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Nov 10, 20228 min read

KIϟϟ - Music From “The Elder” (1981)

FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…



On November 10, 1981, KIϟϟ released they ninth full-length studio album Music From “The Elder" via Casablanca Records.



The album marked a substantial departure from their previous output with its concept and orchestral elements. Due to poor sales, KIϟϟ did not embark on a supporting tour for the first time in its eight-year history, opting instead to make a handful of promotional appearances. Music from "The Elder" was the first album with drummer Eric Carr and the last album to feature Ace Frehley until their 1996 reunion Alive/Worldwide Tour apart from appearing on the cover of the compilation album Killers and the next album Creatures of the Night and a handful of promotional appearances with the band until late 1982.



While A World Without Heroes was later performed on the band's 1995 MTV-Unplugged appearance, KIϟϟ have largely avoided live performances of songs from the album following initial promotional appearances in 1981. Critical reception for the album was relatively kind on release, but the album proved to be a commercial failure and was for a long time largely unpopular with the involved parties, label and musicians alike, as well as critics, even considering it to be one of the worst albums ever made. Nevertheless, it has garnered some positive reappraisal in recent years, with some critics admitting the record had its issues, but that it was still a concept album worthy of note.



Background:

KIϟϟ was in the midst of a transitional phase as the 1980s began. Peter Criss was not involved in the recording of 1980's Unmasked: he officially left KIϟϟ in May of the same year. His replacement (Eric Carr) was officially introduced in July. The group had recently embarked on a hugely successful tour of Australia and New Zealand (where the group's popularity was at its peak) in November, but the band's commercial fortunes at home were drastically reduced from the 1975–79 era. Due to the lackluster sales of Unmasked, KIϟϟ toured exclusively outside the U.S. for the first time in their career (except for one concert at the Palladium Theatre in New York). The overseas tours were well attended, partly because KIϟϟ had rarely ventured abroad and because the more Pop-oriented Dynasty and Unmasked albums did better in the European markets than their earlier Hard Rock albums.



This commercial downturn is attributable to many factors; two of the biggest being the softening of KIϟϟ' image in an effort to appeal to a broader fanbase and the softening of their music. Unmasked was a decidedly more Pop-oriented effort than earlier albums, and represented a sales drop-off of 65% from 1979's Dynasty. It also became the first KIϟϟ album to fail to achieve platinum status since 1975's Dressed to Kill. The glut of KIϟϟ merchandising that had cropped up in the late 1970s led to a backlash from many fans who felt that KIϟϟ was more concerned with making money than with making good music.



In an effort to return to their hard rock roots, KIϟϟ began recording music more akin to the Hard Rock style that launched them to popularity in the mid-1970s. The fall 1980 issue of the KIϟϟ Army Newsletter hinted at the style the new album was to take: "It will be hard and heavy from start to finish, straight-on Rock and Roll that will knock your socks off." But at the same time, Simmons, Stanley, and creative manager Bill Aucoin felt that just returning to a harder sound was not enough. They believed that only a bold, artistic statement would regenerate public interest in KIϟϟ. To that end, they enlisted producer Bob Ezrin to work with the group, who, in turn, employed members from the American Symphony Orchestra and St. Robert's Choir to record tracks for the album. Ezrin had worked with the group before, producing the group's hit 1976 album Destroyer. He had also co-produced Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album The Wall. Simmons, Stanley, and Aucoin felt that Ezrin could help bring their ambitions to fruition. Early titles proposed for the album were Disguise The Limit, All American Guise, Ear Openers, In The Flesh, and Higher Ground according to a Casablanca Records memo.



The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve. This was the first KIϟϟ album to feature no image of the group, not even the customary front-cover appearance. According to one story, the hand reaching for the door knocker is not that of Stanley: Aucoin has stated that it belongs to a hand-model, hired for the shoot; however, in 2011 a photo surfaced from the album cover shoot showing a partially naked-faced Stanley with his hand on the door knocker. The door itself was long rumored to be located at the Park Ave United Methodist church on Park Avenue, New York City, but was actually a prop created for the shoot. The photo session displayed a change of image: the costumes were more streamlined, especially when compared with the costumes for Unmasked, as were the hairstyles of Stanley and Simmons in particular.



Recording sessions for the album commenced in March 1981. Sessions were held in Toronto, New York City, and Frehley's home recording studio in Wilton, Connecticut. During the recording, Ezrin and KIϟϟ worked in complete secrecy. Ezrin, in particular, had insisted that he would only communicate with KIϟϟ or Aucoin. No one other than Ezrin and KIϟϟ ever heard the album in progress. Frehley became increasingly frustrated during the sessions, as he disagreed with the band's decision to abandon their original plan to record a straight rock album. Additionally, a number of guitar solos Frehley recorded were not included in the final cut. Frehley was often outvoted 2–1 on band decisions after Criss' departure. Carr was not a partner in KIϟϟ as the other three members were, but rather an employee. Frehley resented what he felt was Simmons' and Stanley's domination of the recording sessions.


Album’s Plot:

The basic plot of 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.



The Songs:

The version of Music from "The Elder released in the US, Europe and Brazil contained a different song order than the one originally intended. This order was chosen in order to emphasize The Oath and A World Without Heroes as potential singles (the two songs started each side of the record). One effect of this alteration in song order was to disrupt the narrative flow of the album's story.



The Japanese pressing of the album contained the intended song sequence, although Escape from the Island was excluded from the album and instead included as the B-side of The Oath single. This sequence was used (with the inclusion of Escape from the Island) when Music from "The Elder" was re-released on CD in 1997.



In a 2021 interview, band consultant Robert V. Conte discussed how the original sequence was restored;

"When it came time to remaster The Elder, I contacted Gene asking for his thoughts about using that version for the CD," Conte recalls. "He was all for it but one track, Escape From the Island was not on the imported version. Ay, caramba! We could not find any production notes in the PolyGram files about where it belonged on that particular sequence so, with The Demon’s blessing, the track was added, the original sequence was restored, and the 1997 CD and cassette became the most complete versions of The Elder to date!"

A number of narrative passages were cut from the final version of the album. These passages were meant to provide details of the story, and to act as transitional elements between songs.


The Oath is a Heavy Metal track written by Bob Ezrin, Paul Stanley and actor/songwriter Tony Powers that opened the original version of the album, many parts of the song also feature Stanley singing in falsetto, a vocal technique he utilized on several of the album's tracks. Stanley played lead and rhythm guitars, while Frehley played bass.


Dark Light, written by Frehley with Anton Fig, Gene Simmons and Lou Reed, was based on a guitar riff composed by Anton Fig. When it was originally recorded as a pre-Music from "The Elder" demo, the title was Don't Run. It is the only song Frehley sings on the album.


A World Without Heroes is the lone American single from the album was originally a Paul Stanley song entitled Every Little Bit of Your Heart. The name was changed when it was decided to record Music from "The Elder" as a concept album. Lou Reed wrote the lyric "a world without heroes is like a world without sun". Gene Simmons and Bob Ezrin are also credited for the song. The video for the song (from Gowers, Fields, Flattery) was the first KIϟϟ video played by MTV. A World Without Heroes and "I" are the only songs on the album where Frehley does not play. A World Without Heroes was covered by Cher on her album Love Hurts and Heavy Metal band Witherscape on the EP The New Tomorrow.


An instrumental track, Escape from the Island was written and performed by Ace Frehley, Eric Carr and Bob Ezrin. Frehley recounted the recording of this song in a 2016 interview with The Pods & Sods Network. DOWNLOAD HERE (right click to save)


Songs that were demoed but did not end up on the album include Deadly Weapons (unreleased, Gene Simmons recycled the title for a different song on the Asylum album), Nowhere to Run (re-recorded for Killers), Feel Like Heaven (covered by Peter Criss on Let Me Rock You), Heaven (became Breakout on Frehley's Comet's first album and Carr Jam 81 on Revenge), It's My Life (covered by Wendy O Williams and later on The Box Set) and a few instrumentals known only by their "bootleg" names Kix are for Kids, The Difference Between Men and Boys and Council of the Elder.



Critical Reception:

In his review for AllMusic, Greg Prato writes;

“By the end of 1980, KIϟϟ knew that their next album had to be a strong one, a glorious return to Hard Rock à la their classic Destroyer. New drummer Eric Carr had refueled the band's desire to rock, and the quartet began working on a straight-ahead rock album in early 1981. Midway through, the band felt that they were rewriting past songs, and the sessions were aborted. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley then came up with the idea of recording a concept album, based on a mythical original story by Simmons. Destroyer producer Bob Ezrin was back and encouraged the band's concept album idea (against both Ace Frehley's and Carr's wishes). Simmons and Stanley had high hopes for Music from "The Elder" (such as a movie, an elaborate tour, a follow-up record, etc.), but it completely bombed upon release. The reason? The music is totally uncharacteristic of KIϟϟ -- it resembles heavy prog rock for the most part. Some of the songs could have been classics if the pompous and/or hard-to-decipher lyrics were replaced, such as The Oath, Only You, I, and Just a Boy. Only two tracks resemble the KIϟϟ of old (Frehley's Dark Light and the instrumental Escape from the Island), while the rest is downright embarrassing (Odyssey, A World Without Heroes, Under the Rose). Music from "The Elder" was the final straw for Frehley, who would leave the band in 1982.”

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



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