Don't knock The Elder - Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978) Discussion

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] donkeytonkman 18 years ago

Good opinion dude! I actually think honestly I like Under the Rose better than ANYTHING Gene wrote on Animalize, Asylum and Crazy Nights, they were by far his worst writing periods.

Dynasty always has a place in Kiss history, I enjoy the album, but Vini Poncia should've been shot after Unmasked, that was just TOOOOO pop and only a couple of Ace's tracks were the strong songs.

Hoo woo woo woo, do it hit hit, Gitter! Ooo ooo ott too OOO! Snuffer eet HOO doo!

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] donkeytonkman 18 years ago

For the 80's, yes, the Elder is my fav, followed by the heaviest album Creatures of the Night and Lick it Up third, otherwise I didn't like much else from the 80's.

Hoo woo woo woo, do it hit hit, Gitter! Ooo ooo ott too OOO! Snuffer eet HOO doo!

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[–] jawsfan 18 years ago

I liked every song on Elder except Oddyssey and just a Boy. I really liked Under the Rose man! And A World WIthout Heroes. My personal favorite KISS album was Creatures of the NIght, as well as one of my favorite albums in general. it kicks so much ass! As for Unamsked, it was total crap. only good song was Naked City.

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[–] davelog 18 years ago

I thought the instrumental Escape from the Island was incredible, and it's still in my regular playlist to this day - but I'm from the old school that started with seeing Kiss on Mike Douglas in 74 and began to question my rabid fanhood around Dynasty. I didn't 'get' Elder, but tried to. By the time the makeup came off, they were dead to me.

Still love the old stuff though, and still listen almost daily. Dressed to Kill is my fave studio album, and the original Alive! is my favorite live album.

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[–] lucksted 18 years ago

I don't knock The Elder, it's a fine album and now that it's been out re-mastered on CD, it of course has the songs in their original order and not the way the record company saw fit to put them in back in 1981. It's a cross between a hard rock opera and a concept album, Hell it is a concept album and from what I know of the band, (Been a fan since 1975) this was going to be a soundtrack to a film that never got green lighted. I had gotten the Japanese version of it back in the 80's from a mail order magazine, I have it on picture disc and I've got the 45 relese of A World Without Heroes from England in picture disc form, very rare. I have the ...Phantom movie on VHS from Japan, the audio is in english, but it has Japanese subtitles. Also, very rare and expensive to get. I'm a collector and I play about 90% of their music on my guitar, I also play and sing about 30-40 of their songs in my one man acoustic show in the Milwaukee/Racine area. If ya'd like to talk Kiss stuff sometime, hit me up, take care and put your faith in a loud guitar, Rocker Bob :)

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[–] MonteCarloMan 18 years ago

Although I rank this album 4th from the bottom of my Kiss list (Above Crazy Nights, Hot In the Shade, Psycho Circus-in that order) there are a few tracks from the Elder Sessions that I do like to listen to from time to time; the Stanley/Simmons duet: "I" is very underrated; I like that song better than any of their other duets together like: Shout it Out Loud & Rock N Roll All night. Thats the best song on this album IMO. I also like "Escape from the Island" and to a lesser extent; "Dark Light" & "Mr. Blackwell" and thats about it. I dont like anything Stanley did on this Album.

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[–] jawsfan 18 years ago

I just bought the Elder yesterday, the remastered CD is great! Hell, I like Odyssey now! BTW man, RAR All nite was not a duet. I was a very good song, a true rock anthem.

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[–] jkamps84-1 18 years ago

I am a HUGE KISS fan and own this album. I have to say that this is my least favorite, though. Hear me out, though. If the movie that this album was made for had actually come out, this album might have been a little more popular. Think about it this way: Queen's Flash Gordon soundtrack would have bombed had there not been a movie to go along with it. I think the exact same thing about the Elder. If there had been a movie to go along with it, it would have been much more popular. Does anyone else agree with me on this??

"...I am the devil and I am here to do the devil's work."--Otis B. Driftwood

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[–] jkamps84-1 18 years ago

ANYBODY???

"...I am the devil and I am here to do the devil's work."--Otis B. Driftwood

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] MonteCarloMan 18 years ago

I would agree, if the movie had come out and was successful then maybe this concept album could have been accepted by some KISS fans, although it would still be seen as selling-out by more cynical fans of the band. However, since it was released on it's own fans were left scratching their heads; "What does this album have to do with KISS?". IMO this album should never have been released since the movie was never made. Or since the movie was unreleased, at least get the album cover changed to something more in line with KISS and possibly re-record the tracks back to a rock format. If either of those two things had been done then I believe that the followup album "Creatures" would have shipped platinum 2 years removed from "Unmasked" as fans clamored for a rebirth album by their comicbook heros. As it was "Elder" sadly closed one era of KISS as a shell of their former glory, at the same time ushering in a new 80's era of much heavier rock music. Correct me if I'm wrong, I was 8 at the time, but I remember seeing early previews of "The Elder" on television (before it was ultimately cancelled) back in 1981.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] lordmegatron43 17 years ago

they decided not to make the movie

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[–] BenjaminDempster 17 years ago

well you may call it a concept album it was acually supposed to be a soudtrack hence the name "Music From The Elder" but the movie was sadly never finished

Ill Eat Your Heart ! - Nicky - Little Nicky

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[–] MetalGeek 17 years ago

by Brick_Bob_Circle_Pants
well you may call it a concept album it was acually supposed to be a soudtrack hence the name "Music From The Elder" but the movie was sadly never finished

Actually, the movie was never even begun. The band did have a plan to turn "Elder" into a movie if the album was a hit, but it sold so badly upon its initial release that all of the movie plans were scrapped.

Just for the record, I don't knock "The Elder" either. I like it better than a lot of the cheezy pop-metal records they made during the mid to late 80s.

Your Favorite Band Sucks.

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[–] ShatteredDreams782 18 years ago

i agree....its something different from KISS

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[–] VoiceOfReality 18 years ago

No, you're not the only one! I also am quite fond of the early 80's/late 70's attempts to expand the band's musical offerings. All the earlier stuff- as glam as it was- seemed forced after awhile. as a pre-adolescent, I was drawn in by the onstage schenanigans and outrageous lyrics, as the band played up their characters to the hilt. As I got older, though, I wanted more substance in their music- more than just theatrics and hokey lyrics. I actually enjoy most of the music of the "Pop Trilogy" of albums (Dynasty/Unmasked/The Elder); basically it was KISS Music that I could feel good about when played around my conservative parents.

I also have a warm place in my heart for the 4 solo albums- especially Gene's album, as it was the first ever record I ever bought (and in vinyl, no less- wish I still had those four!).

As artists, we always look to expand out abilities and offerings, trying new techniques- it's a part of our growth. To be forced to stick to one medium will only make you go stale.

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[–] donkeytonkman 18 years ago

Ahh, don't put The Elder in the "pop" category, there's 4 songs on there that are killer 80's metal (Oath, Dark Light, Escape...,I) If you wanna put a trilogy theme then Crazy Nights should've been released in 1981, that was total campfire pop wuss album. not too mention poorly produced but Gene and Paul!

Hoo woo woo woo, do it hit hit, Gitter! Ooo ooo ott too OOO! Snuffer eet HOO doo!

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[–] MonteCarloMan 18 years ago

I actually like the title track on Crazy Nights. Thats one of my favorites from Paul Stanley. It epitomizes who he is, and who I am...

Master card player? Resort casino owner?? or SS car enthusiast??? Make your best guess!

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] nykissfaneternal 17 years ago

I too enjoyed the Elder. I like to call that one a Pink Floyd record done by KISS. Mr. Blackwell and Escape from the Island rock!!

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[–] hunkrock 17 years ago

The Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records, it has been a favorite since I first heard it in 1981. I love that period in Kisstory! My favorite album is Unmasked. I'm also a big fan of the early stuff, many great albums there. The worst period for me was the mid-eighties. They lost me as a fan after Asylum, their worst record to date.

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[–] donkeytonkman 16 years ago

The Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records, it has been a favorite since I first heard it in 1981. I love that period in Kisstory! My favorite album is Unmasked. I'm also a big fan of the early stuff, many great albums there. The worst period for me was the mid-eighties. They lost me as a fan after Asylum, their worst record to date.

Ha ha ha... this guy think Unmasked is the best record.. ha ha ha!!!

Sorry, you can like what you want, I just felt the need to tease. :)

Hoo woo woo woo, do it hit hit, Gitter! Ooo ooo ott too OOO! Snuffer eet HOO doo!

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[–] KennethJoel 17 years ago

No you are not the only one!! I love The Elder the song "I" is my all time favorite song not just favorite Kiss song. MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SONG!!

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