The record “took shape in drips and drabs,” as Simmons recalls, while Frehley, in his telling, resisted participating in the recording process the way it was planned out. “He refused to go to Canada, right outside of Toronto [where portions of the album were being recorded]. He wanted to stay home and record because he had a studio. We were making copies of 24-track masters and sending them to Ace. It was a very disjointed kind of record.”

How He Feels About ‘Music From ‘The Elder” Now

In conversation with Simmons, it doesn’t feel like his opinion on Music From ‘The Elder’ has changed much after more than four decades. As he can see now, elements of their approach would be repeated as the group continued to make music. “What I can say about [Music From ‘The Elder’] is it was not an honest record, because we were trying to do something different,” he says. “And by the way, Carnival of Souls had the same thing [happening]. Before you start writing those songs, let’s try for this. It’s not what we do naturally. And some people like it and some people don’t. But it was not an honest record in terms of it being a deviation on purpose before the fact.”

There are a few songs that he feels positively about and he mentions one specifically. “I like ‘I,’ which is an anti-drug song,” he points out. “I don’t need to get wasted, it only holds me down, because I’ve got a will. I’ve got a will of my own and the balls to stand alone, because I believe in me. [So I like that one] and one or two other songs, but generally, it was a different kind of record.”

Read More: Gene Simmons Feels Responsible for ‘Music From ‘The Elder’’