Glaswegian Donovan survived being the very first new Bob Dylan to score several 60s classic hits (‘Catch The Wind’, ‘Sunshine Superman’, ‘Mellow Yellow’), all coloured by his distinctive flowery philosophy that even saw him record albums for kiddies. Beat Cafe is his first CD in eight years and he’s joined by veteran luminaries Danny Thompson (bass) and Jim Keltner (drums) for a bunch of tunes evoking the atmosphere of Bohemian café society of 1840s Paris with its blend of versifying, stimulating philosophical discourse, a freewheeling approach to morals and a skinful of pretentious posing.
And generally Beat Cafe succeeds admirably. ‘Whirlwind’ is magnificently hypnotic, as is the more robust ‘Yin My Yang’, while Thompson’s double-bass adds a licentious swagger to the breezy ‘Poorman’s Sunshine’.
‘Lord of the Universe’ adds a touch of blues to its obvious 60s rhythmic pattern and the reflective east-meets-west spirituality of ‘Shambhala’ is delicately uplifting without being twee.
But it’s not all so groovy. The song version of Dylan Thomas’ poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle’ is not even given its full title and is laugh-out-loud ridiculous, spectacularly failing to reflect the anger and foreboding of Thomas’ original reading.
Still, it’s great to hear that the man who once told a Hot Press seminar that the secret of life was somewhere between C and A minor is back in the running.