The band's first two albums, End of the World and It's Five O'Clock, combined a very '60s sounding Euro-pop-rock with Greek folk music elements. The former album featured the song "Rain and Tears", a reworking of Pachelbel's Canon in D major. The song was a minor hit in the United Kingdom, but did far better in France, where the band was based, as well as the rest of Europe. Other European hits included "Marie Jolie", "I Want to Live", and "Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall" from 1969 and 1970 respectively.
The band began to record their crowning achievement in 1970: a musical adaptation of the biblical Book of Revelations, entitled 666 - The Apocalypse of St. John. Relations between Roussos, Vangelis and Sideras were not good at the time, and continued to worsen before the album's creation. However, the group was contractually obligated to release a third album, and went into the studio in 1970 to create 666.
Essentially, 666 was Vangelis' concept, created with an outside lyricist, Costas Ferris. The music that Vangelis was creating for 666 was much more psychedelic and progressive rock oriented than anything the band had done before. This did not sit well with the other band members, who wished to continue in the pop direction that had brought them success. Further, Roussos was being groomed for a solo career, and pressure from the record company for the band to produce another hit single did not help. In essence, the band broke up during the completion of 666. Vangelis finished the album primarily on his own with assistance from studio musicians.
Immediately afterwards, Vangelis engaged in a long fight with Mercury over the content of the album. The record company, in particular, objected to the song "∞" (infinity), which consisted of actress Irene Papas chanting the words "I was, I am, I am to come" in various stages of orgiastic ecstasy, while Vangelis accompanied her on percussion. However, the double-album length of 666 and the musical experimentation, as well as the subject matter, also exacerbated Mercury's ire. After Roussos and Sideras had already embarked on solo careers, Mercury finally agreed to release 666 two years after its completion, and it came out in 1972.
Strangely enough, 666 was the only Aphrodite's Child album to make any impact in America. The blood-red cover with the letters 666 prominently displayed in black and white was striking, and brought immediate accusations of occultism from various quarters. Any suspicions of occultism could be dispersed by simply reading the lyrics, which were fairly faithfully based around the Book of Revelations, but the accusations undoubtedly helped sell the album in the United States. The album met with less controversy overseas and sold reasonably well on its own merits.
The music itself was an impressive display of Vangelis' abilities, combining psychedelic and progressive rock with ethnic instruments, choral chanting, recitations, and very advanced use of synthesizers and keyboards for the time. In time the album became recognized as one of the most important early progressive rock works, and a defining example of the concept album. 666 also made Vangelis an underground name to watch, and earned him an offer from Jon Anderson to join Yes. Vangelis turned down the offer in order to concentrate on a solo career. However, he and Anderson later created several duet albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
After the band split, both Vangelis and Demis Roussos pursued successful solo careers, Roussos as a pop singer and Vangelis as one of the pioneers in progressive electronic music. Kolouris worked with both on occasion. Lucas Sideras pursued a less successful solo career, releasing the single "Rising Sun" after the break-up.
Discography
End of the World (1968)
It's Five O'Clock (1969)
666 (The Apocalypse Of John,13/18) (1971)
Best Of Aphrodite's Child (1980)
Aphrodite's Child's Greatest Hits (1995)
The Complete Collection (Aphrodite's Child) (1996)
Babylon the Great (2002)
Song Highlights:
"Four Horsemen", from the album 666, was a minor hit on FM radio in the United States, receiving AOR airplay to this day. "Babylon", from the same album, was released as a single, and found similar acceptance on AOR radio in the 1970's. "Hic and Nunc" and "Break", from the same album, were also tried out as singles but did not chart well at the time.
"Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall" - the final single before the release of 666 and the last of the band's singles to chart significantly in their European home base.
"Rain and Tears" - based on Pachelbel's Canon in D major, this song was probably their biggest hit as a single release.
"It's Five o Clock" and "Such a Funny Night" also charted in Europe. All of the above songs can be found on various compilation/greatest hits discs. The band's singles were aimed squarely at the pop market, and do not bear any significant resemblance to the music on 666.
Do It
Aphrodite's Child Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do it
Do it
The song "Do It" by Aphrodite's Child is a mysterious and enigmatic piece that is open to interpretation. The lyrics are simply "Do it, do it, do it." The repetition of these words creates a hypnotic effect, capturing the listener's attention and taking them on a journey of self-discovery. The song's message seems to encourage the listener to take action, to not be hesitant or second-guess themselves. It could be interpreted as a call to take risks and seize opportunities, to not be afraid of the unknown.
One of the most interesting aspects of "Do It" is its instrumentation. The song features a combination of psychedelic and progressive rock elements, with a heavy emphasis on psychedelic organ and guitar. The overall sound is trippy and otherworldly, evocative of the era in which it was created. Another notable aspect of the song is its production value, which is top-notch for the time.
Interestingly, "Do It" was never released as a single, and was only included on Aphrodite's Child's album "It's Five O'Clock." Despite this, the song has become somewhat of a cult classic over the years, and has been covered by several other artists. The song's enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless message and unique sound.
Overall, the meaning of "Do It" is open to interpretation, but its hypnotic repetition and powerful instrumentation make it a truly unique piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Do it
Take action and follow through on what you desire
Do it
Don't hesitate or second-guess yourself
Do it
Take charge of your life and pursue your dreams
Contributed by Taylor N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Willoughby
I really like this. It's like Led Zeppelin taking on Jazz Rock!
D. R.
Klasse Nummer von Aphrodite's Child :-)
Johnny Wilson
Emperor Palpatine loves jamming to this banger.
Jeremy R
Pretty sure this was the inspiration for the song of the same name by my fave band The Flaming Lips, which was a collab with Yoko Ono, and later a similar song they collaborated with Miley Cyrus on! I remember Wayne Coyne from the band had posted about this album in 2012, around the time of the Yoko Ono collab. So cool!
Pietje Puk
I bet Demis Rousos was not allowed in the studio when they recorded this. :^)
Cujoe
i like the part where they said "do it"
Paul Drum Nbass
Q tal temon lo máximo
Vendrame
Troppo avanti questo pezzo!
Valerio Angeleri
Già
Le Tone
Great album. Check it out. 💙