Prog Mega-Lists International

APHRODITE'S CHILD      Come with me to the End of the World as we meet the three kings of Greek Prog. Namely, singer Demis Roussos (1946-2015), drummer Lucas Sideras (born 1944), and keyboard legend Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (1943-2022), better-known to us all simply as Vangelis, and collectively-known as Aphrodite's Child. The "king of the kaftan" Demis Roussos was the most unlikely-looking sex symbol, with his portly frame usually dressed in multi- coloured bell-tent kaftans. His solo career after Aphrodite's Child was even more successful, guaranteeing that he'll be remembered forever and ever. The drummer Lucas Sideras may be largely forgotten now, but he did release a solo album and he was something of a sex cymbal in his time too. Vangelis of course needs no introduction from me, other than to say he's one of the greatest keyboard players who's ever lived! Aphrodite's Child have the singular distinction of being the only Symphonic Prog band ever to emerge from the Peloponnesian peninsula of Greece. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty and there's plenty to love in the beautiful music of Aphrodite's Child. Their first of three acclaimed albums features such evergreen classics as "End of the World" and the lovelorn "Rain and Tears" with their follow-up album including the heart-rending title track, "It's Five o'Clock", and the plaintive cry of "Marie Jolie". It's their third and final epic though, "666" (the number of the beast) which proved to be a Revelation, where hellfire and damnation were spurned to enable its release. "666" is a double album and musical tour-de-force which is generally the most highly- regarded Aphrodite's Child album amongst prog fans. As well as including the aptly-titled "Break" - sadly recorded just before the band broke up - the album also features the unforgettable "Infinity" with Irene Papas, which - depending on your point of view - either sounds like a wailing banshee, or a five minute orgasm!

 1972: Lucas Sideras - One Day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phaDdMte-FI

I'm not familiar with Art Zoyd at all. My second choice of "A" band after Aphrodite's Child would've been Ayreon. 

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST     A band you can always bank on, Barclay James Harvest are the next featured artist as we Once Again delve into the history of Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories. They're one of the few bands who've maintained the same core line-up over the years, consisting of John Lees (guitar), Les Holroyd (bass), Woolly Wolstenholme (keyboards) and Mel Pritchard (drums). Who can forget the cute picture of  Baby James Harvest poking his head out of a plant pot on their fourth album cover. Here at ProgArchives, Everyone is Everybody Else in the vast progosphere, where the classic albums of BJH appear like Time Honoured Ghosts. The eighth month of the year was October On the ancient Roman calendar, making it the perfect name for the eighth Barclay James Harvest album. The band took a short break, but weren't Gone to Earth for long before returning  with their best-selling album of all time in 1977. In the XII Kingdoms of Prog, Barclay James Harvest reigned supreme and the Eyes of the Universe were upon them again in 1982 for their Concert for the People in Berlin. This landmark gig for BJH preceded a Turn of the Tide in the Cold War when a Ring of Changes were on the way and the old Soviet leaders became Victims of Circumstance, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. For a brief moment in history, the world became a safer place with no more Face to Face Cold War confrontations between East and West with the ever-present threat of nuclear Armageddon hanging over the world. History didn't end in 1991 though, and in the prophetic words of Messrs Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Welcome to the Show that never ends, because there were new threats on the way in a new century. Caught in the Light of a beautifully clear morning on 11th September 2001, an airliner flew perilously low over New York City..... The River of Dreams would soon be shattered forever. 

  1977: John Lees - A Major Fancy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mf10db81zfqA0_y7f4CjUixhdbmPu2qb4

  1999: Barclay James Harvest Through the Eyes of John Lees - Nexus - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kAmeC36vZPFOmBhQGLzhmJFFW6IAsyy9k

Dawn of light lying between a silence and solid sources

Too much waste of the natural resources...

Ultimate YES are coming up here later. 

^^ The first two of twelve Iconoclasta albums in total. ^^

CURVED AIR     Arriving like a breath of fresh Curved Air, It Happened Today that I've collected together a Jumbo quantity of Curved Air-related quality albums, so let's take a trip back in time with The Purple Speed Queen, Sonja Kristina and her band. As well as being a rock goddess, Sonja Kristina also had the demanding Situation of being a Young Mother during Curved Air's heyday in the 1970's. You Know you're listening to Curved Air when you hear the sound of Darryl Way's manic violin playing, which can best be described as Ultra-Vivaldi. When Curved Air first emerged with their stunning debut album "Air Conditioning" at the tail-end of 1970, the wonderful World of prog was Not Quite the Same again. In a striking Metamorphosis, Darryl Way temporarily left Curved Air due to the tempting Proposition of forming his own band Wolf in 1973. Curved Air also featured the classically-trained pianist Francis Monkman (a co-founder of the classical/rock fusion band Sky), whose fingers Ever Danced over the keyboards with the agile speed of a Cheetah. Curved Air's best-known song was of course, Back Street Luv, which climbed to No. 4 in the U.K charts back in 1971. It'd be something of a Stretch to call them a "one-hit-wonder" though with eighteen albums to their credit. It's Easy to see why Curved Air have such a strong loyal following with such classics as Vivaldi, Melinda (More or Less), Phantasmagoria, and the tragic tale of the last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The unforgettable music of Curved Air rises Over and Above most of what passes for music on the radio these days. Despite being around for half a century now, their music is as refreshing as a warm breeze of curved air on a Bright Summer's Day.