The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Encyclopedia
The Hurdy Gurdy Man is the sixth studio album
and seventh album overall from Scottish
singer-songwriter
Donovan
. It was released in the United States
in October 1968 (Epic Records
BN 26420 (stereo)), but was not released in the UK
because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman
and Mellow Yellow
from a UK release. A songbook of lead sheet
s to the album was nonetheless issued in both countries.
. The rest of The Hurdy Gurdy Man was recorded in April 1968, after Donovan visited Rishikesh, India
to study under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
. John Lennon
, Cynthia Lennon
, George Harrison
, Pattie Boyd
, Paul McCartney
, Jane Asher
, Mia Farrow
, Prudence Farrow
, and Mike Love
were there as well. Donovan has since said in concerts that George Harrison wrote a verse for "Hurdy Gurdy Man" when they were in India, but it wasn't recorded for the studio version. On his 1973 live album Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973
and his 1990 live album Rising
, Donovan explains the story and sings the previously omitted verse.
Donovan's songwriting for The Hurdy Gurdy Man centered around drones
on such songs as "Peregrine", "The River Song" and "Tangier" (the later two being compositions by Donovan's good friend Gypsy Dave AKA Gyp Mills
), and pop music
on most of the other tracks. "As I Recall It" continues Donovan's infatuation with jazz
. "Jennifer Juniper
" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" were both released as singles well before the album was released.
The recording sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man are purported to have included future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones. Jimmy Page was in The Yardbirds at the time and was actively looking to rebuild that band. album credits John Bonham for percussion on the song and Clem Cattini as the drummer.
, "A Sunny Day" and "The River Song" were collaborations with David J. Mills but the song "Tangier" was written solely by David J. Mills under its original title of "In Tangier Down a Windy Street".
King Crimson
played "Get Thy Bearings" live in 1969 and 1971. The song was primarily used as a launching pad for extended improvisation. While Boz Burrell kept close to the original words during 1971, Greg Lake took some liberties with the lyrics in 1969.
L.A. Guns
covered "Hurdy Gurdy Man" for the album Rips the Covers Off
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and seventh album overall from Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
. It was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in October 1968 (Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
BN 26420 (stereo)), but was not released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman
Sunshine Superman (album)
Sunshine Superman is the third album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in September 1966. but was not released in the United Kingdom because of a contractual dispute. In June 1967, a compilation of the Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow albums was...
and Mellow Yellow
Mellow Yellow (album)
Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in March 1967 Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in March 1967 Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from...
from a UK release. A songbook of lead sheet
Lead sheet
A lead sheet is a form of music notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics and harmony. The melody is written in modern Western music notation, the lyric is written as text below the staff and the harmony is specified with chord symbols above the...
s to the album was nonetheless issued in both countries.
History
Donovan wrote and recorded much of The Hurdy Gurdy Man in late 1967 not long after recording the songs that would form A Gift from a Flower to a GardenA Gift from a Flower to a Garden
A Gift from a Flower to a Garden is the fifth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan, and marks the first double album of his career and one of the first box sets in rock music...
. The rest of The Hurdy Gurdy Man was recorded in April 1968, after Donovan visited Rishikesh, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to study under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
. John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lillian Lennon is the former wife of musician John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. She grew up in the middle-class section of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Junior Art School, and was later enrolled in the...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Pattie Boyd
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
, Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
, Prudence Farrow
Prudence Farrow
Prudence Anne Villiers Farrow Bruns is an American author, meditation teacher, and film producer. She is the daughter of film director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan, and the younger sister of actress Mia Farrow...
, and Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
were there as well. Donovan has since said in concerts that George Harrison wrote a verse for "Hurdy Gurdy Man" when they were in India, but it wasn't recorded for the studio version. On his 1973 live album Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973
Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973
Live in Japan – Spring Tour 1973 is the twelfth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was only released in Japan in 1973. The album has never been released in either the United States or the United Kingdom.-History:...
and his 1990 live album Rising
Rising (Donovan album)
Rising is the third live album, and twentieth album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released on Permanent Records in 1990 . The live versions of Donovan's hits guaranteed that Rising would receive a release in both the United States and United Kingdom...
, Donovan explains the story and sings the previously omitted verse.
Donovan's songwriting for The Hurdy Gurdy Man centered around drones
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
on such songs as "Peregrine", "The River Song" and "Tangier" (the later two being compositions by Donovan's good friend Gypsy Dave AKA Gyp Mills
Gyp Mills
Gyp Mills is a sculptor and songwriter. He was first in the public eye as the companion to the singer-songwriter, Donovan. He was also a well known sculptor with studios in Greece and Thailand.-Early years:From London Mills' family moved to Hertfordshire...
), and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
on most of the other tracks. "As I Recall It" continues Donovan's infatuation with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. "Jennifer Juniper
Jennifer Juniper
"Jennifer Juniper" is a song and single by Donovan, released in 1968. It charted in the UK and USA. It was written about Jenny Boyd, sister of Pattie Boyd, while they were all with The Beatles in Rishikesh. She married Mick Fleetwood and was, at one time, the sister-in-law of George Harrison and,...
" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" were both released as singles well before the album was released.
The recording sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man are purported to have included future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones. Jimmy Page was in The Yardbirds at the time and was actively looking to rebuild that band. album credits John Bonham for percussion on the song and Clem Cattini as the drummer.
Reissues
- On October 25, 1990, Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
reissued The Hurdy Gurdy Man (Epic 26420) on compact discCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in the U.S.. - On October 24, 1994, EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
released Four Donovan Originals (EMI 7243 8 30867 2 6) in the UK. Four Donovan Originals is a compact discCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
box set containing four Donovan albums that were not previously released in the UK. The Hurdy Gurdy Man is disc three of that set. - On May 24, 2005, EMI reissued The Hurdy Gurdy Man (EMI 8735682) on compact disc in the UK with seven bonus tracks.
- The last verse of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" written by George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
is: "When the truth gets buried deep, beneath a thousand years of sleep, time demands a turn around, and once again the truth is found".
Original album (U.S.) on LP
All tracks credited to Donovan Leitch. According to BMIBroadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
, "A Sunny Day" and "The River Song" were collaborations with David J. Mills but the song "Tangier" was written solely by David J. Mills under its original title of "In Tangier Down a Windy Street".
Side one
- "Hurdy Gurdy Man" – 3:13
- "Peregrine" – 3:34
- "The Entertaining of a Shy Girl" – 1:39
- "As I Recall It" – 2:06
- "Get Thy Bearings" – 2:47
- "Hi It's Been a Long Time" – 2:32
- "West Indian Lady" – 2:15
Side two
- "Jennifer JuniperJennifer Juniper"Jennifer Juniper" is a song and single by Donovan, released in 1968. It charted in the UK and USA. It was written about Jenny Boyd, sister of Pattie Boyd, while they were all with The Beatles in Rishikesh. She married Mick Fleetwood and was, at one time, the sister-in-law of George Harrison and,...
" – 2:40 - "The River Song" – 2:14
- "Tangier" – 4:10
- "A Sunny Day" – 1:52
- "The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow" – 3:31
- "Teas" – 2:29
2005 CD (EMI, UK) bonus tracks
All tracks by Donovan Leitch.- "Teen Angel"
- "Poor Cow"
- "LalénaLaleñaLaléna is the title of a composition by Donovan for whom it was a Top 40 single in the autumn of 1968 reaching #33 on the Hot 100 in Billboard....
" - "Aye My Love"
- "What a Beautiful Creature You Are" (duet with LuluLulu (singer)Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
) - "Colours"
- "Catch the Wind"
Cover versions
American rock band The Butthole Surfers recorded a version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" on their 1991 album Pioughd.King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
played "Get Thy Bearings" live in 1969 and 1971. The song was primarily used as a launching pad for extended improvisation. While Boz Burrell kept close to the original words during 1971, Greg Lake took some liberties with the lyrics in 1969.
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
covered "Hurdy Gurdy Man" for the album Rips the Covers Off
Rips the Covers Off
Rips the Covers Off, some copies of which are titled Rips Off the Covers, is an album by Phil Lewis's version of L.A. Guns, their first with guitarist Stacey Blades....
.