Music From "The Elder"

by

KISS

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Following the departure of Peter Criss and the watered down but still rhythmic Unmasked album, the quartet came out with this concept album about a boy on a quest to defeat some evil power from taking over the universe. It worked for Pink Floyd and twice for the Who, so why not KISS? True, their use of the American Symphony Orchestra may have angered fans, but Ace's guitarwork, Gene's demonic voice, and new drummer Eric Carr's drums really support the album.

After a horns and symphonic fanfare heralding the beginning of the tale, we get the first ballad, of the uncertain chosen one: "if hope are lost than so are we/well, some are searching for one to guide us/some are staring at me/But I'm no hero, though I wish I could be." Paul's falsetto works well here, as does Ace's guitarwork.

That segues into one of my favourites, a romantic piano and strings ballad "Odyssey" detailing the voyage the boy goes through, across the galaxy, through the realms of time and space.

I can imagine some wags thinking "we're notes in the music searching for a remembered rhyme" as equating KISS's career at this point.

The mid-paced number "Only You" reaffirms the boy as the chosen saviour, the one with the answers, and with connotations of a Messiah being: "you are the light and you are the way." Blonde Teutonic metal goddess Doro Pesch later covered this on her self-titled album.

In "Under The Rose", the boy seems to be going under some testing or initiation. The chorus's basso operatic voices in unison add to the hallowed atmosphere of this number.

Ace was disillusioned at the direction KISS's music was taking so he only contributed lead vocals to the more rocking "Dark Light," and his virtuoso guitarwork clearly shows the heavier direction he was aiming for. The solo is just as worthy as his one in the live version of "Shock Me" on Alive II. This song has the darkness and power of the evil force descending.

Yet another symphony-enhanced ballad and favourite, the Gene-sung "A World Without Heroes" is something many of us seem to be living in: "in a world without dreams, things are no more than they seem/a world without heroes, is like a bird without wings/like a bell that never rings/a sad and useless thing."

"The Oath" is the second heaviest song here, and thanks to Ace's guitar and Eric's drums, could enhance Destroyer or Love Gun. After the slow and chugging "Mr. Blackwell" about the villain of this album, the racing metal instrumental "Escape From The Island" courtesy of Ace. A definite candidate for Rock And Roll Over, and it'd be cool to hear this track live on a future collection.

"I" has the boy ready to begin the fight as the chosen one after realizing his strengths. Some of the Star Wars mythos comes in: "I believe in something more than you can understand/I believe in me. Another hard rocker sung by Paul and Gene.

It's interesting to see KISS returning to Bob Ezrin, who produced their hit album Destroyer, and three of the songs, "Dark Light", "A World Without Heroes", and "Mr. Blackwell" had Lou Reed, listed as Lewis Reed, contributing.

The remastered version has the songs in presumably the original order, and hearing them that way, the story makes more sense. If one wants to reduplicate the way it was on the initial CD release, here is the sequence: 8,1,2,4,6,7,5,9,10,3,11.

In retrospect, The Elder isn't as pathetic as deemed by KISS fans. Those who only see KISS as the group of Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, or Lick It Up and Animalize, are being rather short-sighted. KISS's transition period beginning with the solo albums, leading into Dynasty and to Creatures Of The Night, was crucial to their development, as they try new things, at times I wonder if they daringly thought, "Let's pretend we're not KISS." The best album in their transition period.

(Music from)The Elder may not be KISS best album.

But it does feature some of their best writing to date. Songs like A World Without Heroes displays Gene's displeasures because of the worlds lack of positive role models. I,of course is their best recorded as well as written song to date because it encourages self belief without being overly preachy or haughty.It also educates people to shy from chemical abuse (i.e. Don't need to get wasted.It only holds me down.) and fanatic materialism (i.e.I don't need no money.I don't need no thing.)

Musically,there are a few surprises. Songs like Just A Boy,Only You and Under The Rose bring to mind influences of Jethro Tull,King Crimsom and Pink Floyd.Dark Light is where Yes meets Emerson,Lake & Palmer(Lyrically it's Yes.Musically it's Emerson,Lake & Palmer). The opening orchestral Fanfare is reminescent of John Williams. Odyssey has some great Rick Wakeman styled piano playing and instrumentation.

Bob Ezrin and Kiss show a very admirable change in direction artistically.It shows that the band is capaple of writing more than songs about dirty sex,parties,groupies and picking up girls.

They actually created a Modern Rock Masterpiece that should be turned into a Broadway musical.

While not the best,it is still a very good album that no Kiss fan should be without.