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90-681: Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most , was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals , Herman's Hermits , the Nashville Teens , Donovan , Lulu , Suzi Quatro , Hot Chocolate , Arrows , Racey and the Jeff Beck Group , often issued on his own RAK Records label. Most was born as Michael Peter Hayes in Aldershot , Hampshire , England. The son of

180-568: A number one hit , a top 5 hit , a top 10 hit , a top 20 hit or a top 40 hit , depending on its peak position. In the UK (where radio play is not included in the official charts), this does not completely reflect the song's popularity—as the weekly chart position is based solely on direct comparison with concurrent sales of other singles. It is, therefore, not uncommon that a single fails to chart, but has actually sold more copies than other singles regarded as "hits" based on their higher chart placement in

270-530: A Girl Child Linda", a track featuring voice, acoustic guitar and a small orchestra for over six minutes. The album also features the sitar, which was played by American folk-rock singer Shawn Phillips . Donovan met Phillips in London in 1965, and he became a friend and early collaborator, playing acoustic guitar and sitar on recordings including Sunshine Superman as well as accompanying Donovan at concerts and on Pete Seeger's TV show. Creatively, Phillips served as

360-604: A Mountain ", which just missed the US top ten and was later used as the basis for the Allman Brothers Band 's " Mountain Jam ". In September, Donovan toured the US, backed by a jazz group and accompanied by his father, who introduced the show. Later that month, Epic released Donovan's fifth album, a set titled, A Gift from a Flower to a Garden , the first rock music box set and only the third pop-rock double album released. It

450-563: A No. 45 hit in the UK Singles Chart in July 1963 and had moderate success with "The Feminine Look" in 1963, this single featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar and heralding early British heavy rock . Becoming tired of touring clubs, Most decided to concentrate on other aspects of the music industry . His first job was selling records in stores and displaying them on racks (later inspiration for his record label, RAK) before finding

540-523: A Warm Gun ", and other songs. His backing musicians included the Jeff Beck Group , and John Bonham , Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones , who later rose to fame as members of Led Zeppelin . Donovan's commercial fortunes waned after parting with Most in 1969, and he left the industry for a time. Donovan continued to perform and record intermittently in the 1970s and 1980s. His musical style and hippie image were scorned by critics, especially after

630-493: A career of his sound. Like troubadours, Bob and I can write about any facet of the human condition. To be compared was natural, but I am not a copyist. In late 1965, Donovan split with his original management and signed with Ashley Kozak , who was working for Brian Epstein 's NEMS Enterprises . Kozak introduced Donovan to American businessman Allen Klein (later manager of the Rolling Stones and, in their final months,

720-550: A concert at the Royal Albert Hall accompanied by a ballerina who danced during a 12-minute performance of "Golden Apples". On 14 January, New Musical Express reported he was to write incidental music for a National Theatre production of As You Like It , but this did not come to fruition. His version of " Under the Greenwood Tree " did appear on " A Gift from a Flower to a Garden ". In March Epic released

810-503: A cowboy at first but I knew where he got his stuff – it was Woody at first, then it was Jack Kerouac and the stream-of-consciousness poetry which moved him along. But when I heard ' Blowin' in the Wind ' it was the clarion call to the new generation – and we artists were encouraged to be as brave in writing our thoughts in music ... We were not captured by his influence, we were encouraged to mimic him – and remember every British band from

900-575: A feature of many recordings. Cameron, McNair and Carr also accompanied Donovan on several concert tours and can be heard on his 1968 live album Donovan in Concert . By 1966, Donovan had shed the Dylan/Guthrie influences and become one of the first British pop musicians to adopt flower power . He immersed himself in jazz, blues , Eastern music, and the new generation of counterculture -era US West Coast bands such as Jefferson Airplane and

990-621: A hit with the single " Kids in America " which reached number 2 in the UK, and number 25 on the US Billboard chart . In the 1980s, the band Johnny Hates Jazz , which featured Most's son Calvin Hayes , was also signed to RAK Records. In the 1970s, Most was a panellist on the ITV talent show New Faces and, along with fellow record producer Tony Hatch , became known for his harsh comments on

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1080-609: A million copies nationwide, based mainly on its success as an illustrated song , analogous to today's music videos . In the United States and the United Kingdom , a single is usually considered a hit when it reaches the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 or the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart . The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles has used this definition since the 1970s. Some argue that reaching at least

1170-561: A nice guy." Melody Maker noted that Dylan had mentioned Donovan in his song " Talking World War Three Blues " and that the crowd had jeered, to which Dylan had responded backstage: "I didn't mean to put the guy down in my songs. I just did it for a joke, that's all." In an interview for the BBC in 2001 to mark Dylan's 60th birthday, Donovan acknowledged Dylan as an influence early in his career while distancing himself from "Dylan clone" allegations: The one who really taught us to play and learn all

1260-677: A niche with production for Columbia Records . After spotting The Animals at Newcastle 's Club A-Go-Go, he offered to produce their first single, " Baby Let Me Take You Home ", which reached No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart . Their follow-up 1964 single, " The House of the Rising Sun ", became an international hit. Most had success with Herman's Hermits after being approached by their manager Harvey Lisberg at Derek Everett's suggestion. Their first Most production, " I'm into Something Good ", went to No. 1 in September 1964, beginning

1350-468: A period of low sales. (This is also possible in the United States, or anywhere, with slow but steady sellers; a number of minor hits, especially those that are popular in specific genre, have earned gold certifications despite relatively poor pop chart performances.) In the UK, the number of sales required to achieve a hit single steadily declined in line with a general decline in single sales until

1440-399: A regimental sergeant-major, he moved with his parents to Harrow , Middlesex in 1951. He was influenced by skiffle and early rock and roll in his youth. Leaving school at 15, he worked as a singing waiter at London's The 2i's Coffee Bar where he made friends with future business partner Peter Grant , and formed a singing duo with Alex Wharton (aka Alex Murray) who billed themselves as

1530-471: A run of single and album sales (ten million over 12 months), the group for a time challenging The Beatles in popularity in the United States. His down-to-earth handling of the band, his business acumen and knack for selecting hit singles, established Most as one of the most successful producers in Britain and kept him in demand throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In July 1964, Most scored another top 10 hit with

1620-571: A silent partner in the gestation of many of Donovan's songs from the era, with the singer later acknowledging that Phillips primarily composed " Season of the Witch ". Several songs including the title track had a harder edge. The driving, jazzy "The Trip", named after a Los Angeles club name, chronicled an LSD trip during his time in L.A. and is loaded with references to his sojourn on the West Coast, and names Dylan and Baez. The third "heavy" song

1710-646: A split with Donovan in late 1969. Most and Donovan reunited in 1973 for the album Cosmic Wheels on which Most was credited under his real name, Michael Peter Hayes. Despite these setbacks, Most set up his own production office at 155 Oxford Street, sharing it with his business partner Peter Grant . It was through Most's association that Grant was asked to manage The Yardbirds. In 1968, Most and Grant set up RAK Management, but Grant's involvement with The New Yardbirds, which soon evolved into Led Zeppelin , meant Most had control in late 1969. RAK Records and RAK Music Publishing were launched in 1969. RAK Music Publishing has

1800-402: Is Blue " and " Hi Ho Silver Lining " and the Jeff Beck Group albums Truth and Beck-Ola . By 1967, after commercial and critical failure of The Yardbirds album Little Games , he decided to steer clear of rock groups. The Yardbirds objected to his insistence that every song be cut to three minutes and that albums were an afterthought following the singles. His focused approach also led to

1890-433: Is a Mountain", "Jennifer Juniper" and "Laléna", as well as rerecorded versions of " Colours " and "Catch The Wind" (which had been unavailable to Epic because of Donovan's contractual problems) and stereo versions of "Sunshine Superman" (previously unissued full length version) and "Season of the Witch". It became the most successful album of his career; it reached 4 in the US, became a million-selling gold record, and stayed on

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1980-574: Is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965, and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles and albums during the late 1960s. His work became emblematic of the flower power era with its blend of folk , pop , psychedelica , and jazz stylings. Donovan first achieved recognition with live performances on the pop TV series Ready Steady Go! in 1965. Having signed with Pye Records that year, he recorded singles and two albums in

2070-546: Is a Warm Gun " and " Look at Me ", and McCartney with " Blackbird " and " Mother Nature's Son ". Donovan's next single, in May 1968, was the psychedelic " Hurdy Gurdy Man ". The liner notes from EMI's reissues say the song was intended for Mac MacLeod, who had a heavy rock band called Hurdy Gurdy . After hearing MacLeod's version, Donovan considered giving it to Jimi Hendrix , but when Most heard it, he convinced Donovan to record it himself. Donovan tried to get Hendrix to play, but he

2160-458: Is the undercurrent In D. A. Pennebaker 's film Dont Look Back documenting Dylan's tour. Near the start of the film, Dylan opens a newspaper and exclaims, "Donovan? Who is this Donovan?" and Alan Price from The Animals spurred the rivalry on by telling Dylan that Donovan is a better guitar player, but that he had only been around for three months. Throughout the film Donovan's name is seen next to Dylan's on newspaper headlines and on posters in

2250-516: Is thought to be referenced indirectly in some of his lyrics. Public attention was drawn to his marijuana use by the TV documentary A Boy Called Donovan in early 1966, which showed the singer and friends smoking cannabis at a party thrown by the film crew. Donovan's arrest proved to be the first in a long series involving the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In early 1967, Donovan was subject of an exposé in

2340-721: The Mellow Yellow LP (not released in the UK), which reached No. 14 in the US album charts, plus a non-album single, " Epistle to Dippy ", a Top 20 hit in the US. Written as an open letter to a school friend, the song had a pacifist message as well as psychedelic imagery. The real "Dippy" was in the British Army in Malaysia. According to Brian Hogg, who wrote the liner notes for the Donovan boxed set Troubadour , Dippy heard

2430-456: The Mellow Yellow LP, and reached 20 in the US, despite containing two earlier hits, the title track and "Jennifer Juniper". After another US tour in the autumn he collaborated with Paul McCartney, who was producing Postcard , the debut LP by Welsh singer Mary Hopkin . Hopkin covered three Donovan songs: "Lord Of The Reedy River", "Happiness Runs" and "Voyage of the Moon". McCartney returned

2520-594: The News of the World . According to Donovan, the article was based on an interview by an ex-girlfriend of his friend Gypsy Dave. The article was the first in a three-part series, Drugs & Pop Stars – Facts That Will Shock You. It was quickly shown some claims were false. A News of the World reporter claimed to have spent an evening with Mick Jagger , who allegedly discussed his drug use and offered drugs to companions. He had mistaken Brian Jones for Jagger, and Jagger sued

2610-751: The Sunshine Superman album features instruments including acoustic bass, sitar , saxophone, tablas and congas, harpsichord, strings and oboe. Highlights include the swinging " The Fat Angel ", which Donovan's book confirms was written for Cass Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas . The song is notable for naming the Jefferson Airplane before they became known internationally and before Grace Slick joined. Other tracks include "Bert's Blues" (a tribute to Bert Jansch ), "Guinevere", and "Legend of

2700-530: The Gus Van Sant film, To Die For . Because of earlier contractual problems, the UK version of Sunshine Superman LP was not released for another nine months. This was a compilation of tracks from the US albums Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow . Donovan did not choose the tracks. On 24 October 1966, Epic released the single " Mellow Yellow ", arranged by John Paul Jones and purportedly featuring Paul McCartney on backing vocals, but not in

2790-611: The Stones to the Beatles were copying note for note, lick for lick, all the American pop and blues artists – this is the way young artists learn. There's no shame in mimicking a hero or two – it flexes the creative muscles and tones the quality of our composition and technique. It was not only Dylan who influenced us – for me he was a spearhead into protest, and we all had a go at his style. I sounded like him for five minutes – others made

Mickie Most - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-654: The "Barabajagal" album reached 23 in the US. Only the recent "Barabajagal"/"Trudi" single and "Superlungs My Supergirl" were 1969 recordings, the remaining tracks were from sessions in London in May 1968 and in Los Angeles in November 1968. In the late 1960s to the early 1970s he lived at Stein , on the Isle of Skye, where he and a group of followers formed a commune and where he was visited by George Harrison . He named his daughter, born 1970, Ione Skye. In late 1969,

2970-709: The 1969 Eurovision Song Contest ), "Me the Peaceful Heart", and "I'm a Tiger". Most also produced the final studio single of the 1960s by The Seekers , "Days of My Life", in 1968, and Nancy Sinatra 's "The Highway Song" in 1969. Additionally in the 1960s, Most signed and produced artists such as singer-guitarist Terry Reid , and all-girl rock band The She Trinity . Most's productions were backed by London-based session musicians including Big Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass guitar and arrangements , Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Bobby Graham on drums. He produced Jeff Beck 's hits " Love

3060-478: The 1970s, Most also produced hits for New World , Duncan Browne , Cozy Powell , Tam White , Kandidate , and Racey , as well as Chris Spedding 's self-titled 1976 album, which was Spedding's fifth solo record. He also produced "We Vibrate", the first 45 by punk band The Vibrators . In 1980, Most discovered Kim Wilde , who was doing backing vocals for her father Marty Wilde at a Luton recording session. After hearing her, Most signed Wilde who immediately scored

3150-888: The Beatles ). Klein in turn introduced Donovan to producer Mickie Most , who had chart-topping productions with the Animals , Lulu , and Herman's Hermits . Most produced all Donovan's recordings during this period, although Donovan said in his autobiography that some recordings were self-produced, with little input from Most. Their collaboration produced successful singles and albums, recorded with London session players including Big Jim Sullivan , Jack Bruce , Danny Thompson , and future Led Zeppelin members John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page . Many of Donovan's late 1960s recordings featured musicians including his key musical collaborator John Cameron on piano, Danny Thompson (from Pentangle ) or Spike Heatley on upright bass, Tony Carr on drums and congas and Harold McNair on saxophone and flute. Carr's conga style and McNair's flute playing are

3240-500: The Billboard album chart for more than a year. On 26 June 1969 the track " Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) " (recorded May 1969), which gained him a following on the rave scene decades later, was released, reaching 12 in the UK but charting less strongly in the US. This time he was backed by the original Jeff Beck Group, featuring Beck on lead guitar, Ronnie Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Micky Waller on drums. The Beck group

3330-567: The Byrds . The LP sessions were completed in May, and " Sunshine Superman " was released in the US as a single in June. It was a success, selling 800,000 in six weeks and reaching No. 1. It went on to sell over one million, and was awarded a gold disc . The LP followed in August, preceded by orders of 250,000 copies, reached No. 11 on the US album chart and sold over half a million. The US version of

3420-565: The Grateful Dead . He was entering his most creative phase as a songwriter and recording artist, working with Mickie Most and with arranger, musician, and jazz fan John Cameron . Their first collaboration was Sunshine Superman , one of the first psychedelic pop records. Donovan's rise stalled in December 1965 when Billboard broke news of the impending production deal between Klein, Most, and Donovan, and then reported that Donovan

3510-553: The Heritage Foundation/Musical Heritage, was unveiled at RAK Studios on 16 May 2004. The lunch and auction that followed raised £40,000 for research into mesothelioma. Hit single Prior to the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released The Little Lost Child , which sold more than

3600-583: The Maharishi in Rishikesh , a topic discussed in a two-part interview for the first two issues of Rolling Stone . In late 1967 Donovan contributed two songs to the Ken Loach film Poor Cow . "Be Not Too Hard" was a musical setting of Christopher Logue 's poem September Song , and was later recorded by such artists as Joan Baez and Shusha Guppy . The title track, originally entitled "Poor Love",

3690-449: The Man", a song later reworked and retitled as "Happiness Runs". In the summer of 1968, Donovan worked on a second LP of children's songs, released in 1971 as the double album, HMS Donovan . In September, Epic released a single, " Laléna ", a subdued acoustic ballad which reached the low 30s in the US. The album The Hurdy Gurdy Man followed (not released in the UK), continuing the style of

Mickie Most - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-743: The Most Brothers. They recorded the single "Takes A Whole Lotta Loving to Keep My Baby Happy" with Decca Records before disbanding. Wharton later went on to produce the Moody Blues single " Go Now ". After changing his name to Mickie Most in 1959, he travelled to South Africa with his wife Christina, and formed a pop group, Mickie Most and His Playboys. The band had eleven consecutive No. 1 singles there, mostly with cover versions of Ray Peterson , Gene Vincent , Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran songs. Returning to London in 1962, Most appeared on package tours as well as recording "Mister Porter",

3870-803: The Nashville Teens ' remake of the John D. Loudermilk song " Tobacco Road ". In September 1964, with Most at the control board, Brenda Lee recorded " Is It True " and " What'd I Say ". "Is It True" was released in England and later in the US, and it became a hit and a gold record . "What'd I Say" became another hit throughout Europe but was never released in the US. Most had equal success with other artists for whom he produced chart-topping albums and singles between 1964 and 1969, notably Donovan with " Sunshine Superman ", " Mellow Yellow ", " Jennifer Juniper ", and Lulu 's hits " To Sir, with Love ", " The Boat That I Row ", " Boom Bang-a-Bang " (which finished equal first in

3960-702: The UK, and Sunshine Superman was issued in a different form in each country. Several tracks on his late 1960s Epic (US) LPs were not released in the UK for many years. The legal dispute continued into early 1966. During the hiatus, Donovan holidayed in Greece, where he wrote "Writer in the Sun", inspired by rumours that his recording career was over. He toured the US and appeared on episode 23 of Pete Seeger 's television show Rainbow Quest in 1966 with Shawn Phillips and Rev. Gary Davis . After his return to London, he developed his friendship with Paul McCartney and contributed

4050-515: The US on 14 June 2005, MacLeod said: "The press were fond of calling Donovan a Dylan clone as they had both been influenced by the same sources: Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jesse Fuller , Woody Guthrie, and many more." While recording the demo, Donovan befriended Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones , who was recording nearby. He had recently met Jones' ex-girlfriend, Linda Lawrence , who is the mother of Jones' son, Julian Brian (Jones) Leitch. The on-off romantic relationship that developed over five years

4140-579: The World reporters were passing information to the police. In the late 1990s, The Guardian said News of the World reporters had alerted police to the party at Keith Richards 's home, which was raided on 12 February 1967. Although Donovan's was not as sensational as the later arrests of Jagger and Richards, he was refused entry to the US until late 1967. He could not appear at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June that year. In July 1967, Epic released " There Is

4230-492: The acts performing on the show. He was a producer of Revolver , a TV programme devoted to punk rock which was at odds with his 'studio factory' approach to pop music. RAK sold out to EMI in 1983 but was revived in 1988. Most was one of the first producers to own the rights to his own records and RAK Studios , which opened in 1976 in St John's Wood, remains active. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1981 when he

4320-633: The backdrop to a violent scene in Martin Scorsese 's 1990 film GoodFellas . "Atlantis" was revived in 2000 for an episode of Futurama titled "The Deep South" (2ACV12) which aired on 16 April that year. For this episode Donovan recorded a satirical version of the song describing the Lost City of Atlanta which featured in the episode. In March 1969 (too soon to include "Atlantis"), Epic and Pye released Donovan's Greatest Hits , which included four previous singles – "Epistle To Dippy", "There

4410-517: The background, and Dylan and his friends refer to him consistently. Donovan finally appears in the second half of the film, along with Derroll Adams , in Dylan's suite at the Savoy Hotel despite Donovan's management refusing to allow journalists to be present, saying they did not want "any stunt on the lines of the disciple meeting the messiah". According to Pennebaker, Dylan told him not to film

4500-563: The chorus. In his autobiography Donovan explained "electrical banana" was a reference to a "yellow-coloured vibrator". The song became Donovan's signature tune in the US and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the Cash Box chart, and earned a gold record award for sales of more than one million in the US. Through the first half of 1967, Donovan worked on a double-album studio project, which he produced. In January he gave

4590-416: The copyright of such classic popular songs as " You Sexy Thing " composed by Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown and a half interest in the song " I Love Rock 'n' Roll " written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of the band Arrows . With RAK Records, Most's success continued with folk singer Julie Felix 's charting cover of Simon & Garfunkel 's " El Condor Pasa ". Felix was the first artist signed to

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4680-405: The early 2000s. The number has, however, recovered strongly with growth in official digital downloads . 2011 was a record year for UK singles sales. Actual figures vary considerably depending on the time of year. In 2010 a number one single usually sold around 100,000 copies per week; sales of around 30,000 were often sufficient to reach the top ten, and a single selling over 6,000 copies could make

4770-413: The encounter, and Donovan played a song that sounded just like " Mr. Tambourine Man " but with different words. When confronted with lifting his tune, Donovan said that he thought it was an old folk song. Once the camera rolled, Donovan plays his song "To Sing For You" and then asks Dylan to play " Baby Blue ". Dylan later told Melody Maker : "He played some songs to me. ... I like him. ... He's

4860-490: The fame and into the new life, regardless of the result? Donovan's plan for Open Road was to tour the world for a year, beginning with a boat voyage around the Aegean Sea , documented in the 1970 film There is an Ocean . This was partially on the advice from his management to go into tax exile , during which he was not to set foot in the UK until April 1971, but after touring to France, Italy, Russia, and Japan, he cut

4950-525: The favour by playing tambourine and singing backing vocals on Donovan's next single, " Atlantis ", which was released in the UK (with "I Love My Shirt" as the B-side) in late November and reached 23. Early in 1969, the comedy film If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium featured music by Donovan; the title tune was written by him and sung by J. P. Rags, and he also performed "Lord of the Reedy River" in

5040-528: The film as a singer at a youth hostel. On 20 January, Epic released the single, "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting", with " Atlantis " as the B-side. The A-side, a gentle calypso -styled song, contained another anti-war message, and became a moderate Top 40 US hit. However, when DJs in America and Australia flipped it and began playing "Atlantis", that became a hit. The gentle "Atlantis" later formed

5130-562: The folk vein for Hickory Records , scoring three UK hit singles : " Catch the Wind ", " Colours " and " Universal Soldier ", the last written by Buffy Sainte-Marie . He then signed to CBS/Epic in the US and became more successful internationally, beginning a long collaboration with British record producer Mickie Most . In September 1966, " Sunshine Superman " topped America's Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week and went to No. 2 in Britain, followed by " Mellow Yellow " at US No. 2 in December 1966, then 1968's " Hurdy Gurdy Man " in

5220-524: The guitar, and learning traditional folk and blues. In late 1964, Donovan was offered a management and publishing contract by Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens of Pye Records in London, for which he recorded a 10-track demo tape which included the original of his first single, " Catch the Wind ", and " Josie ". The first song revealed the influence of Woody Guthrie and Ramblin' Jack Elliott , who had also influenced Bob Dylan . Dylan comparisons followed for some time. In an interview with KFOK radio in

5310-486: The label. Most then produced Mary Hopkin 's 1970 hit " Temma Harbour " for Apple Records , followed by her Eurovision Song Contest entry, " Knock, Knock Who's There? ". In 1970, Most approached Suzi Quatro for a recording contract after seeing her on stage at a Detroit dance hall with the band Cradle (which also had Quatro's sisters Arlene, Patti, and Nancy as members), while on a production assignment in Chicago. Quatro

5400-471: The line "sky of blue and sea of green" to " Yellow Submarine ". By spring 1966, the American contract problems had been resolved, and Donovan signed a $ 100,000 deal with Epic Records. Donovan and Most went to CBS Studios in Los Angeles, where they recorded tracks for an LP, much composed during the preceding year. Although folk elements were prominent, the album showed increasing influence of jazz , American west coast psychedelia and folk rock – especially

5490-503: The newspaper for libel. Among other supposed revelations were claims that Donovan and stars including members of The Who , Cream , The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues regularly smoked marijuana, used other drugs, and held parties where the recently banned hallucinogen LSD was used, specifically naming the Who's Pete Townshend and Cream's Ginger Baker . It emerged later that the News of

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5580-570: The original boxed set sold steadily, eventually peaking at 19 in the US album chart and achieving gold record status in the US in early 1970. The psychedelic and mystical overtones were unmistakable – the front cover featured an infra-red photograph by Karl Ferris showing Donovan at Bodiam Castle , dressed in a robe, holding flowers and peacock feathers, while the back photo showed him holding hands with Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . The liner notes included an appeal for young people to give up drugs. His disavowal of drugs came after his time with

5670-511: The presence of all four Beatles as well as Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love , as well as actress Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence (who inspired Lennon to write " Dear Prudence "). According to a 1968 Paul McCartney interview with Radio Luxembourg , it was during this time that Donovan taught Lennon and McCartney finger-picking guitar styles including the clawhammer , which he had learned from Mac MacLeod. Lennon used this technique on songs including " Dear Prudence ", " Julia ", " Happiness

5760-471: The recording of his Anaheim concert in September 1967. The cover featured only a painting by Fleur Cowles (with neither the artist's name nor the title). The album contained two of his big hits and songs which would have been new to the audience. The expanded double CD from 2006 contained "Epistle To Derroll", a tribute to one of his formative influences, Derroll Adams . The album also includes extended group arrangements of "Young Girl Blues" and "The Pebble and

5850-538: The relationship with Most ended after an argument over an unidentified recording session in Los Angeles. In the 1995 BBC Radio 2 The Donovan Story , Most recounted: The only time we ever fell out was in Los Angeles when there was all these, I suppose, big stars of their day, the Stephen Stillses and the Mama Casses, all at the session and nothing was actually being played. Somebody brought some dope into

5940-558: The rise of punk rock . His performing and recording became sporadic until a revival in the 1990s with the emergence of Britain's rave scene and in 1994, he moved permanently to Ireland where he still lives. In 1996 he recorded the album Sutras with producer Rick Rubin and in 2004 made the album Beat Cafe . Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. Donovan

6030-561: The road. Returning to Hatfield , Donovan spent several months playing in local clubs, absorbing the folk scene around his home in St Albans , learning the crosspicking guitar technique from local players such as Mac MacLeod and Mick Softley and writing his first songs. In 1964, he travelled to Manchester with Gypsy Dave , then spent the summer in Torquay , Devon. In Torquay he stayed with Mac MacLeod and took up busking , studying

6120-421: The session and I stopped the session and slung them out. You know you need someone to say, "it's my session, I'm paying for it." We fell out over that. Donovan said he wanted to record with someone else, and he and Most did not work together again until Cosmic Wheels (1973). After the rift, Donovan spent two months writing and recording the album Open Road as a member of the rock trio Open Road . Stripping

6210-610: The session inspired the formation of Led Zeppelin . The heavier sound of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" was an attempt by Most and Donovan to reach a wider audience in the US, where hard-rock groups like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were having an impact. The song became one of Donovan's biggest hits, making the Top 5 in the UK and the US, and the Top 10 in Australia. In July 1968, Epic released Donovan in Concert ,

6300-541: The song, contacted Donovan and left the army. On 9 February 1967, Donovan was among guests invited by the Beatles to Abbey Road Studios for the orchestral overdub for " A Day in the Life ", the finale to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . On 10   June 1966, Donovan became the first high-profile British pop star to be arrested for possession of cannabis . Donovan's drug use was mostly restricted to cannabis, with occasional use of LSD and mescaline . His LSD use

6390-411: The sound of Most's heavy studio productions down to stuff that could be played by a live band, Donovan dubbed the sound " Celtic Rock ". The album peaked at No. 16 in the U.S., the third-highest of any of his full-length releases to date, but as his concert appearances became less frequent and new artists and styles of popular music began to emerge, his commercial success began to decline. Donovan said: I

6480-499: The spring of 1965, the British music press were making comparisons of the two singer-songwriters which they presented as a rivalry. This prompted The Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones to say, We've been watching Donovan too. He isn't too bad a singer but his stuff sounds like Dylan's. His 'Catch The Wind' sounds like 'Chimes of Freedom'. He's got a song, 'Hey Tangerine Eyes' and it sounds like Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man'. Donovan

6570-487: The top 100—since the Official Charts Company increased the chart size on their website on 23 June 2007—lets a single be considered a hit due to the increasing singles market after chart rules included download singles. In most cases, the amount of weeks spent on either music chart may also play a big part in its relevance as a 'hit,' regardless of its peak chart position. A hit single is variously called

6660-559: The top 5 in both countries, and then " Atlantis ", which reached US No. 7 in May 1969. The compilation Donovan's Greatest Hits was released in March 1969 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 . Donovan became a friend of other prominent musicians such as Joan Baez , Brian Jones , and the Beatles . He taught John Lennon a finger-picking guitar style in 1968 that Lennon employed in " Dear Prudence ", " Julia ", " Happiness Is

6750-454: The top forty. Record companies often release collections of hit singles by various artists as compilation albums , such as the Now That's What I Call Music! series. Well-known bands and artists also frequently release collections of their most popular singles as Greatest hits albums. Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan ,

6840-498: The tour short: I travelled to Japan and was set to stay out of the UK for a year and earn the largest fees yet for a solo performer, and all tax-free. At the time the UK tax for us was 98%. During that Japanese tour I had a gentle breakdown, which made me decide to break the tax exile. Millions were at stake. My father, my agent, they pleaded for me not to step onto the BOAC jet bound for London. I did and went back to my little cottage in

6930-587: The traditional songs was Martin Carthy – who incidentally was contacted by Dylan when Bob first came to the UK. Bob was influenced, as all American folk artists are, by the Celtic music of Ireland, Scotland and England. But in 1962 we folk Brits were also being influenced by some folk Blues and the American folk-exponents of our Celtic Heritage ... Dylan appeared after Woody [Guthrie], Pete [Seeger] and Joanie [Baez] had conquered our hearts, and he sounded like

7020-605: The woods. Two days later a young woman came seeking a cottage to rent. It was Linda. The band would continue without Donovan, adding new members, touring and releasing the album Windy Daze in 1971 before disbanding in 1972. After this reunion, Donovan and Linda married on 2 October 1970 at Windsor register office and honeymooned in the Caribbean. Donovan dropped out of the round of tour promotion and concentrated on writing, recording and his family. The largely self-produced children's album HMS Donovan in 1971, went unreleased in

7110-460: Was "Season of the Witch". Recorded with American and British session players, it features Donovan's first recorded performance on electric guitar. The song was covered by Julie Driscoll , Brian Auger and the Trinity on their first LP in 1967, and Al Kooper and Stephen Stills recorded an 11-minute version on the 1968 album, Super Session . Donovan's version is also in the closing sequence of

7200-408: Was a force in Donovan's career. She influenced Donovan's music but refused to marry him and she moved to the United States for several years in the late 1960s. They met by chance in 1970 and married soon after. Donovan had other relationships – one of which resulted in the birth of his first two children, Donovan Leitch and Ione Skye , both of whom became actors. During Bob Dylan's trip to the UK in

7290-554: Was among a growing roster of artists signed to RAK Records which included Alexis Korner 's CCS , Arrows , Smokie (with Chris Norman) (originally spelt Smokey), Hot Chocolate , Angie Miller , Chris Spedding , and Heavy Metal Kids . Hiring the songwriting production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman , RAK scored several British number 1 singles with Suzi Quatro (" Can the Can " and " Devil Gate Drive ") and Mud (" Tiger Feet ", " Lonely This Christmas " and " Oh Boy "). For RAK in

7380-520: Was born on 10 May 1946, in Maryhill , Glasgow to Donald and Winifred (née Phillips) Leitch. His grandmothers were Irish. He contracted polio as a child. The disease and treatment left him with a limp. His family moved to the new town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire , England. Influenced by his family's love of folk music , he began playing the guitar at 14. He enrolled in art school but soon dropped out, to live out his beatnik aspirations by going on

7470-423: Was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. On 30 May 2003, Most died at home aged 64 from possibly peritoneal mesothelioma , a complication of asbestosis . The investigative journalist Paul Foot thought it was probable that he contracted the cancer from ingesting fibres from vinyl tiles impregnated with asbestos, intended to improve soundproofing in recording studios. A blue plaque , to commemorate his life, donated by

7560-473: Was exhausted and looking for roots and new directions. I checked into Morgan Studios in London and stayed a long while creating Open Road and the HMS Donovan sessions. Downstairs was McCartney, doing his solo album. I had left Mickie after great years together. The new decade dawned and I had accomplished everything any young singer-songwriter could achieve. What else was there to do but to experiment beyond

7650-410: Was on tour. Jimmy Page played electric guitar in some studio sessions and is credited with playing on the song. Alternatively, it is credited to Alan Parker . Donovan credits Page and "Allen Hollsworth" (a misspelling of Allan Holdsworth ) as the "guitar wizards" for the song, saying they created "a new kind of metal folk". Since John Bonham and John Paul Jones also played, Donovan said perhaps

7740-474: Was split into halves. The first, Wear Your Love Like Heaven , was for people of his generation who would one day be parents; the second, For Little Ones , was songs Donovan had written for coming generations. Worried it might be a poor seller, Epic boss Clive Davis also insisted the albums be split and sold separately in the US (the "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" album cover was photographed at Bodiam Castle ), but his fears were unfounded – although it took time,

7830-530: Was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at BBC Broadcasting House in London. In 1995, Most's fortune was estimated at £50 million and he appeared in The Sunday Times annual Rich List among the Top 500 in England. His house, Montebello, in Totteridge Lane, London, was claimed to be the largest private home in the UK, worth an estimated £4 million. His production work diminished after he

7920-460: Was the B-side of his next single, " Jennifer Juniper ", which was inspired by Jenny Boyd , sister of George Harrison 's wife, Pattie Boyd and was another top 40 hit in the US. Donovan developed interest in eastern mysticism and claims to have interested the Beatles in transcendental meditation . In early 1968 he was part of the group that traveled to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh . The visit gained worldwide attention thanks to

8010-527: Was to sign with Epic Records in the US. Despite Kozak's denials, Pye Records dropped the single and a contract dispute ensued, because Pye had a US licensing arrangement with Warner Bros. Records . As a result, the UK release of the Sunshine Superman LP was delayed for months, robbing it of the impact it would have had. Another outcome was that the UK and US versions of this and later albums differed – three of his Epic LPs were not released in

8100-600: Was under contract to Most and it was Most's idea to team them with Donovan to bring a heavier sound to Donovan's work, while introducing a lyrical edge to Beck's. On 7 July 1969, Donovan performed at the first show in the second season of free rock concerts in Hyde Park , London, which also featured Blind Faith , Richie Havens , the Edgar Broughton Band and the Third Ear Band . In September 1969,

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