Kiss - Music from "The Elder" - 1981
Kiss imagined a future for this concept. But, like their tv movie or the solo albums, this idea would fall flat on its face. One gimmick, I think, is sufficient. Kabuki paint. That should have been enough, right? Glam rockers dress in whiteface, don costumes, write big dumb rock songs, get laid a lot. Dayenu.
The band envisioned a movie for The Elder, hence the "music from...". They envisioned a sequel record.
They didn't envision a bomb.
After this Ace Frehley would call it quits and leave the band. How bad is it?
From a far off galaxy
I hear you calling me
We are on an odyssey
Through the realms of time and space
In that enchanted place
You and I come face to face
[Chorus]
Once upon not yet
Long ago someday
Countless times we've met, met along the way
Yeah. That's the opening lyrics from Odyssey. What Kiss is doing making "music" like this to full symphonic orchestrations is anybody's guess. Yes, I know what they were attempting to do, I just can't imagine anyone sitting in the booth and saying, "THAT'S IT!"
This has GOT to be the album that sparked the idea for Spinal Tap. It's.....crazy. It's unlike anything I have ever heard. I could spend the rest of this blog's life evaluating, deconstructing and analyzing the horror/genius of "Odyssey". I wished it would never end while thanking God that I would never have to hear it again. The way this album got pushed through as a concept is that Peter Criss had been formally kicked out of the band after the last album. An album he barely played on. That left only 3 voting members of the band in Simmons, Stanley and Frehley. Eric Carr was a hired hand. So, even though Carr thought this was a bad idea, he had no vote. And Frehley was the lone no vote on the concept. So, he was constantly outvoted by the little-brain trust of S&S. And, with that marginalization, the world was given "Music from 'The Elder'".
Oh, yeah. There's a story on this album. It's a true concept album from start to finish.
From Wikipedia: the basic plot of Music from "The Elder" involves the recruitment and training of a young hero (The Boy) by the Council of Elders who belong to the Order of the Rose, a mysterious group dedicated to combating evil. The Boy is guided by an elderly caretaker named Morpheus. The album's lyrics describe the boy's feelings during his journey and training, as he overcomes his early doubts to become confident and self-assured. The only spoken dialogue is at the end of the last track, "I." During the passage, Morpheus proclaims to the Elders that The Boy is ready to undertake his odyssey."
Here are some quotes also from Wikipedia:
"I go on record saying it's not a great Kiss record but I think it's a really great record." – Paul Stanley, 1996
"As a Kiss record I'd give it a zero. As a bad Genesis record, I'd give it a two." – Gene Simmons, 2003
I'm not going to go on too much more about this destined for the cutout bin exercise in excess. I listened to it so you didn't have to.
I will say this: The production values are top-notch. All the instruments are in tune. And the earnestness on "World Without Heroes", the single from the record, is so cloyingly obnoxious that, and I never thought this was possible, I hate Gene Simmons more than before.
And why is this imagined multi-media project be called "The Elder"? Sure, Morpheus is The Boy's mentor but it's all from the perspective of the boy and his journey. Shouldn't it have been called, "Under the Rose"? Or "Steaming piece of shit"? That would have worked, too.
Why am I still talking about this record????
(Oh, "The Oath" kind of kicks ass a little and the instrumental by Frehley, "Escape from the Island" is pretty tight)
Still, to the point, I have included the Lala stream. I dare you. Look, don't just take my word for it. Listen to "Under the Rose". You will thank me. And by thank me I mean never read my blog again.
Grade: F (I would have given it a D but just listen to the last 30 seconds of "I" and you will know why I didn't)
ASide: The Oath
BlindSide: Just a Boy
DownSide: Odyssey. Under the Rose, Mr. Blackwell
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