Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1966)

Donovan is a British singer-songwriter, who in the 60s emerged from the British folk scene to become a psychedelic pop icon.

Donovan's first two albums had been in an acoustic folk style, and he had tasted some chart success with "Catch The Wind", "Colours" and "The Universal Soldier".
Then in 1966 he teamed up with producer Mickie Most and made his move into electric rock music. The "Sunshine Superman" single was released in the US in July 1966 (it's release in the UK was delayed until December). An upbeat fusion of rock, pop, folk and jazz, with electric guitars, sitar, harpsichord and a conga-driven beat, it is considered one of the first examples of psychedelic rock, and definately one of the first songs in the genre to become a pop hit. It reached #2 in the UK and #1 in the US, and redefined Donovan as a psychedelic pop star.
The album that followed showed the true breadth of his new sound. Sunshine Superman blended his original folk style with American folk-rock, jazz and psychedelia, also managing to bring in eastern and medieval flavours into the mix. Whilst his earlier albums had been mostly performed solo, his new material had his voice and guitar augmented by electric guitars, drums, strings, percussion, sitar and more. Donovan was one of the first artists to make extensive use of the sitar, and on Sunshine Superman it is played by Texan singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips, who he had met in '65 and become close friends with.
Sunshine Superman kick-started a new period in Donovan's career, both in terms of chart success and recognition as well as musical exploration. It is widely considered a landmark psychedelia album.

Fairytale (1965) <|> Mellow Yellow (1967)
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