Donovan - HMS Donovan 1971

H.M.S. Donovan is the ninth studio album, and tenth album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It marks the second album of Donovan's children's music, after the For Little Ones portion of A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. H.M.S. Donovan is the second double album of Donovan's career, and was released in the UK only, in July 1971 (Dawn Records DNLD 4001 (stereo)).

For the majority of the songs on this album, Donovan wrote music for poems that were originally written by others. Many of the poems were from One Hundred Poems for Children compiled by Herbert Strang (Clarendon Press, Oxford – 1925). Other poems come from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Some of the songs on H.M.S. Donovan share melodies with other songs in Donovan's canon. "Jabberwocky" has an acoustic arrangement with the same melody as "Celtic Rock" from Open Road. "The Owl and the Pussycat" and "The Unicorn" also have the same melody, but bootleg recordings suggest Donovan once sang these two songs together in a medley during late 1960's live performances. Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance" borrows the melody from the Joseph Brackett song "Simple Gifts". "The Star" is better known as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Despite the inclusion of Donovan's minor hit "Celia of the Seals", H.M.S. Donovan sold poorly and failed to chart in the UK. Epic Records refused to release the album in the US and Pye Records only put the album out on its subsidiary label Dawn Records in the UK. This prompted Donovan to reunite with his old producer Mickie Most to try and find a hit making formula for his next album.

Stunning cover paintings by Patrick. Truly a masterpiece in album cover art. Some albums came with a beatuiful poster.


Tracks original album:

Side one
1. The Walrus and the Carpenter (words by Lewis Carroll, music by Donovan Leitch)
2. Jabberwocky (words by Carroll, music by Donovan)
3. The Seller of Stars (words by Thora Stowell, music by Donovan)
4. Lost Time (words by Ffrida Wolfe, music by Donovan)
5. The Little White Road (words by Thora Stowell, music by Donovan)
6. The Star (traditional, arranged by Donovan)

Side two
7. Coulter's Candy (traditional, arranged by Donovan)
8. The Road (words by Lucy Diamond, music by Donovan)
9. Things to Wear (words by Agnes Grozier Herbertson, music by Donovan)
10. The Owl and the Pussycat (words by Edward Lear, music by Donovan)
11. Homesickness (Donovan)
12. Fishes in Love (Donovan)
13. Mr. Wind (Donovan)
14. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (words by Eugene Field, music by Donovan)

Side three
15. Celia of the Seals (Donovan)
16. The Pee Song (Donovan)
17. The Voyage of the Moon (Donovan)
18. The Unicorn (Donovan)
19. Lord of the Dance (Sydney Carter)
20. Little Ben (Donovan)21. Can Ye Dance (Donovan)

Side four
22. In an Old Fashioned Picture Book (Donovan)
23. The Song of the Wandering Aengus (words by William Butler Yeats, music by Donovan)
24. A Funny Man (words by Natalie Joan, music by Donovan)
25. Lord of the Reedy River (Donovan)
26. Henry Martin (traditional, arranged by Donovan)
27. Queen Mab (words by Thomas Hood, music by Donovan)
28. La Moora (Donovan)


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