666 (Aphrodite's Child Album)
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''666'' (subtitled ''The Apocalypse of John, 13/18'') is the third and final
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
and only double album by Greek
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band
Aphrodite's Child Aphrodite's Child was a Greek rock and pop band formed in 1967, by Evangelos Papathanassiou, later known professionally as Vangelis (keyboards, flutes), Demis Roussos (bass, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals), Loukas Sideras (drums and v ...
, released in June 1972 by
Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...
. An ambitious double-LP
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, ostensibly an adaptation of Biblical passages from the
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
, ''666'' was composed by keyboardist
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
and lyricist
Costas Ferris Costas Ferris (; born 18 April 1935) is a Greek film director, writer, actor, and producer. He wrote the lyrics of Aphrodite's Child's album ''666''. His 1983 film '' Rembetiko'' won the Silver Bear at the 34th Berlin International Film Festiv ...
. Conflict within the band and with their record company over the album's uncommercial style led to its release being delayed for more than a year. Though it was eventually released to a lukewarm critical and commercial reception, it later attracted a
cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
among fans and musicians and became the group's most acclaimed project. It has appeared on various lists of the greatest progressive rock albums of all time.''Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock'', 2005.


Conception and production

The concept for ''666'' was created by
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
and film director
Costas Ferris Costas Ferris (; born 18 April 1935) is a Greek film director, writer, actor, and producer. He wrote the lyrics of Aphrodite's Child's album ''666''. His 1983 film '' Rembetiko'' won the Silver Bear at the 34th Berlin International Film Festiv ...
, who served as the project's lyricist. Ferris cited as influences the
nonlinear narrative Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative, or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the ...
style of the films ''
Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...
'', '' Rashomon'', ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...
'' and '' The Killing'', as well as
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...
'' and
the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
's '' Tommy''. The central concept is a
countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
interpretation of the
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
, in which a circus show based on the apocalypse performs for an audience at the same time that the real apocalypse takes place outside the circus tent, and at the end the two merge into one. Ferris described the result as a "concept book", and stated that he intended for the narration to be looser than ''Tommy'', but more rigid than ''Sgt. Pepper''. The band commenced work on the album at the Europa Sonor studio in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in late 1970. They took just over three months to record it and finished in early 1971. The overall cost of album's recording was estimated as US$80,000 () or US$90,000 (). The recording was marked by tension, as the ambitious nature of Vangelis and Ferris' concept clashed with
Demis Roussos Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos ( ; , ; 15 June 1946 – 25 January 2015) was a Greek-Egyptian singer, songwriter and musician. As a band member, he is best remembered for his work in the progressive rock music act Aphrodite's Child, but as a ...
, Loukas Sideras and Silver Koulouris' wish to continue with the psychedelic pop direction that had brought them success. Vangelis, Roussos and Sideras were also accompanied by their partners, further adding to the strain. Engineer Roger Roche reported that they enjoyed playing together but would not speak to each other after they finished a take. Vangelis blamed commercial pressures for the tensions, stating, "It was too sophisticated for the group. I realised that I couldn't follow the commercial way anymore, it was very boring." Giorgio Gomelsky, in France at the time due to his work with
Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...
and
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
, made several contributions to the album and by his own description served as "a sort of 'acting producer. He believed that his contributions were not enough to warrant a producer's credit. Accordingly, on the album sleeve, he is credited as "passing by". Gerard Fallec, credited on the sleeve with "production coordination", did not play a part in the production process, but became involved during the year-long battle to have the record released. Ferris credited him with suggesting the album's final title and working on its sleeve. Additional contributors to the album included Harris Halkitis, who had filled in for Vangelis when the band toured in support of ''
It's Five O'Clock ''It's Five O'Clock'' is the second studio album by Greek progressive rock band Aphrodite's Child. Track listing All songs written by Richard Francis and Vangelis Papathanassiou, except where noted. Personnel Aphrodite's Child * Vangelis ...
'', horn player Michel Ripoche, Greek painter Yannis Tsarouchis, actress
Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas (, ; born Eirini Lelekou (); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through ...
, John Forst and Daniel Koplowitz. Upon the album's completion,
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
refused to release it, objecting to its uncommercial material and in particular the song "∞". In 1971, the band organised a "one-year anniversary party" at Europa Sonor, to protest the album not being released. According to Ferris,
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
was in attendance at the party, and listened to the album. Dalí was highly impressed with the work, stating that it reminded him of the
Sagrada Família The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Desi ...
, and planned an ambitious
happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow in 1959 to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happening" i ...
in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
to mark the album's release. The plan was canceled when Dalí angrily broke off further contact after a friend of Ferris' referred to Gala Dalí as "Madame Éluard" during a visit in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Despite Vangelis editing "∞" from its original 39 minutes to merely five, the band continued to struggle with Mercury's obstruction. During this period, the band drifted apart. Vangelis released his first solo album '' Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit''. Sideras began work on his own solo album, ''One Day'', which featured arrangements by Koulouris. Roussos released his debut solo album '' Fire and Ice'' (also known as '' On the Greek Side of My Mind''), obtaining a hit single in Europe with the song " We Shall Dance".


Songs

The music of ''666'' is more ambitious and experimental than previous Aphrodite's Child releases, containing greater use of electronic keyboards, studio experimentation, expanded instrumentation, and influences from genres such as
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic ...
and
world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
. Reflecting this character, only six of the album's 24 songs have vocals and lyrics, four by lead singer Demis Roussos and two by Loukas Sideras. The rest are either instrumental, instrumentals with narration, or use vocals as an instrument. Although the album's material is often acknowledged as challenging and uncommercial, it has also been described as tuneful, "fun", and retaining elements of
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
. Authors Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell interpreted the album as reflecting "the turmoil in Greece at the time", while Vangelis argued that its theme was highly relevant in general, stating in '' Sounds'' in 1974, "The answer to the question 666 is today." ''The Mojo Collection'' argues that "the album's lush arrangements were as startling as any of the progressive era and have aged better than most", in part due to Vangelis not relying excessively on contemporary synthesizers and the prominent role of guitarist Silver Koulouris.


Side one

The first song on the album, "The System", fades in with a choir chanting "We got the system, to fuck the system!" and a drum roll by Loukas Sideras. The lyric is inspired by
Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponent of the ...
's pamphlet ''Fuck the System''. "Babylon" is an acoustic rock song with an energetic guitar riff that ''Head Heritage'' compared to
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
's work on " Pinball Wizard", melodic bass playing by Roussos, and crowd noise similar to that of ''Sgt. Pepper''. The lyrics introduce the apocalyptic theme by referring to the fall of Babylon the Great from Revelation 18. "Loud, Loud, Loud" combines a two-chord piano vamp by Vangelis with narration by Daniel Koplowitz, described by a fansite as "the son of diplomat". The title is sung by a choir, who are not credited on the album sleeve. The narration reflects a spirit of countercultural optimism, speaking of "The day young boys will stop becoming soldiers/And soldiers will stop playing war games". " The Four Horsemen" deals with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, its lyrics mostly paraphrasing the text of Revelation 6. The song's structure is marked by a dynamic contrast, with Roussos singing over an echoed keyboard drone and wind chimes in the verses, and the chorus containing traditional rock instrumentation highlighted by Sideras' drumming. The song culminates in a two-minute wah guitar solo by Koulouris over heavy drumming by Sideras and a repeated "fa fa fa" background chant by Roussos. One of the best known songs of ''666'', "The Four Horsemen" influenced
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
's " Chemtrails", which has a similar structure, and
The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...
's "The Rolling People", which quoted the "fa fa fa" chant. The chorus was also sampled, in a slowed-down fashion, on
Daniel Lopatin Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized tropes from various musical genres and eras, samp ...
's "A7", from ''
Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1 ''Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1'' is a 2010 album of remixes by American electronic musician Daniel Lopatin under the pseudonym Chuck Person. Its tracks consist of chopped and screwed, chopped, looped samples of various songs—including popul ...
''. "The Lamb" is a world music-influenced instrumental, featuring vocal chants following the main melody, and sounds reminiscent of traditional Greek instruments. "The Seventh Seal" is an instrumental with a repeated keyboard and string instrument melody, and British-accented narration by John Forst describing the lamb opening the last of the
Seven seals The Seven Seals of God from the Bible's Book of Revelation are the seven symbolic seals (, ''sphragida'') that secure the book or scroll that John of Patmos saw in an apocalyptic vision. The opening of the seals of the document occurs in Rev ...
, again based on Revelation 6. The narration does not mention the earthquake that the Book of Revelation attributes to the breaking of the sixth seal, but is otherwise faithful to the biblical description. Forst's line, "And when the lamb opened the seventh seal, silence covered the sky" was sampled in the Enigma song, " The Rivers of Belief".


Side two

Side two begins with "Aegian Sea", an instrumental featuring another lengthy guitar solo by Koulouris, elaborate keyboard work by Vangelis, and wordless vocalising. Narration by John Forst is included under Koulouris' guitar solo, restating the breaking of the two seals in "The Seventh Seal" in singular first person, and featuring three repetitions of the phrase "They'll no more suffer from hunger, they'll no more suffer from thirst". Forst's narration is slowed down in pitch and panned to the right stereo channel, with echo being heard on the left channel. "Aegian Sea" is followed by "Seven Bowls", a sound effect-laden piece in which a chorus narrates the effects of the
seven bowls The seven bowls (, ''phialas'' (acc. pl.), nom. sing. φιάλη, ''phialē''; also translated as cups or vials) are a set of plagues mentioned in Revelation 16. They are recorded as apocalyptic events that were seen in the vision of the Reve ...
(changing the
Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
drying up and earthquake of the last two bowls to the stars going out and the air turning to poison), which in turn crossfades into the eerie instrumental "The Wakening Beast", which uses reverbed wind chimes. The narration of "Seven Bowls" was sampled on the Enigma song "The Voice and the Snake". "Lament" begins with a repeated
vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...
note played by Vangelis, followed by Roussos singing a lament for "the human race" over a minimal backing. Vangelis provides additional backing vocals, which reflect his interest in Byzantine music. "The Marching Beast" is an instrumental piece with a repeated melody played on guitar, bass and saxophone, with a gradually developing arrangement that includes a piano solo and a Jethro Tull-influenced flute trill. "The Battle of the Locusts" and "Do It" are aggressive rock instrumentals, variously perceived by reviewers as being influenced by
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and heavy metal. Both begin with Forst reciting their titles, and are played in a
power trio A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
format, with intricate drumming and rapid guitar solos. The title of "Do It" comes from Jerry Rubin's book ''DO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution''. Both songs were compared by ''Head Heritage'' to " Ash Ra Tempel meets
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
". "Tribulation" is a jazz-influenced instrumental with overdubbed saxophone by Harris Halkitis. "The Beast" has been described as a "bizarre funky singalong". It is the first song with lead vocals by Loukas Sideras, who sings "Who can fight the beast?" in his normal voice and "She's big/She's bad/She's wicked/She's sad" in a deeper, lower voice. The song features a funk-influenced rhythm and studio experimentation, with the first snare hit of the verses having plate reverb applied to it. During recording, Vangelis had a microphone in order to direct the band, and the final mix of the song includes some of his rhythmic scat singing and studio commentary. He says ''Pame!'' ("Let's go!") near the song's climax, and ''Teliounome edho pera, etsi?'' ("We're closing here, remember?") on the song's final measure. Reviewer Jon Bryan considered the song "a little kooky" but "fun and memorable". The last song on the second side, "Ofis", is a brief interlude in which Yiannis Tsarouchis recites a line from the shadow puppet play '' Alexander the Great and the Accursed Serpent'' with slapback echo applied to his voice. The line, , translates to "Come out, cursed serpent, because if you don't come out yourself, I will make you come out!".


Side three

"Seven Trumpets" is a dramatic narration that serves to introduce "Altamont". ''Head Heritage'' interpreted it to represent the moment where the "curtain of reality" is torn down, and thus the real apocalypse and the circus show apocalypse begin to intertwine as per Ferris' concept. "Altamont", chosen as one of the highlights of the album by
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, contains a repetitive funk-influenced groove, Roussos scatting along with the bassline, vibraphone by Vangelis, and overdubbed horns by Halkitis. The second half of the song introduces additional narration, referring to the imagery of previous songs and describing the sight of the apocalypse as "the pictures of what was, of what is, of what is to come". One of the lines of the narration, "We are the people/The rolling people", later inspired the title of
The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...
's "The Rolling People". "Altamont" ends by crossfading into "The Wedding of the Lamb", a
world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
-influenced instrumental that contains an electronic keyboard melody backed by wordless vocalising and syncopated, rhythmic drumming. The instrumental in turn crossfades into "The Capture of the Beast", a drum solo by Sideras that makes heavy use of toms and percussion instruments, performed over Vangelis' keyboard drones and effects. The songs are linked together by brief spoken lines recited in a halting manner which announce their titles, "That was 'The Wedding of the Lamb'" at the end of the former, and "Now comes 'The Capture of the Beast'" at the beginning of the latter. "∞" ("Infinity"), the most controversial song on the album, consists of the Greek actress
Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas (, ; born Eirini Lelekou (); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through ...
chanting "I was, I am, I am to come" over a sparse percussion track, gradually building into an orgasmic frenzy. Vangelis described the track as conveying "the pain of birth and the joy of intercourse." Ferris originally sought a narrator with a heavy British accent to recite the lyric, in order to create a contrast with the climactic frenzy, but Papas' improvisation was chosen instead because it made a stronger impression. Hegarty and Halliwell describe the song as part of the "increased cacophony" that marks the progression towards the apocalypse. ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' remarked in 1972 that in light of the publicity received by
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...
's " Je t'aime... moi non plus", it was "odd" that the media overlooked ''666'', but that it would have been a "pity" if it achieved notoriety solely due to Papas' contribution. A sample of Papas taking sharp breaths was used in Enigma's " Principles of Lust". "Hic et Nunc" (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "here and now") is an upbeat pop song with phased piano, tenor saxophone by Michel Ripoche, a crowd chanting "Here and now!" in the chorus, a reuse of the audience sound effect from "Babylon" and the "We got the system to fuck the system" chant from "The System" during Vangelis' piano solo, foreshadowing the concluding "montage".


Side four

The longest song on the album, "All the Seats Were Occupied" begins as a slow
raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
-influenced instrumental before incorporating other genres such as funk and culminating in a
musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic ...
"montage" that incorporates samples from "Seven Trumpets", "The System", "Babylon", "The Four Horsemen", "Loud, Loud, Loud", "The Capture of the Beast", "Ofis", "∞", "Seven Bowls", "The Lamb", "The Wakening Beast", "The Marching Beast", "Altamont" and "The Wedding Of The Lamb". The sentence "all the seats were occupied" was taken from a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Teaching English record. The song concludes with a chaotic ending and a sample of Papas' pained groaning from "∞". This track was later included on the compilation album '' A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 3''. "Break", the closing song, is a ballad sung by Sideras, backed by piano and organ. Vangelis scat sings backing vocals, meant to make fun of the song's dramatic mood. Ferris' lyrics originally had an additional verse that began the song, starting "Now/Got no place to go", which was left out of the final version. Hegarty and Halliwell describe the last lines, "Fly/High/And then/You make it", as lacking in narrative link to the rest of the album, but ending on a "melancholic high". The song ends with a piano and organ chord, which is followed after 6 seconds of silence by a sample of Forst saying "Do it!", the final sound of the album.


Packaging

The album's sleeve was created by production coordinator Gerard Fallec. Ferris stated that Fallec's initial idea was to have a black cover with "666" printed in white in the middle, inspired by the white background of ''
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
'', and created the original design with three plastic car numbers. Ferris and Vangelis liked the idea but preferred a red background with the number printed white on black in the middle, similar to a
vehicle registration plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...
. This became the final design, although several vinyl issues of the album use the original white number on black background sleeve. Fallec also brought to the band a surreal, Dalí-influenced painting of a car crash that became the inner sleeve. Ferris stated that the band forgot to ask for the name of the artist (although the signature "M. Dubre" appears on the image), and that while Fallec was unsure about the relation of the painting to the work apart from the "car" theme of the cover, he and Vangelis considered it "the absolute representation of the stupidity of man." The
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
state "This album was recorded under the influence of Sahlep." Intended as a joke by the band, the statement provoked some controversy at the time of the album's release, as some groups interpreted it to mean that the album was drug-inspired, demonic, or blasphemous.


Release and reception

Mercury released ''666'' on its
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
subsidiary
Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...
in June 1972. The album was promoted with one single, "Babylon"/"Break", released in November. Mercury also produced a four-song EP to encourage radio play, and ran a contest where they would give $666 to the first three promoters who could get their market's share of 40,000 sales. Although ''Melody Maker'' stated that "Break" "could easily have made the chart if it had been released as a single", neither the album nor single were commercially successful on release, the album failing to chart and the single only entering the Dutch charts at #24. Two years later, Vangelis said that the album sold well in the United States. Vertigo also released a single vinyl edition of the album in Brazil, titled ''Break'' and leaving out most of the album's instrumental songs. An extended vinyl edition of ''666'' was released in Greece in 1974, containing alternative mixes of songs with music cut from other versions of the album, in a
gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...
sleeve displaying the painting originally on the inner sleeve; some of these versions had appeared on the Brazilian release. '' The Rolling Stone Record Guide'' dismissed ''666'' as "pompous and pointless".
Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...
's ''
Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...
'' states that "the album was applauded for its ambition and execution", but it did not attract many contemporary reviews.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gives it 4½ stars, but notes that "the entire set eventually becomes too overwhelming to sit through". ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked the album number 3 on their list of Top 25 Prog Rock Albums. In the '' Q'' & '' Mojo'' Classic Special Edition ‘’Pink Floyd & the Story of Prog Rock’’, the album came number 40 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums". A re-issued version of the album – including a previously unavailable French (English-subtitled) interview with Vangelis on the creative process, alongside widely-unheard Greek mixes, a Dolby ATMOS up-mix, illustrated booklet and further original interviews – was released on 8 November 2024.


Track listing

Although Ferris has been identified as the lyricist, the album explicitly states that all tracks — even the instrumentals — are composed by Vangelis Papathanassiou and Costas Ferris.


Worldwide vinyl release


Brazilian vinyl release (released as ''Break'')


Greek vinyl release


CD release


Personnel

Aphrodite's Child * Vangelis Papathanassiou (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou) – keyboards, organ,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
,
vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...
, bass,
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
, backing vocals on "Lament", "The Beast", "Break" *
Demis Roussos Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos ( ; , ; 15 June 1946 – 25 January 2015) was a Greek-Egyptian singer, songwriter and musician. As a band member, he is best remembered for his work in the progressive rock music act Aphrodite's Child, but as a ...
(Artemios Ventouris Roussos) –
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
on "Babylon", "The Four Horsemen", "Lament", "Hic et Nunc",
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
,
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
, backing vocals * Loukas Sideras
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
on "The Beast", "Break", backing vocals * Silver Koulouris (Anargyros Koulouris) –
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
Additional musicians * Harris Halkitis – bass,
tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
,
conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...
s, percussion, backing vocals * Michel Ripoche –
trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
,
tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
on "Babylon", "Hic et Nunc" *
Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas (, ; born Eirini Lelekou (); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through ...
– vocals on "∞" * John Forst – narration on "The Seventh Seal", "Aegian Sea", "The Battle of the Locusts", "Do It", "Seven Trumpets", "Altamont", "The Wedding of the Lamb", "The Capture of the Beast" * Yannis Tsarouchis – Greek narration on "Ofis" * Daniel Koplowitz – narration on "Loud, Loud, Loud" Production * Vangelis – producer * Roger Roche – engineer * Jean-Claude Conan – assistant engineer * Hitoshi Takiguchi – mastering engineer * Gilbert Kong – mastering (original US LP) * Hans Brethouwer – mastering (1989 European CD reissue) * Hitoshi Takiguchi – mastering (2004/2014 Japanese CD reissues) * Gerard Fallec – production coordination, sleeve design * Giorgio Gomelsky – "passing by" (production assistance) * Minoru Harada – product manager * Kiyoshi Tokiwa – art coordinator * Michel Dubré – inner sleeve painting


Charts


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control Aphrodite's Child albums 1970s concept albums Music based on the Bible 1972 soundtrack albums Vertigo Records soundtracks Works based on the Book of Revelation