Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Britishsinger-songwriterDonovan. It was released in the US in March 1967 / BN 26239, but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.
History
The songs on Mellow Yellow represent a transition in Donovan's writing. Donovan's songs had previously illustrated his infatuation with an ability to define the mid-sixties pop music scene. On Mellow Yellow this is still evident in "Sunny South Kensington", "Museum" and the title track, but is also tempered with world-weary observations of that scene. The contractual problems that prevented the release of Donovan's music in the UK led him to write such songs as the resigned "Writer in the Sun", where he contemplates the possibility of his own forced retirement from the music industry at the age of 20. Mickie Most's production and the arrangements of John Paul Jones accommodate these two divergent traits of Donovan's songwriting throughout Mellow Yellow. The peppier songs feature a diverse selection of instruments similar to Sunshine Superman and helped make a top 10 hit out of the title track on both sides of the Atlantic. The introspective ruminations feature sparse instrumentation that highlights Donovan's guitar playing, singing, and lyrics. On Mellow Yellow, Donovan gave a nod to his friend Bert Jansch on "House of Jansch", marking the third Donovan album in a row that paid tribute to the British folk personage. John Cameron played blues piano, harpsichord, and undertook arrangements. Paul McCartney provided background vocals on at least one of the tracks. He is uncredited for his work.
Legacy
According to a recent biography, the album was a significant influence on Nick Drake. The track "Museum" was covered by Herman's Hermits on their 1967 album release Blaze.
Reissues
On 24 October 1994, EMI released Four Donovan Originals in the UK. Four Donovan Originals is a compact discbox set containing four Donovan albums that were not previously released in the UK. Mellow Yellow is disc two of that set.
On 16 January 2001, Collectables Records released Mellow Yellow/Wear Your Love Like Heaven, which contained all of Mellow Yellow and the first record of A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, Wear Your Love Like Heaven.
