Aphrodite's Child

Aphrodite's Child

Company type	Musical ensemble
Industry	Music
Founded	1967
Founder	Evangelos Papathanassiou (Vangelis), Demis Roussos, Loukas Sideras, Silver Koulouris
Defunct	1972
Area served	Europe
Products	Music albums and singles

Aphrodite's Child was a Greek ensemble blending rock and pop, established in 1967 by Evangelos Papathanassiou (who later gained fame as Vangelis, handling keyboards and flutes), Demis Roussos (bass, guitars, vocals), Loukas Sideras (drums, vocals), and Silver Koulouris (guitar). They garnered widespread European recognition with hits such as "Rain and Tears," "End of the World," "I Want to Live," and "It's Five O'Clock." Eventually, their style evolved toward progressive rock, culminating in their final album, 666 (1972). This concept album, inspired by the Book of Revelation, later received critical praise and is frequently listed among the best progressive and psychedelic records.

Beginnings

Before forming Aphrodite's Child, Papathanassiou and Roussos had already found success in Greece with The Forminx and Idols. They teamed up with Sideras and Koulouris to create the band. The group's name was inspired by a song from Mercury artist Dick Campbell. Their initial recording appeared on George Romanos' In Concert and in Studio, credited as "Vangelis and his Orchestra." That same year, they submitted a demo featuring two tracks to Philips Records.

Motivated largely by Vangelis, the band moved to London to better align with their musical ambitions amid Greece’s 1967 military regime. This transition was complicated: Koulouris remained in Greece to fulfill military obligations, while the others encountered delays in Paris due to work permit complications and the May 1968 protests.

Paris period and debut album

While in Paris, the band signed a contract with Mercury Records and were christened "Aphrodite's Child" by producer Lou Reizner. Their second single, "Rain and Tears", adapted from Pachelbel's Canon in D major, became an immediate success across France and other European countries, selling over a million copies and earning a gold record. In October, they released their first album, End of the World, which combined psychedelic pop elements with ballads reminiscent of groups like Procol Harum and The Moody Blues.

The group toured Europe extensively and recorded an Italian-language single for the Sanremo Festival in January 1969, although they did not compete there. Their following hit was "I Want to Live," an arrangement based on "Plaisir d'amour".

London recordings and sophomore album

For their second full-length project, recording took place at London's Trident Studios. The lead single "Let Me Love, Let Me Live" was issued in November, followed by the album It's Five O'Clock in January 1970. This release featured popular ballads such as its title track and incorporated styles including country rock.

Afterwards, the band toured without Vangelis, who stayed behind in Paris to compose for Henry Chapier’s film Sex Power. Keyboard responsibilities during live performances were handled by Vangelis’s brother Nikos Papathanassiou. Throughout 1970, while Vangelis focused on his film score work, the band promoted their album. To keep up momentum, they released the single "Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall" in August and toured Spain and Italy with Harris Halkitis filling in on keyboards.

Final album – 666, and dissolution

Toward the end of 1970, Aphrodite's Child began work on a double album inspired by the biblical Book of Revelation, titled 666. After completing his military service in Greece, Koulouris rejoined the group; however, tensions escalated during the protracted recording sessions.

This ambitious project was primarily driven by Vangelis alongside lyricist Costas Ferris. Its psychedelic progressive rock direction marked a significant departure from their earlier pop-oriented sound, generating discord within the band. Concurrently, Roussos was being groomed for a solo career, releasing his debut solo single "We Shall Dance" and debut album On the Greek Side of My Mind.

Vangelis also dedicated time to composing for the 1970 French television documentary L'Apocalypse des animaux, while collaborating on a single under the alias "Alpha Beta" with Ladopoulou and Koulouris. By the time 666 was released in June 1972, Aphrodite's Child had already disbanded despite having sold over 20 million records and maintaining strong popularity across Europe.

Following their split, both Vangelis and Roussos pursued successful solo careers: Roussos as a pop vocalist and Vangelis as an acclaimed electronic music composer. Vangelis earned an Academy Award for his soundtrack to Chariots of Fire and created scores for films such as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner—to which Roussos contributed vocals—as well as 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Oliver Stone’s Alexander.

Koulouris occasionally worked with both artists post-breakup. Meanwhile, Sideras embarked on a less prominent solo path releasing two albums and four singles. Demis Roussos passed away in 2015; Vangelis died in 2022.

Impact and heritage

Although their active years were short and they achieved few hits beyond Europe, the group has maintained a cult status. Their album 666 is often hailed as their crowning achievement and stands as one of the earliest concept albums in rock music. It left a significant mark on the progressive rock genre, inspiring artists such as Yes lead vocalist Jon Anderson, who eventually joined forces with Vangelis in the duo Jon and Vangelis. Contemporary progressive bands like Astra also acknowledge the band's influence.

Cover versions

• German heavy metal act Axxis recorded a rendition of "The Four Horsemen" for their 2001 album Eyes of Darkness.
• "The Four Horsemen" was interpreted by Gregorian on their 2004 release The Dark Side.
• In 2005, German electronic group Scooter produced a techno adaptation called The Leading Horse featured on Who's Got The Last Laugh Now?.
• Greek ensemble Cyanna Mercury contributed a cover of "The Four Horsemen" to the Death Roots Syndicate compilation The End in 2015.
• American musician Brandon Boyd, known from Incubus, covered "End of The World" on his solo project Echoes & Cocoons released in 2022.
• "The Four Horsemen" continues to be favored by European metal bands, with versions by Italian band Death SS (2006), Swedish doom metal group Griftegård (2015), and Greek black metal outfit Rotting Christ (2016).
• During their 2022 concert series, Opeth incorporated the chant "Seven Bowls" from the album 666.

Samples

• Multiple tracks from 666 were sampled in Enigma's 1990 release MCMXC a.D..
• The 1993 song "Biiig Eye" by P-Model includes a sample from 'Loud, Loud, Loud'.
• "The Rolling People" by The Verve (1997) blends elements from "Altamont" and "The Four Horsemen," with lead singer Richard Ashcroft acknowledging 666 as an inspiration.
• The track 'Mastermind' by Deltron 3030 incorporates samples from 'Loud, Loud, Loud'.
• Beck's 2008 song "Chemtrails" shows similarities to "The Four Horsemen".
• Under the alias Chuck Person, Daniel Lopatin sampled "The Four Horsemen" in the track "A7" from Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1.

Studio albums

• End of the World (October 1968)
• It's Five O'Clock (November 1969) – FRA #1, IT #6
• 666 (June 1972) – IT #23

Compilation albums

• Best of Aphrodite's Child (1971) – SPA #8
• Reflection (1971)
• Rain and Tears – The Best of Aphrodite's Child (1975)
• Aphrodite's Child's Greatest Hits (1995)
• The Singles (1995)
• The Complete Collection (1996)
• Babylon the Great: An Introduction to Aphrodite's Child (2002)
• The Singles+ (2003)

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		BE (FLA)	BE (WA)	FRA	GER	IT	NL	NOR	SPA	SWI	UK
1968	"Plastics Nevermore" (US-only release)	— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |—
	"Rain and Tears"	1 |1 |28 |1 |2 |2 |11 |2 |29
	"End of the World"	8 |11 |— |12 |— |— |20 |— |—
1969	"Quando l'amore diventa poesia"	— |— |— |18 |— |— |— |— |—
	"Valley of Sadness" (France-only promo release)	— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |—
	"I Want to Live"	3 |3 |38 |9 |1 |— |13 |8 |—
	"Lontano Dagli Occhi"	— |— |— |20 |— |— |— |— |—
	"Let Me Love, Let Me Live"	28 |14 |— |20 |—  |—  | —  | —  | —
	"Marie Jolie"	—  | —  | —  |7   | —   | —   | —   | —   | —
1970	"It's Five O'Clock"	1  |1  | —  |1  |11	—	22	6	—
	"Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall"	—	12	15	—	1	12	—	16	—	—
1971	style="text-align:left;"	"Such a Funny Night"	—	—	—	—	10	—	—	—	—
1972	style="text-align:left;"	"Break"	—	—	—	—	24	—	—	—	—

Bibliography

• Dinos Dimatatis, Get That Beat: To Elliniko Rock, 1960s–1970s. Thessaloniki: Katsanos, 1998.

External links

• Aphrodite's Child World Discography at www.demisroussos.org