The album marked a slight change in direction for Donovan. His earlier releases were far more folk-oriented but this album showed him moving in a more contemporary "psychedelic" direction. He embraced world music with the inclusion of sitars and tablas giving Three King Fishers an Indian feel. However, the album did not lose the folk feel of his previous work, rather more it expended the style with more "world music"  and rock influences. This makes the album very interesting and pleasant listening.

The album was recorded in EMI's Abbey Road studios in London as well as in Los Angeles. Donovan wrote the song The Trip about the club in LA where he played a residency. The song was the b-side of Sunshine Superman in the UK. The LA visit resulted in several artists being name-checked in songs. Mama Cass was The Fat Angel and Jefferson Airplane were mentioned in the song.

The title track was released as a single in July 1966 in the US but not until December 1966 in the UK. It featured session musicians Jimmy Page and John-Paul Jones on lead guitar and bass respectively. It reached number two in the UK and number one on two US charts. Sometimes viewed as the first UK psychedelic song, "sunshine" was slang for LSD.

Season of the Witch is another stand-out Donovan song. It was later covered by Vanilla Fudge, Brian Auger & the Trinity and Sam Gopal. For information, apart from the slight difference in spelling, Guinevere is not the Crosby Stills & Nash song. That arrived three years later.

1966 was the year everything changed. The Rolling Stones produced Aftermath, the Beatles released Revolver and Pet Sounds came from the Beach Boys. Donovan's Sunshine Superman fits in with the times that showed artists becoming more experimental with instrumentation and song styles. It remains a great listen.

Original release: 26 August 1966 (US)

UK release: June 1967 (Sort of)

Reissue: Epic

Essential Tracks