Sunshine Superman [Audio CD] Donovan

Description

There’s a classic scene in the Pennebraker documentary Don’t Look Back: Donovan sings a pretty folk song in a pretty voice; he smiles like he’s just won a grade-school spelling bee. Dylan strokes him with sly approval, then lays it on him: “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” Donovan’s face falls and he looks about to disappear into the wallpaper. Dylan’s genius made life hard for this Scot-born folkie, and with Sunshine Superman, he tried to find the bold imagination that eluded him. He’s nearly successful, and the record, filled with hippy-trippy lyrics, occasionally reaches pop sublimity, thanks to guitar work by Jimmy Page, and evocative Eastern instrumentation drifting in and out. The final cut, “Till I See You Again” remains irresistible, and the entire album is a high point in Donovan’s career. –Roy Francis Kasten