Barabajagal

Time has proven that Donovan is both forever tied to his era and forever better for the connection. His albums throughout the ‘60s are among the most exciting and adventurous progressive psychedelic pop if there ever was such a genre. The title track of this 1969 album features the Jeff Beck Group for an extra spark of funk and for an extra-saucy rhythm section on “Superlungs My Supergirl.” “I Love My Shirt” is Donovan’s silliness taken to an extreme (it works as a children’s anthem), while modest madrigals such as “Where Is She” and the hit single “Atlantis” display Donovan in his most natural of settings as unlikely as it may seem: the recording studio. “Happiness Runs” creates a loop of minimalist pop as it subtly repeats its ingratiating — or to some, irritating — hook. “To Susan On the West Coast Waiting” visits Donovan’s ongoing political concerns. “Trude” settles on British blues. From his early folksinger material through albums such as Sunshine Superman, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, The Hurdy Gurdy Man and Barabajagal, Donovan established a legacy that few can challenge.