Editing Donovan (section)

===1967–69: International success===
In July 1967, Epic released "[[There Is a Mountain]]", which just missed the US top ten and was later used as the basis for [[the Allman Brothers Band]]'s "[[Mountain Jam]]". In September, Donovan toured the US, backed by a jazz group and accompanied by his father, who introduced the show. Later that month, Epic released Donovan's fifth album, a set titled, ''[[A Gift from a Flower to a Garden]]'', the first rock music box set and only the third pop-rock double album released. It was split into halves. The first, ''Wear Your Love Like Heaven'', was for people of his generation who would one day be parents; the second, ''[[For Little Ones]]'', was songs Donovan had written for coming generations. Worried it might be a poor seller, Epic boss [[Clive Davis]] also insisted the albums be split and sold separately in the US (the "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" album cover was photographed at [[Bodiam Castle]]), but his fears were unfounded – although it took time, the original boxed set sold steadily, eventually peaking at 19 in the US album chart and achieving gold record status in the US in early 1970.

The psychedelic and mystical overtones were unmistakable – the front cover featured an [[infrared photography|infra-red]] photograph by [[Karl Ferris]] showing Donovan at [[Bodiam Castle]], dressed in a robe, holding flowers and peacock feathers, while the back photo showed him holding hands with Indian guru [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. The liner notes included an appeal for young people to give up drugs. His disavowal of drugs came after his time with the Maharishi in [[Rishikesh]], a topic discussed in a two-part interview for the first two issues of ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rolling Stone|title=Donovan: The Rolling Stone Interview |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/donovan-the-rolling-stone-interview-part-2-232058/ |first=John|last=Carpenter|volume=1|issue=1,2|date=9–23 November 1967}}</ref>

In late 1967 Donovan contributed two songs to the [[Ken Loach]] film ''[[Poor Cow]]''. "Be Not Too Hard" was a musical setting of [[Christopher Logue]]'s poem ''September Song'' and was later recorded by such artists as [[Joan Baez]] and [[Shusha Guppy]]. The title track, originally entitled "Poor Love", was the B-side of his next single, "[[Jennifer Juniper]]", which was inspired by [[Jenny Boyd]], sister of [[George Harrison]]'s wife, [[Pattie Boyd]] and was another top 40 hit in the US. Donovan developed interest in eastern mysticism and claims to have interested the Beatles in [[transcendental meditation]].{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

In early 1968 he was part of the group that traveled to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in [[Rishikesh]]. The visit gained worldwide attention thanks to the presence of all four Beatles as well as [[Beach Boys]] lead singer [[Mike Love]], as well as actress [[Mia Farrow]] and her sister Prudence (who inspired Lennon to write "[[Dear Prudence]]"). According to a 1968 [[Paul McCartney]] interview with [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmbeatles.com/interviews.php?interview=66|title=Paul McCartney Interview: Promoting the White Album (20 November 1968)|publisher=Dmbeatles.com|access-date=18 May 2011}}</ref> it was during this time that Donovan taught Lennon and McCartney [[fingerstyle guitar|finger-picking guitar]] styles including the [[clawhammer]], which he had learned from Mac MacLeod. Lennon used this technique on songs including "[[Dear Prudence]]", "[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]", "[[Happiness is a Warm Gun]]" and "[[Look at Me (John Lennon song)|Look at Me]]", and McCartney with "[[Blackbird (Beatles song)|Blackbird]]" and "[[Mother Nature's Son]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Rolling Stone – Donovan on teaching guitar technique to the Beatles |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3tWkyYXcLc | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/Q3tWkyYXcLc| archive-date=2021-10-30|website=You Tube | date=30 April 2012 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=30 November 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
[[File:Hurdy Gurdy Man - ad 1968.png|thumb|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, June 15, 1968]] 
Donovan's next single, in May 1968, was the psychedelic "[[Hurdy Gurdy Man]]". The liner notes from EMI's reissues say the song was intended for Mac MacLeod, who had a heavy rock band called [[Hurdy Gurdy (band)|Hurdy Gurdy]]. After hearing MacLeod's version, Donovan considered giving it to [[Jimi Hendrix]], but when Most heard it, he convinced Donovan to record it himself. Donovan tried to get Hendrix to play, but he was on tour. Jimmy Page played electric guitar in some studio sessions and is credited with playing on the song.<ref>Liner notes, ''[[Troubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964–1976]]'', Sony Music Entertainment, 1992. ("[[Hurdy Gurdy Man]]" recording in London, England, 1968, crediting Donovan on vocal, acoustic guitar and tambura, [[Allan Holdsworth]] and [[Jimmy Page]] on electric guitars, [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] on bass, [[John Bonham]] and "Clem Clatini" (a misspelling of [[Clem Cattini]]) on drums, produced by Most, arrangement by John Paul Jones, [[Epic Records|Epic]] LP BN 25420, Epic single 5-10345.)</ref><ref>[[Anthony DeCurtis|DeCurtis, A.]], "Donovan's Calling", essay released in liner notes of ''[[Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan]]'' 2005 limited-edition boxed set compilation by Sony BMG Music Entertainment [[Legacy Recordings]].</ref> Alternatively, it is credited to [[Alan Parker(musician)|Alan Parker]].{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

Donovan credits Page and "Allen Hollsworth" (a misspelling of [[Allan Holdsworth]]) as the "guitar wizards" for the song, saying they created "a new kind of metal folk".<ref name=autobio>Leitch, Donovan, ''The Hurdy Gurdy Man'', [[Random House|Century]], an imprint of [[Random House]], London, 2005 (published in the U.S. as ''The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man'', pp. 218–19 [[St. Martin's Press]], New York, 2005; {{ISBN|0-312-35252-2}}).</ref>

Since [[John Bonham]] and John Paul Jones also played, Donovan said perhaps the session inspired the formation of [[Led Zeppelin]].<ref name=autobio/> The heavier sound of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" was an attempt by Most and Donovan to reach a wider audience in the US, where hard-rock groups like [[Cream (band)|Cream]] and [[the Jimi Hendrix Experience]] were having an impact. The song became one of Donovan's biggest hits, making the Top 5 in the UK and the US and the Top 10 in Australia.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}

In July 1968, Epic released ''[[Donovan in Concert (1968 album)|Donovan in Concert]]'', the recording of his Anaheim concert in September 1967. The cover featured only a painting by [[Fleur Cowles]] (with neither the artist's name nor the title). The album contained two of his big hits and songs which would have been new to the audience. The expanded double CD from 2006 contained "Epistle To Derroll", a tribute to one of his formative influences, [[Derroll Adams]]. The album also includes extended group arrangements of "Young Girl Blues" and "The Pebble and the Man", a song later reworked and retitled as "Happiness Runs". In the summer of 1968, Donovan worked on a second LP of children's songs, released in 1971 as the double album, ''[[HMS Donovan (album)|HMS Donovan]]''. In September, Epic released a single, "[[Laléna]]", a subdued acoustic ballad which reached the low 30s in the US. The album ''[[The Hurdy Gurdy Man]]'' followed (not released in the UK), continuing the style of the ''[[Mellow Yellow (album)|Mellow Yellow]]'' LP, and reached 20 in the US, despite containing two earlier hits, the title track and "Jennifer Juniper".{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

After another US tour in the autumn he collaborated with Paul McCartney, who was producing ''[[Postcard (album)|Postcard]]'', the debut LP by Welsh singer [[Mary Hopkin]]. Hopkin covered three Donovan songs: "Lord Of The Reedy River", "Happiness Runs" and "Voyage of the Moon". McCartney returned the favour by playing tambourine and singing backing vocals on Donovan's next single, "[[Atlantis (Donovan song)|Atlantis]]", which was released in the UK (with "I Love My Shirt" as the B-side) in late November and reached 23.<ref name=ukcharts>{{cite web|title=Donovan|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/donovan/|publisher=officialcharts.com|access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref>

Early in 1969, the comedy film ''[[If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium]]'' featured music by Donovan; the title tune was written by him and sung by J. P. Rags, and he also performed "Lord of the Reedy River" in the film as a singer at a youth hostel. On 20 January, Epic released the single, "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting", with "[[Atlantis (Donovan song)|Atlantis]]" as the B-side. The A-side, a gentle [[Calypso music|calypso]]-styled song, contained another anti-war message and became a moderate Top 40 US hit. However, when DJs in America and Australia flipped it and began playing "Atlantis", that became a hit. The gentle "Atlantis" later formed the backdrop to a violent scene in [[Martin Scorsese]]'s 1990 film ''[[GoodFellas]]''. "Atlantis" was revived in 2000 for an episode of ''[[Futurama]]'' titled "The Deep South" (2ACV12) which aired on 16 April that year. For this episode Donovan recorded a satirical version of the song describing the Lost City of [[Atlanta]] which featured in the episode.

In March 1969 (too soon to include "Atlantis"), Epic and Pye released ''[[Donovan's Greatest Hits]]'', which included four previous singles – "Epistle To Dippy", "There is a Mountain", "Jennifer Juniper" and "Laléna", as well as rerecorded versions of "[[Colours (Donovan song)|Colours]]" and "Catch The Wind" (which had been unavailable to Epic because of Donovan's contractual problems) and stereo versions of "Sunshine Superman" (previously unissued full length version) and "Season of the Witch". It became the most successful album of his career; it reached 4 in the US, became a million-selling gold record and stayed on the Billboard album chart for more than a year. On 26 June 1969 the track "[[Barabajagal (single)|Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)]]" (recorded May 1969), which gained him a following on the rave scene decades later, was released, reaching 12 in the UK but charting less strongly in the US. This time he was backed by the original [[Jeff Beck]] Group, featuring Beck on lead guitar, [[Ronnie Wood]] on bass, [[Nicky Hopkins]] on piano and [[Micky Waller]] on drums. The Beck group was under contract to Most and it was Most's idea to team them with Donovan to bring a heavier sound to Donovan's work, while introducing a lyrical edge to Beck's.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

On 7 July 1969, Donovan performed at the first show in the second season of free rock concerts in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], London, which also featured [[Blind Faith]], [[Richie Havens]], [[the Edgar Broughton Band]] and the [[Third Ear Band]]. In September 1969, the "Barabajagal" album reached 23 in the US. Only the recent "Barabajagal"/"Trudi" single and "Superlungs My Supergirl" were 1969 recordings, the remaining tracks {{Clarify|date=February 2013}} were from sessions in London in May 1968 and in Los Angeles in November 1968. {{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}

In the late 1960s to the early 1970s he lived at [[Stein, Skye|Stein]], on the Isle of Skye, where he and a group of followers formed a commune and where he was visited by [[George Harrison]]. He named his daughter, born 1970, Ione Skye.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitscotland.com/info/accommodation/lochbay-boathouse-p274481|title=Lochbay Boathouse, Stein – Self Catering|website=www.visitscotland.com|language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/the-beatles-in-scotland-george-harrisons-story-996110|title=The Beatles in Scotland: George Harrison's story|date=2008-11-02|website=Daily Record|access-date=2019-10-03}}</ref>