Jump to content

Mellow Yellow (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PatConolly (talk | contribs) at 08:23, 29 January 2021 (Changed release month. It hit Billboard's album charts Feb 18, so March is too late. It might actually have been released in January, for that matter.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mellow Yellow
Studio album by
Donovan
ReleasedFebruary 1967
RecordedSeptember, October 1966
StudioAbbey Road Studio London
Landsowne Studios london
Genre
Length34:13
LabelEpic LN 24239
ProducerMickie Most
Donovan chronology
Sunshine Superman
(1966) 		Mellow Yellow
(1967) 		A Gift from a Flower to a Garden
(1967)
Singles from Mellow Yellow
  1. "Mellow Yellow" b/w "Sunny South Kensington"
    Released: October 1966 (US)
  2. "Mellow Yellow" b/w "Preachin' Love"
    Released: February 1967 (UK)

Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from British singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in February 1967 (Epic Records LN 24239 (monaural) / BN 26239 (rechanneled stereo),[1] but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman (Pye Records NPL 18181) in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.

History

The songs on Mellow Yellow represent a transition in Donovan's writing. Donovan's songs had previously illustrated his infatuation with an ability to define the mid-sixties pop music scene. On Mellow Yellow this is still evident in "Sunny South Kensington", "Museum" (originally recorded for the Sunshine Superman album and rerecorded for Mellow Yellow) and the title track, but is also tempered with world-weary observations of that scene ("Young Girl Blues"). The contractual problems that prevented the release of Donovan's music in the UK led him to write such songs as the resigned "Writer in the Sun", where he contemplates the possibility of his own forced retirement from the music industry at the age of 20.[2]

Mickie Most's production and the arrangements of John Paul Jones accommodate these two divergent traits of Donovan's songwriting throughout Mellow Yellow. The peppier songs feature a diverse selection of instruments similar to Sunshine Superman and helped make a top 10 hit out of the title track on both sides of the Atlantic. The introspective ruminations feature sparse instrumentation that highlights Donovan's guitar playing, singing, and lyrics.

On Mellow Yellow, Donovan gave a nod to his friend Bert Jansch on "House of Jansch", marking the third Donovan album in a row that paid tribute to the British folk personage.

John Cameron played blues piano, harpsichord, and undertook arrangements.

Paul McCartney provided background vocals on at least one of the tracks.[3] He is uncredited for his work.

Legacy

According to a recent biography ("Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search For Nick Drake"), the album was a significant influence on Nick Drake.

The track "Museum" was covered by Herman's Hermits on their 1967 album release Blaze.

Reissues

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Original
AllMusic Bonus tracks
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

Track listing

All tracks by Donovan Leitch. Songs marked with a ‘+’ have been remixed into stereo.

Original album

Side one

  1. "Mellow Yellow" – 3:47
  2. "Writer in the Sun" – 4:33 +
  3. "Sand and Foam" – 3:19
  4. "The Observation" – 2:23
  5. "Bleak City Woman" – 2:24

Side two

  1. "House of Jansch" – 2:43
  2. "Young Girl Blues" – 3:45
  3. "Museum" – 2:54
  4. "Hampstead Incident" – 4:41 +
  5. "Sunny South Kensington" – 3:48 +

2005 EMI CD version

The ten tracks as on the original release plus the following bonus tracks:

  2. "Epistle to Dippy" – 3:11
  3. "Preachin' Love" – 2:40
  4. "Good Time" – 1:54
  5. "There is a Mountain" – 2:36 +
  6. "Superlungs" (second version) – 3:17
  7. "Epistle to Dippy" (alternative arrangement) – 3:13 +
  8. "Sidewalk (The Observation)" (demo) – 2:29
  9. "Writer in the Sun" (demo) – 3:30
  10. "Hampstead Incident" (demo) – 3:52
  11. "Museum" (demo) – 3:49

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians on bonus tracks

  • Jimmy Page – electric guitar (tracks 11, 16)
  • Tony Carr – percussion, drums (tracks 11, 16)

Technical

  • Mickie Most – producer

Charts

Album

Year Title U.S. Billboard 200[5] Label
1967 Mellow Yellow 14 Epic Records BN 26239

Singles

Year Titles Chart positions
Billboard[6] Cashbox[7] AU[8]
1967 "Mellow Yellow"
b/w "Sunny South Kensington" (US)
b/w "Preachin' Love" (UK)		 2 3 7

References

  1. ^ John McIver. "Donovan Discography". Sabotage.demon.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Allmusic Mellow Yellow". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Allmusic Mellow Yellow credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  5. ^ "Top 200 Albums | Billboard 200 chart". Billboard.com.
  6. ^ "Donovan – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard.com.
  7. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 17, 1966". Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Cash Box magazine.
  8. ^ "Go Set Top 40 01-25-1967". Retrieved 13 March 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mellow_Yellow_(album)&oldid=1003502370"