Aphrodite's Child: End Of The World - 1968
This was an oddity - Greek prog rock. Featuring future successful artists in keyboard wizard Vangelis and high-pitched housewives' favourite Demis Roussos it was an interesting mixture of classical keyboard influences, vibrant druggy percussion and melodic woodwind, all delivered with a Greek ear for a tune.
Don't Try To Catch A River is a lively piece of frantic, crazy psychedelic pop that I can't help but enjoy. They throw all sorts of madcap instrumentation in here - the afore-mentioned woodwind, percussion and keyboards. The drumming, from Loukas Sideras, is great on it too as is the bass. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised upon hearing this for the first time and on several occasions since.
The semi-spoken Syd Barrett-influenced Mr. Thomas is best forgotten but Rain And Tears, which appropriates Pachelbel's toccata and fugue, is a baroque delight.
The Grass Is No Green is a wonderfully spaced-out slow psychedelic number, so evocative of much of 1968's material. Remember also that this very proggy organ-driven number was from 1968, considerably ahead of much prog rock. This album was more ground-breaking and influential than you might think. Valley Of Sadness is another baroque song that breaks out into some floor-shaking heavy passages. You Always Stand In My Way is a strong prog rocker with wild organ and a Robert Plant-esque vocal. It ends up as a bit of a racket, though, I have to say.
The Shepherd And The Moon is a sort of Greek folk song on LSD, full of rustic, Eastern influences but also proggy changes of pace and a pretentious, spoken part. There is an appeal to its madness, though. Day Of The Fool is a bit of a mess, however, not really getting anywhere and going round in proggy circles. Overall, though, it is an interesting and beguiling album that is worth the occasional listen.
