What’s Bin Did & What’s Bin Hid – DONOVAN***

Josie/Catch The Wind/Remember The Alamo/Cuttin’ Out/Car Car/Keep On Truckin’/Gold Watch Blues/To Sing For You/You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond/Tangerine Puppet/Donna Donna/Ramblin’ Boy

Fey troubadour Donovan's strangely titled first LP contains the UK No. 4 hit single Catch The Wind. The early folk influenced Donovan was seen as Britain's answer to Bob Dylan. He would soon move away from his folk roots to embrace a more gentle pop-rock style of music. (UK:3)

"Donovan's album debut, What's Bin Did & What's Bin Hid, presented his breakout British single Catch The Wind and added an assortment of pleasant folkie jams. Though he was often derided at the time as a pale imitation of Bob Dylan, there isn't a lot of evidence here. True, he does cover a Woody Guthrie song and gives it some twang worthy of the master, but his style is his own, slanted toward the mysticism of British folk less than the earthiness of its American cousin."

"Donovan's early sound was a very basic folk-revival approach heavily influenced by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and of course, Bob Dylan, to whom the young Donovan was compared ad nauseam by the British press."

"This is a folk type record with Donovan accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica. Though many people of the day were heralding Donovan as the British Dylan, his music is really quite different. True he does play the harmonica, but Donovan has a melodic voice that Dylan could never equal."

"Donovan's first album and a great start to his recording career. This is the Donovan who appeared in Dylan's Don't Look Back when Bob was still a folkie. No real stand out tracks, apart from Catch The Wind, but a great blast from the mid 60s."

"This is the foundation that his later efforts were built on and, although most tracks are simply voice, guitar, and harmonica, the 'set' has aged well. It's a mix of his own material with songs by others, and the original material points toward the poetry that would emerge later."

"For those of you who have not heard or investigated the charm of Donovan, this album would be a great place to start. Donovan is remarkable and this album will not fail to impress fans new or old."