Aphrodite's Child (Roussos, Vangelis, Sidaris) Spring Summer Winter & Fall

Blast from the past

Aphrodite's Child - Spring summer winter and fall

Vangelis, Demis Roussos, etc miming for French TV

Another one bites the dust, Demis Roussos

Continental seventies rockstars seem to be falling like flies at present. German Edgar Froese was not widely covered but Greek star Demis Roussos was. I have very little Roussos in my collection but this opening title track from Aphrodite's Child (yes that's Vangelis on keyboards and before Demis got fat and wore khaftans) is a great track. It's power to induce nostalgia (a Greek word after all that really refers to homesickness) is powerful. I like particulalry the way it really does seem to be 5 pm (in winter) when I listen to it.

Fallen Fallen Fallen

I was reading from Isaiah the other day.

Fallen fallen fallen
is Babylon the great!
Space is getting bounded,
time is getting late!

Masters fall and wonder,
people rise and wait
Fallen fallen fallen
is Babylon the great!

You don't need a coin,
I don't have to shine
We don't know the reason

But I need you madly
and you need me too
and we need each other...
and we need each other...
and we need each other...

Top Concept Albums 4

At 4 I have put the 1971 album 666 by Greek band Aphrodite's Child. The album is loosely based on the Book of Revelation and so from the moment I first heard if it I was intrigued. I remeber finding a rare copy in FNAC in Paris in the early eighties and seriously thinking of buying it (but it was an unknown double album and so I plumped for a still treasured Guitars by Philip Catherine). it is only in more recent years that I have got to know it. Aphrodite's Child included Demis Roussos and Vangelis who both went on to later fame of different sorts. In fact by the time 666 appeared they had begun on their separate paths.

It is a fascinating album on many levels. This site gives lots of background info. Also see here on wikipedia.

Tracks:
1 The system 0:23 2 Babylon 2:47 3 Loud loud loud 2:42 4 The four Horsemen 5:54 5 The Lamb 4:33 6 The Seventh Seal 1:30 7 Aegian Sea 5:22 8 Seven Bowls 1:29 9 The Wakening Beast 1:11 10 Lament 2:45 11 The Marching Beast 2:00 12 The Battle Of The Locusts 0:56 13 Do it 1:44 14 Tribulation 0:32 15 The Beast 2:26 16 Ofis 0:14
1 Seven Trumpets 0:35 2 Altamont 4:33 3 The Wedding Of The Lamb 3:38 4 The Capture Of The Beast 2:17 5 Infinity Symbol 5:15 6 Hic and nunc 2:55 7 All the Seats were occupied 19:19 8 Break 2:58

Samples here.

The album is more about the sixties and its culture than the Book of Revelation.