Universal Soldier (1967 Donovan album)
Encyclopedia
Universal Soldier is the second compilation album
from Scottish
singer-songwriter
Donovan
. It was released in the UK
(Marble Arch LP-MAL 718) in September 1967.
launched budget record label Marble Arch Records to release older material on inexpensive albums in the United Kingdom. Several of Donovan's 1965 recordings for Pye were selected for release in 1967 as Universal Soldier. Donovan's version of "Universal Soldier
" was a hit EP in 1965, and that name recognition was intended to boost sales.
Universal Soldier was a unique release because it collected the entire Universal Soldier EP, the b-side to "Catch the Wind
", and the entire "Turquoise
" single; all of which had not yet appeared on LP format in the United Kingdom. The strategy of compiling non-album tracks paid off, and Universal Soldier reached #5 in the United Kingdom and remained on the charts for 18 weeks.
Marble Arch would go on to release several more Donovan compilations to significantly less interest, including an edited What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
in 1968 and an edited Fairytale
in 1969.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
from Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
. It was released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Marble Arch LP-MAL 718) in September 1967.
History
In the mid-1960's Pye RecordsPye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
launched budget record label Marble Arch Records to release older material on inexpensive albums in the United Kingdom. Several of Donovan's 1965 recordings for Pye were selected for release in 1967 as Universal Soldier. Donovan's version of "Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (song)
"Universal Soldier" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was originally released on Sainte-Marie's debut album It's My Way! in 1964. "Universal Soldier" was not a popular hit at the time of its release, but it did garner attention within the...
" was a hit EP in 1965, and that name recognition was intended to boost sales.
Universal Soldier was a unique release because it collected the entire Universal Soldier EP, the b-side to "Catch the Wind
Catch the Wind (song)
"Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on March 12, 1965 through Pye Records and a few months later in the United States through Hickory Records...
", and the entire "Turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...
" single; all of which had not yet appeared on LP format in the United Kingdom. The strategy of compiling non-album tracks paid off, and Universal Soldier reached #5 in the United Kingdom and remained on the charts for 18 weeks.
Marble Arch would go on to release several more Donovan compilations to significantly less interest, including an edited What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid is the debut album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom four days after Donovan's 19th birthday on 14 May 1965, through Pye Records . Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, and Geoff Stephens produced the album...
in 1968 and an edited Fairytale
Fairytale (album)
Fairytale is the second album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1965 through Pye Records . The U.S. version of Fairytale was released by Hickory Records in November 1965 with a slightly different set of songs...
in 1969.
Album origins of tracks
The following is a list explaining the original releases of each song.- "Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier (song)"Universal Soldier" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was originally released on Sainte-Marie's debut album It's My Way! in 1964. "Universal Soldier" was not a popular hit at the time of its release, but it did garner attention within the...
" (from Universal Soldier EP, released August 15, 1965) - "To Sing for You" (from What's Bin Did and What's Bin HidWhat's Bin Did and What's Bin HidWhat's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid is the debut album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom four days after Donovan's 19th birthday on 14 May 1965, through Pye Records . Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, and Geoff Stephens produced the album...
, released May 14, 1965) - "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" (b-side of "Catch the WindCatch the Wind (song)"Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on March 12, 1965 through Pye Records and a few months later in the United States through Hickory Records...
", released March 12, 1965) - "TurquoiseTurquoise (song)"Turquoise" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The "Turquoise" single was released in the United Kingdom on October 30, 1965 through Pye Records and charted to #30. The "Turquoise" single was backed with "Hey Gyp " and only released in the United Kingdom...
" (UK single, released October 30, 1965) - "Colours" (UK single, released May 28, 1965, different from FairytaleFairytale (album)Fairytale is the second album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1965 through Pye Records . The U.S. version of Fairytale was released by Hickory Records in November 1965 with a slightly different set of songs...
LP version) - "Catch the WindCatch the Wind (song)"Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on March 12, 1965 through Pye Records and a few months later in the United States through Hickory Records...
" (UK single, released March 12, 1965, different from What's Bin Did and What's Bin HidWhat's Bin Did and What's Bin HidWhat's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid is the debut album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom four days after Donovan's 19th birthday on 14 May 1965, through Pye Records . Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, and Geoff Stephens produced the album...
LP version) - "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)"* (b-side of "Turquoise", released October 30, 1965)
- "The Ballad of a Crystal Man"* (from The Universal Soldier EP, released August 15, 1965, different from Fairytale LP version)
- "Do You Hear Me Now?" (from The Universal Soldier EP, released August 15, 1965)
- "The War Drags on" (from The Universal Soldier EP, released August 15, 1965)
Side one
- "Universal Soldier" (Buffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
) – 2:15 - "To Sing for You" – 2:45
- "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" – 2:56
- "Turquoise" – 3:31
- "Colours" – 2:11
Side two
- "Catch the Wind" – 2:56
- "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" – 3:08
- "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" – 3:19
- "Do You Hear Me Now?" (Bert JanschBert JanschHerbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
) – 1:50 - "The War Drags On" (Mick SoftleyMick SoftleyMichael 'Mick' Softley is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. A figurehead during the British folk scene, Softley set up his own folk club, released three albums and has been known to work with Mac MacLeod , Donovan Leitch and Maddy Prior...
) – 3:44