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.
| Universal Soldier | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | September 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1965 | |||
| Genre | folk | |||
| Label | Marble Arch | |||
| Producer | Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, Geoff Stephens | |||
| Donovan chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
History
editIn the mid-1960s Pye Records 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 appeared before on LP format in the United Kingdom. The strategy of compiling non-album tracks paid off, and Universal Soldier reached No. 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.
In 1995, Spectrum Music released a CD compilation, also named after the title track.
Track listing
editAll tracks by Donovan Leitch, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Universal Soldier" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) | Universal Soldier EP | 2:15 |
| 2. | "To Sing for You" | What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" | B-side of "Catch the Wind" single | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Turquoise" | Non-album single | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Colours (Single Mix)" | Fairytale | 2:11 |
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Catch the Wind (Single Mix)" | What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" | B-side of "Turquoise" single | 3:08 |
| 8. | "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" | The Universal Soldier EP | 3:19 |
| 9. | "Do You Hear Me Now?" (Bert Jansch) | Universal Soldier EP | 1:50 |
| 10. | "The War Drags On" (Mick Softley) | Universal Soldier EP | 3:44 |