Letters

I bought (Music From) THE ELDER the day it was released. I know, I know, KISS moves away from it as if it is a stinky diaper. And, most people involved with it look back at it and analyze why it bombed and what was wrong with it. Well, first off, KISS got sucker punched into making a concept album at a time when even Rush was moving away from concept albums. Secondly, KISS already had made one of the greatest concept albums of all time, KISS Alive! (see my letter about that). Beyond all of this, I would like to look at who the album appealed to and why. This is what really puts things into perspective. THE ELDER basically told a story of a young man unsure of himself finding confidence along the way to manhood. There�s the timeless good vs. evil struggle along the way. But, a young man coming of age is the factor which had the most impact. If you were to take a survey you would probably find that most KISS fans who liked the album all along were males in their early to mid teens when the album was released. I was. It is an awkward time in life. You�re a boy and almost a man. Finding your way. Often times unsure of yourself. Going through changes. THE ELDER was something we could relate to. The songs on it helped us along the way. They inspired a newfound confidence. Moving us from �maybe I can� to �I will�. It helped us find and believe in ourselves. This was the very small market for the album. As a KISS fan, and a male, it was very hard to share this album with most other people, except for songs like �I� and �Escape From The Island�. We were at an age where it wouldn�t be particularly cool to share our insecurities with other people openly. To express the truth. The day I bought the album I had listened to it a couple of times before my friend showed up with two girls. All I can say about it is, good things happened with the newfound confidence inspired by that album. It had immediate results. The impact was that profound. That day I became a man, of sorts. OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ALBUM: Bob Ezrin was a genius to have included �Escape From The Island�. KISS fans knew Eric Carr from the �Kids Are People Too� episode. We did not know anything of his drumming. This was Eric�s first album with KISS. �Escape From The Island� laid out what Eric could do and what we could expect from him. What kind of a drummer he was. The song is a hallmark and is a KISS classic. I always wondered if �Mr. Blackwell�, the evil character, was named after Mr. Blackwell the fashion critic who was always slamming Cher and Diana Ross (both ladies Gene had dated). Ace�s solo on �Dark Light� rocked. I would pick the needle up and play the solo over and over. I had often wished it was longer. In later years I found it he had recorded a longer solo. This is where Bob Ezrin was not such a genius having cut that solo. Although, I have never heard the full solo and maybe there is a good reason he cut it. �Odyssey� was a very well written song. It painted a picture in your mind and Paul�s voice was second to none. The Kings, a rock band from Canada known for their segue hit �This Beat Goes On/Switchin� To Glide� sang background vocals on parts of the album. In case you read the credits and wondered who �The Kings� were. Some releases may not credit them. The album I had bought the day of the release did. �A World Without Heroes� (Like �When You Wish Upon A Star�) is Gene opening up his heart. It goes to his core and you can feel it. It�s the kid in him. Much different than the alpha male persona he usually projects. This album will be a movie some day. It has to be. Maybe not in the way originally intended, but in some way. Maybe in the way it appealed to us and why it did.