Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan

Disc 1
1	Catch the Wind Single Version 2:17
2	Josie 3:27
3	Co'dine Demo Version 4:47
4	Colours 2:45
5	Universal Soldier 2:12
6	Sunny Goodge Street 2:55
7	Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) 3:10
8	Sunshine Superman Extended Version 4:33
9	The Trip Single Version 4:34
10	Legend of a Girl Child Linda 6:53
11	Three King Fishers 3:17
12	Season of the Witch 4:56
13	Guinevere 3:41
14	The Fat Angel 4:12
15	Mellow Yellow 3:43
16	Sand and Foam 3:17
17	Young Girl Blues 3:46
18	Museum 2:56
19	Hampstead Incident 4:42
20	Sunny South Kensington 3:49
Disc 2
1	Epistle to Dippy 3:10
2	Preachin' Love 2:39
3	There Is a Mountain 2:35
4	Wear Your Love Like Heaven 2:25
5	Oh Gosh 1:48
6	Isle of Islay 2:22
7	Epistle to Derroll Live / previously unreleased 5:43
8	To Try for the Sun Live / previously unreleased 3:20
9	Someone's Singing Live / previously unreleased 3:55
10	The Tinker and the Crab Live / previously unreleased 3:06
11	Jennifer Juniper 2:42
12	Poor Cow From Poor Cow 2:57
13	Hurdy Gurdy Man 3:20
14	Get Thy Bearings 2:53
15	Lalena 2:56
16	Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) / Jeff Beck Group 3:24
17	Lord of the Reedy River previously unreleased 3:04
18	Moon in Capricorn previously unreleased 2:03
19	To Susan on the West Coast Waiting 3:13
20	Atlantis 5:08
Disc 3
1	Celia of the Seals 3:00
2	The Song of the Wandering Aengus 3:55
3	The Ferryman's Daughter previously unreleased 1:49
4	She Moved Through the Fair previously unreleased 2:52
5	The Traveling People previously unreleased 1:50
6	Riki Tiki Tavi 2:55
7	Clara Clairvoyant 2:52
8	Young But Growing Live / previously unreleased 4:33
9	Keep on Truckin' Live / previously unreleased 2:53
10	Stealin' Live / previously unreleased 4:09
11	I Like You 5:17
12	Maria Magenta 2:12
13	A Working Man Live 3:09
14	Tinker Tune Live 2:50
15	Sailing Homeward 2:57
16	Your Broken Heart 3:33
17	Dark-Eyed Blue Jean Angel 3:52
18	Please Don't Bend 4:12
19	Love Floats 4:20
20	Happiness Runs previously unreleased / 2004 Version 3:43
Disc 4
1	Bonus Material Bonus Track / DVD

Barnes & Noble

The bottom line is this: If you write Donovan off as some '60s relic whose vintage music isn’t worth investigating, you’re missing out on some of the most glorious sounds of the classic pop music era. But for all those still under the spell of the incomparable Mr. Leitch, this three-CD retrospective set will bring untold renewed pleasure. Combining straightforward folk, psychedelic pop and rock, mythical whimsy, and atmospheric exotica, Donovan produced music that speaks of its time but still maintains its power to enchant and entertain. Maybe it’s the conviction he brings to each highly polished song that lends Donovan his durability. Whether going the folk route (“Catch the Wind,” “Colours”); gently intoning a ballad (“Lalena,” “Sand and Foam“), rocking out (“Hurdy Gurdy Man,” “Barabajagal”), turning trippy (“Mellow Yellow” “Season of the Witch”), or investigating his mystical side (“Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” “Atlantis”), Donovan proved a master of shifting moods. The hits are all here, but so are many underappreciated gems, as well as previously unreleased tracks, including live material from 1967 and 1971. While the first two discs center on familiar Donovaniana, the final disc covers more obscure, though eminently worthy, performances from the 1970s and '90s. A box of joy for fans of this pop bard, Try for the Sun will come as a revelation to the uninitiated. To paraphrase the man himself: “Hail Donovan!” William Pearl

All Music Guide

Donovan Leitch's instantly recognizable vibrato may not appear until track six, but the casual "Hurdy Gurdy Man" fan has no business picking up this four-disc/sixty-song collection of the Scottish troubadour's four decades of whimsical pop confections and beatnik balladry. Sony's Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan includes a previously unreleased documentary from 1970, a lovely book that chronicles the singer/songwriter's storied career, complete with quotes of praise from current hipster bards like Devendra Banhart and the Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter, and 15 B-sides, rare demos, and live recordings, all housed in the finest faux-purple velvet box one could imagine. While there are some suspicious omissions ("Roots of Oak," "Age of Treason," "Cosmic Wheels"), there's enough here to satiate even the most rabid Donovan fan for weeks. Those interested in a less time-consuming biographical experience would do well with 1992's slightly superior -- and infinitely more cohesive -- Troubadour. Reverend Lee Power