Destroyer [Remastered] - Kiss > Reviews > Kiss join the big league

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Completely unoriginal
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Poor

Advantages:	Detroit Rock City
Disadvantages:	a very mixed bag of tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Destroyer was Kiss' fourth studio recording. The New York City rock band, Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass), Ace Frehley (guitar, vocals) and Peter Criss (drums, cocaine), had become one of the USA's biggest live draws by the mid 70s, but were still yet to crack the lucrative albums market. This release was to be their ticket to the big time, achieved with a big push from the record label Casablanca, and not a little bit of good fortune.

Their previous album, the live set called, er, well, Alive, had been a million seller. (It remains one of the most famous of all live albums to this day). In time honoured fashion, the record company were keen for the band to get out another album whilst the buzz was still on. They brought in Alice Cooper's producer Bob Ezrin and recording began at New York's Record Plant in January 1976.

Upon its immediate release Destroyer sold 1/2 a million copies, great for its time, but it would be seen as something of a failure after "Alive", so as the album started to fall down the charts, Casablanca put out "Detroit Rock City" as another single. It flopped, but DJ's started playing its B side, "Beth", which struck the proverbial chord across the country and ended up being a million seller, in its turn propelling the album back up the charts to multi-platinum status, putting Kiss firmly up to play with the big boys. On such turns of fate are fortunes made, fame gained and wars won or lost.

Meanwhile here in Blighty we were all blissfully ignorant. Over here Kiss still remain best remembered as the band who did the rocktastic "Crazy Nights" in 1987. Perhaps on reflection it's better that way. Kiss really are better suited to the American market, just as Status Quo, for example, are for the UK.

Destroyer gets off to a great start with the forementioned Detroit Rock City, a bass-driven rabble rouser that served as a perfect live opener for the band. Bob Ezrin throws in a few sound tricks, screeching tyres and car crash noises, whilst Stanley and Frehley trade licks throughout and all's well with the world.

King Of The Nightime World starts brilliantly with huge guitars, Paul gives it the big chest beating schtick, but it sags considerably after the first chorus. Nice axework throughout, but very repetitive. Next please!

God Of Thunder must have been written with the live show in mind. In concert it probably sounded great, but on record it plods along with all the altheticism of a diplodicus on a zimmerframe. Something a little bit disturbing about the childrens voices in the background too. No doubt all a bit tongue in cheek, "I am lord of the wastelands...and I command you to kneel before me" etc. I'd defy anyone to listen to this and not crack a smile throughout. Peter Criss puts down his bag of coke to take the mike for Great Expectations. This is a hilarious tale of a lucky(?) lady about to get a good seeing-to from the Kiss sticksman, and is one of those made-for-FM radio album cuts that 70's American bands were so good at. So funny too, because Peter is an awful singer, this is a very basic up and down scale job, and a chorus line joins in halfway through.

Things take a nosedive with the limp Flaming Youth, which despite its title, fails to ignite. A straight rip-off of Alice Coopers "Department Of Youth", but with none of the humour or pyrotechnics of that record. "Our flaming youth will set the world on fire, my uniform is leather, I'm getting it together", do you really want me to go on? Not a very good song, although the massed guitars on the bridge sound pretty good.

Sweet Pain follows. Probably the best actual SONG on this album, lovely layered guitars building up to a good singalong chorus. "sweet pain, my love will drive you insane", Paul and Ace lay down the licks throughout, party time rock and roll.

The groove goes on with the nice and noisy Shout It Out Loud, an unpretentious fun party rock and roll tune "you've got to have a party…turn it up louder", with gonzo guitar work, chanting at the end before a big finale "and everybody's shouting now!" I don't know why but the Midwest of the USA just lap these kind of tunes up, and why not? You've been out at work all week, now it's "time for you to take a stand!!"

Once again, the drummer gets to lay down a vocal for the albums big ballad, the fore-metioned Beth. A simple piano-keyboard, no guitars love song, "just a few more hours, and I'll be right home to you", croons Peter, telling Beth that the boys are playing but just can't get the sound right. In all honesty this is much ado about nothing. Kiss did a far better reworking of this in 1988 with the late Eric Carr singing.

They save the very best till last with Do You Love Me, a simple echoing three note riff, lyrics about Paul's favourite groupie who loves the money, rock and roll lifestyle and the concerts, but does she love him? Ezrin adds the sound of wedding bells at the coda too, a lovely touch to a great, if absurdly simple, rock record.

I won't begin to pretend this is a record that will change your life, the songs are basic to say the least, and there were much better bands around than Kiss in the 70s; but it is good fun to listen to, even more so if you can imagine the boys staggering around on platform heels with their face paint plastered on, and Gene sticking his 47 foot long tongue out every five minutes. Put on to get ready before going out. I would say, though, that even on CD this is just over 35 minutes long, so either get one second hand or if new, pay the lowest possible price you can for it.