In honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of ‘Music from the Elder,’ the most bizarre and unsuccessful album ever released by Kiss, comes the first chapter of an upcoming book exploring this strange, misguided and yet oddly lovable record. ‘Music from the Elder: The Unauthorized Story of the Most Spectacular Failure in the History of Kiss’ will be released in the spring of 2012.
The book will explore the odd circumstances that led the traditionally hard-rocking band to attempt a classical- and Broadway-influenced concept record about a young boy’s medieval
quest to become a warrior (or something), and the effect its commercial failure had on the band.
Even the band agrees this record was a mess, with Paul Stanley recently labeling it “pompous, contrived, self-important and fat,” and Gene Simmons assigning it zero stars while appraising the band’s back catalog. ‘Music from the Elder sent the Kiss’s already troubled career to new depths of despair, and served as the final nail in lead guitarist Ace Frehley’s departure from the group.
And yet.. there’s something undeniably appealing about the album, and the band’s attempt to once again defy the odds and re-conquer the music world with its creation. After all, the same spirit that allowed Kiss to paint their faces and learn how to breathe fire in the early ’70s also led them, however mistakenly, to open their would-be comeback record nearly a decade later with oboes and clarinets.
Besides, everybody always writes books about classic albums where everything goes right. Here’s what happens when things go utterly wrong. You can download the first chapter of the book at www.KissElderBook.com