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!

The debut album from this trio of Greek expats living in Paris. Their exposure to and inspiration from the music seeping across La Manche from la Grande-Brétagne is quite apparent.

1. "End Of The World" (3:13) Is the lead vocalist here a woman--Claude Chauvet? or Demis Roussos? It's so French--and so beautiful in that dramatic French tradition à propros to 1968. Despite the song's beautiful melodies, the screams at the end of each verse belie some kind of deep-seated angst or frustration which, to my mind, gives this song quite another (rather surprising) element than just one of simple beauty. (9.5/10)

2. "Don't Try To Catch A River" (3:38) very pleasant and engaging R&B given a Baroque pop sheen. Masterful keyboard work from Vangelis Papathanassiou. (8.875/10)

3. "Mister Thomas" (2:52) Demis Roussos' theatric song inspired by The Beatles' "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" doesn't work for me (especially being lyric incomprehensive as I am). (8.6667/10)

4. "Rain And Tears" (3:10) another Baroque Pop song that feels very familiar from so many British songs as well as due to the blatant employment the famous Pachelbel melody and chord progression. Demis' vocal performance is quite emotional--much like that of a French chanteuse. I can see the reason this was a popular radio hit. Claude Chauvet's operatic soprano vocalese in the background only adds to that beauty. (8.875/10)

5. "The Grass Is No Green" (6:05) nature-focused psychedelia in a bit of a Beatles/Moody Blues fashion. Not enough variety or development for me--despite the vocal performance that previews those of Led Zeppelin's Jean-Paul Jones. (8.6667/10)

6. "Valley Of Sadness" (3:13) using more of the Baroque pop instrumental palette the (8.75/10)

7. "You Always Stand In My Way" (3:55) a little funk in this energetic song: bass, drums, clavinet and screeching blues-rock vocals in the vein of Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, or Eric Burdon. (To my ears, Demis' voice often sounds like that of a scratchy-voiced woman.) Impassioned and dripping with synth strings (Mellotron?), this kind of aggressive blues-rock is just not my cup of tea. (8.666667/10)

8. "The Shepherd And The Moon" (3:04) multi-voice psychedelia with dynamic bass, drums, and acoustic guitar strumming before everything goes mellow-pastoral, then Vangelis' Mellotron takes over while Demis vocal becomes more theatric (sounding like Moses on the Mountain). The folk melodies and references are quite obvious and impressive--as is Vangelis' keyboard work. (8.875/10)

9. "Day Of The Fool" (5:50) a long subtle keyboard intro precedes a melodramatic Jesus Christ Superstar-like vocal performance from Demis Roussos. Very passionate and theatric. (I know: JCS won't be coming to London's stages for another four years but I have nothing from the 1960s to compare this to.) Vangelis' keyboard work is again quite impressive. (8.875/10)

Total time 35:00

Most of this music is oriented toward radio play and the vast majority is in fact quite appropriate and fitting for popular interest. Lead singer Demis Roussos is quite good--even in his lightly-accented English--and these songs all feel quite sophisticated and top tier; no simplistic drivel here.

B/four stars; an excellent collection of very impressive and mature (and diverse) songs that any proto-prog lover will enjoy.

I haven't listened to Aphrodite's Child's debut album End of the World (1968) from start to end, but this third single surely must represent the weaker parts of it. The sugary but charming 'Rain and Tears' deserved its hit status and the dramatic title song is also fairly impressive.

For a certain outdated sweetness, 'Valley of Sadness' is closer to the first mentioned, but the elegant Baroque flavour (the harpsichord is heard here too) is often buried beneath a cruel psych-rock loudness, and especially the electric guitar played by vocalist Demis Roussos is almost painful to my ears. The song is more progressive and dynamic than 'Rain and Tears', but in a rather disjointed way. Frankly I don't like it.

'Mister Thomas' was also taken from the album. Apart from the rollicking chorus, Roussos does not sing but narrates a story in an irritating style. 'The Story of a Hare Who Lost His Spectacles' in Jethro Tull's A Passion Play is very delightful and entertaining compared to this! Vangelis plays organ and harpsichord below his usual standards, and Lucas Sideras joins on drums only for the choruses. To be honest, a terrible piece of humour music.

Another version of Valley of Sadness single contains 'Funky Mary', a poor track from AC's second album It's Five O'Clock (1969). it has a cool vibe solo but otherwise it sounds like a basement demo of a band having fun with a half- finished song.

Because I don't enjoy any of these songs and they are all album tracks, I can give two stars at maximum, if not just one. I'm on a generous mood and give the other star for the risk-taking playfulness.

I never pretended I ever knew anything about Vangelis [perhaps I should rectify this once and for all], as famous as he may be or appear, but I (therefore?) had no clue he was in Aphrodite's Child. I'm considering this more of a re-dig into this early Symphonic Prog band, borne out of a Classical Crossover and the contemporary (international) Psychedelic Rock movements. I assume like many others, I first heard 666 (1972), their third and final album. I'd consider it at least adjacent to YouTubecore. [This will be a review for the 2010 remaster with 2 bonus tracks. More on that and my rating decision at the end.]

"End of the World" is a sweet, melancholic ballad. And given the time period and the general vibe of it, this is like a dark Moody Blues to my ears. Rooted in Trad Pop, yet full aware of the (Romantic?) Classical and the Psychedelic. The drums are pretty wild. "Don't Try to Catch a River" is a bright, upbeat number. I love the rhythm section in full view here and the sort of harpsicord sound. And I haven't mentioned it yet, but the vocals of Demis Roussos are just excellent. Full but gruff. "Mister Thomas" is an interesting Renaissance-evoking(?) song. A little silly. Very interesting, especially to hear this in 1968. This is not the Edwardian Classical Psych of the Beatles...

"Rain and Tears" feels like a Procol Harum-style Trad Pop lift of "Canon in D" [I highly recommend the "BEST WEDDING VERSION" available on YouTube /s]. It's very of the time, especially with, to me, that unavoidable Procol Harum feel. Up next is "The Grass is No Green" [sic?]. Sweet yet ominous, and then it picks up (for not the first time to my ears) in a way that seems to precede the darker lilt of other Classical obsessives ELP (maybe I'm misremembering, but a similar vibe to bands like Jackson Heights, too?). Very cool. Continuing in this still-very-Psychedelic vein is "Valley of Sadness", a shockingly upbeat number. Interesting vocal performance, and now, with that, my mind goes to early Bee Gees--I'll always recommend Bee Gees' 1st (1967). And then a short bouzouki solo! Hell yeah! The first time I had heard the instrument, to my knowledge, was through Zappa, who used it intermittently (if not randomly) through his career. But really, the general sound of the instrument here is reminiscent of the bright, twangling jangle of the beloved Byrds (but with a booming, post-Ringo-Paul rhythm section... all compliments, by the way).

The gruff returns on "You Always Stand in My Way"! Fantastic sound on this one. Booming bass and crashing keys underneath this awesome, basically Metal vocal performance (something about it reminiscent of Rod Stewart, if I can try to make a more popular connection... but that's just a small part of it). We are all over the place here as we once again shift focus on "The Shepherd and the Moon". More dark, nega-Moody Blues energy to my ears. Even as it falls away to a spoken poetic section over soft near-ambience (R.I.P. Graeme Edge). Interesting song. Certainly progressive haha. And finally for the original album run we have "Day of the Fool", with an eerie, haunting, [insert synonym here] allure. And indeed this is a dark song to close out the album. This will likely appeal (more than me) to many (early) Prog fans.

Finally finally we have the two bonus tracks, both singles from 1968. Up first, the quirky, buzzing positivity of "Plastics Nevermore". A lot of strange effects and definitely a balls-to-the-wall approach to production. This is sort of in the Magical Mystery Tour vein of early progressive ideations. Very interesting, to say the very least. Best to experience it yourself. And then, to close out this edition, we have "The Other People", with understandably comparable production to "Plastics". A lot less enthused about this one... A lot less.

Gonna stick to my guns on this (as stated above, as I reviewed here the 2010 remaster specifically), and round down from a True Rate of 3.5/5.0.

Impressive. Groundbreaking. Highly Influential. Terms that often are uttered when people discuss 666.

I agree with these terms. This is a product that must have blown people away at the time. I still consider it to be absolutely unique amongst the prog albums of that era. And any time for that matter.

I like this album. I like the concept and the creativity. Some of the songs are especially stellar, like Aegian Sea, the Four Horsemen and All the Seats Were Occupied.

I love the lyrics and the arrangements. They are awesome.

I rewrote the review 1 month after my initial post to upgrade the rating to 5 stars.

Review #7: 666

The most "hybrid" album I've ever listened to, and at the same time one of my favourites. This album was recommended to me by my brother when I started to delve much more into unknown prog environments and the truth is that the introduction to everything with this album was a great decision.

Well... How to start... 666, third and last release by Aphrodite Child, is an album, or rather I should say "mind trip", released in 1972. The concept of "6 6 6" was created by Vangelis and film director Costas Ferris, who served as lyricist for the project.

"∞" ("Infinity"), the most controversial song on the album, consists of Greek actress Irene Papas chanting "I was, I am, I'm to come" over a sparse percussion track, gradually building into an orgasmic frenzy. Vangelis described the track as conveying "the pain of birth and the joy of sexual intercourse".

My favourite songs on the album are "The Beast" and "All the Seats Were Occupied". "The Beast" is bar fight style rock & roll, with a background chorus of agonised vocals as an aggravated voice narrates the appearance and presence of the much memorialised "Beast". "All the Seats Were Occupied" is the longest song on the album, and a piece of music that summons different melodies and rhythms from the album's length.

The best experience is achieved if you lie down with headphones and close your eyes. At least, that's the way I used to listen to this masterpiece and I must admit that's why I call it a "mental journey", hearing such a gem for the first time was something splendid and magnificent, as much as the very presence of the songs in my ears. Every moment of the album thrills equally and leaves you surprised and shocked by the level this band reaches, and I know I'm not giving much information about what the album is ultimately about, but I honestly can't describe in words what it feels like to hear this for the first/second/whatever time. The only thing I could tell you is to listen to it as I said and be dazzled by it for yourself,

The album ends with "Break", a more peaceful and comforting instrumental that welcomes you to a quiet end after the whole hellish odyssey that is the album.

666 seemed a rather complex project by the band's standards, they had to recruit several Greek artists such as Irene Papas, Harris Chalkitis and Michel Ripoche.

The System/Babylon: 5/5

Loud, Loud, Loud: 3.5/5

The Four Horseman: 3.5/5

The Lamb: 5/5

The Seventh Seal: 4/5

Aegian Sea/Seven Bowls/The Wakening Beast: 5/5

Lament/The Marching Beast/The Battle of The Locusts/Do It: 3.5/5

Tribulaton: 2.5/5

The Beast: 5/5

Ofis: ?

Seven Tumprets/Altamont/The Wedding of The Lamb/The Capture of The Beast/Infinity Simbol: 5/5

Hic And Nunc: 5/5

All the Seats Were Occupied: 5/5

Break: 5/5

10/10, 5 stars for the most abnormally fantastic astral/infernal journey (or whatever, it's wonderful, you get the idea) that I could witness with my ears, and that I recommend for every lover of long conceptual works with stories, characters, references, etc... What else to say, just listen to it.

Probably the biggest journey I traveled with a record in my entire life. I can't understand how it doesn't pass the 4 stars! It is so flawlessly produced that it is impossible not to melt with pleasure at the sounds of discord and human contradiction. It's one of the best concept albums of all time, with (I think) the one special song "∞ (Infinity Symbol)" - the most bizarre and cheeky (in the wonderful senses of the word) female performance I've ever heard on my life. Irene Papas created a 5 minute blast that cannot be compared to any other song out there (excluding the songs that copied this one). As a complex work and piece that gives the album instrumental level, there is the beautiful "All the Seats Were Occupied". The short passages are very creatively placed. This album deserves to be played until you drop. Firm 5 stars.

The debut album from Aphrodite's Child straddles three lines at once: Brit rock, Psychadelic, and Prog. That they straddle all three in fine fashion is quite the achievement. The album is missing a solid guitar, likely due to their guitar player having to stay behind in Greece to serve in the military as his band mates moved on to Paris, but Demis Roussos steps in to handle what he can on guitar while also kicking it on bass and vocals. Any guitar that may have been overlooked is more than made up for by the widespread sounds of various keyboards by Vangelis. The album was a big deal when it came out and a couple singles earned them some goodwill and fame. The proggiest of the bunch are The Grass Is No Green as well as Day of the Fool. Even so, a shorter track like The Shepherd and the Moon still evokes a prog sensibility while also highlighting their ability to keep a sense of their cultural ideal intact. Despite not being a prog track, You Always Stand In My Way is a killer rock number and Roussos absolutely slays the vocal on this one. All told, End of the World is a striking debut and sets up a further expansion of the growing prog genre.

Hmmm ... Ok, only with "666" we can define them Progressive. But here I can't say I listen to bad music. If you like bands like The Move, ELO, The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, 10CC or I Dik Dik, Aphrodite's Child will surely please you. I could finish the review here. But, correctly ... Correctly you will not find Progressives here but a POP that is not very far from the music of the bands I mentioned above. What comes to the ears is, in fact, excellent music, excellently written and played. The production is honest and the sound is clear and well balanced. So we can't help but notice that it is the typical transition POP band from POP/ Beat to Progressive Rock, with all the strengths and weaknesses we know, in relation to these bands. However, compared to other similar bands, the songs have aged very well and some are real anthems of that period. Well ... It will also be POP. But the quality is such that it will satisfy even the most demanding ears.

There are a thousand ways to read a band. In the case of the Greek Aphrodites Child it becomes very complicated in its simplicity to read his story in such a way as to enter into why this compilation is not a split compilation. The problem is that Aphrodites Child was a band that produced a vaguely progressive POP that had Vangelis as the lead songwriter and a great singer like Démis Roussos. Except "666" which, however, for me, is a Vangelis album, the style of Aphrodites Child is similar to that of Procol Harum, I Dik Dik, The Moody Blues and other similar bands. "666" is full Progressive. But, as mentioned, I don't read "666" as a band album. The dissolution of Aphrodite's Child opens up a small problem. On the one hand Vangelis was a source of wealth for the Phonogram. But she thought it would be better to focus on Aphrodites Child's singer and bassist, Démis Roussos. The problem was that without the compositions of Vangelis Démis he could have been shipwrecked. Instead he didn't happen. The split of Aphrodite's Child opens up a small problem. On the one hand Vangelis was a source of wealth for the Phonogram. But at Phonogram they thought it would be better to focus on Aphrodites Child's singer and bassist, Démis Roussos. The problem was that without the compositions of Vangelis Démis he could have been shipwrecked. Instead he didn't happen. Therefore it was natural for Phonogram to extend the band's contract to Démis Roussos alone, at least to take advantage of the moment. Incredibly Démis was successful. Even as an author. The compositions lost the Progressive elements gaining those Folk elements of the Greek tradition which, however, were never really exhibited at the forefront. In general, although the style is still that of Aphrodites Child pre "666" we can, in the singer-songwriter Dèmis (because this became), insert it in the Schlager genre, without scandalizing anyone. Listening well to Démis roussos, however, I am surprised at how much he has managed to compose extraordinary songs, full of epicity (linked to light arrangements yet steeped in epicity), building a repertoire that is not at all trivial (and, for me, superior to the Aphrodites Child repertoire ). In the case of Démis Roussos, a more unique than rare case in history, we can say that the operation of transferring Aphrodites Child fans to Démis Roussos was successful. And (mystery of musical history?) I have not yet found anyone who mentions "666" among his acquaintances when we discuss Aphrodites Child and Démis Roussos as one entity.

"The Art of Démis Roussos and Aphrodites Child" is a compilation, in conclusion, that I recommend to all fans of Aphrodites Child and Démis Roussos (and to those who love the music of the groups mentioned in the review and do not know Aphrodites Child or Démis Roussos). It is really well built and not at all obvious.