Donovan:

Mellow Yellow:(1967)

A Gift From A Flower To A Garden:(1967)

In Concert:(1968)

The Hurdy Gurdy Man:(1968)

Barabajagal:(1969)

Greatest Hits:(1969)

Open Road:(1970)

Cosmic Wheels:(1973)

Slow Down World:(1976)

Donovan:(1977)

There are certain pockets of my collection that I particularly enjoy, and the Donovan section is one such pocket. Of course as a kid I heard the hits, Mellow Yellow, Sunshine Superman, Wear Your Love Like Heaven etc... but it wasn't until I started picking up records that I discovered the real depth, and magic of Donovan Leitch. Like most of the great musical artists, each Donovan album is different, and each is its own self contained world. Recently I was playing A Gift From A Flower To A Garden for a friend who had never listened to a Donovan album before, he said he'd always thought of Donovan as psychedelic hanger-on to the Beatles proverbial coattails, and as such had dismissed him along with so many Sixties acts that jumped on the bandwagon accompanied by low production values. After side one my friend tells me his mind is changed, and that he now sees that Donovan was an interesting vital creative force unto himself with productions to rival other top artists of his time. Well...I'm paraphrasing there, but trust me, that was the gist of it. Do I have a favorite out of these albums? No, not really. I can be in the mood for any one of them at any time. 

Fats Domino:

The Legendary Music Man Fats Domino: (1976)

Fats Domino is a king in the great Rock'n'Roll pantheon, and yet not as mentioned as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis. Even though he was out of the gate before them. Several reasons for this exist, but I'm going to keep to the music. Anytime a Domino tune is spun I'm guaranteed to start tapping a foot, and moving because his music is just intoxicating. This double compilation album released in the Seventies is a great document of the man's career. 

Dixie Hummingbirds:

Who We Are:(1974)

Like the Blind Boys, and few other groups, The Dixie Hummingbirds have been together since the 1920's. Gospel harmonies like these cannot be bred quickly, they take years, and that's what comes across in the Hummingbirds. This is rich deep music as Earthy as the dirt itself. Check out Space Ships. And remember, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

Dire Straits:

Dire Straits:(1978)

Very rarely do you hear a band's debut album where they sound as fully formed as Dire Straits do on this one. From the mysteriousness of the hushed intro to Down To The Waterline to the guitar dancing of the final tune Lions, this album is solid. If I had to pick a favorite track, I'd probably pick Water Of Love, but Sultans Of Swing is a close second. 

Brothers In Arms:(1985)

This is probably the biggest hit record Dire Straits ever had with hits like So Far Away From Me,  Walk of Life, and maybe the biggest, Money For Nothing. Dire Straits has always felt like an honest no flash band that relied on old fashioned hard playing instead of gimmicks and such. And as a guitar player, Mark Knopfler's playing floors me. If I have one complaint about this album it's the artwork. I have always hated this cover, and felt that it didn't fit the music, but that's just me. Haha.  

Neil Diamond:

Tap Root Manuscript:(1970)

I'm not the biggest Neil Diamond fan by any stretch of the imagination, and as such, this is the only album of his in my collection. There are a few songs I dig, but he tends to crossover into cheese for me pretty fast. All that aside there are some interesting musical arrangements on this record.

Desmond Dekker:

Black And Dekker:(1980)

By the time of this 1980 release, Dekker had signed to Stiff records which was enjoying a resurgence of Ska with a punk edge. So for this album Dekker teamed up with The Rumour, and members of what would become Fine Young Cannibals to produce a more modern sounding album. The result is a fun danceable record with a taste of post punk thrown in. Now most of the songs on this album Dekker had already recorded, and had success with, but it's worth hearing Israelites or Please Don't Bend. After that you'll know exactly how this album sounds.

Miles Davis:

In Person: Friday Night at The Blackhawk:(1961)

Four & More:(1966)

Jack Johnson:(1970)

There are any number of things you could say about Miles Davis, and most of them would be true. There's a lot of his music floating around my house, but these are the three vinyl pieces. The studio albums were innovative, but the live albums crackle with energy of a different kind. Miles knew how to change and adapt every so often to stay fresh. The album Jack Johnson was one such turning point, and maybe my favorite Miles Davis album. On it he wanted to bring in a Rock'n'Roll element. The result is an album that sounds as defiant as Jack Johnson himself was, with music lean and muscular, and like nothing that had been done. Want to pick your day up? Look up Right Off by Miles Davis. 

Some people are ferocious natural storms destined to leave a scorched path, Davis was one such person.