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Songwriters' Circle

Series 2

Episode 3: Donovan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Roger Cook

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

The third show in this stripped-back acoustic series reunites three influential songwriters hailing from the 1960s, and the result suggests their songs will endure for many decades to come.

There's a strong camaraderie and sense of mutual respect between Donovan, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Roger Cook as they share the stage in the impressive surroundings of London's Porchester Hall.

Donovan, with his trademark green guitar and quirky musings, gives confident renditions from his rich back catalogue, with classics like Mellow Yellow, Sunshine Superman and Catch the Wind, and the others join him in a singalong of Colours.

Buffy Sainte-Marie is hypnotic, whether performing Until It's Time for You to Go, covered most notably by Elvis, or protest song Universal Soldier, a hit for Donovan, or indeed the original version of monster power ballad Up Where We Belong, which achieved such fame when sung by Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker as the theme for the film An Officer and a Gentleman.

Ukulele-wielding Roger Cook is a revelation. Bristol-bred and Nashville-settled, his name may be unfamiliar to much of the British audience, but he co-wrote such monster hits as I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Crystal Gayle's Talking In Your Sleep and Gene Pitney's Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart.

A nostalgic treat. Show less

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