Album Reviews

Donovan may claim to not be a Dylan wannabe, but when you listen to "Catch the Wind," this compilation's opener, his claim rings hollow. It's so Dylan, so "Chimes of Freedom," and so derivative, there's no escaping the Dylan in him.

However, once Mr. Leitch got the Dylan out of his system (not before "Universal Soldier") he went his own way and wrote some great tunes, taking his interests into more jazzy territory. Check out the atmospheric, brilliantly arranged "Sunny Goodge Street." It holds up as well as anything here.

This set includes two versions of "Colours," one the hit single and one the album edition, but nothing beats Van Dyke Parks's version on Song Cycle that's for sure.

The compilation is a smart one, made even smarter by the inclusion of "Sunshine Superman," "Mellow Yellow," "Hurdy Gurdy Man," and "Atlantis" at 45rpm on the second disk.

The 45's sound is absolutely stupendous and this Steve Hoffman mastered set (with actual disk cutting by Kevin Gray) is worth purchasing just for the 45, though the twelve song 33 1/3 LP also sounds fine, especially if you're used to the American Hickory originals. The recording is natural, acoustic and the kind the world seems incapable of providing today.

As with The Searchers vinyl compilation issued by MS Music, Storyteller is a winning set both musically and sonically. The AcousTech lathe is on a roll!