THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,064) Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”*
This is Donovan’s “Hey Jude”, written not to comfort Julian during John and Cynthia’s divorce, but to comfort Paul during the Beatles’ divorce. “Thought to be inspired by Paul McCartney (who apparently loaned a guitar for the sessions) the closing track on Open Road is one of those anthemic, rolling tunes Donovan did so well.” (Stuart Penney, https://andnowitsallthis.blogspot.com/2020/04/donovans-50-greatest-songs-ranked.html?m=1) ”[I]t’s a lovely . . . song, made especially lovely by the fact that it was written for his good friend paul mccartney around 1969/1970 when the beatles broke up and he was feeling miserable about it.” (lisa4782, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkri858BKvE) “[T]he ballad[] . . . [is an] absolutely knockdown dragout victor[y] because [it] use[s Donovan’s] beautiful melody for the soft parts and then rock[s] out in other moments.” (William Wes, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/why-did-donovan-decline-so-sharply-commercially-after-1970.1088990/page-8)
“Do what you’ve never done before, See what you’ve never seen, Feel what you’ve never felt before, Go where you’ve never been”
Of the album, Jason tells us:
Open Road was Donovan’s first album of the 1970’s. Here he was backed by a sympathetic group of the same name (Open Road) and this change made all the difference. Gone are the psychedelic trappings of previous years and in their place are a collection of sharp Celtic influenced folk-rock tracks. The lyrics and backing band are straight forward and direct, giving this album a back to the basics feel (there are no sitars, horns, harpsichords or elaborate studio productions) – so in the case of Open Road, less is more. While there are no huge hits in the order of “Mellow Yellow” or “Sunshine Superman”, Open Road rates as one of Donovan’s most consistently enjoyable sets.
https://therisingstorm.net/donovan-open-road/
And Alan Price says:
Donovan is a fucking beacon. This record smashes. John Carr’s drumming is very reminiscent of another famous drummer named John . . . . Mike Thomson’s bass playing is psychotic and rambling in the best possible ways, which brings us to the man himself. This is by far Donovan’s most lucid dream and most complete expression. After leaving the U.S. to return to England and assemble the Open Road band, Donovan found the freedom of working in a post-Mickie Most world. This, and his next record (HMS Donovan) show an artist who still eats granola, but no longer believes it is all he has to talk about. Donovan haters …. go die.
http://acefrehleyforpresident.blogspot.com/2010/09/donovan-open-road-1970.html?m=1
Donovan told Goldmine Magazine that:
“I made it after the disillusionment of all the ’60s things that were going on, and at one point I said, ‘I’ve had enough. I’m going into the studio with a three-piece, back to the roots.’ But I created the term `Celtic rock’ on there . . . to try and fuse this traditional music with this power guitar and power ethnic drums. So, on the album, I was almost like turning my back on the record industry . . . even Mickie Most. . . . I kind of liked the way the three-piece sounded, it was so raw and emotional and in a way rather punky[.]” . . . The band was intended to undertake a tour to promote the album . . . . But the tour never materialized. . . . “I just didn’t feel like it anymore . . . . I think I’d done enough . . . . I’d achieved more than any young musician could possibly want. . . . A lot of us were worn down by the end of the ’60s. . . . The three-piece was to go on the road and promote it all over America, and I think I just didn’t have the energy or I was bored, and I was happy with the album, anyway. It came out, and it was received quite well, but I don’t believe there was any serious promotion from the label.”
GOLDMINE #321; November 13, 1992; pp. 10-22 (Dippy the Hippy, https://groups.google.com/g/rec.music.folk/c/uCzryz_yesM)
* ”The title is a clever combination of “Resolution” and “Revolution”. Too clever for some, it seems, as in later years most sources (CD covers, Spotify etc) renamed it, simply, ‘New Year’s Resolution’.” (Stuart Penney, https://andnowitsallthis.blogspot.com/2020/04/donovans-50-greatest-songs-ranked.html?m=1)
Here is Helen Reddy:
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