After Aphrodite's Child disbanded in 1972, Vangelis joined French filmmaker Frederic Rossif to compose the scores for the features L'Apocalypse des Animaux and La Fete Sauvage; his proper solo debut, Earth, followed in 1974, around the time he was rumored to be joining Yes. Although Vangelis did rehearse with Yes for a few weeks, he never officially joined their ranks; still, he became close friends with group vocalist Jon Anderson, a frequent collaborator in the years to follow. Relocating to London, Vangelis established his own state-of-the-art recording studio, producing a steady flow of recordings including 1975's Heaven and Hell, 1976's Albedo 0.39, 1977's Spiral, and 1978's Beaubourg. Teaming with Anderson under the name Jon & Vangelis, he also scored a series of U.K. hits, including 1980's "I Hear You Now" and the following year's "I'll Find My Way Home."

Vangelis' international commercial breakthrough followed in 1982, when his score to Chariots of Fire earned the film one of its many Academy Awards; its theme song even cracked the Top Ten on the U.S. pop charts. That same year, he also created the powerful score to the cult classic Blade Runner, the beginning of a partnership with director Ridley Scott, which also yielded soundtracks to films including 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Vangelis also composed the music for a number of Jacques Cousteau documentaries in addition to maintaining his flourishing solo career, issuing acclaimed LPs including 1985's The Mask, 1988's Antarctica, and 1990's The City. In 1992, he was awarded the Chevalier Order of Arts and Letters, one of France's most prestigious honors. El Greco followed in 1998. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide