Review: Donovan - Fairytale (1965)

 

Rating: 90/100 - Genres: Folk, Songwriter

Unlike his debut from the same year, which positioned him as a promising but somewhat derivative folk figure, Fairytale reveals a young songwriter stepping decisively into his own unique emotional and artistic language. The album, recorded and released in 1965, captures Donovan at a crucial juncture—caught between the fading purism of the folk revival and the dawning wave of psychedelic exploration that would come to define the later half of the decade.

Fairytale emerges as a liminal work, both rooted in the acoustic traditions of British and American folk and subtly hinting at the kaleidoscopic textures that Donovan would soon incorporate into his music. Its sonic palette is deceptively simple: primarily acoustic guitar, voice, and harmonica. Yet beneath this apparent austerity lies a rich and complex emotional terrain. The album’s songs weave together the mysticism of Celtic imagery with the freewheeling spontaneity of Beatnik poetry, creating a poetic style that is at once intimate and expansive.

The recording sessions, held in London’s Peer Music studios on Denmark Street, brought together Donovan and the 12-string guitarist Shawn Phillips, whose contributions provided a harmonic depth that elevated the arrangements beyond mere folk simplicity. The collaboration hinted at a broader musical vocabulary that Donovan was beginning to command—a palette that incorporated elements of jazz, ragtime, and classical fingerpicking alongside traditional folk.

 

A standout track from the album, “Sunny Goodge Street,” exemplifies Donovan’s forward-looking vision. Unlike the pastoral, traditional tone of many other songs on the record, this track channels an almost jazzy, smoky atmosphere reminiscent of American contemporaries like Fred Neil or Tim Hardin. The evocative, almost surreal lyrics—“Violent hash-smoker shook a chocolate machine”—eschew straightforward storytelling for a dreamlike impressionism that recalls the cut-up techniques of Beatnik writers. Donovan himself acknowledged this song as containing “the embryo of everything I would do thereafter,” underscoring its foundational role in his artistic evolution.

While “Sunny Goodge Street” points ahead to Donovan’s psychedelic phase, the rest of Fairytale is steeped in a search for spiritual and poetic grounding amid a world that was rapidly changing. Songs such as “Summer Day Reflection Song” and “Colours” blend medieval and mythical motifs—dragons, castles, wandering minstrels—with the trappings of modern urban life, televisions and cigarette ash. This fusion of the ancient and the contemporary reflects Donovan’s early efforts to collapse the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

The album’s lyrical and emotional duality is inseparable from Donovan’s wider explorations during this period. Beyond music, he was delving into Eastern philosophies, Beatnik literature, and meditative practices. These influences infused his songwriting with a mysticism and introspection that distinguished him from many of his peers. 

 

Musically, the album reveals Donovan’s growing mastery and experimentation. His guitar technique had evolved through collaborations with folk figures such as Mac MacLeod and Mick Softley, incorporating flamenco, ragtime, and classical fingerpicking styles. The production choices on Fairytale emphasize space and silence, lending the album a meditative quality where each note and phrase is given room to breathe and resonate.

A particularly notable shift during this period is Donovan’s embrace of what he described as a “feminised” emotional expression. The album is unafraid to use tender, sincere language—words like “lovely” and “beautiful” are woven earnestly into the lyrics, eschewing irony in favor of genuine vulnerability. This emotional openness paved the way for a new model of masculinity in popular music, one that valued sensitivity and spiritual curiosity alongside traditional notions of strength. Donovan’s vocal delivery throughout Fairytale is soft and intimate, emphasizing this unguarded sensibility.

The album’s release in late 1965 coincided with Donovan’s transition from Pye Records to a new phase in his career with producer Mickie Most. The timing, combined with the shifting commercial and cultural landscape, meant that Fairytale often slipped beneath mainstream attention, overshadowed by his later, more ornate and commercially successful psychedelic albums. However, its artistic significance remains undiminished. The record is a quiet manifesto, one that favors cyclical, reflective vision over linear progress, acoustic restraint over orchestral bombast, and mythic lyricism over literal narrative.

You might also be interested in the review of Donovan's debut album "What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid" from 1965.

Sources:

1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/fairytale-mw0000456617
2. https://www.discogs.com/release/2358145-Donovan-Fairytale
3. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/07/donovan-fairytale-1965-review
4. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/donovan-fairytale/
5. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/donovan/sunny-goodge-street
6. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Donovan
7. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/donovan-fairytale-album/
8. https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/artist/donovan/
9. https://www.folkbluesandbeyond.com/donovan-fairytale-1965-review/