Barabajagal – DONOVAN***

Barabajagal/Superlungs My Supergirl/Where Is She/Happiness Runs/I Love My Shirt/The Love Song/To Susan On The West Coast Waiting/Atlantis/Trudi/Pamela Jo

A disappointing effort from Donovan who would never regain the creativity he achieved during the years 1965-68. Barabajagal includes the US No. 7 hit single Atlantis plus the UK No. 12 title track, with assistance from The Jeff Beck Group. (US:23)

“Unfortunately the only genuinely good song on this record is Atlantis. Something has gone wrong here, the writing isn't up to snuff and the music seems like it's trying to hard. It's all overcooked and served cold. Aside from Atlantis, the only other songs that seemed much worth the investment are Where Is She and Happiness Runs, which harken back to Donovan's more mellow folky days.”

“A quite weak release, there's interesting melodies and some songs stand up as good throughout the whole thing, but I feel nothing particular with the style or the album at all, except Donovan's great voice, but sorry, that ain't enough man.” “It's a mixed-bag really. Some nice psych/folk numbers mixed with some bad rock band experiments with The Jeff Beck Group, and the usual corny tunes. Still enough good tunes to make it worth picking up.”

“A more hard rock outing than it's predecessors, this record points in the direction he would take with Open Road the following year, while still retaining some of the spaced out folkie qualities of the earlier ones.”

“The few flashes of quality cannot obscure an overall patina of mediocrity. Supposedly, this was Donovan's attempt at a heavier rock sound, but for the most part it is really simplistic and often cloying pop of the worst kind. Basic structures imitate country or ragtime, the lyrics seldom take poetic flight or deliver the kind of imagery that is associated with Donovan, and several ideas are borrowed and rehashed from his existing catalogue.”

“At its best, Barabajagal showed Donovan's light psychedelia still working well within the context of the times. At its worst, it demonstrated that he would need to make some serious changes to his approach if he wanted to stay relevant. Clearly, he did not want to, for he stubbornly stuck to his old tricks for as long as possible.”