Dispatches From Beardsville: It was 43 years ago today… that Britain got its Dylan (or “It’s a Donovan Anniversary”)

donovan Dispatches From Beardsville: It was 43 years ago today... that Britain got its Dylan (or Its a Donovan Anniversary) On this very day in 1965, Pye Records announced to the world (or at least to anyone who was listening) that they’d signed ‘the British Bob Dylan’. Which reedy-voiced acoustic bard was to step up and doff a cap? Of course, it was folk legend Donovan.
Donovan came to fame pretty quickly as Britain was ready to have a Dylan of its own. A series of live performances on Ready Steady Go! saw his popularity grow and ultimately spread to the US. Now he was taking on Dylan on his own turf. A few number ones later proved that Donovan was more than ready to take a pop at the crown of folk.

Being chums with Joan Baez, Brian Jones and a certain Lennon and McCartney, Donovan’s influence reached further than people just ripping off his records. How so? How about teaching the Beatles how to finger-pick, which then cropped up weeks later on The White Album with tracks like “Dear Prudence”, “Blackbird” and “Julia”?
In an interview with KFOK radio in the US, the radio jock said “the press were fond of calling Donovan a ‘Dylan Clone’ as they had both been influenced by the same sources: Ramblin’ Jack, Jesse Fuller, Woody Guthrie, and many more.” Although a ten-track demo tape recently discovered that our Donovan was digging Muddy Waters, Leadbelly, Billie Holiday, Ramblin’ Jack and Woodie Guthrie around the same time Zimmerman was. So no-one got copied ‘cept the original folk trailblazers.
From being dismissed as a Nutrasweet Dylan, Donovan went and showed everyone jus’ how good he was. He veered from folk, to mod, to beat, to pop, to jazz, to… whatever he damn well pleased. In all honesty, there’s around 5 years when Donovan didn’t release a bad record. You wanna list?
“Catch the Wind”, “Colours”, “Sunshine Superman”, “Mellow Yellow”, “Epistle to Dippy”, “There is a Mountain”, “Wear Your Love Like Heaven”, “Jennifer Juniper”, “The Hurdy Gurdy Man” and “Laleña”. And I’ve purposefully missed a load out in an attempt to get you, dear reader, confessing your fave Donovan track. For the record, “Sunny Goodge Street” is mine, closely followed by “Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)”.
Basically, for all the great pop hits, the great protest songs, the shifts in style, the chest beating, the influencing The Beatles, this article serves to only highlight how great Donovan is. Time for a reappraisal I think. Go and buy loads of Donovan LPs from the 60s. You won’t regret it.