Donovan
Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan
(Epic/Legacy)
The Music Box's #9 specialty package for 2005
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2005, Volume 12, #10
Written by John Metzger
In 1970, Donovan, along with an assortment of friends, family, and bandmates, set sail across the Mediterranean on a voyage to the Greek Isles. The resulting documentary There Is an Ocean featured footage from his excursion, and while it undoubtedly was meant to be a earnest and intimate glimpse at the troubadour plying his craft in a relaxed setting, it largely felt like an exercise in self-indulgence. Perhaps this is the reason why it has remained tucked inside a vault for the past 35 years. Recently resurrected for inclusion on the three-CD, one-DVD box set Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan, the brief film provides anecdotal amusement for the songwriter’s fanatical followers. However, it isn’t likely to be of much interest to his more casual fans.
Fortunately, the 60 songs that are featured on Try for the Sun: The
Journey of Donovan make amends for this minor distraction. Indeed, with its
near-chronological presentation of material that spans an astounding four
decades, the collection is the ultimate waltz through Donovan’s quixotic
catalogue. Fusing together all of his well-known hits, numerous well-chosen
album tracks, a suite of B-sides, 21 previously unreleased studio and concert
recordings, and a demo from 1964, the package serves as the most ambitious
attempt to date at encapsulating his oft underappreciated career. Employing
music that shifted texturally from the Dylan-esque folk of Colours and Co’Dine to the psychedelically delicious pop of Sunshine Superman and
from Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)’s funky shuffle to Please Don’t Bend’s
quiet meditation on love, Donovan brought an ambitious and imaginative vision to
his craft. At the same time, his poetic ruminations never strayed from his
romantically optimistic sense of spiritual enlightenment and fairytale wonder.
As a result, Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan traces a remarkably
consistent and cohesive arc that links together the decades separating the
graceful simplicity of 1965’s Catch the Wind from the seductively
swirling groove that embraces 2003’s Love Floats. 
Of Further Interest...
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005 The Music Box