Sunshine Superman

Album Review

This re-release of Sunshine Superman might well be titled "The Ultimate Experience," or "The Total Immersion Version" — expanded to 67 minutes, it contains a new 24-bit remastering of the U.S. version of the album (the U.K. version, though it contained Donovan's preferred cover art, was compromised in its content by its extended delay in release, into the following year, owing to legal wrangling of the artist's management and recording contracts in the U.K.), plus seven chronologically related bonus tracks, "Breezes of Patchulie," "Museum" (in an early, lighter-textured version than its officially released recording from the next album), "Superlungs" (in the first of three distinctly different renditions); the longer stereo mix of "Sunshine Superman," and four never-before-heard tracks — "The Land of Doesn't Have to Be" and demo versions of "Good Trip" and "House of Jansch." The upgraded sound is a wonder, bringing out the full nuances in the playing and overcoming the compressed sound with which American audiences have had to put up with on the U.S. version of this album for decades — coupled with the sheer diversity of sounds, from the bold psychedelic pop of the title song to the reflective folk of "Legend of a Girl Child Linda," to the raga-folk of "Three Kingfishers" and "Ferris Wheel," the bluesy resonances of "Bert's Blues," and the ominous, full-electric sound (with the band, and the electric guitars especially, right in your face here) of "Season of the Witch" — the latter's tone may suddenly remind you, just a little bit, of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, and considering how much time Donovan had spent recording in L.A., it's difficult to believe he hadn't at least heard the latter song; and juxtaposed as it is with "The Trip," his song about his first performing sojourn to L.A., the comparison seems more than apt; the latter song also rocks harder than ever, with a killer bassline and the electric and acoustic guitars more exposed than ever. "Guinevere" sounds like a live cut now, it's so expanded and rich, and "The Fat Angel" is now a perfectly produced piece of blues/raga/folk-rock. And "Celeste" now shows all of the details and nuances of the playing on the backing instruments, as well as presenting Donovan's voice in a rich, expansive playing that gives it more beauty and resonance than ever. This record didn't do badly when it was released originally, but if even just the original ten songs could've sounded half this good in the U.S., Sunshine Superman might well be thought of today as being of a piece with the Beatles' Revolver, Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, and the Byrds' Fifth Dimension — it had the music for it, if not the mastering or the press behind it. And coupled with the bonus cuts (which also sound better than any prior Donovan material on CD) and detailed annotation, this is essential listening, almost off the scale for quality.