Aphrodite's Child

Formed in Greece in 1967, Aphrodite’s Child was an orchestral pop and progressive rock group founded by keyboardist Vangelis Papathanassiou, bassist and guitarist Demis Roussos, drummer Loukas Sideras, and guitarist Silver Koulouris. The band’s first recordings – billed as Vangelis and His Orchestra – were as a backing band for Greek artist on his 1968 album In Concert and In the Studio. Guitarist Loukas Sideras left the group to fulfill his military service and the three remaining members decided to leave Greece and head to London, England to escape political issues and have a more stable environment to create and record their music. Instead, they ended up in Paris, France because of work permit issues. Their 1968 single “Rain and Tears” – a rock reworking of Pachelbel’s Cannon in D major - was a hit and sold over a million copies. It paved the way for their debut album, End of the World, later that year. After touring in support for the album, Aphrodite’s Child finally made it to London, England and began recording their second album, It’s Five O’clock, which was released in 1969. The album was more successful than their debut, reaching Number 1 in France and Number 6 in Italy. Vangelis declined to tour with the band although he remained a member – he was replaced during live performances by Harris Halkitis. In 1970, the single “It’s Five O’clock” was a hit, reaching the Number 1 position in Belgium, France, and Italy. Later that year, original guitarist Silver Koulouris returned to the band, and they began working on a concept album based on the biblical Book of Revelation. The album, 666, was released in 1972 and was the most progressive and psychedelic release of their career. Tensions within the band began to grow and by the time the album had reached the record shops, Aphrodite’s Child had split up. All four members pursued solo careers, although Vangelis – who died on May 17, 2022 - was the only member to achieve long-lasting international success with his soundtracks and pioneering electronic albums. However, Demis Roussos also achieved great success as a solo artist, but he, like the band Aphrodite’s Child, did not experience that much-needed commercial breakthrough in America. He died on January 25, 2015.