666

Ah, the concept album! Vangelis and Demis Roussos hopped on board the ambitious fiasco to produce perhaps one of the most memorable, if slightly disconcerting, conceptual epic. Does it work? Not all the time but overall this album, a combination of symphonic psychedelia, blended with Greek Orthodox liturgical overtones, and the end of the Bible thrown in for good measure, is irresistible.

There are scintillating guitar passages and atmospheric synth melodies creating a unique ambience. To keep the thing together, an echoing deep voice introduces main sections in a Shatner-like (every word is its own sentence) slow bombastic, almost laughable manner. Soundbites that will have you glued to your seat include: "That. Was. The wedding. Of. The lamb." Or how about: "7 trumpets, the threatening anger, 7 trumpets, the trembling voice, 7 trumpets, you've got no choice, 7 trumpets, 7 angels, 7 trumpets, the music changes". Play that one in your church next time you study Revelation, it is as silly as it sounds. The album is similar to Moody Blues 'Days of Future Passed' and other conceptual albums featuring voice overs and orchestrations. It may not be to everyone's tastes but here it sits - a narrative unlike any other. Reminds me of Hawkwind's 'Space Ritual' at times, the way the narration intros musical sections.

The main drawcard of this though is to hear the wonderful Vangelis in his early years. Demis Roussos shines in the tracks he is involved particularly the awesome '4 Horsemen', the highlight of the album that is reprised at the finale. This is endearing and melodic but many of the tracks are unfathomable, though never less that entertaining. Each track runs into the next in true prog concept style but there are some passage that are unforgettable.

It is difficult to describe the track on side 2 titled enigmatically with the 'Infinity' symbol, but let's be as discreet as possible, using one word. Orgasm. Irene Papas lets loose vocally unlike anything put to vinyl and you will perhaps want to turn this one down if you play it at home so that the neighbours don't get ideas, or perhaps you should turn it up to annoy them - it is guaranteed. This is no 'Great Gig in the Sky', the vocals are pleasurable screams and moans, unaccompanied by music, and is guaranteed to send some listeners running for cover. Weird and wonderful and totally off kilter, you can't ignore this track, and it upset many people in its heyday for good reason. The centrifugal force of the album is of course the text of Revelation and perhaps the album drew many flower children to checking out the last mysterious pages of the Holy Word. Whether one believes or not this inspired reimagining or interpretation is compelling listening. In the same way as Poe was reinvented by Peter Hammill and Alan Parsons Project, Aphrodite's Child have approached this reimagining of Revelation with a great deal of seriousness injecting chunks of dialogue and lengthy instrumental passages that rise to a crescendo, and fall to dead silence. As with those aforementioned artists, there are certain points in this album that challenge and annoy but as a whole concept there is enough here to keep one interested. The most memorable are 'Babylon', '4 Horsemen', 'The Battle of the Locusts' and 'Do It' with guitar excellence bar none, and 'Infinity'. It is difficult to forget 'Infinity' once heard, as it is surprising and quite unnerving, perhaps hilarious in a way. The huge 20 minute finale is a cacophony of sounds and lengthy instrumental sections of Vangelis, with glorious collages of previous melodies and yes, that orgasm returns. Then it collapses into a psychedelic freak out, a maddening, macabre, majestic mess. This is hell, people.

It's certainly worth checking out this album which can only be described as a genuine curio unlike any you have heard. It has become legendary for all these reasons. It was the end of the band too - Vangelis made squillions of dollars with 'Chariots of Fire' and 'Blade Runner' plus a plethora of projects; Roussos met the great Pavarotti and later met other tenors to produce classical operatic concerts. Papas stopped moaning and continued her acting career in Greece to much acclaim.

Love it or loathe it, '666' is guaranteed to elicit a strong response and it never fails to transport you into another place and another time. *** for the music, ***** for the audacity to produce this thing. Let's be realistic and round this off to ****, not quite masterpiece but essential listening.

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