Essence to Essence is the eleventh studio album, and thirteenth album overall, from British singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in both the UK (Epic SEPC 69050) and the U.S. (Epic KE 32800) in December 1973.
By late 1973, Donovan abandoned the style of glam rock featured on his Cosmic Wheels album earlier that year. Andrew Loog Oldham was brought in (replacing Mickie Most) to co-produce Donovan's next album, which would highlight the subdued style of his previous work. Many of the songs were released on Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973, but that album was not released outside Japan.
In a clear sign of Donovan's waning popularity, Essence to Essence became the third Donovan album after H.M.S. Donovan and earlier Fairytale to fail to reach the top 25 in the U.S. charts. Essence to Essence missed the UK album charts altogether and peaked at #174 in the United States.
On Essence to Essence, Donovan focuses on spirituality and meditative lyrics. The album art features Donovan clothed in white robes, kneeling as in meditation. While the album was derided as a critical failure at the time of its release, many of the songs went on to form a major part of Donovan's live repertoire throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
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Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch; 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music (notably calypso). He has lived in Scotland, London and California, and, since at least 2008, in County Cork, Ireland, with his family. Emerging from the British folk scene, Donovan reached fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with live performances on the pop TV series, Ready Steady Go!.
Having signed with Pye Records in 1965, he recorded singles and two albums in the folk vein, but after a new contract with US CBS/Epic Records his popularity spread to other countries. After extricating himself from his original management contract, he began a long and successful collaboration with Mickie Most, a leading British independent record producer, with hits in the UK, the US and other countries.
His most successful singles were the early UK hits "Catch the Wind", "Colours" and "Universal Soldier" in 1965. "Sunshine Superman" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (number two in Britain), and "Mellow Yellow" reached US number two the following year, with "Hurdy Gurdy Man" in the Top 5 in both countries in 1968. He was the first artist to be signed to CBS/Epic Records by the new administrative vice-president, Clive Davis. Donovan and Most collaborated on hit albums and singles between 1965 and 1970. He became a friend of pop musicians including Joan Baez, Brian Jones and The Beatles. He taught John Lennon a finger-picking guitar style in 1968. Donovan's commercial fortunes waned after parting with Most in 1969, and he left the industry for a time.
Seek ye the mystery through all this energy
To set your soul bird free from deathless delight.
There are so many ways, forms upon which to gaze,
Live in a divine daze of deathless delight,
Deathless delight, deathless delight.
There may be so many, many pains,
Till of old the golden goal you gain.
Out on the lonely road you began long ago,
No other way to show deathless delight,
Deathless delight, deathless delight.
Deathless delight
Deathless delight
Deathless delight.
I have had some tingles in my time,
Never dreaming them to be a sign, be a sign.
Out on the lonely road living a warrior's code,
Everywhere thine abode of deathless delight,
Deathless delight, deathless delight