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Dylan e Donovan.
Purtroppo sembra impossibile parlare di Donovan senza citare quello che fu il suo grande rivale Bob Dylan. Le case discografiche lo sapevano bene che le rivalità tirano, e quando questo giovane cantautore britannico si affacciò sulla scena musicale negli ormai lontani anni ‘60, si sprecarono i commenti sulle similitudini vere o presunte tra il Nostro e il Freewheelin': un autentico coltello a doppio taglio, che attirò i fan del già famoso Bob ma anche i giudizi impietosi della critica.
Ma seppure i due avessero come fonte di ispirazione gli stessi artisti (Woody Guthrie, Jack Elliot), le loro personalità musicali erano ben differenti e questo sarebbe divenuto manifesto da li a poco. Infatti, mentre nel ‘65 Dylan abbandonava le sonorità acustiche che lo avevano caratterizzato sin dall'esordio per approdare al blues, Donovan iniziava una fase di sperimentazione che gli permise di spaziare dalla psichedelia, allo psych blues, al pop di matrice british, in pratica tutti i generi che imperversavano in quell'epoca. Una sorta di onniscente supereroe musicale, con le mutande sotto al costume e delle folte basettone. "Sunshine Superman", che è anche il titolo del suo maggiore successo.
Quest'album è un piccolo capolavoro di completezza, che alterna elementi lisergici (che ne risultano essere gli episodi migliori) come la title track, "The Trip" e la splendida "Season of the Witch", a brani più blues ("Bert's Blues"), a pezzi di matrice chiaramente folk ("Celeste", "Ferris Wheel", "Guiniver") e addirittura a sonorità raga ("Three Kingfishers").
Con quest'opera Donovan dimostrò di non essere un semplice clone del ben più famoso Dylan, bensì un artista a sé stante, ispirato e lontano dalle facili emulazioni.
Album stra-consigliato.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Sunshine Superman (03:22)
Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could've tripped out easy a-but I've a-changed my ways
It'll take time, I know it but in a while
You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine
I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find
Everybody's hustlin' just to have a little scene
When I say we'll be cool I think that you know what I mean
We stood on a beach at sunset, do you remember when?
I know a beach where, baby, a-it never ends
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine
I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yeah!
A you-you-you can just sit there a-thinking on your velvet throne
'bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine
I'll pick up your hand
I'll pick up your hand
03 Three King Fishers (03:22)
From the album sunshine superman
Twelve king fisher birds shall you have
Dive and swim in the ripples of your laugh.
Oh, I dreamed you were a Jewel
Sitting on golden crown oh my head, my head, my head.
Look at the tiny oceans in-my hand
Waves of liquid colours touch the sand.
Oh, I dreamed you were a jewel
Sitting on golden crown on my head, my head, my head.
06 Season of the Witch (05:00)
When I look out my window
Many sights to see
And when I look in my window
So many different people to be
That it's strange
So strange
You got to pick up every stitch
You got to pick up every stitch
You got to pick up every stitch
Mmmm, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch
When I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see?
Some other cat lookin' over
His shoulder at me
And he's strange
Sure is strange
You got to pick up every stich
You got to pick up every stitch, yeah
Beatnicks are out to make it rich
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch
You got to pick up every stitch
Two rabbits runnin' in the ditch
Beatnicks out to make it rich
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
When I go
When I look out my window
What do you think I see?
And when I look in my window
So many different people to be
It's strange
Sure is strange
You got to pick up every stitch
You got to pick up every stitch
Two rabbits runnin' in the ditch
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch
When I go
When I go
07 The Trip (04:41)
From the album sunshine superman
We was a-d-d-d-drivin' d-downtown L.A.,
About a-midnight hour
And it almost b-b-blew my mind,
I got caught in a coloured shower.
All those lights were t-t-twinkling on Sunset,
I saw a sign in the sky
It said, "T-t-t-trip a t-trip, I trip, trip,"
I couldn't keep up up if I tried.
Ah, we stepped down to reality company
To get some instant sleep
And the driver turned, I said, "Welcome back"
He smiled and he said, "Beep beep".
What goes on ? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
What goes on all around me,
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
When in should come-a my dream woman,
She got sequins in her hair,
Like she stepped out off of a Fellini film,
She sat in a white straw chair
But I thought I'd take a second look
Just to see what I could see
And my scene had popped out like a bubble does,
There was nobody there but me.
I said, "Girl, you drank a lot of drink-me,
But you ain't in a Wonderland
You know I might-a be there to greet you, child,
When your trippin' ship touches sand."
What goes on ? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
What goes on ? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
A silver goblet of wine is-a to be
Held in a bejewelled glove
And her knights they toast the tournament,
The falcons they fly above.
And the queen will a drink of the dew tonight
But the jester she cries alone,
Because Merlin he spoke of an instant spell
To make the devil's white knights moan
And-a all in all, the seagull said,
"As I look to where I've been,
The whole wide human race
Has a-taken far too much Methedrine".
What goes on ? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
What goes on ? So near
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
Yeah well, come on.
We sat in a velvet jewel case
With sparkles everywhere,
And Julian he sat on a diamond ring
And-a talked of the days gone by.
We spoke of a common kaleidoscope
And the pros and the cons of Zen
And he spoke and-a said for a piece of cake
He really did have a yen.
Bobby Dylan he sat "the Mad Hatter",
A broken hour glass in his hand,
And-a Joannie sat in a white lace
Looking cool with a black lace fan.
What goes on ? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
What goes on ? Yes please tell me.
What goes on ? I really wanna know.
08 Guinevere (03:47)
From the album sunshine superman
Guinevere of the royal court of Arthur
Draped in white velvet, silk and lace.
The rustle of her gown on the marble staircase,
Sparkles on fingers, slender and pale.
The jester he sleeps but the raven he peeps
Through the dark foreboding skies of the royal domain.
Maroon-coloured wine from the vineyards of Charlemagne
Is sipped by the queen's lips and so gently
Indigo eyes in the flickering candlelight,
Such is the silence o'er royal Camelot.
The jester he sleeps but the raven he peeps
Through the dark foreboding skies of the royal domain.
Guinevere of the royal court of Arthur
Draped in white velvet, silk and lace.
The rustle of her gown on the marble staircase,
Sparkles on her fingers both slender and pale.
The jester he sleeps but the raven he peeps
Through the dark foreboding skies of the royal domain.
09 The Fat Angel (04:17)
From the album sunshine superman
He will bring happiness in a pipe,
He'll ride away on his silver bike
And apart from that he'll be so kind
In consenting to blow your mind.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
He will bring orchids for my lady,
The perfume will be of an excellent style
And apart from that he'll be so kind
In consenting to blow your mind.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
He will bring happiness in a pipe,
He'll-a ride away on his silver bike
And apart from that he'll be so kind
In consenting to blow your mind.
Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time.
Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time.
He will bring happiness in a pipe,
He'll ride away on his silver bike
And apart from that he'll be so kind
In consenting to blow your mind.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
We'll be flying at an altitude of thirty-nine thousand feet
Captain High at your service.
10 Celeste (04:08)
Here I stand acting like a silly clown would,
I don't know why Would anybody like to try
The changes I'm going through ?
A hidden lie would fortify
Something that don't exist
But it ain't so bad, I'm just a lad,
So many more things to do,
I intend to come right through them all with you.
My songs are merely dreams visiting my mind
We talk a while by a crooked stile,
You're lucky to catch a few.
There's no magic wand in a perfumed hand,
It's a pleasure to be true.
In my crystal halls a feather falls
Being beautiful just for you
But that might not be quite true, that's up to you.
Dawn crept in unseen to find me still awake
A strange young girl sang her songs for me
And left 'fore the day was born.
That dark princess with saddening jest
She lowered her eyes of woe,
And I felt her sigh, I wouldn't like to try
The changes she's going through
But I hope love comes right through them all with you.
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