Oh, Donovan, you’re one in a million. Who else would think to write a ballad about an old English legend of dubious historical truthiness, and play it with sitar? I guess such a mashup of Englishness and exotica is fairly typical of 1966, but who else could have pulled it off with such panache? Donovan didn’t go about calling himself a troubadour for nothing. Guinevere sounds truly courtly and medieval – Donovan’s vocal is slighly mannered, enunciating every word with the conviction of a real bard, while the sitar and percussion lend an otherworldly effect. Yes, it’s something that could only have been dreamed up in the sixties, and as such maybe it’s a novelty. Maybe it’s too weird for ears weaned on the loud and obvious, but it’s a beauty. It’s both very much of its time, and uniquely a product of Donovan’s personal eccentricity.
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