Donovan was called Britain's Bob Dylan, but the singing Scot was anything but. Lacking Dylan's bitter edge, he sang sweet, soft songs about flowers, pretty girls, love and other hallmarks of psychedelia.
Seemingly fluttery and facile, Donovan's songs were hardly the place to go looking for a great guitar hook. He did a good job hiding one in "Season of the Witch" from Sunshine Superman, his 1966 signature album, but that hook finally delivered with Luna's cover, which first appeared on the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack and was subsequently released as a single in its own right.
An incredibly danceable, soaring guitar lick, coupled with Dean Wareham's croony voice and a bass line sure to get the hips shaking, turned a simple folk song into an essential rock song. For a three-year stretch, Wareham and Luna excelled at such transformations, putting their stamp on Beat Happening's "Indian Summer," David Byrne's "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel," Serge Gainesbourg's "Bonnie and Clyde" and Lou Reed's "Ride into the Sun," among others.
A great cover can do one of two things: It improves on a so-so original or it reminds the listener as to why the song was great in the first place. Luna does both with "Season of the Witch."
— Stephanie Kuenn (smkuenn at gmail dot com)
Donovan's "Season of the Witch,"