Customer Reviews
An Inconic album - By: Kevin Mcclure, 07 Nov 2006 
Donovan is simply one of those genius singer sonwriters who kept producing wonderful, evocotive & beautifully realised songs but was also a brilliant interpreter of other peoples songs. Here he is on top form. He took a step back from the mainstream pop oreientated music with which he had become associated. That is not the devalue any of that work, it is wonderful too, however, this is a perfectly realised Donovan album that exudes a towering writing & performing confidence. The songs here are as fresh as the day they were written.
For many people this is the peak of Donovans career, however, I believe that he went on to record many more wonderful albums. I would advise anyone who is at all interestedin this great artist to check out any of his albums they are all head & shoulders above much of what you will findin the avaerage record collection
Although he became less commercially successfulin the 1970s, to paraphrase Gloria Swansonin Sunset Boulevard, it was not Donovan that stopped being big but the music that got small.
Ethereal, quintiessentially British and brilliant - By: Alan Sturgess, 04 May 2006 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 & etheral soundscapes which arise naturally from the long legacy of British folk music. There are mystical images, romanticism & 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' .... beautifulin the way it is designed & presented; inherently associated with an individual's view of the natural & mythical world; & timeless.
Having said all that, there are subtle influences of jazz & 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 & will repay you handsomely the more times you listen to it.
At his very best - By: Pismotality, 05 Apr 2006 The best of this double album undoubtedly shows Donovan at the height of his artistic powers: songs are poetic but succinct, with sensitive backing from Harold McNair & others when it's needed (Enchanted Gypsy; Tinker & the Crab) or his own acoustic guitar when it isn't (Isle of Islay; Epistle to Derroll).
If you are only familiar with the numerous permutations of the much-reissued early stuff then this is a clear development, though the songs retain Donovan's sense of seeing beauty & wonderin the simplest things, especiallyin Isle of Islay or a song like Starfish on the Toast: "Holding whelks & periwinkles tinglingin his hand / Little does he know they hold him too."
I agree that the second album is better than the first, as others have said, but one of the beauties of Gift... as a whole is that several styles, including a relaxed, jazzy feel on some numbers like Sun, blend effortlessly together without feeling forced - indeed, ease & unselfconsciousness are the key words here. Other Donovan albums have their merits butin my view this record simply has the highest concentration of excellent songs.
A Garden Of Ethereal Delights - By: , 15 Feb 2006 A Gift From A Flower To A Garden sees the fruition of many of the themes & ideas hinted atin Donovan’s two earlier ‘electric’ records. Here, there is a unity of musical purpose & vision, & a richness of textures, which only surfaced at times on Sunshine Superman & Mellow Yellow. As you may know, the project was sumptuously packagedin its original form: a double album with a folio of lyrics & drawings, all presentedin 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 & depth of musical performance, & by a coherent ‘sound’ which fits perfectly with the lyrical content. Bass, drums, organ, guitars & jazz inflections provided by vibes, create a wonderfully deep & rich soundscape. Wear Your Love Like Heaven is probably the best known of these compositions, & that sound is reproduced on other songs such as Mad John’s Escape, Skip Along Sam, Someone Singing & The Land of Doesn’t Have To Be, to simply gorgeous effect. This deep & rich sound is complimented by lyrics which perfectly capture the optimism of the times & Donovan’s poetic sensibility. From Mad Johnin his transport café, to the terrific adaptation of Under The Greenwood Tree, this is music which just makes sense. And everything is envelopedin 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 casein point. This is a terrific song of lamentation, a real nod by Donovan to his earlier folk-period & the themes presentin some of the old folk songs, but hardly a theme for children. The Enchanted Gypsy is similar. A song steepedin folk tradition, but entirely original & 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 & 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 & 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 & 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 & Mellow Yellow, just extraordinary & quite beautiful. Miss this & you miss a oncein a lifetime treat. Ethereal, but not ephemeral.
I'd give it 4 and a half out of 5 but what the hell! - By: , 01 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 & 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 thatin a moment) & 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' & 'Lullaby Of Spring', wonderful songs about nature, enchanting tales & 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 & beutifulin 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.
