CD Odyssey Disc 210: KISS

I've had a stressful couple of days in my life, and the Odyssey responded by serving up a record that has helped me through tough times for thirty-four years and counting.

I'm not saying it was planned that way, but I'll take a happy coincidence any time I can get one.

Disc 210 is...Destroyer
Artist: KISS

Year of Release: 1976

What’s Up With The Cover?: This is one of my favourite rock album covers of all time. The four band members stand on the top of some mountain, or pile of ruins, showing off some of the best froot boots in the world (that's what we called those elevator boots back in 1976 - although a quick Google search didn't show anything remotely the same in 2010). I drove my Mom nuts for many years begging to have a Gene Simmons Halloween costume based on this album cover.

How I Came To Know It: I bought it. In fact, as alluded to back in my first KISS review at Disc 31, "Destroyer" is the first record I ever bought. I got it either the year it came out, or maybe a year after. I was six or seven years old, and I still own that same record from all those years ago. It is a little crackley to listen to now, but you can still play it. Mostly, I just put on the CD now, but I won't part with the vinyl.

How It Stacks Up: I have eleven KISS albums, including two of the four solo efforts released in 1978. Of the eleven, I'd say this is the second best.

Rating: 4 stars, but only one sappy ballad too many from 5.

It is hard to know where to start with "Destroyer" it has been part of my life so long. KISS was my favourite band for many years and I alternately enthralled and freaked out my elementary school classmates with tales of the band's prowess, both real and imagined.

For example, the KISS army fan club had sent me important information about how Ace Frehley was descended from space aliens. To this I added that the expression "Ace!", which back in the late seventies meant "Cool!" existed because it was derived from Ace Frehley's name. I even had a few converts to this theory - many times more than would believe my exhortations about how Santa was actually your parents.

Back to the album, which is KISS at their best. I love their previous four albums, but with "Destroyer" it was like they took another step in their musical development. They added a lot more experimentation, including incorporating an orchestra and choir for "Great Expectations". This song also has Paul Stanley at his sexy, lascivious best as he sings:

"You watch me singing my song
You see what my mouth can do
And you wish you were the one
I was doing it to."

I can't believe I knew the lyrics to all the songs on this album before I turned ten. Of course, I thought the above meant that Paul was a really good singer, and not much more than that.

My favourite songs used to be "God of Thunder" which is an over the top fantasy-inspired rock song, and "Detroit Rock City" a song about an alcohol-fueled car accident (as a kid I missed the alcohol references as well). As I got older I began to appreciate the slightly softer songs like "Do You Love Me?" and "Great Expectations". This time around, I enjoyed "King of the Night Time World" and the rolling drum at the beginning (yes, I said something nice about Peter Criss but don't worry - I won't make a habit of it).

Of the two radio hits, "Shout It Out Loud" stands the test of time, but "Beth" remains a sore spot I've never forgiven this record for. As a 'real' KISS fan, I begrudged pop radio lovers adopting a KISS song as their own. Even from the beginning I used to skip this track - and on vinyl that's actual work! Of course, the Odyssey allows no skipping, so I had to sit through it for the first time in a while. This time around, I declare it...passable. That said I'll still be skipping it as an abomination in future - no sense giving up four decades of tradition on a whim!

With the exception of "Beth", every song on "Destroyer" is a winner and thirty-four years later this album still sounds fresh to me. It isn't because the music is complex - the songs are all pretty simple. It is that KISS is very good at what they do. "Destroyer" is good old fashioned escapist rock and roll, done at a high level.

Sometimes you need to escape, and music can make that happen. When I was a kid, this was my only record for a while. It helped me out then, and it helps me out to this day. It may be a schlocky KISS record to some, but for me it is probably the most emotionally evocative record in my whole collection.

Even if it wasn't your first album - even if you just bought it yesterday - it is still a kick ass rock record. Just do yourself a favour and skip track 8.

Best tracks: Everything except Beth