Sunshine Superman is the third album from British singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in September 1966, but was not released in the UK because of a contractual dispute. In June 1967, a compilation of the Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. Sunshine Superman was named after Donovan's hit single released in the US in July 1966. The tracks from Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow were not mixed into stereo, with the exception of "Season of the Witch", until the 2011 2-CD deluxe edition issued by UK EMI. In 2017, Sunshine Superman was ranked the 199th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork.
History
Whilst still incorporating folk music, these recordings mark a distinct change in Donovan's music, representing some of the first psychedelia released. A full rock band backs up Donovan on many of the songs, and the instrumentation had been expanded, being one of the first pop albums extensively to use the sitar and other unique musical instruments. This change is partially the result of working with producer Mickie Most, whose pop sensibilities led to chart hits for many other artists at the time. Donovan's lyrics began to encompass his increasing ability to portray "Swinging London" and give listeners an insider's look into the mid-sixties pop scene. He was close to The Beatles and Brian Jones at this time, and he became widely known after "Sunshine Superman" became a chart-topper in the US, and hit number 2 in the UK. Donovan's penchant for name-dropping in songs such as two influenced by his travel to Los Angeles, "The Trip" and "The Fat Angel" coupled with his chart success helped elevate him to superstar status. In addition to noting the people in the pop scene, Donovan recorded "Bert's Blues" for his friend and folk music notable Bert Jansch. Contrasting this modern bent was Donovan's fascination with medieval themes in such songs as "Legend of a Girl Child Linda" and "Guinevere". Several other songs were recorded for Sunshine Superman, but did not make the cut. These include "Museum", "Superlungs My Supergirl" and "Breezes of Patchulie". The Sunshine Superman recordings of these songs were all included on Troubadour The Definitive Collection 1964–1976. In the video for the Beatles' "A Day in the Life", a close up of a spinning turntable shows the Epic Records version of Sunshine Superman playing. The film was shot at the recording sessions for the song, which was included on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A cover version of "The Fat Angel" was recorded by Jefferson Airplane for their 1968 live albumBless Its Pointed Little Head. Monster Magnet covered "Three King Fishers" on their 2013 album Last Patrol, with a live version included on 2014's .
Track listing
Original album (US)
2005 EMI Reissued CD Version
The UK version
Due to the contractual dispute between Pye Records and Epic Records, Donovan's releases were held back in the UK throughout 1966 and early 1967. During this time, Donovan released Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow in the US. To catch up to the Epic Records schedule in America, Pye Records compiled a cross-section of both albums and titled it Sunshine Superman. It was released in the UK in June 1967 and reached #25 in the British charts. Side one
"Sunshine Superman"
"Legend of a Girl Child Linda"
"The Observation"
"Guinevere"
"Celeste"
"Writer in the Sun"
Side two
"Season of the Witch"
"Hampstead Incident"
"Sand and Foam"
"Young Girl Blues"
"Three Kingfishers"
"Bert's Blues"
Reissues
On 5 October 1990, Epic Records reissued the US version of Sunshine Superman in the US on compact disc.
On 24 October 1994, EMI released Four Donovan Originals in the UK. Four Donovan Originals is a compact disc box set containing four Donovan albums that were not previously released in the UK. The US version of Sunshine Superman is disc one of that set.
On 7 October 1996, EMI reissued the US version of Sunshine Superman on compact disc.
On 12 March 1998, Beat Goes On Records reissued the UK version of Sunshine Superman in the UK on compact disc.
On 24 May 2005, EMI reissued the US version of Sunshine Superman on compact disc in the UK with seven bonus tracks.
