Sacramento, CA – September 1967-11-19
An excellent audience recording, done on a smuggled-in reel-to-reel recorder! Thanks, Greg. This recording was made about the time of the In Concert LP. Awesome versions of Sunny Goodge Street (the best I’ve ever heard!) and Hampstead Incident.

“May 1968 found him back in the studio recording the tracks which would make up The Hurdy Gurdy Man album with musicians Harold McNair, Danny Thompson, Tony Carr and John Cameron. Once again this would only be available in the USA as despite Donovan’s claims that all the legal wrangling was over there was obviously still a problem somewhere. Before its release a live album of his concert at the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday 23rd September 1967 was made available to fans.

The front cover has a painting called Desert Journey by American author and painter Fleur Cowles which depicts two birds on a stone hovering over a rocky desert landscape. This painting is said to be from her book Tiger Flower. It isn't. The back cover shows Donovan dressed in white beads and kaftan, blowing a flute and carrying a hand drum. The accompanying sleeve notes, which although supposedly hand written by Donovan are allegedly in the hand of sleeve designer Stephen Goldblitt, reveal that this was how Donovan dressed for the concert. There are also some small sketches again supposedly the work of Donovan but more than likely from the pen of Goldblitt.

The music commences with a beautiful version of ISLE OF ISLAY with Donovan on acoustic guitar accompanied only by the occasional tap of Candy John Carr's finger cymbals. YOUNG GIRL BLUES is turned into a wonderfully slow jazz number with some great bass and piano work by unaccredited musicians. It also features Harold McNair whose flute playing is excellent throughout the entire album. The band goes through THERE IS A MOUNTAIN, POOR COW (which is introduced as Poor Love), CELESTE and THE FAT ANGEL before Donovan performs two solo numbers GUINEVERE and WIDOW WITH SHAWL (A PORTRAIT.) While introducing the latter Donovan shows that he still carries a noticeably Scottish accent. PREACHIN' LOVE is given an extended run out which features drum and saxophone solos by Tony Carr and Harold McNair respectively. Harold returns to flute, or "magic stick" as Donovan refers to it in his sleeve notes, for THE LULLABY OF SPRING after which they are joined on stage by the Flower Quartet who provide backing for WRITER IN THE SUN. Donovan performs a new solo number next which he introduces as "a pretty little song which hasn't got a title quite yet." By the time the album came out he had decided to call it THE PEBBLE AND THE MAN. It revolves around a conversation between a man and a tiny pebble he has found on a beach. The man asks the pebble how long it has been there to which the pebble replies that man's time on earth has been but a passing breeze to him. Another new song RULES AND REGULATIONS follows. It is a throw away humorous number with the same beat as MELLOW YELLOW which it runs into to close the album.”

1 Isle of Islay; 2 Young Girl Blues; 3 There is a Mountain; 4 Poor Cow; 5 Sunny Goodge Street; 6 Celeste; 7 Fat Angel; 8 Widow With Shawl (A Portrait); 9 Hampstead Incident; 10 Writer in the Sun; 11 Preachin’ Love; 12 Hey Gyp; 13 Catch the Wind; 14 Candy Man; 15 Tinker and the Crab; 16 Mellow Yellow. 16 tracks (64:42)

Extracted from my Master CD with Adobe Audition 3.0 (so I could examine the wav files.) A few files had their volume boosted by 1-3 decibels. (necessary)

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A note received in 2014 about this show! This is why I love doing Sugarmegs! peter From:Rick M to peter Hi there, In your notes about the Donovan show in Sacramento in 1967 (it was actually November 19, 1967, two days after his Anaheim show and this show was at Freeborn Hall at UC Davis--Davis being a Sacramento suburb), you talk about the smuggled-in tape recorder and say "Thanks Greg". I was there and I swear I hear my then girlfriend's unique chuckling very clearly in various parts of the tape. I'd love to ask this Greg guy where he was sitting, since I remember where we were sitting. I think he must have been very close to us. Thank you so much for making this concert available. Never thought I'd hear that again.