Donovan – Open Road (1970) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

Although it was a disappointing seller and signalled the start of Donovan's commercial decline, Open Road could have been a new beginning for the singer. Stripping down to a Celtic rock format that managed to be hard and direct, yet still folkish, Donovan turned out a series of excellent songs, notably the minor hit "Riki Tiki Tavi," that seemed to show him moving toward a roots-oriented sound of considerable appeal. William Ruhlmann, allmusic.

After splitting with Mickie Most during the Barabajagal sessions, Donovan decided to move back to the UK against the wishes of his management, who most likely objected due to the heavy taxation in the country and the distance from the American market. There he began recording and producing the tracks that would form his next studio album. Donovan's production was much rougher and more organic than Mickie Most's cleanly polished production on Donovan's hits of the 1960s.
During these sessions, Donovan assembled the band Open Road with drummer John Carr, keyboardist Mike O'Neil and bass and guitar player Mike Thomson. The band played a style that was dubbed Celtic rock by Donovan. Many of the songs on Open Road ponder the negative side of industrialization and the lost peacefulness of a previous time. While some of this had been touched on in Donovan's previous work, this is the first album where the topic is expounded at length.
After the release of this album, Donovan left Open Road to focus on his family and finish recording his next album, H.M.S. Donovan. After losing Donovan and subsequently Mike O'Neil, Mike Thompson and John Carr reformed Open Road with Barry Husband on guitar and vocals and Simon Lanzon on keyboards. They recorded and released one more album in 1971 (Windy Daze) before disbanding. Open Road subsequently became part of Donovan's canon, and the band Open Road was largely forgotten. Wikipedia.

Track listing:

01. Changes
02. Curry Land
03. Joe Bean’s Theme
04. People Used To
05. Celtic Rock
06. Riki Tiki Tavi
07. Clara Clairvoyant
08. Roots of Oak
09. Season of Farewell
10. Poke at the Pope
11. New Year’s Resovolution

Personnel:

Donovan: vocals, guitar, harp
John Carr: drums, vocals
Mike Thomson: bass, vocals, guitar, lead guitar
Mike O’Neill: piano, vocals
Mike Bobak: engineer
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London
Produced by Donovan Leitch

Technicals:

Knosti RCM.
Michell GyroDec full version.
Funk Firm FXR II Tonearm.
Audio Technica AT33PTG/II MC Cartridge.
Harman Kardon HK990 Integrated Amplifier.
Gold Interconnects. E-MU 0204 Audio Interface.
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