Hurdy Gurdy Man/Teen Angel

Side A:

Hurdy Gurdy Man

Side B:

Teen Angel

All tracks by Donovan P. Leitch.

Musicians:

· Donovan: vocals, acoustic guitar, tambura on track 01. Harmonica on track 02.

· Alan Parker: lead electric guitar on track 01.

· John Paul Jones: bass and arrangement, musical direction.

· John Cameron: piano on track 02.

· Clem Cattini: drums on track 01.

· Tony Carr: drums on track 02.

Trivia:

·  Hurdy Gurdy Man was written for Donovan's old friend and guitar mentor Mac MacLeod. MacLeod was in a Danish band at the time called Hurdy Gurdy. Donovan's first purpose was to give the song to Mac's band, as a present, but he changed his mind following Mickie Most advise: the single was a great hit and Hurdy Gurdy never recorded Hurdy Gurdy Man.

· The song features a harder rock sound than Donovan's previous recordings but shows the Indian influence with the use of a tambura. It was an anthem for free-spirited hippies with a great psychedelic sound, later to be called "Celtic Rock".

· Donovan has claimed in several concerts that George Harrison wrote a verse for  Hurdy Gurdy Man when they were in India, but it wasn't recorded for the studio version, because the producers said it would be too long for a single. On the 1973 live album Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973 Donovan sings the "lost verse" for the first time in an official recording:

When the truth gets buried deep

Beneath a thousand years of sleep

Time demands a turn around

And once again the truth is found

Awakening the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Who comes singing songs of love

· Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones formed Led Zeppelin after the recording sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man. Jimmy Page was in The Yardbirds at the time. Although Donovan has declared in several interviews that it was indeed Jimmy Page who played the famous guitar solo on  Hurdy Gurdy Man John Paul Jones, Clem Cattini and Jimmy Page himself have said that it was actually Alan Parker. At first, Donovan wanted Jimi Hendrix to play guitar in the song, but he was unavailable so they contacted Jimmy Page instead. Jimmy wasn't there so Alan Parker played the guitar solo.

· Teen Angel wasn't released in any LP album.

· The session for was produced Hurdy Gurdy Man by Mickie Most and engineered by Eddie Kramer.