Donovan is one of the somewhat forgotten stars of the late 1960s. He produced a remarkable string of folk, pop and psychedelic records, but today he is often reduced to a symbol of the flower-power era.
“Atlantis” may be his strangest major hit. Much of the first half consists of Donovan solemnly narrating the history of the mythical civilization over a quiet musical background. I admit that the spoken introduction goes on longer than I would prefer.
Then the entire recording opens up. The voices multiply, the arrangement grows larger, and the song becomes an irresistible communal singalong. The long introduction may test my patience, but it also makes the arrival of that chorus feel enormous.
In the United States, “Atlantis” was originally placed on the B-side of “To Susan on the West Coast Waiting.” Disc jockeys preferred “Atlantis,” however, and helped turn it into a Top 10 hit. More than fifty years later, it remains peculiar, excessive and difficult to forget.