Mellow Yellow (album)

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Mellow Yellow
Donovan-Mellow Yellow.jpg
Studio album by
Donovan
Released10 February 1967
RecordedSeptember – October 1966
Studio Abbey Road Studio, London
Landsowne Studios, London
Genre
Length34:13
Label Epic LN 24239
Producer Mickie Most
Donovan chronology
Sunshine Superman
(1966)		Mellow Yellow
(1967)		 A Gift from a Flower to a Garden
(1967)
Singles from Mellow Yellow
  1. "Mellow Yellow" b/w "Sunny South Kensington"
    Released: February 1966 (US)
  2. "Mellow Yellow" b/w "Preachin' Love"
    Released: October 1966 (UK)

Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in February 1967 (Epic Records LN 24239 (monaural) / BN 26239 (rechanneled stereo), [3] but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman (Pye Records NPL 18181) in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.

Contents

History

The songs on Mellow Yellow represent a transition in Donovan's writing. Donovan's songs had previously illustrated his infatuation with an ability to define the mid-sixties pop music scene. On Mellow Yellow this is still evident in "Sunny South Kensington", "Museum" (originally recorded for the Sunshine Superman album and rerecorded for Mellow Yellow) and the title track, but is also tempered with world-weary observations of that scene ("Young Girl Blues"). The contractual problems that prevented the release of Donovan's music in the UK led him to write such songs as the resigned "Writer in the Sun", where he contemplates the possibility of his own forced retirement from the music industry at the age of 20. [4]

Mickie Most's production and the arrangements of John Paul Jones accommodate these two divergent traits of Donovan's songwriting throughout Mellow Yellow. The peppier songs feature a diverse selection of instruments similar to Sunshine Superman and helped make a top 10 hit out of the title track on both sides of the Atlantic. The introspective ruminations feature sparse instrumentation that highlights Donovan's guitar playing, singing, and lyrics.

On Mellow Yellow, Donovan gave a nod to his friend Bert Jansch on "House of Jansch", marking the third Donovan album in a row that paid tribute to the British folk personage.

John Cameron played blues piano, harpsichord, and undertook arrangements.

Paul McCartney provided background vocals on at least one of the tracks. [5] He is uncredited for his work.

Odell Brown and the Organizers covered "Mellow Yellow" in 1967 on their album by the same title. [6]

Legacy

According to a recent biography ("Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake"), the album was a significant influence on Nick Drake.

The track "Hampstead Incident" was first recorded by Marianne Faithfull as "In The Night Time" on her U.S. album Faithfull Forever released in August 1966.

The track "Museum" was covered by Herman's Hermits on their 1967 album release Blaze .

Reissues

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg Original
AllMusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg Bonus tracks
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Track listing

All tracks by Donovan Leitch. Songs marked with a ‘+’ have been remixed into stereo.

Original album

Side one

  1. "Mellow Yellow" – 3:47
  2. "Writer in the Sun" – 4:33 +
  3. "Sand and Foam" – 3:19
  4. "The Observation" – 2:23
  5. "Bleak City Woman" – 2:24

Side two

  1. "House of Jansch" – 2:43
  2. "Young Girl Blues" – 3:45
  3. "Museum" – 2:54
  4. "Hampstead Incident" – 4:41 +
  5. "Sunny South Kensington" – 3:48 +

2005 EMI CD version

The ten tracks as on the original release plus the following bonus tracks:

  2. "Epistle to Dippy" – 3:11
  3. "Preachin' Love" – 2:40
  4. "Good Time" – 1:54
  5. "There is a Mountain" – 2:36 +
  6. "Superlungs" (second version) – 3:17
  7. "Epistle to Dippy" (alternative arrangement) – 3:13 +
  8. "Sidewalk (The Observation)" (demo) – 2:29
  9. "Writer in the Sun" (demo) – 3:30
  10. "Hampstead Incident" (demo) – 3:52
  11. "Museum" (demo) – 3:49

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Album

YearTitleU.S. Billboard 200 [9] Canada Label
1967Mellow Yellow144 [10] Epic Records BN 26239

Singles

YearTitlesChart positions
Billboard [11] Cashbox [12] CAN [13] AU [14]
1967"Mellow Yellow"
b/w "Sunny South Kensington" (US)
b/w "Preachin' Love" (UK)		2327

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donovan</span> Scottish musician (born 1946)

Donovan Phillips Leitch, known mononymously as Donovan, 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, psychedelic rock, and jazz stylings.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Superman (song)</span> 1966 single by Donovan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellow Yellow</span> 1966 single by Donovan

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<i>A Gift from a Flower to a Garden</i> 1967 studio album by Donovan

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The Hurdy Gurdy Man is the sixth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in North America in October 1968 on Epic Records, but not in the UK due to a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman (1966) and Mellow Yellow (1967) from being released there. A songbook of lead sheets to the album was nonetheless issued in both countries. In Canada the album reached No. 19.

<i>Donovans Greatest Hits</i> 1969 greatest hits album by Donovan

Donovan's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in January 1969 on Epic Records and in the United Kingdom in March 1969 on Pye Records. Donovan's Greatest Hits peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In Canada the album reached No. 2.

<i>Barabajagal</i> 1969 studio album by Donovan

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HMS Donovan is the ninth studio album, and tenth album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It marks the second album of Donovan's children's music, after the For Little Ones portion of A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. HMS Donovan is the second double album of Donovan's career, and was released in the UK only, in July 1971.

<i>Donovans Greatest Hits and More</i> 1989 compilation album by Donovan

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<i>Donovan in Concert</i> 1968 live album by Donovan

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"Laléna" is the title of a composition by Donovan. Billboard described the single as a "beautiful and intriguing original ballad." Cash Box said that "sweet strings accent a hauntingly beautiful folk-flavored ballad which gets stronger with each listen." Record World said that Donovan "uses his reedy voice exquisitely."

John Cameron is a British composer, arranger, conductor and musician. He is well known for his many film, TV and stage credits, and for his contributions to pop recordings, notably those by Donovan, Cilla Black and the group Hot Chocolate. Cameron's instrumental version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", became a hit for his group CCS and, for many years, a version of Cameron's arrangement was used as the theme music for the BBC TV show Top of the Pops.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Segretto, Mike (2022). "1967". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 139. ISBN   9781493064601. ...the songwriter's most graceful selection of baroque folk and rainy jazz...a handsome, sometimes gritty snapshot of pop's most mythical era.
  2. 1 2 Lord, Richard. "Remembering Donovan's Mellow Yellow - singer-songwriter's coming of age". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  3. ↑ John McIver. "Donovan Discography". Sabotage.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Allmusic Mellow Yellow". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Allmusic Mellow Yellow credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Odell Brown and the Organ-izers - Mellow Yellow". Discogs .
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  8. ↑ The Paul McCartney World Tour (booklet). 1989.
  9. ↑ "Top 200 Albums | Billboard 200 chart". Billboard.com.
  10. ↑ "RPM Top 30 Albums - April 8, 1967" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Donovan – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard.com.
  12. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 17, 1966". Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Cash Box magazine.
  13. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 19, 1967" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "Go Set Top 40 01-25-1967" . Retrieved 13 March 2017.
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