Former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has explained his love for Greek prog icons Aphrodite’s Child, and discussed how he likes to discover other artists from the genre.
The High Flying Birds mainman credits Amorphous Androgynous with expanding his knowledge of the band, founded by late singer Demis Roussos and keyboard maestro Vangelis.
Gallagher – who’s previously listed Aphrodite’s Child classic Four Horsemen among his top ten tracks of all time – tells The Quietus: “I fucking love them. Four Horsemen was a staple Mancunian classic.
“When I met the Amorphous Androgynous fellas, they played me some other stuff like Funky Mary and the It’s Five O’Clock album, which is really brilliant.
“I do like a touch of prog, I’ve got to say. When I’ve got time off these days, I scour iTunes for obscure shit.” He adds: “Don’t ask me the names – I won’t remember.”
Gallagher last month abandoned a collaborative project with Amorphous Androgynous duo Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans, saying the mixes created by the psychedelic producers hadn’t worked out.
But he reflects: “I don’t regret meeting them and being fans of theirs. They’ve turned me on to so much fucking great music. If I regret anything, it’s spending the £150,000 it cost me to record it – and it’s sitting there in the dustbin.”
He launches a new High Flying Birds album, Chasing Yesterday, on March 2. Amorphous Androgynous – also known as The Future Sound Of London – launch _A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble (Exploding In Your Mind) _on the same day.