Aphrodite's Child

Greek progressive rock band Aphrodite's Child were active for five years during the late '60s and early '70s, scoring a number one album in France and several international hits before keyboardist Vangelis began his highly successful and groundbreaking solo career. The 1968 single "Rain and Tears" was their biggest worldwide hit, while the 1972 double LP 666 is hailed as one of the greatest art rock albums of all time. Vangelis Papathanassiou and guitarist/vocalist Demis Roussos, who respectively played in the Forminx and Idols, formed Aphrodite's Child with drummer Loukas Sideras and guitarist Silver Koulouris. The musicians first played on George Romanos' 1968 album In Concert and in Studio, credited as Vangelis and His Orchestra. They attempted to move to London, but ended up stuck in Paris partly because they didn't have work permits at the time. There, they signed to Mercury as Aphrodite's Child, releasing the major hit "Rain and Tears" and their first album, End of the World. Successfully traveling to London, the group recorded their second album, It's Five O'Clock, which appeared in late 1969 and reached number one in France. The band toured, though Vangelis stayed in Paris and wrote the soundtrack to the film Sex Power. Harris Halkitis replaced Vangelis on tour, and the group released the single "Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall" in 1970. "Such a Funny Night," another non-album single, appeared in 1971. The band spent a considerably long time working on 666, a musical adaptation of the Book of Revelation. They split up by the time it was released in 1972, and though it was not a commercial success, the album gradually gained a cult following, and has been acknowledged as one of rock's first and best concept albums. Tracks from the record have been sampled and covered countless times. Several Aphrodite's Child compilations have been released, but the band never reunited, though some of its members have occasionally worked together. Vangelis died in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi