Having
Mickie Most
as producer could be a double-edged sword. On
The Hurdy Gurdy Man
, his over-ambitious nature and scattershot production sense occasionally sabotaged
Donovan
's songs rather than emphasizing their strengths. (The credits shamelessly list "Produced by
Mickie Most"
and "A
Production," right next to each other.) As with the last few LPs, the program began with the hit title track (one of
's best singles), a dim, dark song balancing
psychedelia
with the heavier, earthier
rock
championed during 1968 by
Dylan
and
the Beatles
. Though the next two tracks -- an eerie, trance-like
"Peregrine"
and the endearing acoustic number
"The Entertaining of a Shy Girl"
-- are excellent performances, any sense of mood is soon shattered by a hopelessly overblown music-hall showtune,
"As I Recall It."
This terrible problem of pacing and song placement continually afflicts
, rendering ineffective many solid songs. As for the writing,
certainly wasn't expanding his songbase; as usual, the album overflowed with playful songs on girls (
"West Indian Lady,"
"Jennifer Juniper"
) and pastoral themes (
"The River Song,"
"A Sunny Day,"
"The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow"
). Most of these featured more inventive, sympathetic accompaniment, combined with
's usual spot-on delivery. Despite the great songs and (usually) solid performances, though,
is a very difficult listen. ~ John Bush