Sunday and then it is time for a classic. Today we fly to the economically stricken Greece and turn the time so we end up in the early 70's. Aphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967, by Vangelis Papathanassiou (keyboards), Demis Roussos (bass guitar and vocals), Loukas Sideras (drums and vocals), and Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris (guitar). Their band's name was derived from the title of a track from another Mercury act, Dick Campbell, from his Sings Where It's At album. The band has released three albums, End of the World (February 1968) and It's Five O'Clock (December 1969) and 666 (June 1972) The last mentioned is the one we will take a closer look at today.
The band began to record their next outpouring late in 1970: a musical adaptation of the biblical Book of Revelation, entitled 666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18). Koulouris, having finished his Greek army duty rejoined the band. However, relations between all the band members were not good at the time, and continued to worsen during the album's creation.
Essentially, 666 was Vangelis' concept, created with an outside lyricist, Costas Ferris. The music that Vangelis was creating for 666 was much more psychedelic and progressive rock oriented than anything the band had done before. The music itself was an impressive display of Vangelis' abilities, combining psychedelic and progressive rock with ethnic instruments, choral chanting, recitations, and very advanced use of synthesizers and keyboards for the time. In time the album became recognized as one of the most important early progressive rock works, and a defining example of the concept album. 666 also made Vangelis an underground name to watch, and in 1974 earned him an offer from Jon Anderson to join Yes following the departure of Rick Wakeman.
By the time the double album 666 finally was released in June 1972, and having sold over 20 million albums, the band had already split. Both Vangelis and Roussos pursued successful solo careers, Roussos as a pop singer and Vangelis first in electronic music, then in movie soundtracks, which made him a successful film score composer of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, having penned such titles as 1982's Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and 2004's Oliver Stone's Alexander among many others. Koulouris worked with both on occasion. Sideras pursued a less successful solo career, releasing an album and the single Rising Sun after the break-up then disappearing into obscurity.
Just before the release of the album Vangelis engaged in a long fight with Mercury Records over the content of the album. The record company, in particular, objected to the song "∞" (infinity), which they considered obscene. It consisted of Irene Papas chanting the words "I was, I am, I am to come" over and over again in various stages of hysteria, while Vangelis accompanied her on a maelstrom of percussion (the five-minute finished track was reportedly edited down from a 39-minute piece recorded in a single take). However, the double-album length of 666 and the musical experimentation, as well as the subject matter, also exacerbated Mercury's ire. Another bone of contention was the sleeve note stating "This album was recorded under the influence of Sahlep." This was at first suspected to be either a drug or some form of occult ritual; in fact it is a drink popular around the eastern Mediterranean and made from the dried powdered roots of a type of orchid. After Roussos and Sideras had already released their first solo albums, Mercury finally agreed to release 666 one year after completion and two years after Roussos, Sideras and Koulouris had finished their parts in it, on its progressive rock subsidiary Vertigo Records. The single "Break" also came out in 1972, as did a single vinyl edition of the album in Brazil, also titled Break.
Current fans and critics typically rate 666 as the group's finest effort and I can definitely agree with that. One single makes it off the album, "Break/Babylon" is released in November 1972, but that can not turn the album into a commercial success at the time. Today however the experimental "666" has received widespread acknowledgement and is regarded as a classic work and milestone in progressive rock!
Todays tune "The Four Horsemen" from Aphrodite's Child's 666 LP. Video footage of Demis Roussos, lead singer and bass guitarist with Aphrodite's Child, taken in 1971
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Fan site for Demis Roussos & Aphrodite's Child
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Upcoming Official Vangelis
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Aphrodite's Child -
The Four Horsemen" on Spotify
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