Pop Music : Mellow Donovan at Ventura Venue

They called him Mellow Yellow, and quite rightly.

During his mid-’60s heyday, Donovan was the Phil Collins of flower power, a British import who captivated America with a string of mild-mannered, daydreamlike rockers.

After two decades away from the public eye and ear, Donovan (real name: Donovan Leitch) is enjoying a revival of sorts in England, thanks primarily to--of all things--the Happy Mondays. The trend-setting Manchester band recently incorporated some of his lyrics into a song called “Donovan” and had the erstwhile hippie open a few of its shows in England.

Buoyed by all the attention, Donovan has booked a brief acoustic tour in the United States, accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica. At the Ventura Theatre on Saturday, he displayed much of the wry, understated charm that once shot his records to the top of the charts. Unfortunately, little of it was evident in the new songs he performed, musically pretty ballads marred by fatuous lyrics.

The listless material was all the more disappointing following a clever reworking of his “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” The latter featured a witty narrative about a visit to the Maharishi, a never-recorded verse supposedly written by George Harrison and a vocal rendering of the guitar part that Jimmy Page contributed to the original record.

“Mellow Yellow” and other oldies, while not so elaborately retooled, also came across well.

Whatever the failings of Donovan’s recent work, the adoring audience of all ages on hand Saturday seemed anxious for Donovanmania to cross the ocean once again. Copies of his recent live album, “Rising,” were being snapped up by the tie-dyed throngs even faster than the crystal jewelry on sale in the lobby.