Destroyer [Original recording remastered]

Kiss | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001EL3
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (262 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,088 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With their 1976 album Destroyer, the band's fifth release in two years, Kiss began to expand their fan base by shedding a bit of their edge, taking on a more melodic sound and a less menacing image. The Peter Criss ballad "Beth," written for his wife, is the most sentimental love ballad the group ever recorded, and songs like "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud" had the kind of arena-rock punch that kept subscriptions to the Kiss Army at an all-time high. Despite, or because of, the blatantly commercial direction the band seemed to be heading in, 1976 was the most creatively rewarding period in its lengthy career. In addition to releasing Destroyer, the band pumped out the equally touted album Rock and Roll Over, which included the pounding "Take Me" and the groovin' "Calling Dr. Love." The only finer year was 1978, when the band starred in the classic B-grade flick Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. --Jon Wiederhorn

Product Description

Kiss's heavy glam sound expanded with choirs, strings and sound effects on this 1976 album (a #11 LP). The ballad Beth was the smash, but Detroit Rock City ; the hit Flaming Youth , and God of Thunder gave fans more raging rockers to love!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessary Revisit August 25, 2012

By Mr Freeze

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are alot of negative reviews for this disc which was rumoured to be a double disc event. For a 35th Anniversary reissue, this is not at all worthy of that moniker. It is a disappointing revist to say the least. Bob Ezrin approached KISS about this remix because he wanted to do something for its 35th. But the thing about Ezrin's recording is that so much of it was premixed during the making of it and many of the tracks were recorded "wet" (meaning that there was no way to EVER alter its effects, etc). So, from the get-go, this project had many limitations, as he notes in the cd booklet. There are differences, however. For examples, an omitted background vocal from the archived tape of "Detroit Rock City" makes its debut along with an added effect to the end of the last verse. Also, Ace's stinging feedback intro to "King..." isn't as prominent. The piano is more upfront in "Great Expectations" . And there are other such differences throughout. Then there is "Sweet Pain" with a different solo (I, myself, was hoping that the different solo was going to be an Ace Frehley outtake) and louder harmonized gang vocals folowing the guitar part. Overall, the mix is more present. The piano agumentations on some songs is not as noticable (eg, Detroit...) and in the process it sounds more "band" like because it sounds more like just the four guys. The opposite approach could have produced a KISS Symphony version . The drum sound (as noticed in the beginning of "Shout...") is tighter, with less air.

With all of the differences, however, this release is "nothing new" and the lack of fanfare is most distressing. Diehard fans will notice the differences but those who are just coming to the band will not even be able to appreciate them. So, for a 35th Anniversary, this really is targeted at diehards. If this present disc had been accompanied with a second disc of demos and outtakes, then there would hardly have been any negative reviews. The Remix is great for what it is. The packaging is good (although they SHOULD HAVE altered the color of the back to match the front artwork). The black disc even has a faux record label. There is so much that is good about this issue. But the complaints are valid. The bonus track is the original solo to "Sweet Pain"? THAT doesn't qualify for an Anniversary acknowledgement. KISS has just rejoined Universal Music Group. They have nearly all of KISS' recorded stuff. There is plenty that they could have included. A live DVD or cd would have been SOMETHING. A stripped bonus disc would have been SOMETHING. A symphony remix as a bonus disc would have been SOMETHING. But what they have issued--great as it may be sonically--is unremarkable in value. I have bought this album in several formats numerous times. I don't regret buying this version, either. BUT all of it was unnecessary. Want to revisit something? How about a remix and remaster of Hot In The Shade? Some of the 80s percussive things on that disc, particularly "Read My Body" need an exit. How about a guitar-dominant remix of Unmasked? What if you release a version of The Elder with Ace's guitar parts present? There's a lot that could be remixed and remastered in the KISS World. BUT--and it's a big one--do it with determination. I'm not knocking Ezrin's remix. The disapointment is not with this issue's sonics. It's with its packaging, what it does not do because of what it does not include.

Bottom line is that completists and die hards will buy it. New fans won't appreciate the differences. And most will feel cheated.

127 of 157 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Another KI$$ Ca$h-Grab August 21, 2012

By TruthTeller

Format:Audio CD

This is garbage. Gene and Paul had nothing to do with it because they don't own the masters of their original studio albums anymore, so this was done totally by Ezrin. Yes everything is remixed marginally, so if you've been listening to Destroyer for decades you will notice slight differences. But where is the bonus stuff? This was originally advertised as a two disc set with demos, live stuff etc. None of that made it, not even the already-released demos that appeared on the 2001 KISS Box set, let alone stuff like "None of Your Business" (sung by Peter) that was demoed at the time. Where is all the live stuff? There are countless Destroyer-era concerts professionally recorded. Also, the blurb about this cover being the original 1975 Ken Kelly painting is bogus. The original 1975 rough image that was rejected by Casablanca for being "too violent" is available on the web, it's the one that is seen in KISStory and on the KISS My A## DVD. This version is a modern repainting of that, done by Ken Kelly in the last ten years. It's signed "1975" which is another fabrication. Seems that nothing KISS does these days isn't surrounded by lies and false advertising? To sum it up, this is a massive wasted opportunity. See the excellent "Deluxe Edition" series for how this SHOULD have been done - a second disc full of live stuff, rare demos, working mixes etc. Not this ca$h-grab that ultimately, with the exception of one previously-unheard guitar solo, offers nothing. Also : there are glitches in the mastering of this, there are several pops and clicks and errors which have been discussed in length on the KISS forums. There is a glaringly obvious bad edit in the intro to "Flaming Youth" that makes the whole song skip a beat. This is garbage.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty unneccesary, BUT August 23, 2012

By Dons Word "Don C" VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is cool to see this CD get some kind of treatment after all these years. Granted, there is not a heck of a lot to hold your hopes on. The remix is not bad, but it does take away a lot of the mysticism and allure from the original. The Original version was kind of dark and had a muddy sound that was really different for its time. When I was a kid i would stare at the cover all day and just listen in awe to the darker vibe of Kiss. Very, very different from the straight, clean sounding 'Dressed to Kill' which was their prior studio effort. These songs were longer, more adventurous and the album as a whole had a great flow to it. A lot of that (in fact most of that) can be attributed to Bob Ezrin and his more artistic approach to producing. The layers he created, the effects, the orchestration and slower songs all made this album the perfect showcase to go with the bands image and show. What an album for its time. A true classic.

Then there is this. It isnt over the top different, but just enough to make it slide more to the 'rock' style of Kiss. Some of that darkness is lost a little but it really doesn't do it much harm either. I still would prefer the Original version easily over this. BUT be forewarned that myself and most others writing negative stuff grew up on this album. We worshiped it. Knew all the words to all the songs, had posters on our walls and this album was the reason for that. We probably have all heard this 1000+ times. So a bias is definitely there. Why change a masterpiece that holds so many memories? Well, really, after 35 years why not.

My biggest disappointment is that it didnt go a little further with content. As with many others, we have probably all bought this album 15 times since 76 on 4 different formats, so adding some unique and unheard tracks or takes would have been nice. They know all the diehards will buy it anyway but we hate just completing our collections. We want, and deserve a bit more than this after so many years. It fact, this just feels like they are sticking their toes in the water. Surely a double CD, Limited, w/DVD would have been more of a celebration of this classic, than this single CD w/o even a bonus track. A previous song with a different solo hardly gets the heart beating for diehards. There is plenty of space on the CD that could have been used and made us feel a little better about the whole thing. Face it, not many new fans are coming to the table at this point and most will buy the original. For us, who spend another 10 bucks on a CD we have heard 1000 times, its light. Plus, that hiccup before 'Sweet Pain', as others stated, is inexcusable. Major oversight.

I do, however, believe that the booklet and notes by Ezrin are nice, and I do believe blowing the dust of this classic doesn't hurt as a teaser for the new CD coming out in the fall. Ezrin deserves another paycheck from this CD as he made it great to begin with. He did not ruin this by any means and in fact, some of the tracks do have an element of added energy from the boost in technology. I just still have to stay true to the original.

Hey, at least its not another best of. It has its qualities and isn't a terrible reissue. It just is not essential and not a proper homage to such a classic release.