Donovan's Brain

Title: The Great Leap Forward -  Company: Career (USA)  -  Cat No: cds - 7208

Format: cd  -  Released: 2003  -  Status: in print

 

Deniz Tek had been keeping close tabs on the Brain's activities for a several years. During the recording process for the forth Donovan's Brain album, he offered several crucial suggestions, and let it be known he would be interested in lending a hand. In the end he gladly accepted the offer to play and sing on several songs.

The guitar lines on "All Fall Down" carry a hint of the Flamin' Groovies, a band that toured with Radio Birdman and have been a major influence on Colter and Ron. 'The Ballad Of Where's Jim" was recorded for "Tiny Crustacean Light Show" but was never finished. Determined to resurrect the track for "Leap", new lyrics were written to tell the story of the departure of two members of Donovan's Brain. Deniz took up the challenge and sang the song in one take.

 

Track Listing:

Neuro Psych Trail Head ( R Sanchez ) 

Crystal Palace ( J Arntsen ) 

All Fall Down ( C Langan ) 

Cloud Maker ( C Langan ) 

The Ballad Of Where's Jim (R Sanchez / J Kehoe ) 

Loving Indifference ( Sanchez / Langan / Arntsen / Craighead ) 

All Over The World ( C Langan ) 

My Little Town ( R Sanchez ) 

The Known Sea ( R Sanchez ) 

Following Orders ( C Langan ) 

Human Is ( R Sanchez )

Ocean Of Storms ( R Sanchez / D Walker ) 

 

The Musicians:

Ron Sanchez - guitar, vocals, keyboards / Colter Langan - vocals, guitars / Ron Craighead - drums, vocals, percussion / Jeff Arntsen - bass, guitars, vocals / Dave Walker - vocals, piano, guitar / Deniz Tek - guitar, vocals / Richard Treece - guitar / Megan Pickerel - vocals, ebow / Seth Lyon - drums / Kels Koch - bass / Jim Kehoe - guitar / Malcolm Morley - the third man

 

Technical Details:

Produced by Ron Sanchez

Mixed by Ron Sanchez and Jeff Arntsen 

Recorded at GLEA Bozeman, Malc's Mad House Islington, and Jeff's North Black

 

Donovan's Brain

Title: A Defeat Of echoes -  Company: Career (USA)  -  Cat No: cds - 8117

Format: cd  -  Released: 2005  -  Status: in print

 

Once again Donovan’s Brain has defied attempts to fit them into any of the neat modern categories. The sounds range from precise guitar rockers, Elizabethan folk-rock, deep social commentary, politics of the heart, and West Coast guitar architecture. The four multi-instrumentalists who created A Defeat Of Echoes do not recognize any boundaries.

Donovan’s Brain were assisted in the studio by Career Records label head, Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) on guitar, Richard Treece (Help Yourself) on guitar, Megan Pickerel (Swoon 23) adding her distinctive voice, and power-pop legend Bobby Sutliff (The Windbreakers) on guitar and vocals.

 

Track Listing:

Come To My Party ( J Arntsen )

Decade Of Days ( C Langan )

Whispers And Tears ( Sanchez / Langan / Arntsen / Craighead )

The Boy Who Cried New Town ( R Sanchez )

When The Summer Comes ( C Langan )

Open Your Mind ( C Langan )

Penny For Your Thoughts ( R Sanchez )

When You’re Falling ( C Langan )

A Defeat Of Echoes ( R Sanchez )

Invisible Diamond Man ( R Sanchez )

Control ( J Arntsen )

So Far Gone ( C Langan )

The Little Prince ( Craighead )

City Morning ( C Langan )

Rezolution ( J Arntsen )

Bondi Tombstone ( Sanchez / Langan / Arntsen / Craighead )

Yul Brenner ( J Arntsen )

 

The Musicians:

Ron Sanchez - guitar, vocals, keyboards / Colter Langan - vocals, guitars / Ron Craighead - drums, vocals, percussion, guitar / Jeff Arntsen - bass, guitars, organ, vocals / Deniz Tek - guitar / Richard Treece - guitar / Megan Pickerel - vocals / Bobby Sutliff - guitar, vocals

 

Technical Details:

Produced by Ron Sanchez

Mixed by Ron Sanchez and Jeff Arntsen

Recorded at GLEA Bozeman, Skrang OH, Ant Farm London, and Jeff's North Black

 

Donovan's Brain

Title: fires which burnt brightly -  Company: Career (USA)  -  Cat No: cds - 8097

Format: cd  -  Released: 2009  -  Status: in print

 

Fires Which Burnt Brightly finds the reconfigured Donovan’s Brain emerging after a 4-year gap, with Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) and Bobby Sutliff (The Windbreakers) now seated at the songwriting round table. Founding members, Ron Sanchez and Colter Langan have gently steered the band back to their psych-pop roots. Despite, or maybe because of their efforts, Fires Which Burnt Brightly is a kaleidoscope sounds and textures which are a reminder of a time when there were no rules or formulas for music.

Bob Brown was brought to the band by Deniz Tek. Bob had toured with the Deniz Tek Group on the 1992 Vertical tour, and worked regularly with Deniz in Billings. After recruiting Bob and his studio to record the basics for Vanished and 4 Trials, it was decided to have Bob fill in for Jeff Arntsen who had moved back to Seattle after the release of Defeat Of Echoes.

 

Track Listing:

The Same Mistakes ( R Sanchez )

Green 17 ( C Langan )

Broken Glass Corner ( Sanchez )

You Gotta Go Now ( R Sutliff )

Carefully Considered Answers ( C Langan / R Sanchez)

Last Acid Riders ( Sanchez )

After The Main Sequence ( R Sanchez )

Come For The Sun ( C Langan )

Wooden Horse ( R Sanchez )

I Saw Your Light ( C Langan )

Vanished (Tek / Masuak / Sanchez)

High Street Hit Man ( Sutliff / Sanchez )

Thinking Of Neutrons ( Sanchex / Tek )

 

The Musicians:

Ron Sanchez - guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion / Colter Langan - vocals, guitars / Deniz Tek - guitar, vocal, percussion / Bobby Sutliff - guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals / Bob Brown- bass / Ron Craighead - drums / Jeff Arntsen - bass / Jason Lytle - vocals, piano, synthetics / Lizzie Mack - vocals / Lila Cebulla - Vocals / Tony Miller - vocals / Tony Horton - drums / Mike Musburger - drums, percussion / Roy Loney - vocals

 

Technical Details:

Produced by Ron Sanchez, Deniz Tek and Bobby Sutliff

Mixed by Ron Sanchez and Deniz Tek

Recorded at GLEA, Skrang, Dump, Crackle And Pop, Anthony Keena, The Warbler, and Color Wheel

 

Donovan's Brain

Title: Turned up later -  Company: Career (USA)  -  Cat No: cds - 8047

Format: cd/LP -  Released: 2013  -  Status: in print

 

Turned Up Later once again sees a reconfigured Donovan's Brain line up back in the studio for more of the non-stop session. Bobby Sutliff and Ron Sanchez dominate the songwriting credits with help from Deniz and Tony Miller. Ric Parnell and Scott Sutherland are added to what's left of the band for a more unified sound. Clare Moore from Dave Graney and the mistLY and Matt Piucci from The Rain Parade join the fray. 

File under: Melodic Guitar Psych

Turned up later was recorded at the same time as Detroit in the same studios. Deniz contributed guitar to five songs for the album as well as the two compilation tracks recorded during the course of these sessions.

 

CD Track Listing:

Take Me With You When You Go (Sutliff)

As The Crows Fly (Sanchez)

It's Alright With Me (Langan - Miller)

My Own Skin (Sutliff )

Small Circles (Sanchez)

Restless Nights, Many Dreams (Sutliff )

Cardboard Army (Sanchez - Tek - Miller)

Manager Of Time (Sanchez)

Morningside Dream (Sanchez )

Red Wing Spy (Sanchez )

Fulcrum (Sutliff)

In Search Of Connie Companion (Sanchez )

 

LP Track Listing:

Take Me With You When You Go (Sutliff)

As The Crows Fly (Sanchez)

It's Alright With Me (Langan - Miller)

My Own Skin (Sutliff )

Small Circles (Sanchez)

 

Cardboard Army (Sanchez - Tek - Miller)

Morningside Dream (Sutliff )

Manager Of Time (Sanchez)

Restless Nights, Many Dreams (Sutliff )

 

Your Number (Langan)

Red Wing Spy (Sanchez)

Fulcrum (Sutliff )

In Search Of Connie Companion (Sanchez )

 

The Musicians:

Ron Sanchez - guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion / Bobby Sutliff - guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals / Deniz Tek - guitar / Bob Brown-bass / Tony Miller - vocals, keyboards, efx / Ric Parnell - drums, vocals, percussion / Scott Sutherland - vocals, guitar / Matt Piucci - guitar / Colter Langan - guitars / Clare Moore - vibes / Lila Cebulla - Vocals

 

Technical Details:

Produced by Ron Sanchez, and Bobby Sutliff

Mixed by Ron Sanchez 

Recorded at GLEA, Skrang, Pillbox, Artspoke, Ponderosa and Color Wheel

 

Additional recordings :

"Violin Thing" on : The micky jones tribute album - 2011

"Oh Lorelei" on : Skrang Sounds Like Bobby Sutliff - 2013

For infos on these compilations, click HERE.

 

LINKS :

CAREER RECORDS : www.careerrecords.com

DONOVAN'S BRAIN : www.donovans-brain.net