496 - KISS - Destroyer

From the first sound effects of a radio news broadcast at the beginning of the album, you know this isn't going to be a straight ahead rock album. Others may debate the choices made by producer Bob Ezrin (produced early Alice Cooper and the later Pink Floyd albums), I think his musical/audio extravagances on the album fit the theatrics of a KISS performance. "Detroit Rock City" could probably handle having the intro a bit shorter, but the sound effects reinforce and enhance the song and provide a neat segue to "King of the Night Time World." The same can be said for the children's voices, guitar squalls, and effects for "God of Thunder."

However, it is at this point that the album makes one of two abrupt changes. To go from the demonic and trudging "God of Thunder" to the almost Meatloaf-esque "Great Expectations" seemed to be a strange shift in gears. However, considering the placement of the song as the last one on side one, this sort of positioning of a downtempo song was fairly common. Later there is another jerk in musical attitude when going from "Shout It Out Loud" to "Beth." Let's face it, "Beth" doesn't easily segue from nearly any other KISS song. However, I think putting "Beth" between "Sweet Pain" and "Shout It Out Loud" or at the end of side 2 after the untitled hidden track (a mish-mash of song snippets, crowd noise, and possibly some backward masking) would have been a more pleasant placement for the song, IMO.

This album was undoubtedly created to be the soundtrack for a teenager's night out. Lyrically, it is almost as if Gene and Paul were taking the Brian Wilson approach of writing about the primary concerns of teens: music, girls, and having fun...although with their own naughty bent (uh, hello "Sweet Pain" and its praise of S&M).

Songs I knew I liked: "Detroit Rock City," "God of Thunder," "Shout It Out Loud," "Beth," and "Do You Love Me." Definitely the first album on the Top 500 that I know more than just a couple of songs.

Songs I didn't know but now like: "King of the Night Time World" and "Great Expectations" Despite the Meatloaf-esque comparison I made earlier, I REALLY like this song.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Sweet Pain" ("Flaming Youth" is just okay...)