Editing Donovan (section)

====''Sunshine Superman''====
[[File:Donovan 4.jpg|thumb|Donovan performing in [[Finnish Broadcasting Company]]'s television program ''Ohimennen'' in June 1966.]]
By 1966, Donovan had shed the Dylan/Guthrie influences and become one of the first British pop musicians to adopt [[flower power]]. He immersed himself in jazz, [[blues]], [[Eastern world|Eastern]] music and the new generation of [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]-era [[West Coast of the United States|US West Coast]] bands such as [[Jefferson Airplane]] and [[the Grateful Dead]]. He was entering his most creative phase as a songwriter and recording artist, working with Mickie Most and with arranger, musician and jazz fan [[John Cameron (musician)|John Cameron]]. Their first collaboration was ''[[Sunshine Superman (album)|Sunshine Superman]]'', one of the first [[psychedelic pop]] records.<ref name="classicbands"/>

Donovan's rise stalled in December 1965 when ''Billboard'' broke news of the impending production deal between Klein, Most and Donovan, and then reported that Donovan was to sign with [[Epic Records]] in the US. Despite Kozak's denials, [[Pye Records]] dropped the single and a contract dispute ensued, because Pye had a US licensing arrangement with [[Warner Bros. Records]]. As a result, the UK release of the ''Sunshine Superman'' LP was delayed for months, robbing it of the impact it would have had. Another outcome was that the UK and US versions of this and later albums differed – three of his Epic LPs were not released in the UK and ''Sunshine Superman'' was issued in a different form in each country. Several tracks on his late 1960s Epic (US) LPs were not released in the UK for many years. The legal dispute continued into early 1966. During the hiatus, Donovan holidayed in Greece, where he wrote "Writer in the Sun",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hit-channel.com/interview-donovan/68376 |title=Interview: Donovan |publisher=Hit-channel.com |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref> inspired by rumours that his recording career was over. He toured the US and appeared on episode 23 of [[Pete Seeger]]'s television show ''[[Rainbow Quest]]'' in 1966 with [[Shawn Phillips]] and [[Rev. Gary Davis]]. After his return to London, he developed his friendship with [[Paul McCartney]] and contributed the line "sky of blue and sea of green" to "[[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]".

By spring 1966, the American contract problems had been resolved and Donovan signed a $100,000 deal with Epic Records. Donovan and Most went to [[CBS Studio Building|CBS Studios]] in Los Angeles, where they recorded tracks for an LP, much composed during the preceding year. Although folk elements were prominent, the album showed increasing influence of [[jazz]], American west coast [[psychedelia]] and [[folk rock]] – especially [[the Byrds]]. The LP sessions were completed in May and "[[Sunshine Superman (song)|Sunshine Superman]]" was released in the US as a single in June. It was a success, selling 800,000 in six weeks and reaching No. 1. It went on to sell over one million and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Murrells |year=1978 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |edition=2nd |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/204 204] |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/204 }}</ref> The LP followed in August, preceded by orders of 250,000 copies, reached No. 11 on the US [[Billboard 200|album chart]] and sold over half a million.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>

The US version of the ''[[Sunshine Superman (album)|Sunshine Superman]]'' album features instruments including acoustic bass, [[sitar]], saxophone, tablas and congas, harpsichord, strings and oboe. Highlights include the swinging "[[The Fat Angel]]", which Donovan's book confirms was written for [[Cass Elliot]] of [[the Mamas & the Papas]]. The song is notable for naming the Jefferson Airplane before they became known internationally and before [[Grace Slick]] joined. Other tracks include "Bert's Blues" (a tribute to [[Bert Jansch]]), "Guinevere" and "Legend of a Girl Child Linda", a track featuring voice, acoustic guitar and a small orchestra for over six minutes.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Hurdy Gurdy Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PVsIp2DSuQMC&pg=PA164 |access-date=19 February 2013|isbn = 9780099487036|author1 = Donovan|last2 = Leitch|first2 = Donovan|year = 2006| publisher=Arrow }}</ref>

The album also features the sitar, which was played by American folk-rock singer [[Shawn Phillips]]. Donovan met Phillips in London in 1965 and he became a friend and early collaborator, playing acoustic guitar and sitar on recordings including ''Sunshine Superman'' as well as accompanying Donovan at concerts and on Pete Seeger's TV show. Creatively, Phillips served as a silent partner in the gestation of many of Donovan's songs from the era, with the singer later acknowledging that Phillips primarily composed "[[Season of the Witch (song)|Season of the Witch]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goldminemag.com/article/follow-the-ever-changing-ballad-of-singer-songwriter-shawn-phillips |title=Follow the ever-changing ballad of Shawn Phillips |date=25 July 2012}}</ref> Several songs including the title track had a harder edge. The driving, jazzy "The Trip", named after a Los Angeles club name, chronicled an [[LSD]] [[Psychedelic experience|trip]] during his time in L.A. and is loaded with references to his sojourn on the West Coast, and names Dylan and Baez. The third "heavy" song was "Season of the Witch".{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Recorded with American and British session players, it features Donovan's first recorded performance on electric guitar. The song was covered by [[Julie Driscoll]], [[Brian Auger and the Trinity]] on their first LP in 1967 and [[Al Kooper]] and [[Stephen Stills]] recorded an 11-minute version on the 1968 album, ''[[Super Session]]''. Donovan's version is also in the closing sequence of the [[Gus Van Sant]] film, ''[[To Die For]]''. {{citation needed|date=August 2014}}

Because of earlier contractual problems, the UK version of ''Sunshine Superman'' LP was not released for another nine months. This was a compilation of tracks from the US albums ''[[Sunshine Superman (album)|Sunshine Superman]]'' and ''[[Mellow Yellow (album)|Mellow Yellow]]''. Donovan did not choose the tracks.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}