I heard this album for the first time in 1974 or 75. It was amazing, especially for that time. Everyone in the all boys Catholic high school was talking about it. The local college radio station played the heck out of it. Shortly after I heard this, Vangelis' Heaven and Hell was released, and we were blown away yet again. Which lead to a search of the record stores for anything Vangelis or Aphrodite's Child. These two albums were high water marks for their time. I listened to 666 recently. It really has held up. And I don't own it on CD, just album and mp3. This sounds like something I need.
Yeah...this album is a belter. I discovered it in 1992, when I was eighteen. I haven't listened to it in about a year, making this a timely reminder to do so.
I have all three Aphrodite's Child's albums on original vinyl and yes 666 is a very different animal to the first two. I also have 666 on Vertigo double CD and there is nothing wrong with the mix/master sound. I also have a Mercury Best Of... CD covering pre-666 tracks and a comprehensive 2-CD set all of their singles, released by BR Music in 2003. I think they were great but of course they were a disparate collection of musicians who were always going to branch off in different directions.
Surely 668 is the neighbour of the beast!. Great unboxing, 'The Four Horsemen ' is a classic, Stuart Maconie played it (not for the first time) on his show last Sunday.
I first heard this album back in the summer of 2006 after hearing tracks such as 'The System / Babylon' and 'The Four Horseman'. One from the 5-CD box set, Supernatural Fairy Tales: The Progressive Rock Era from RHINO, followed by the ProgArchives website. 666 is one of the most surreal, avant-garde, bonkering, mind-blowing, and incredible Prog-Rock album Aphrodite's Child unleashed. Yes it was their last album, but its an album that refuses to die. Yes, Vangelis embarked on an incredible career as a solo artist and scoring films such as Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire, and Alexander, followed by Demis Roussos' pop-loving texture (We Shall Dance, My Friend the Wind, From Souvenirs to Souvenirs) but their run with Aphrodite's Child deserves a whole lot of recognition.
Received it yesterday. I discovered this album in the 80's and fell in love with it. I have a decent Dolby Atmos system that let me have renewed pleasure with albums i discovered in my teens like Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, The Beatles, Deep Purple and many more but frankly I'm a bit disappointed. I thought that this album should be a good candidate for an immersive experience but being a simple upmix not much is happening in the rear speakers. I would describe it as a spread on the front speakers with a more than subtle bleed towards the back. My Marantz amplifier does a better job with all stereo sources.
I would have been interested till I seen the price and most of all that the Blu Ray only contains an Up-Mix which means that the original mastertapes could not be found to do a proper mulitchannel mix. One hell of an extotionate price tag for a synthetic Atmos mix and I think the Devil might be at hand with this release...
this is one of my favorite records of all time and i could not hit buy fast enough to get the cd box and the double vinyl reissue as it is nearly impossible to find a properly graded clean and tick free copy these days for less than a car payment. i used to see theses records in huge stacks in record stores before i knew what it was and always overlooked it as i had it on cd already lol. oops.
FYI The Greek version is NOT sung in Greek. It does have some differences between the earlier version, longer takes, different mixes, but the vocals are the same.
Fantastic record. Bought it on LP in 1974. Glad to see the 50th anniversary CD. Be sure to play the track "Infinity" at a party. ("I am to come, I am. I am to come" being sung louder and louder by Irene Pappas.) It will stop any conversation in its tracks. Absolute gem all through.
I got my copy a couple of days ago. In a nice bit of cosmic timing, it was the same day where I completed my own album that owes plenty to Vangelis, including this album. It was nice to have my own copy of it given the deluxe treatment, especially as I have not heard it as a proper continuous work (i.e. gapless). I do not think declaring this album as an important milestone for prog rock is hyperbole at all. It may seem that way given the year of its release, which was delayed largely because Mercury had very cold feet about it. Nevertheless, there was a grand ambition to it both in its concept and the music behind it. This was where Vangelis really got to flex his creative muscles and this anticipated more things to come from him, even if it’s not that obvious. And to look at it more broadly, this was a very European and particularly very Greek contribution to the larger commercial/popular music scene, which is very Anglo-dominated. Finally, the album has left its own impressions on other artists. Consider Enigma, Beck (listen to “Chemtrails”) and Daniel Lopatin as Chuck Person (it’s one of the eccojams). And I think it’s more relevant now than it probably was back in 1972. For instance, the track “Aegean Sea” was definitely on my mind during 2020.
Just FYI the 1974 Greek Version isn't sung in Greek. The difference between it and the 1972 is that it's slightly longer and in some cases it sounds like different takes were used (kind of like Let it be naked, A momentary Lapse of reason 2018 and Anthem of the Sun '71).
The 4 Horsemen was a favorite of our college radio, and sometimes we would risk putting "infinity" with the voice of the great Irene Papas; and more often than none we got a visit by college security.
Love your channel, thank you. I discovered this album via the Vertigo compilation album 'Suck it and see'. The Four Horsemen track featured on the compilation but like most teenagers of the day I couldn't afford the album and so recorded my friend Brian's copy to cassette tape (well it was 1973!). Much played until I eventually bought it on CD. My son discovered the CD in my collection and is a big fan too. The new release seems to be £80. Is it worth it... I'd say yes. For nostalgia and also as recompense for not having bought it in the fist place 😇
The Bollock Brothers turned me on to this album when they covered songs from 666 on the album "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in 1985. Glad they did.
@@curtis8516 I was fearing something like that... Over 100 euros for a vinyl rip and a fake Surround mix is an absolute scam. Mark Powell, the guy from Esoteric, was behind this reissue... And he should be ashamed.
For me, 666 was a bit of a “curate's egg" and I don’t have it in my collection. I watch a lot of those ‘top 20 prog rock videos’ and the album just never really makes those lists. However there are some absolutely stunning tracks on the album for example - The Four Horseman, Aegean Sea and Altamont.
Oh God no. I heard them lo, this many years ago and don't think I have recovered. I have an eclectic taste so like a lot of stuff but I couldn't stand it to the point where I was begging my friend to take it off. Maybe it was my state of mind (I was charlied to the gills) or the noisome tones I heard. I felt the same about John's Children (I could be confusing what I heard, now I think about it). Love Vangelis though.
Not even remixed from the original multitracks, And for this price i expected a hardcover book. Let's hope That the 1974 mix is remastered from the mastertape and not just a needledrop.
£96? Compared to the recent Tull reissues this is staggeringly overpriced. Or the Crimson boxes. Or the Police one. Hold your nerve and this will drop .Be vigilant, put it in your Save For Later list.
I've got this habit of disregarding that Vangelis had any form of career in music predating the music to which his name alone is attached. I keep forgetting there even was a band called Aphrodite's Child.
$124.99 is way too expensive for a 4cd set like this (current US Amazon pre-order price). I could get the Complete 1969 Recordings of King Crimson for cheaper!
Nice presentation but why would the 1974 "Greek" remix be "all Greek to you" ? It is still sung in English, not in Greek. It is just that Vangelis remixed the album especially for its first at the time release in Greece. And the highlights of this particular mix are the ''Battle Of The Locusts/Do It guitar solos which are about over a minute longer and Hic Et Nunc which is nearly twice as long, lasting nearly 5 minutes instead of just two and a half of the original mix. But also there are several other minor differences. Really worth listening imo
At work sometime ago, when the discussion got around to singing bassists (long story; not really worth the telling, trust me), I chucked in Kenny Rogers and Demis Roussos to uncomprehending frowns and raised eyebrows. This was pre-internet so I had no backup. I left that job before the web really became mainstream. Ho hum.
Had this for a long time and an intriguing , unique album it is ! There's really nothing else quite like it.Don't know if I'd call it a great one but certainly a good one with terrific highlights throughout.Definitley recommend this record.
The idea of having five gatefold covers instead of three is slighty "over the top" and the Surround versions are not real remixes, just upmixes from the original stereo mixes, probably they didn't/couldn't find the original multitrack tapes in the vaults of the French Vertigo/Philips company, now part of Universal Music... And the Greek version is sourced from an old vinyl copy🤣. Really poorly conceived and overpriced release. A tremedous letdown.
I am I am I am become I was 😊One of my favorite albums. Will I buy the box, I think not. Why? Well I have already so many editions of it, original vertigo red, the black, cd and Japanese mini lp. So I think I’ll pass on this.
Hi, Ordered this hoping for a smashing 5.1 mix only to find out this was an 'up-mix' 😞 This, by far, is the worse 5.1 release I have ever heard, I would not even call it a surround sound upmix. Very little activity in back channels. IF Steven Willson was able to pull some tracks apart for Gentel Giant this should be a doable task. Lack of both albums on the Bluray disc is appalling, plus allegedly there's a 39 odd minutes version of Infinity still missing on the box set. Very disappointing after already owning the Double LP and Double CD Versions. Bough it primarily for a Surround Mix and the Greek version. Huge, huge disappointment - anyone had listened it in Atmos?
Would have been nice if they had a difference between the discs (inside covers) considering how expensive it is another few quid for a couple of different photos/illustrations wound have gone a long way (I know it hasn't been released yet so it may change, but I doubt it).
1989 cd sounds way better, no noise reduction or compression. And what is that new synth drone in the chorus of the four horsemen, it's also on the 1974 mix.
![YEWO - The Four Horsemen [Official Music Video] - Aphrodite's Child Cover](/img/1.gif)
Had this record for decades. Super unique and cool. Glad to see others appreciate its greatness.
I have had it on vinyl since mid 2002. I bought it at a record store used for $8.
The four horseman has one of the most amazing guitar solos I've ever heard and if someone told me it was John Squire I'd have believed it
Guitar on that was Silver Koulouris.
I heard this album for the first time in 1974 or 75. It was amazing, especially for that time. Everyone in the all boys Catholic high school was talking about it. The local college radio station played the heck out of it.
Shortly after I heard this, Vangelis' Heaven and Hell was released, and we were blown away yet again. Which lead to a search of the record stores for anything Vangelis or Aphrodite's Child. These two albums were high water marks for their time.
I listened to 666 recently. It really has held up. And I don't own it on CD, just album and mp3. This sounds like something I need.
"All the Seats were Occupied" is simply, breathtaking.
Break is my favorite track. Haunting.
I never expected this!!And you have the proper speach!!Greetings from Greece 🇬🇷💯
One of my favorites for the drive to work , delightfully bonkers
Finally, I love this album. A less muddy release would be really appreciated.
Yeah...this album is a belter. I discovered it in 1992, when I was eighteen. I haven't listened to it in about a year, making this a timely reminder to do so.
Complete ripoff!
The album sounds exactly as the 1989 CD release, and the 1974 Greek mix is clearly a very poor sounding vinyl rip.
I have all three Aphrodite's Child's albums on original vinyl and yes 666 is a very different animal to the first two. I also have 666 on Vertigo double CD and there is nothing wrong with the mix/master sound. I also have a Mercury Best Of... CD covering pre-666 tracks and a comprehensive 2-CD set all of their singles, released by BR Music in 2003. I think they were great but of course they were a disparate collection of musicians who were always going to branch off in different directions.
Surely 668 is the neighbour of the beast!. Great unboxing, 'The Four Horsemen ' is a classic, Stuart Maconie played it (not for the first time) on his show last Sunday.
My cousin played it for me last year. Never heard it. So damn good.
I first heard this album back in the summer of 2006 after hearing tracks such as 'The System / Babylon' and 'The Four Horseman'. One from the 5-CD box set, Supernatural Fairy Tales: The Progressive Rock Era from RHINO, followed by the ProgArchives website. 666 is one of the most surreal, avant-garde, bonkering, mind-blowing, and incredible Prog-Rock album Aphrodite's Child unleashed. Yes it was their last album, but its an album that refuses to die.
Yes, Vangelis embarked on an incredible career as a solo artist and scoring films such as Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire, and Alexander, followed by Demis Roussos' pop-loving texture (We Shall Dance, My Friend the Wind, From Souvenirs to Souvenirs) but their run with Aphrodite's Child deserves a whole lot of recognition.
This is quite a revelation.
Ah, this takes me back to my trendy chemical amusement days!
Received it yesterday. I discovered this album in the 80's and fell in love with it. I have a decent Dolby Atmos system that let me have renewed pleasure with albums i discovered in my teens like Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, The Beatles, Deep Purple and many more but frankly I'm a bit disappointed. I thought that this album should be a good candidate for an immersive experience but being a simple upmix not much is happening in the rear speakers. I would describe it as a spread on the front speakers with a more than subtle bleed towards the back. My Marantz amplifier does a better job with all stereo sources.
This album has the roots of metal, but it also has a bit of lunacy, so it has that going for it. 😎
The Four Horsemen is my favourite off this album. Just incredible.
Love this album, bought it on vinyl in about 1977.
I would have been interested till I seen the price and most of all that the Blu Ray only contains an Up-Mix which means that the original mastertapes could not be found to do a proper mulitchannel mix. One hell of an extotionate price tag for a synthetic Atmos mix and I think the Devil might be at hand with this release...
this is one of my favorite records of all time and i could not hit buy fast enough to get the cd box and the double vinyl reissue as it is nearly impossible to find a properly graded clean and tick free copy these days for less than a car payment. i used to see theses records in huge stacks in record stores before i knew what it was and always overlooked it as i had it on cd already lol. oops.
Vangelis and demis roussos what legends rip
FYI The Greek version is NOT sung in Greek. It does have some differences between the earlier version, longer takes, different mixes, but the vocals are the same.
It’s a masterpiece
Fantastic record. Bought it on LP in 1974. Glad to see the 50th anniversary CD. Be sure to play the track "Infinity" at a party. ("I am to come, I am. I am to come" being sung louder and louder by Irene Pappas.) It will stop any conversation in its tracks. Absolute gem all through.
I really wish they would put out a vinyl box set of this as well!
I got my copy a couple of days ago. In a nice bit of cosmic timing, it was the same day where I completed my own album that owes plenty to Vangelis, including this album. It was nice to have my own copy of it given the deluxe treatment, especially as I have not heard it as a proper continuous work (i.e. gapless).
I do not think declaring this album as an important milestone for prog rock is hyperbole at all. It may seem that way given the year of its release, which was delayed largely because Mercury had very cold feet about it. Nevertheless, there was a grand ambition to it both in its concept and the music behind it. This was where Vangelis really got to flex his creative muscles and this anticipated more things to come from him, even if it’s not that obvious. And to look at it more broadly, this was a very European and particularly very Greek contribution to the larger commercial/popular music scene, which is very Anglo-dominated. Finally, the album has left its own impressions on other artists. Consider Enigma, Beck (listen to “Chemtrails”) and Daniel Lopatin as Chuck Person (it’s one of the eccojams). And I think it’s more relevant now than it probably was back in 1972. For instance, the track “Aegean Sea” was definitely on my mind during 2020.
I’m blown away you know about this album and band.
DO IT!
Just FYI the 1974 Greek Version isn't sung in Greek. The difference between it and the 1972 is that it's slightly longer and in some cases it sounds like different takes were used (kind of like Let it be naked, A momentary Lapse of reason 2018 and Anthem of the Sun '71).
The 4 Horsemen was a favorite of our college radio, and sometimes we would risk putting "infinity" with the voice of the great Irene Papas; and more often than none we got a visit by college security.
I just spun this earlier today, what a coincidence!
Love your channel, thank you. I discovered this album via the Vertigo compilation album 'Suck it and see'. The Four Horsemen track featured on the compilation but like most teenagers of the day I couldn't afford the album and so recorded my friend Brian's copy to cassette tape (well it was 1973!). Much played until I eventually bought it on CD. My son discovered the CD in my collection and is a big fan too. The new release seems to be £80. Is it worth it... I'd say yes. For nostalgia and also as recompense for not having bought it in the fist place 😇
The Bollock Brothers turned me on to this album when they covered songs from 666 on the album "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in 1985. Glad they did.
I have the red double vinyl that came out a few years ago on music on vinyl .
My jam is Hic Et Nunc believe it translates to Here And Now
Worth buying. I love Vangelis, so that is that. ❤
I ordered a cool Red Vinyl version- which is nice !
Demis Roussos aka the singing blanket!
great album. has vangelis before associating with jon Anderson.
I shall have this.
Featuring the "Singing Tent". That Abigails Party singer Demis Roussos .
I will never get the association with that play out of my mind
Sad to find out the Greek Mix on CD is actually vinyl sourced and not from the master tapes...
@@curtis8516 I was fearing something like that... Over 100 euros for a vinyl rip and a fake Surround mix is an absolute scam. Mark Powell, the guy from Esoteric, was behind this reissue... And he should be ashamed.
For me, 666 was a bit of a “curate's egg" and I don’t have it in my collection. I watch
a lot of those ‘top 20 prog rock videos’ and the album just never really makes those
lists. However there are some absolutely stunning tracks on the album for example - The
Four Horseman, Aegean Sea and Altamont.
Oh God no. I heard them lo, this many years ago and don't think I have recovered. I have an eclectic taste so like a lot of stuff but I couldn't stand it to the point where I was begging my friend to take it off. Maybe it was my state of mind (I was charlied to the gills) or the noisome tones I heard. I felt the same about John's Children (I could be confusing what I heard, now I think about it). Love Vangelis though.
Unique
Love this album, specially my 180 gram double red vinyl
Almost 100 quid on Amazon for 4 CDs and a Blu-ray. A real snip (not) 🙂.
Not even remixed from the original multitracks, And for this price i expected a hardcover book. Let's hope That the 1974 mix is remastered from the mastertape and not just a needledrop.
Getting it just for the Greek version!
£96? Compared to the recent Tull reissues this is staggeringly overpriced. Or the Crimson boxes. Or the Police one. Hold your nerve and this will drop .Be vigilant, put it in your Save For Later list.
I've got this habit of disregarding that Vangelis had any form of career in music predating the music to which his name alone is attached. I keep forgetting there even was a band called Aphrodite's Child.
$124.99 is way too expensive for a 4cd set like this (current US Amazon pre-order price). I could get the Complete 1969 Recordings of King Crimson for cheaper!
Loved most of this album except the rocky lets go bonkers bits. Prefer the quiet dramatic tracks.
Nice presentation but why would the 1974 "Greek" remix be "all Greek to you" ? It is still sung in English, not in Greek. It is just that Vangelis remixed the album especially for its first at the time release in Greece. And the highlights of this particular mix are the ''Battle Of The Locusts/Do It guitar solos which are about over a minute longer and Hic Et Nunc which is nearly twice as long, lasting nearly 5 minutes instead of just two and a half of the original mix. But also there are several other minor differences. Really worth listening imo
Amazing album
Standouts are four horsemen and loud loud loud, which has some of the most poignant lyrics ever
1:35 Ba dum tsss
At work sometime ago, when the discussion got around to singing bassists (long story; not really worth the telling, trust me), I chucked in Kenny Rogers and Demis Roussos to uncomprehending frowns and raised eyebrows. This was pre-internet so I had no backup. I left that job before the web really became mainstream. Ho hum.
Por qué Amazon Francia aun no ha enviado el articulo y ya hay personas que lo tienen???
So how is the Blu Ray version?? Is it an improvement? I'm planning on getting this album.
Had this for a long time and an intriguing , unique album it is ! There's really nothing else quite like it.Don't know if I'd call it a great one but certainly a good one with terrific highlights throughout.Definitley recommend this record.
What region is the Blu-ray? And is it PAL or NTSC format?
4 quid shy of £100. For a couple of CDs and a booklet! Beware Greeks bearing gifts.
Where did you get it?
The idea of having five gatefold covers instead of three is slighty "over the top" and the Surround versions are not real remixes, just upmixes from the original stereo mixes, probably they didn't/couldn't find the original multitrack tapes in the vaults of the French Vertigo/Philips company, now part of Universal Music... And the Greek version is sourced from an old vinyl copy🤣. Really poorly conceived and overpriced release. A tremedous letdown.
I am I am I am become I was 😊One of my favorite albums. Will I buy the box, I think not. Why? Well I have already so many editions of it, original vertigo red, the black, cd and Japanese mini lp. So I think I’ll pass on this.
Hi, Ordered this hoping for a smashing 5.1 mix only to find out this was an 'up-mix' 😞
This, by far, is the worse 5.1 release I have ever heard, I would not even call it a surround sound upmix. Very little activity in back channels. IF Steven Willson was able to pull some tracks apart for Gentel Giant this should be a doable task.
Lack of both albums on the Bluray disc is appalling, plus allegedly there's a 39 odd minutes version of Infinity still missing on the box set. Very disappointing after already owning the Double LP and Double CD Versions. Bough it primarily for a Surround Mix and the Greek version.
Huge, huge disappointment - anyone had listened it in Atmos?
My first comment on this page might help you, I had the same disappointment one month ago.
Piano movers.
Do you ever listen to a band called Cradle of Filth?Their 3rd album is my favorite, Cruelty and the Beast (1998),I'm sure you've heard of them 😊
They sound nothing like Aphrodite's Child. Crap 90's production.
@H-mu4bo They remastered the album..now it sounds awesome!
I enjoy this album. Always made me laugh anyway.
Would have been nice if they had a difference between the discs (inside covers) considering how expensive it is another few quid for a couple of different photos/illustrations wound have gone a long way (I know it hasn't been released yet so it may change, but I doubt it).
A few Good Tracks ,Over rated in My opinion . My wife saw the CD and Thought I was a Demon Worshipper
Waste of money. £100
Complete ripoff!
The album sounds exactly as the 1989 CD release, and the 1974 Greek mix is clearly a very poor sounding vinyl rip.
1989 cd sounds way better, no noise reduction or compression. And what is that new synth drone in the chorus of the four horsemen, it's also on the 1974 mix.
There are 4 or 5 truly superb tracks on the album. The rest is just self-indulgent acid / hippy BS.
A very overrated album, personally, I really don't think it's that good and not worth this box, especially at the price it is. That's just me though.
A good album,not a great one
I used to stare at the spiral on the vinyl while it spun😊