The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Studio album by Donovan
Released	October 1968
Recorded	November 1967 – April 1968
Length	35:02
Label	Epic Records
Producer(s)	Mickie Most
Professional reviews
All Music Guide Original album Amazon.com Original album All Music Guide 2005 reissue Amazon.com 2005 reissue
Donovan chronology
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid (1968)	The Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968)	Moon in Capricorn (unreleased)

The Hurdy Gurdy Man is the sixth studio album and seventh album overall from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in October of 1968 (Epic Records BN 26420 (stereo)), but was not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow from a UK release. A songbook of lead sheets to the album was nonetheless issued in both countries. Image File history File links Donovan-The_Hurdy_Gurdy_Man. ... A Studio Album is an album of regular studio recordings. ... Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch, born May 10, 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow) is a Scottish popular singer, songwriter and guitarist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Mickie Most, born Michael Peter Hayes- (June 20, 1938- May 30, 2003), successful record producer notably with a string of Number 1 hit singles with his own RAK Recordslabel and acts such as The Animals, Hermans Hermits, Donovan, and Suzi Quatro. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 2. ... Amazon. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Amazon. ... Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch, born May 10, 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow) is a Scottish popular singer, songwriter and guitarist. ... Whats Bin Did and Whats Bin Hid is a compilation album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. ... Moon in Capricorn is an unreleased studio album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch, born May 10, 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow) is a Scottish popular singer, songwriter and guitarist. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... Sunshine Superman is the third album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. ... Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. ... A simplified form of sheet music, consisting of the tempo, key signature, melody and lyrics to a song, and also the chords to the song as they appear. ...

History

Donovan wrote and recorded much of The Hurdy Gurdy Man in late 1967 not long after recording the songs that would form A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. The rest of The Hurdy Gurdy Man was recorded in April of 1968, after Donovan visited Rishikesh, India to study under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. John Lennon, Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Mia Farrow, Prudence Farrow, and Mike Love were there as well. Donovan has since said in concerts that George Harrison wrote a line for "Hurdy Gurdy Man" when they were in India, but it wasn't recorded for the studio version. On his 1973 live album Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973 and his 1990 live album Rising, Donovan explains the story and sings the previously omitted line. Rishikesh (also spelt Hrishikesh, another name for Lord Vishnu), in the state of Uttaranchal, is a holy city for Hindus located in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India. ... Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma) [1] is the creator of Transcendental Meditation™ and leader of the Transcendental Meditation Movement, based on the principles of Mantra Shastra espoused by the Adi Shankara (c. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... // Cynthia Lennon née Powell (born September 10, 1939) was the first wife of John Lennon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... George Harrison and Pattie Boyd in A Hard Days Night Patricia Anne Pattie Boyd (born 17 March 1944 in Taunton, Somerset, England), supermodel and photographer, is best known as the wife of two famous rock musicians and the inspiration for several monumental rock love songs. ... Sir James Paul McCartney MBE (born June 18, 1942) is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... Jane Asher (born April 5, 1946) is a British film and television actress and the author of several full-length novels. ... Mia Farrow (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow on February 9, 1945), is an American actress. ... Prudence Farrow (born 1948) is the sister of actress Mia Farrow and daughter of the late John Farrow and Maureen OSullivan. ... Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer and songwriter who was one of the lead singers and lyric writers of The Beach Boys. ... Rising is the third live album, and twentieth album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. ...

Donovan's songwriting for The Hurdy Gurdy Man centered around drones on such songs as "Peregrine", "The River Song" and "Tangier" (the later two being compositions by Donovan's good friend Gypsy Dave AKA Gyp Mills ), and pop music on most of the other tracks. "As I Recall It" continues Donovan's infatuation with jazz. "Jennifer Juniper" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" were both released as singles well before the album was released. In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout much or all of a piece, sustained or repeated, and most often establishing a tonality upon which the rest of the piece is built. ... Gyp Mills (also known as Gypsy Dave) real name David John Mills is a sculptor and songwriter. ... For popular music (music produced commercially rather than art or folk music), see Popular music. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century, mostly popular in the 1920s. ... Hurdy Gurdy Man is a song by Scottish musician Donovan. ...

The recording sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man are known to have included future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. Jimmy Page was in The Yardbirds at the time and was actively looking to rebuild that band. There have been claims that John Bonham was present at the session for "Hurdy Gurdy Man", and that Led Zeppelin grew out of this. The drumming does sound much like John Bonham's bombastic style on both "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Hi It's Been a Long Time". However, whether Bonham was actually there is contested as both John Paul Jones and Clem Cattini (who is now credited as the drummer on the song) have stated that Bonham was not on the title track. For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born January 9, 1944) is an English guitarist and producer. ... John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, London), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician and was the bassist and the keyboardist for Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham in 1980. ... The Yardbirds were an early English rock band, noted for starting the careers of three of rocks most famous guitarists, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, London), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician and was the bassist and the keyboardist for Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham in 1980. ... Clem Cattini (born August, 1939 in London, England) was the drummer for 1960s British band, The Tornados as well as a session drummer. ...

In interviews with Keith Altham for the NME (and Hit Parader) and Tony Wilson for Melody Maker [1] in 1968 Donovan explained he wrote "Hurdy Gurdy Man" for his friend Mac MacLeod and wanted Mac's band Hurdy Gurdy to record it. However, Donovan's version was a hit and the band never recorded the song. Donovan has stated in an interview with Little Steven Van Zandt that he had originally desired Jimi Hendrix to play on "Hurdy Gurdy Man," but as he was unavailable, he got Jimmy Page to play. Jimmy Page has often been credited as playing electric guitar on the track but Alan Parker has been named by Page, Jones and Cattini. Keith MacLeod (known as Mac MacLeod) is a British musician. ... Hurdy Gurdy formed from the Danish group Peter Belli & the Boom Boom Brothers (aka The B.B. Brothers) in June 1967. ... Van Zandt as Silvio Dante on The Sopranos Steven Van Zandt (born November 22, 1950) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve. ... Guitarist best known for his work in the band Blue Mink. ...

In other media

• The song was most recently used in David Fincher's 2007 film Zodiac, in Michael Cuesta's 2001 film L.I.E., and in Barry Levinson's 1996 film Sleepers.

David Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American music video and film director known for his dark and stylish portraits of the human experience. ... Zodiac, a Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. ... Michael Cuesta (Born July 8, 1963) is an American film screenwriter and director. ... Barry Levinson Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a Jewish-American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. ... Sleepers (1996) is a dramatic movie based on Lorenzo Carcaterras novel of the same name. ...

Reissues

• On October 25, 1990, Epic Records reissued The Hurdy Gurdy Man (Epic 26420) on compact disc in the U.S..

• On October 24, 1994, EMI released Four Donovan Originals (EMI 7243 8 30867 2 6) in the UK. Four Donovan Originals is a compact disc box set containing four Donovan albums that were not previously released in the UK. The Hurdy Gurdy Man is disc three of that set.

• On May 24, 2005, EMI reissued The Hurdy Gurdy Man (EMI 8735682) on compact disc in the UK with seven bonus tracks.

• The last verse of Hurdy Gurdy Man written by George Harrison is: "When the truth gets buried deep, beneath a thousand years of sleep, time demands a turn around, and once again the truth is found".

October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is one or more musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related things that are contained in a box. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Track listing

Original album (U.S.) on LP

All tracks by Donovan Leitch. A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ...

Side one

1. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" – 3:13
2. "Peregrine" – 3:34
3. "The Entertaining of a Shy Girl" – 1:39
4. "As I Recall It" – 2:06
5. "Get Thy Bearings" – 2:47
6. "Hi It's Been a Long Time" – 2:32
7. "West Indian Lady" – 2:15

Hurdy Gurdy Man is a song by Scottish musician Donovan. ...

Side two

1. "Jennifer Juniper" – 2:40
2. "The River Song" – 2:14
3. "Tangier" – 4:10
4. "A Sunny Day" – 1:52
5. "The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow" – 3:31
6. "Teas" – 2:29

2005 EMI version (UK) on CD

All tracks by Donovan Leitch. The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ...

1. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" – 3:13
2. "Peregrine" – 3:34
3. "The Entertaining of a Shy Girl" – 1:39
4. "As I Recall It" – 2:06
5. "Get Thy Bearings" – 2:47
6. "Hi It's Been a Long Time" – 2:32
7. "West Indian Lady" – 2:15
8. "Jennifer Juniper" – 2:40
9. "The River Song" – 2:14
10. "Tangier" – 4:10
11. "A Sunny Day" – 1:52
12. "The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow" – 3:31
13. "Teas" – 2:29

Bonus Tracks

1. "Teen Angel" –
2. "Poor Cow" –
3. "Laleña" –
4. "Aye My Love" –
5. "What a Beautiful Creature You Are" –
6. "Colours" –
7. "Catch the Wind" -