666

This day (6 June 06) cannot pass without someone offering a review of this great album, so it may as well be me. For details on the flavors and particulars, please see earlier favorable reviews, which capture my opinions quite well - in particular, see the reviews by radiohead0, Ivan Melgar M, James Lee and Bilek, which taken together provide a good encapsulation. Thanks for the detail of your reviews, guys!

This is also an example of how a musician who makes mostly fluff can also be creative and edgy, when placed in the right context or with other collaborators who bring out the creative talents; of course I'm referring to Vangelis Pappathanassiou, more popularly known as Vangelis. Too bad he didn't wind up with a bunch like Soft Machine or Area where he might have made more creative music!

I first heard this in 1975, and it was one of the early 70s prog recordings that got me hooked on the genre. Finally, here was some music beyond the simplistic crap being blared over pop radio! This album has one song that might have popular appeal - Here and Now - but nothing else is at all mainstream in style, yet it all fits together remarkably well. It is a remarkable and unique album, more challenging than most and might take a few listens before it clicks, but it is worth the effort. It is not a good choice if you want soothing, pleasant music, so if you're a big Vangelis fan, you should probably avoid this one unless you are a completionist.

I'm divided between giving this 4 stars or 5, and for the sake of not wanting to overinflate my own rating history, I'll give it a 4. But it's close to a 5, just less accessible and more challenging than most 5 star recordings, in similar fashion to how Magma recordings are more challenging. (But 666 sure isn't Magma!) That probably isn't a good reason to cut it one star, but I'm (mostly) human.

Peace.