the hippie who has everything. The first album is the Wear Your Love Like Heaven album and it's a gem of mid-'60s Mickie Most-produced psychedelic pop. The title track and "Mad John's Escape" are prime pop, but "Little Boy in Corduroy" is the type of weird, childlike folk song that is featured throughout the second album. Titles such as "Song of the Naturalist's Wife," "Voyage into the Golden Screen," and "Widow with Shawl (a portrait)" give a clear idea of how "out there" Donovan went. --Rob O'Connor

Album Description

Digitally remastered 1993 reissue on BGO of his top 20 1968 double album for EMI, on a single disc with all 22 of the original tracks, including the top 30 hit 'Wear Your Love Like Heaven'. The full title is 'A Gift From A Flower To A Garden'.

Album Details

His 'Flower Power' Psychedelic Folk Masterpiece from
1967. Cream's Jack Bruce Guests on Bass. Includes the Hit 'Wear Your Love Like Heaven'.

Customer Reviews:

SEEK OUT THE COLLECTORS CHOICE ISSUE .......2005-03-11

There are plenty of reviews detailing the fabulous tunes found upon this disc. No home is complete without it. BGO issued a mono version of this CD and followed it with a slightly better sounding stereo version. Collectors Choice has since released a superior (stereo) disc. It sounds like someone finally located the master tapes. Pick up a copy. Your ears will thank you.

SIMPLY -- AND BEAUTIFULLY -- ONE OF HIS BEST..........2003-03-07

...and a shining example of how good music from the 1960s 'hippie' movement could be. Following on the heels of his hits 'Sunshine superman' and 'Mellow yellow', the two-record set 'A gift from a flower to a garden' gave Donovan the chance to spread out - the first album of the set (entitled 'Wear your love like heaven' in its individual release) presents Mr. Leitch with a full band, including some of his regular collaborators (Candy John Carr and Harold 'the very debonair' McNair) along with some fine UK studio musicians, including Jack Bruce of Cream, who plays bass on 'Someone singing'. The songs on this part of the album are all extremely hummable pop ditties with jazz and folk overtones (keyboardist Mike Carr does some beautiful work on vibraphone), and the lyrics give us a glimpse of Donovan at his 'hippie-dippie' (and that's NOT a derogatory term, trust me) best. He sings of love and the beauty of nature - and some of the songs sound like he's addressing them to children in his gentle, characteristic way. One tune - 'Under the greenwood tree' - is taken from Shakespeare; he ends the tune fading out with '...do the Willie the Shake...' 'Wear your love like heaven' is the only real hit from this double set, and it's a great, memorable song.

The second half of 'Gift' was also available separately, under the title 'For little ones' - which would seem to indicate an album of songs for children. While several of them would easily fit into that category - and the arrangements on this half, all acoustic, would make it more listenable for younger ears - the subject matter of some of the selections is a bit dark. I suppose I can admit here that MANY fairy tales are VERY dark, when viewed closely - so this is a minor point, and certainly not a complaint. Harold McNair is present on this half as well - his flute is perfectly integrated with Donovan's guitar lines, the mark of two musicians who know and respect each other deeply - along with string bass and percussion, all tastefully added. The arrangements are all pretty sparse, but beautifully so, with Donovan's acoustic guitar, occasional harmonica, and delicately picked banjo gently in the fore - and of course, there's Don's voice, an instantly recognizable instrument in itself, marvelously suited to his songs.

BGO Records has done a nice job with the re-mastering - they originally issued this in mono, unaware that it had ever been released anywhere in the world in stereo (it was only available in mono in the UK in its original release), then recalled their release, found a good stereo master, and re-issued it. The recording overall is very clear - the sound on Donovan's guitar is especially nice on the acoustic album, and the blending of the musicians on the more electric half is done very nicely indeed.

My only gripe is that the artwork that originally accompanied the acoustic half is represented here only in reduced images. The original set included an 8 X 10 page for each song on the second half, in different colours, on some very nice stock - not practical in a cd release, I know, but something in between the two presentations would have been nice. Ah well - another small complaint.

It's a grand thing that this recording is available again, and my thanks go to BGO for that. There's an American release of this set, available through Sony - and while the artwork mentioned above is reproduced more nicely there, the lyrics to the 'Wear your love like heaven' half are included as a single-page reproduction of the album art, and are so small that they're practically illegible. The deciding factor was that BGO had the integrity to withdraw their original release and reissue it in stereo -- it's a wonderful thing to see a company in the music business that cares enough to do that. It's too rare a thing. I had the opportunity to make a choice, and I chose the BGO edition.

Listening to this album, after all of these years, makes me think there's hope for us yet...

Donovan's enduring classic.......2001-12-19

This is the music that proved Donovan was not derivative, merely riding the Bob Dylan wave. It is magical, original, mystical, a sweet journey of imagination and lilting melodies to charm children and adults alike. The first part incorporates more complex arrangements and atmospheric effects, the second part is sparse with nature sounds, and mostly just guitar and bass and Donovan's wonderful vocals and storytelling lyrics. I remember sitting in my dorm room at the University of Michigan and blasting this music out the window on my SONY reel to reel to the smiling crowd below in the fall of '67. Now that it's available again, please listen to it, you won't be disappointed.

The land that I use to walk.......2001-08-12

"Widow with Shawl" and "The Tinker and the Crab" are my favorites. No!! the entire album is my favorite, especially the 2nd record. I think Donovan hit a new level with that 2nd record. What is confusing, is that I never hear these songs on the radio, in pre-schools, grade schools, or moms singing some of the songs to there children at bed time. I think I know why! it's because burried treasure is hard to find. If you are a long term beach walker (like myself), this album will have a revealing effect.

A Enchanted Land of Gypsies, Tinkers, Starfish And Magpies.......2001-02-09

It seems to me that in 1966 Donovan was already in that special asteral plane The Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and everyone else was seeking to be. Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow were but glimpses of the cosmic landscape Donovan would lay on us in A Gift From A Flower To A Garden. And if that was not enough, the addition of For Little Ones, is as near a perfect compilation of charming English childrens songs, as can be found this side of Atlantis. In a world full of tinkers, magpies, enchanted gypsies and starfish, Donovan resides as the man-child truberdour strumming his guitar and banjo as he sings us all to sleep.

Average customer rating:

Gift from a Flower to a Garden
Donovan
Manufacturer: Navarre Corporation/
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

British Invasion | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DPP4
Release Date: 1994-01-11

A Gift From a Garden to a Flower: A Tribute to Donovan

Average customer rating:

A Gift From a Garden to a Flower: A Tribute to Donovan
Various Artists , PAS/CAL , My Morning Jacket , Photon Band , The Orange Alabaster Mushroom , Alsage Lorraine , The Scarboro Aquarium Club , Greater California , Ashley Park , and Lowlights
Manufacturer: Darla
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000RNLZZ4

Product Description

Pas/Cal's "Oh Gosh," features a spot on Donovan impression; Phil Spector-ish wall-of-sound production gives My Morning Jacket's "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" a warm & fuzzy feeling; Photon Band "To Sing For You" sounds like head 'maniac; The Orange Alabaster Mushroom imbibe the cult classic "Fat Angel" with sitars, loopy organ rides and wah-wah vocals; Jon DeRosa dons his Pale Horse and Rider cap for a beautiful, romantically forlorn version of the obscure "There Is An Ocean." Alsace Lorraine's breathy, sexy, sultry vocal on the equally obscure "Sadness" slides somewhere between St Etienne's Sarah Cracknell and the French yé-yé girls of the 60s; Scarboro Aquarium Club, exhume "Divine Daze of Deathless Delight." "Jersey Thursday" is even more haunting than the original; Vancouver's Ashley Park begin "Widow with Shawl" in a rainstorm and end up in a groovy, psych-country pastiche a la Mojave 3. Low Lights must have drawn the short straw to end up with "Catch the Wind;" Donovan's finest track ever; Screen Prints mercilessly butchers "Celeste;" singing it in the wrong key and about half a beat behind the song's established melody. Great Lakes, digs "Teen Angel" out of the grave, smacks it around a few times and then sleepwalks all over it in a Prozac-induced haze; Watoo Watoo is a husband & wife duo from Paris though it actually sounds more like Japanese cut-ups, Pop-Off Tuesday than a yé-yé wannabe. On the other hand, Color Filter actually are from Japan, yet they chose to present "Hurdy Gurdy Man" like a 60's French soundtrack. The Blood Group sounded at first as though they were rap, then Jessica B opened her mouth and out poured sweetness and light. Sweet Trip's sacrilegious video-arcade-through-a-bullhorn version of "Sunny Goodge Street" is an insult to the song. So even if you are not intrigued by unknown artists covering hits and obscurities of one of our finest psychedelic poets, you will enjoy the variety of styles and reverential tweakings included herein.