Produced with help from:
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duration: 48.39 ???
producer(s): Mickie Most
comment: compilation of U.S. albums Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow
CD re-issue: U.K.; February 1991; Beat Goes On Records; BGOCD 68 [LP - BGOLP 68 - del] [MC - BGOMC 68 - del]
Side 1
Commentary
Because of the delay in releasing Donovan's albums in the U.K., in order to keep up with his new work, the American albums Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow were condensed into a single compilation.
U.K. fans missed out on three songs from the proper Sunshine Superman release: Ferris Wheel, The Trip (although this was released as the B-side to the Sunshine Superman single) and the studio version of The Fat Angel (a live version was issued on Donovan in Concert. They also were denied five songs from Mellow Yellow: Mellow Yellow (although this was released as a single), Bleak City Woman, House of Jansch, Museum and Sunny South Kensington.
I do not regard this as part of the official canon because there's nothing on this you can't have if you own the U.S. albums. The only items of real worth on the U.K. version is the superb artwork by Mick Taylor and Sheena McCall and the little poem by Donovan.
The six missing tracks could've easily been slipped out on a special EP, with one on the B-side of There is a Mountain (replacing Sand and Foam which was released on this album). I don't really understand why Pye used old material on their dull EP releases instead of using songs already in the can that had not been heard by the U.K. public. At least the album was pretty long for those days - twelve cuts amounting to around forty-eight minutes was quite generous.
The front cover is mainly white, with a cool cartoon drawing of lots of characters. Some are from the songs, some from popular comics - Superman, Batman and Spiderman are all in there - and quite a few are from myths, legends and children's books like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The animals and people are arranged to make a big S, forming the initial letter of both words of the name of the album.
The back cover is green, with a large yellow and black `Sunshine Superman' logo, a poem: I thank the Queen of Living Things and some credits (where the songs on the album are charmingly referred to as sonnets).
Errors
Details for Collectors
Blue label with black text
Pye Records logo
Record: NPL.18181
Side 1: NPL.18181-A
runout groove on my copy: NPL 18181A-1 (triangle)F and
AD and KT
Side 2: NPL.18181-B
runout groove on my copy: NPL 18181B-1 (triangle)F and
KT and AM and I (with
the last two diametrically opposite each other)
Discrepancies