The Essential Donovan [2012] in Bloomington, MN

Bearing the same name as the 2004 compilation
The Essential Donovan
and containing every one of that disc's 14 songs, the 2012 double-disc set
-- its release timed to coincide with the singer/songwriter's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- is perhaps better compared to the 1992 box
Troubadour: The Definitive Collection
, another two-CD set that delved deeply into
Donovan
's career.
Troubadour
contained 44 songs and
tops out at 32, yet those 12 songs aren't necessarily missed. All the hits are here, along with a handful of rarities -- cuts that have never shown up on CD in the U.S., including an early mono version of "The Land of Doesn't Have to Be" and two songs, "Sunny Goodge Street" and "Sand and Foam," taken from a 1967 concert at the Anaheim Convention Center, plus "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" -- but what distinguishes this
Essential
from
is that it emphasizes
's psychedelic mod hipster side over his wannabe
Dylan
folkie (the title of
was no accident on the 1992 set) and for audiences that prefer "Mellow Yellow," "Sunshine Superman," "Hurdy Gurdy Man," "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," "Jennifer Juniper," and "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)" to "Catch the Wind," "Colours," and "Universal Soldier," this is the preferable collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine