THE ELDER--Album Review, Thoughts, And a COOL Personal KISS Story!

Howdy. In my KISS debut video from a couple months back, I promised I'd review my vinyl copy of "The Elder" which I acquired on spring break! here it is. It has a brief 'unboxing"/record review, then I offer some comments on the album and it's time period, and then I have a very cool KISS story to finish. Please enjoy.
Slainte,
DVH

[@jukeboxcowboy]

🤠 I love that story. Thanks!

[@stringemup5941]

My pleasure, Cowboy!! How ya been?!

[@stringemup5941]

I’d still like to try and do a team-up video where we make the other listen to a weird album the other has never heard and then discuss….

[@brandonrhynes1659]

@jukeboxcowboy A good litmus test (that I've found at least) if you can get someone to sit through "Piper At The Gates of Dawn" and then "Apostrophe" then they probably have the temerity to listen to odd things.

[@stringemup5941]

2 of my fave albums of all time!! Speaking of, have you heard Zappa doing “Interstellar Overdrive” with PF in London??? Not sure what year, but it’s “Piper” era PF…

[@brandonrhynes1659]

@@stringemup5941 Had no idea he did that. I'll have to look that up.

[@fig1115]

my first kiss album was animalize , i had no expectations of kiss .they where just like queen to me,in that they had evolved and changed so when I got to the elder it was just another kiss album I had not heard, i had no context . for years it was my third favorite kiss album. now ,understanding what had gone on before and where music was at in 81 i wonder why they did not think of releasing the elder and there "heaviest record yet" as they had promised at the same time . i know time ,expense etc would have been factors ,but surly that was achievable ?

[@stringemup5941]

I guess they could have-I think they were in a squeeze, financially, with the record company though. I do think though, that some of their heaviest tunes up to that point were on “Elder”-“Under the Rose”, “Mr Blackwell”, “The Oath”, “Escape from the Island”. I REALLY think those songs set the bar for “Creatures”!

[@brandonrhynes1659]

Great album despite the critics. Is there any truth to the story from Gene that Bob Ezrin was twacked out of his gord during the recording?

[@stringemup5941]

That’s what I’ve always heard! Apparently he would be holed up in his house on a coke binge, and his wife would run interference when he wouldn’t show up for a couple of weeks…

[@brandonrhynes1659]

@stringemup5941 Which kinda blows my mind given Gene and Paul not being the chemically indulgent sort. Ezrin was great with Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper (I think). But he also did the last non makeup album in the early 90's and was by all reports sober as rover.

[@stringemup5941]

I think my fave Alice is “Welcome to My Nightmare”-especially side 2. Didn’t Ezri’s produce that o e?? “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Love It to Death” are in a perpetual battle for second place-sometimes “School’s Out” gets into that battle! I still say Ezrin’s beat work with KISS, though, is “Destroyer”! Clichéd to say, but I stand by it!

[@brandonrhynes1659]

@stringemup5941 Destroyer, yes. Of the 3 albums he did with them, that one far and wide stands alone. He also did The Wall which is probably my #1 or #2 favorite album ever and I just can't even listen to it unless I'm in the right emotional state because I'll break down.

[@stringemup5941]

I’m that way with “Quadrophenia”. I have to get ready to listen to it all at one sitting, and then usually I have to take a nap afterwards!