Open Road

"Open Road" is the eighth studio album, and ninth overall, from British singer-songwriter Donovan. It is also considered the debut album from the band Open Road. Open Road was released in the US sometime before 25 July 1970), and the UK sometime before 12 September 1970. After splitting with Mickie Most during the Barabajagal sessions, Donovan decided to move back to the UK. 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.