Aphrodite’s Child - Rain and Tears/End of the World (Live)
BY COLIN GRAHAM
For some reason today (Okay, yesterday by this point) I was thinking of this song (”End of the World”) and now maybe sometime you will too. Actually, you can think of “Rain and Tears,” a small jam, and then “End of the World,” but that’s even better…
Aphrodite’s Child was a psychedelic, later considered progressive, rock band from Greece. They consisted of: Demis Roussos, on bass and vocals, Loukas Sideras on drums, and Vangelis Papathanassiou on all keyboards. Demis Roussos is now a rather famous singer, and Vangelis Papathanassiou, if you don’t already know, composed and performed the soundtracks to such movies such as “Chariots of Fire” and “Blade Runner.” Rad. New Age music is probably one of the best genres out there and Vangelis pretty much helped invent it. The songs here are their first single, “Rain and Tears,” which is a re-working of a classical song and was number 1 in Italy in 1968, and the title track from their first album, “End of the World.” “Rain and Tears” was also a huge hit in France (it was released May of 1968) and this performance, I believe, is from French television in January of 1969.
Things that make this video worth watching:
-These songs pretty much sound like the Wu-Tang Clan, except without the whole rap thing. I Guess the songs aren’t exactly about blue and cream Clark’s or gold rims on Pathfinders or drugs or crime or anything like that, but they’re definitely just as gangster, if not more.
-The vocals and the lyrics have such a longing, romantic melancholy in them that if Prop. 8 would have passed I would track down Demis Roussos right now and offer him anything he’d ever wanted if he would marry me. Seriously.
-Vangelis, aside from playing 2 keyboard instruments and some boxes with lots of knobs on them, is also playing the kazoo.
-Amazing sideburns, frilly shirts, and, oh, blue velvet (”Don’t you fucking look at me!”).
-There is no guitar player.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Reasons why this post is amazing:
-Though the songs are perhaps grounded on the same sonically conceptual basis as Wu-Tang and do not overtly discuss drugs, I would like to posit, however, there was heavy cocaine use involved in the making of this video.
-The romantic inclinations that these wistfully soulful ballads, with their ephemerally lyrical intonations, have encited within you, is a touching testament to both the power of this song, and also, another instance why dudes should TOTALLY be able to marry other dudes.
-The kazoo is supported by a Dylan-esque neck brace.
-Nice David Lynch reference!
-There is no band. It is all an illusion….
December 12th, 2008 at 11:46 am
ehhh… earbleed and nosebleed!
December 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Haha just what I needed!