Sphinx

by Jason Birchmeier
 
Euro-disco producer Alec R. Costandinos made his debut on Casablanca as Sphinx in 1977 after garnering considerable success with his group Love & Kisses. He only released one self-titled album as Sphinx, and it didn't fare too well commercially, but it has become seen as a rather respected album with time. Foreshadowing the concept albums he would go on to release under his own name on Casablanca such as the soon-to-follow Romeo and Juliet, the album's two epic side-spanning songs -- &Judas Iscariot& and &Simon Peter& -- center loosely on an Egyptian theme (Costandinos was born in Cairo). The album features many of the same musicians from Love & Kisses: Slim Pezin, Rick Hitchcock, Chris Rae, and Alan Hawkshaw. Don Ray directs the orchestra.