Anyone familiar with this gem? Aphrodite’s Child was a Greek art-rock band (founded by Chariots of Fire composer Vangelis Papathanassiou) that peaked in 1972 with their tour-de-force concept album, “666.”
They had three albums, all of which are popular with collectors, and my friends, if you haven’t heard “666,” you are missing a treat.
Imagine The Who during their most pretentious “cock rock” phase doing a bizarre concept album about Armageddon, complete with scripture readings, menacing voiceovers, and utterly inexplicable sound effects. Now imagine the Who as portly Greek men. That’s Aphrodite’s Child.
The album itself is a hodgepodge of pure arena rock with raging guitar solos and end-times lyrics, to Pink Floyd-esque sonic noodlings, to an early disco/funk slap bass number with the improbable lyrics “Who can find the Beast? She’s big, she’s bad, she’s wicked, she’s sad. Who can fight the Beast?”
One track features several minutes of tribal drumbeats and a woman having at least one violently loud orgasm while chanting “I was, I am, I am to come I was,” which, when you’re high as a kite, hilariously resembles “I was, I am, I have to call my boss.” Good times.
I listened to that album back when I was in high school. I had a tape of it I made from a friend’s album copy, but taped over it in college. One of the opening tracks (I think it was called “The Four Horsemen”) gets a tiny bit of play on certain radio stations.
I remember listening to it in the middle of the night and being vaguely freaked out by the imagery. Stuff about the Wakening Beast and Wedding of the Lamb is creepy at 2:00 AM.
Classic rock fans over 40 in St Louis are familiar with Loud, Loud, Loud segueing into The Four Horsemen from the 666 album. They certainly don’t make music like that these days. I would call Apocalytic Rock.
I never purchased it on vinyl or CD, but have borrowed it from the St Louis County Public Library several times.
Well, Aphrodites Child are fairly obscure (comparatively), but over here in Blighty we will be forever thankful that the group gave us the one and only Demis Roussos. The tent as a fashion accessory became tres chic after his “Forever and Ever” hit No.1 on TotP.
Wow, I remember that album. Didn’t have it, but talked a friend into investing in a copy(he had more money than I did). We’d heard Vangelis’ “Heaven and Hell” and figured it was the next step down the road to perdition.
It’s been twenty years since I heard it, but I always remembered it as “I was. I am. I was, I am to come.”
Sure sounded like she was. :eek: