Rivercard
Too much good stuff
I like oddball records and I've recently discovered this gem of an album. "Music From The Elder" by Kiss was a 1981 concept album that was a radical departure from their usual hard rock sound. Bob Ezrin produced this record right after his massive success with Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and together with the band decided to incorporate that same artsy prog rock style into "The Elder". And like "The Wall", this album tells a story, though this one is a rather silly attempt (a hero is recruited to battle evil all over the world). This was going to be their musical masterpiece that would finally please the critics! But of course Kiss was a total fish out of water with this new "more mature" musical direction and not surprisingly Kiss fans in 1981 hated it and "The Elder" sank like a stone upon release.
All this history makes "The Elder" a nice time capsule novelty record as well as a pretty entertaining listen. The members of Kiss have called this album "an abomination" and "a tragic misstep" (which made me want to hear it even more!) but IMHO it's got some pretty darn good songs on it. "Under The Rose", "Odyssey" and "I" are standouts. Lou Reed helped write a few of the tracks and has stated this is one of his favorite records.
Anyone heard this one?
All this history makes "The Elder" a nice time capsule novelty record as well as a pretty entertaining listen. The members of Kiss have called this album "an abomination" and "a tragic misstep" (which made me want to hear it even more!) but IMHO it's got some pretty darn good songs on it. "Under The Rose", "Odyssey" and "I" are standouts. Lou Reed helped write a few of the tracks and has stated this is one of his favorite records.
Anyone heard this one?
