Sunshine Superman (album)

Last updated

Sunshine Superman
Donovan-Sunshine Superman.jpg
Studio album by
Donovan
Released26 August 1966 (1966-08-26)
RecordedDecember 1965–May 1966
Studio
Genre
Length42:59
Label Epic
Producer Mickie Most
Donovan chronology
Fairytale
(1965)		Sunshine Superman
(1966)		 Mellow Yellow
(1967)
Singles from Sunshine Superman
  1. "Sunshine Superman" / "The Trip"
    Released: July 1966
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg[ citation needed ]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [16]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide 3/5 [17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg[ citation needed ]

In 2017, Sunshine Superman was ranked the 199th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork . [18]

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 album Bless Its Pointed Little Head . Monster Magnet covered "Three King Fishers" (as "Three Kingfishers") on their 2013 album Last Patrol , with a live version included on 2014's Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining of Last Patrol .

Track listing

Original US release

All tracks are written by Donovan.

Side one

  1. "Sunshine Superman" –3:15
  2. "Legend of a Girl Child Linda" –6:50
  3. "Three King Fishers" –3:16
  4. "Ferris Wheel" –4:12
  5. "Bert's Blues" –3:56

Side two

  1. "Season of the Witch" –4:56
  2. "The Trip" –4:34
  3. "Guinevere" –3:41
  4. "The Fat Angel" –4:11
  5. "Celeste" –4:08

UK release

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 (Pye NPL 18181) in June 1967 and reached #25 in the British charts.

Side one

  1. "Sunshine Superman"
  2. "Legend of a Girl Child Linda"
  3. "The Observation"
  4. "Guinevere"
  5. "Celeste"
  6. "Writer in the Sun"

Side two

  1. "Season of the Witch"
  2. "Hampstead Incident"
  3. "Sand and Foam"
  4. "Young Girl Blues"
  5. "Three Kingfishers"
  6. "Bert's Blues"
(Titles in italics are from Mellow Yellow)

Personnel

On "Sunshine Superman" and other tracks recorded in England:

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References

  1. ↑ Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020). Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 66–68. ISBN   978-1-4408-6198-7 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Bush, John (2009). "Sunshine Superman [US]". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Bush, John (2009). "Sunshine Superman [US]". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  4. ↑ de Visé, Daniel (19 January 2023). "Twelve Classic Albums of the Late British Invansion". AllMusic . Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam; Hickman, Langdon; Nierenberg, Jacob; Pearson, Paul; Pilch, Patrick; Rega, Konstantin (11 July 2019). "10 Essential Psychedelic Folk Albums". Treble. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1966". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 91. ISBN   9781493064601.
  7. ↑ Swanson, Dave (26 August 2016). "How Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman' Made a Psychedelic Breakthrough". Classic Rock and Culture. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 48 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 5]" (audio). Pop Chronicles . University of North Texas Libraries.
  9. ↑ Swanson, Dave (26 August 2016). "How Donovan Scored a Breakthrough With Sunshine Superman". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "British Psychedelia". AllMusic . 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Barry Miles (2009). The British Invasion. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 273. ISBN   978-1-4027-6976-4.
  12. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 877. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  13. ↑ Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 156. ISBN   978-1440865787.
  14. ↑ Simpson, Dave (2 May 2016). "How We Made: Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman'". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Bush, John (2009). "Sunshine Superman [US]". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  16. ↑ Andy Gill (3 June 2011). "Album: Donovan, Sunshine Superman Stereo Special Edition (EMI) - Reviews - Music" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  17. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p.  355. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  18. ↑ "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork . 22 August 2017.
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