One of the main changes and biggest influences of how the band moved forward from this point was the appointment of Bob Ezrin as Producer for the new album. Ezrin was best known at this point in time for his skill in helping to turn around the Alice Cooper Band and bring a focus to their music and musicianship that had seen them become worldwide stars, and was now doing the same for the former Vincent Furnier in his solo gig under the Alice Cooper name. And he brought the same focus and work ethic to this album as well. In a similar way as he has done with the Alice Cooper Band, he brought a professionalism with him, and insisted that the band members work to get the best out of themselves and the best performances they could offer. He provided them lessons in music theory, as none of the band had ever been trained on their instruments. He insisted on discipline, using a whistle to pull the band back to work if they were drifting off. He ruled with an iron fist, pulling individuals into line if they weren’t going in the direction he wanted. He introduced sound effects, kids and people talking as intros to songs, strings and orchestral pieces, and even a boys choir, along with keys and piano that he played himself. All of this was new, and not always accepted with grace. Once the album had been released, and begun its own trajectory into the charts, Paul Stanley compared the experience to a musical boot camp, but that the group came out of the album better, while Gene Simmons was quoted as saying “It was exactly what we needed at the time”.
The result of all of this was an album that combined a number of different styles of music, drew out the best of all four members, and provided a platform for all that was to follow. And that album became “Destroyer”.
“Destroyer” is an album that is packed full of hits, or at the very least of so many songs that have resonated with fans over the years, been played live thousands of times, been played and sung at parties and get togethers around the world over the years. It also has songs that could stand to be discussed in a different environment, if one were to take a pointed less enthusiastic description of the album itself. In that regard, “Destroyer” is no different from any other Kiss album. In the main, there are songs that have become legendary over time, and there are others that can be escribed as weaker and less worthy of having been chosen to be recorded for an album. The point of view of the fan and casual listener will almost always tend to reside at opposite end of the spectrum.
“Detriot Rock City” quickly became a staple of live shows, and it is easy to see why. The single release and version that often appears on greatest hits compilations all cut out the opening preamble to the track, but I far prefer it in its original form as it appears on this album, with the story leading up to the start of the song being a part of it, the roar of the engine, the singing of the song in the kitchen and the car. I still love all of that to today. Taking it away leaves the song to lose some of its lustre. Beyond that, it is still a classic. The chorused chant, the wonderful bass line from Gene, the crisp drumming from Peter, and Paul’s bright, exciting vocal delivery. It remains one of the band’s most recognisable songs, and a terrific opening song in the live environment as well. Then, as with the start of the track, we have the story’s closing finale with the crashing of truck into car as prophesised within the lyrics of the track, something also lef of the single version. Such a waste. Bob Ezrin’s influence in this song with co-composer Paul Stanley is obvious from the outset. Even better, it immediately segues into the brilliant “King of the Night Time World”. The song was originally written by Kim Fowley and Mark Anthony for their band the Hollywood Stars, and Ezrin asked for permission to utilise it for Kiss. The lyrics were altered slightly to fit with the image of the band and used here. A great rolling drum beat from Peter introduces the song, with Paul again on vocals, pronouncing his (and the band’s) perceived role as the said King of the night time world. Criss’s drumming is the excellence of the track, maintaining the perpetuality of the song throughout, driving the momentum and helping to create the fabulous follow up song the album needed after the high energy opening.
“God of Thunder” is one of the band’s most iconic songs and one of Gene’s finest moments – and yet, it could have been oh so different. Paul Stanley wrote the track initially, where it was initially of a faster tempo and one that he had every intention of singing. It wasn’t until Bob Ezrin listened to the song, and suggested two things – that they slow the tempo down to emphasise the natural heaviness of the song, and also allow Gene to sing the lead vocal on the track, thus also making it a naturally heavier song. And with that, Gene produces one of his best performances, Kiss produce one of their best songs, and a Paul and Gene combination occurs that no one would have ever considered. The originally conceived version of the track could well also have been terrific (the demo version exists on a couple of later compilations), but it feels as though the right decision was made. Another tick for producer Ezrin on this point, who also introduced overdubbed audience chatter and explosions and screaming children onto the track to help create the special piece it became.
“Great Expectations”, which closes out the first side of the album, is one of those tracks that can be compared to a WTF moment on this album. Gene offers us a track here that is best explained by his love of Disney styled music, which came to light especially when he covered “When You Wish Upon a Star” on his 1978 solo album. This is a very conceptual piece, utilising some orchestration along with the Brooklyn Boys Choir to provide the supporting vocals. What still strikes me about this song all of these years later is that is has a very Alice Cooper vibe to it, it is the kind of backing and performance that Ezrin and Alice Cooper had produced in recent years at that time. So there seems little doubt that Bob Ezrin had a reasonable amount to do with th direction of the song.
“Flaming Youth” opens up the second side, a rare composition between Paul, Gene and Ace, only with Ezrin. With Paul on vocals, it is a song that offers up the difference in change between the previous album and this one. It contains similarities to the way songs were produced and played on “Dressed to Kill”, but here it seems tighter, more in sync with where the band is headed. It is an average song, it isn’t one that anyone is going to rave about. But musically it comes together with more purpose. The rhythm fits together nicely, Ace offers us a solidly performed solo, while Paul matches underneath, and certain licks come from guest Dick Wagner, another Alice Cooper ring in. Unlike the flaming youth of the song, this doesn’t set the world on fire, but it is an enjoyable romp that keeps the mood of the album ticking along. “Sweet Pain” follows, a reasonably typical Gene ditty based around the solid rhythm led by himself and Peter. The point of contention on the album (the original release at least) is that the guitar solo on the song is again provided by Dick Wagner rather than Ace. Ace did provide a solo for the track, one that was reinserted when they released the “Resurrected” version of this album in 2012, but for whatever reason Ezrin originally used Wagner’s version.
The back half of the second side goes with what have become the heavy hitters, though context is always required when discussing it with other fans of the band. The first is the Paul and Gene combination of “Shout it Out Loud”, which has become an institution and an anthem in the years since the album was released. It isn’t especially fast in regards to tempo, but it comes across that way in the way that Paul and Gene sing the lead vocals. And it works best because they both share the duties here again, for whatever reason this song needs both of their voices on it to make it as great as it is. It is the perfect Kiss track because it is anthemic with easy to remember and sing lyrics, it brings together everyone whether it be at a gig or in the lounge room or on the deck, combined in their belief of the lyrics. It needs to be played loud in the car or on the stereo. It is another of the perfect Kiss party tracks, and its longevity is due to this.
OK. We’ve arrived at “Beth”. The song that has been played at every single gig for the entirety of the 50 years since this album was released, sung by the drummer – whichever one was in attendance at the time – and beloved the world over. Should I just leave it at that? This is Peter Criss’s contribution to the album, and through Ezrin’s influence utilises the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in the recording and Ezrin’s piano. In the main, the Kiss Army female brigade adore this track. There was no way to avoid it when seeing the band live except to duck out for a toilet break. Let’s be honest – no I don’t adore it. I tolerate it, because it is part of Kiss lore, entrenched into the Kiss mantra. There are a few of these scattered through the Kiss history that are forced to be tolerated. Ezrin may also have brought a bit more Alice Cooper to the album with this track, though without the Alice angst (think “Only Women Bleed”). This is designed for nice guy Peter to have his moment, and thus he does, thanks to Beth.
The album concludes with another Kiss staple, “Do You Love Me?”, another Paul written track along with the aforementioned Kim Fowley, with Paul outlining his and his girl’s opposing loves before asking the question that he desperately wants to know the answer for. It’s a standard, sort of paint-by-numbers track overall – except for the bridge, which again has an Alice Cooper vibe about the music backing as Paul’s vocals go up an octave during it. It is just for four lines, but it still gets me every time.
I know I’ve probably over emphasised the Bob Ezrin and Alice Cooper vibes I get from this album during this description of the tracks, but to me it comes across as obvious. All of the tricks and differentials Ezrin has introduced to the Kiss sound on this album help to make this album step out from the band’s first three in their discography, and the fact that he was successful with this prior to this album with the other band he is instrumental in producing is something I think bears consideration to this album’s success.
I mean... surely by now you know my Kiss journey... its beginnings with my cousin living at my grandmothers and plastering his bedroom walls with their posters and playing all their music... to winning the 5th class end of year dance contest to “I Was Made For Loving You”... to having my heavy metal music dealer recording me “Crazy Nights” in my final high school years, an album that I adored and adore to this day. Yes? You all know this? Very good. There will be a test later on.
“Destroyer”, on the other hand, came a little bit later on, as I began my slow but steady accumulation of all of the Kiss studio albums. This one was a no brainer I guess, because my cousin David had owned it, and I knew it by cover and by certain songs that stuck in the memory.
I know I loved this pretty much from the first moment I got it. The opening side of the album is impossible to ignore. The second side has enough greatness to retain your interest right through to the end. I still live by the philosophy that if you love an album, you love it all, as all pieces of the songs make the album its whole. There is no dissing a track just because it may not live up to all of your expectations. Love the album, love it all. And I did. When I first got this album I absolutely loved it all. I played it over and over. There was no question as to how much I loved it. That is the great thing when you discover an album that does this to you, that makes you love it without any qualms. I probably have hundreds of albums like that. It is what makes the music I love so important to me.
I still bring this out often to revisit. It is one of my go to albums, certainly if I am thinking about listening to Kiss. So listening to the album over this last week again has been just as fabulous as it always is. And yes, I have taken the time to consider this review carefully, making any subtle judgements on each individual song and hopefully reporting it to you faithfully. As this episode will no doubt show, there are some tracks here that perhaps have some flaws that I am fully aware of, that may not live up to the high expectations of the album as I see it. I am aware of them, don’t get me wrong. But there is a difference to producing a playlist just with songs you want to hear, and listening to an album from start to finish. I use and appreciate playlists in my listening, but what I love most is sitting in the Metal Cavern, and taking a vinyl or CD album, placing it on my stereo, and listening to it from start to finish as the artist intended it should be, and enjoying the ride throughout. Perhaps there ARE songs here I enjoy less than others, but when I listen to “Destroyer”, I listen to it as its own entity, not a collection of songs. “Destroyer” is an ALBUM, and as an ALBUM, it is one of the best of all time. A classic. A ripper. A beauty. Nothing for me can ever change that.
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