Fairytale

Fairytale
Studio album by Donovan
Released	October 22, 1965 November 1965 (USA)
Recorded	Sep 1965, Peer Music, Denmark Street, London
Genre	Folk music
Length	35:17
Label	Pye NPL 18128 Hickory LPM 127 (USA)
Producer	Peter Eden, Geoff Stephens and Terry Kennedy
Professional reviews
Allmusic Original album Allmusic 2002 reissue Allmusic 2005 reissue Amazon.com 2002 reissue Amazon.com 2005 reissue
Donovan chronology
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid (1965) Fairytale (1965) Sunshine Superman (1966)
Singles from Fairytale
"Colours" b/w "To Sing for You" Released: UK "Colours" b/w "Josie" Released: USA "To Try for the Sun" b/w "Turquoise" Released: USA

Fairytale is the second album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1965 through Pye Records (catalog number NPL 18128). The U.S. version of Fairytale was released by Hickory Records (catalog number LPM 127 [monaural] / LPS 127 [stereo]) in November 1965 with a slightly different set of songs. Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens produced the album.

History

Fairytale finds Donovan evolving his styles further towards British folk, especially on songs such as "Summer Day Reflection Song" and "Jersey Thursday". "Sunny Goodge Street" foreshadows the jazzy feel and descriptions of life in urban London that Donovan would continue to explore over the next two years. Like his previous album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid, Fairytale primarily features Donovan singing and playing mouth harp and acoustic guitar. Shawn Phillips is playing the extra twelve-string guitar.

For release in the United States, Hickory Records added a cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier" and removed a cover of Bert Jansch's "Oh Deed I Do". Donovan's recording of "Universal Soldier" was released in the U.S. as a single the previous September, and was achieving some chart success.

Reissues

• In January 1969, Fairytale was reissued in an edited form (Marble Arch Records MAL 867) in the UK. "Colours" and "The Little Tin Soldier" were both removed from the album.

• In February 1991, Castle Records reissued the UK version of Fairytale on compact disc (Castle CLACD226) in the UK.

• In 1996, Sequel Records reissued the U.S. version of Fairytale on compact disc (Sequel 1004-2) in the U.S.. The CD features 7 bonus tracks. The first bonus track is a cover of Bert Jansch's "Oh Deed I Do". On the original U.S. version of Fairytale "Oh Deed I Do" was cut and a cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier" was added. The next three songs ("Do You Hear Me Now", "The War Drags On", "The Ballad of a Crystal Man") are from Donovan's 1965 EP Universal Soldier. "Turquoise" and "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" were originally released as Donovan's third UK single on October 30, 1965. The last bonus track is the single version of "Colours".

• On February 19, 2002, Sanctuary Records reissued the original UK version of Fairytale on compact disc. The CD features 6 bonus tracks. The first four bonus tracks were originally released August 15, 1965 in the UK on Donovan's Universal Soldier EP. That EP featured a different take of "The Ballad of a Crystal Man". The last two bonus tracks are both sides of Donovan's third single "Turquoise" / "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" released October 30, 1965 in the UK.

• On February 22, 2005, Silverline Records reissued the original UK version of Fairytale on DualDisc. The DualDisc has an identical track listing to the 2002 Sanctuary Records reissue.

Track listing

Original album (UK)

Side 1

1. "Colours" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:11
2. "To Try for the Sun" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:36
3. "Sunny Goodge Street" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:55
4. "Oh Deed I Do" (Bert Jansch) – 2:00
5. "Circus of Sour" (Paul Bernath) – 1:50
6. "Summer Day Reflection Song" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:11

Side 2

1. "Candy Man" (traditional; arranged by Donovan Leitch) – 3:25
2. "Jersey Thursday" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:13
3. "Belated Forgiveness Plea" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:54
4. "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:50
5. "The Little Tin Soldier" (Shawn Phillips) – 3:02
6. "The Ballad of Geraldine" (Donovan Leitch) – 4:38

1965 Hickory Records version (U.S.)

1965 Hickory Records version (U.S.)

Side 1

1. "Universal Soldier" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) – 2:16
2. "To Try for the Sun" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:36
3. "Sunny Goodge Street" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:55
4. "Colours" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:44
5. "Circus of Sour" (Paul Bernath) – 1:50
6. "Summer Day Reflection Song" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:11

Side 2

1. "Candy Man" (traditional; arranged by Donovan Leitch) – 3:25
2. "Jersey Thursday" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:13
3. "Belated Forgiveness Plea" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:54
4. "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:50
5. "The Little Tin Soldier" (Shawn Phillips) – 3:02
6. "The Ballad of Geraldine" (Donovan Leitch) – 4:38

1996 Sequel Records version (U.S.)

Tracklisting as on the 1965 Hickory Records version plus the following bonus tracks:

1. "Oh Deed I Do" (Bert Jansch) – 2:08
2. "Do You Hear Me Now" (Bert Jansch) – 1:51
3. "The War Drags On" (Mick Softley) – 3:44
4. "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:18
5. "Turquoise" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:34
6. "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:13
7. "Colours" (Donovan Leitch) – 2:46

2002 Sanctuary Records/Castle Records version

2002 Sanctuary Records/Castle Records version slipcover.

Tracklisting as on the original UK version plus the following bonus tracks:

1. "Universal Soldier" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) – 2:15
2. "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:19
3. "The War Drags On" (Mick Softley) – 3:44
4. "Do You Hear Me Now" (Bert Jansch) – 1:50
5. "Turquoise" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:31
6. "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" (Donovan Leitch) – 3:08

References