Donovan – Open Road (1970) LP

Open Road is the eighth studio album, and ninth album overall from Donovan. It is also considered the debut album from the band Open Road. The album was released in the US sometime before July 25, 1970 (Epic Records E 30125 (stereo)), and in the UK sometime before September 12, 1970 (Dawn Records DNLS 3009).

After splitting with Mickie Most during the Barabajagal sessions, Donovan decided to move back to the UK against the wishes of his management, who most likely objected due to the heavy taxation in the country and the distance from the American market. There he began recording and producing the tracks that would form his next studio album. Donovan's production was much rougher and more organic than Mickie Most's cleanly polished production on Donovan's hits of the 1960s.

During these sessions, Donovan assembled the band Open Road with drummer John Carr, keyboardist Mike O'Neil, and bass and guitar player Mike Thomson. The band played a style that was dubbed celtic rock by Donovan. Many of the songs on Open Road ponder the negative side of industrialization and the lost peacefulness of a previous time. While some of this had been touched on in Donovan's previous work, this is the first album where the topic is expounded at length.