KISS (Music From The Elder) 1981
Front Cover
Back Cover
What has been considered the worst KISS album of all time (or at least when it was released anyway) has slowly been growing on me over the years. It's a concept album like that of The Who's Tommy, which was intended to go with a proposed film based on the album. But with the fan backlash and critical drubbing of the final product, the KISS house of cards finally collapsed on itself. I understand why it was universally hated. I was one of them. Music From The Elder is definitely an acquired taste.
To the average fan or non-fan if you will, the common reaction upon listening for the first time would probably be something like "what the fuck is this shit?" Like I said, an acquired taste, which I seem to be agreeing with lately. I just choose to look at it as a non-KISS album, which it is, and look at it more as something different to listen to.
Now, even though I have grown to like this album a lot over the years, it is far from a perfect album. I can actually see myself giving this a higher rating if I continued to listen to it more and more. But the rating wouldn't be much higher than that of a half a star more. I have issues of being biased when it comes to KISS albums and in those cases I have always been able to put those biases aside and just listen to it for what it is. But for some strange reason, I just can not do that with The Elder and I think that is why it is stuck on the rating it gets from me right now.
Out is Peter Criss, and in is new drummer Eric Carr. The album did not showcase what a monster drummer he is. He would have to wait a year for that to happen. But the wait is well worth it. This album would also be the last for Ace Frehley in KISS, until Psycho Circus in 1998.
Fave Songs: The Oath, A World Without Heroes and I
Fun Fact: The hand on the cover is NOT that of Paul Stanley, which has been the myth going around for years.
Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Review by Chiprocks1
Music From The Elder Music Videos
KISS - A World Without Heroes
KISS - The Oath
KISS - I (Solid Gold Appearance)
The hand on the cover IS Paul Stanley, matter fact. :P It was proven to be true by a newly found photo of Paul playfully hiding his face while posing his hand on the door ''knocker''. :P Lol. Nice review by the way!
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