Search - Vangelis Papathanassiou :: Earth

The Vangelis album most like Aphrodite's Child

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 04/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Aphrodite's Child was already history before 666 even came out. The infinity symbol cut with Irene Papas was the reason for the album's delay, since the group refused to remove the track from the album. Vangelis then teamed with some other musicians and recorded two albums in 1971, Hypothesis and The Dragon, neither of them released at the time (they were released around 1978), and then Vangelis wanted those two albums withdrawn (that explains why those two albums never saw the light of day on CD). 1973's Earth seems like a natural continuation of the Aphrodite's Child sound, if the group made it to 1973, this is how it would sound like. But you'll also notice the album pointed to the style he would explore on his own as well. Here he was helped by guitarist Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris, ex-Aphrodite's Child (he was on 666, but not on their previous, late '60s pop/psychedelic albums) and bassist/vocalist Robert Fitoussi. This was one of the rare Vangelis solo albums to feature vocals, other than See You Later and Jon Anderson's help on "So Long Ago, So Clear" on Heaven & Hell. Of course I didn't mention the Jon & Vangelis albums. "Come On" sounds like a missing Aphrodite's Child song. It rocks, complete with guitar. "We Were All Uprooted" is a much more mellow piece with a strong Greek ethnic feel. This style was explored once again when Vangelis worked on Irene Papas' album Odes (1979). "Sunny Earth" oddly explores Native American styles at the beginning with the chanting, obviously the sound of a rain dance, before heading on to Greek ethnic influences that you heard on "We Were All Uprooted". "He-O" and "Let It Happen" are more fantastic Aphrodite's Child-like vocal cuts, I think the latter is perhaps the finest cut on the whole album. "My Face in the Rain" sounds more like a combination of Aphrodite's Child and Vangelis' own L'Apocaypse Des Animaux. In fact I'm not too far off to say this sounds more like a transistional album, pointing to the direction that he would pursue on his solo career, while still having that Aphrodite's Child sound. No doubt about it, if you enjoy 666 and L'Apocalypse Des Animaux, you're going to need this album."

This was my Introduction to Vangelis

Humberto Mejia | Perth, Australia | 06/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vangelis work is vast and most of it I still do not know it. I have been a follower of Jon&Vangelis (see my reviews) but Earth is so different...Come on, the first song shock me, loud vocals monologue of C'm-on.. and then.. you go to the birth of the earth, ancient and archetypes of sounds that yur primitive brain processes and welcomes..so rare that its no longer available"