Vinnie Velvet
04-04-2007, 12:12 PM
(disclaimer: V V was not high or drunk when he wrote this.
:D ).
http://www.kissfaq.com/albumcovers/cover_elder_small.jpg
YES!
Music From THE ELDER -- by KISS.
---------------------------------------
I my mind, this album is too easily dismissed as being very poor and so on.
Yes, as a "KISS" album, it fails, miserably. And that is where lies the problem. Not taken as a KISS album, it can be viewed in a better light.
I listened to this album many times and to me, its a MASTERPIECE of storytelling, combined with a rock opera soundtrack that smokes.
The basic plot of Music from "The Elder" involves the recruitment and training of a young hero (The Boy) by the Council of Elders who belong to the Order of the Rose, a mysterious group dedicated to combating evil. The Boy is guided by an elderly caretaker named Morpheus. The album's lyrics describe the boy's feelings during his journey and training, as he overcomes his early doubts to become confident and self-assured. The only spoken dialogue is at the end of the last track, "I." During the passage, Morpheus proclaims to the Elders that The Boy is ready to undertake his odyssey.
And yes, the odyssey BEGINS with the theatrical/orchestra sounds of "Fanfare" before we are introduced to the Paul Stanley helmed "Just a Boy" -- I never really liked this song in particular, however, taken into the context of the story, it works.
Which then leads to one of my favorites --- "Odyssey". Great song.
Other highlights include the Ace Frehley-led "Dark Light" which encompasses one of the greatest solos laid down by the Spaceman, the operatic, yet rocking, "The Oath" and the Frehley-Eric Carr instrumental "Escape from the Island".
To me, this album is one of the most forgotten gems in music.
Listen, and LET THE ODYSSEY BEGIN!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Single_hol_i1.jpg
:D ).
http://www.kissfaq.com/albumcovers/cover_elder_small.jpg
YES!
Music From THE ELDER -- by KISS.
---------------------------------------
I my mind, this album is too easily dismissed as being very poor and so on.
Yes, as a "KISS" album, it fails, miserably. And that is where lies the problem. Not taken as a KISS album, it can be viewed in a better light.
I listened to this album many times and to me, its a MASTERPIECE of storytelling, combined with a rock opera soundtrack that smokes.
The basic plot of Music from "The Elder" involves the recruitment and training of a young hero (The Boy) by the Council of Elders who belong to the Order of the Rose, a mysterious group dedicated to combating evil. The Boy is guided by an elderly caretaker named Morpheus. The album's lyrics describe the boy's feelings during his journey and training, as he overcomes his early doubts to become confident and self-assured. The only spoken dialogue is at the end of the last track, "I." During the passage, Morpheus proclaims to the Elders that The Boy is ready to undertake his odyssey.
And yes, the odyssey BEGINS with the theatrical/orchestra sounds of "Fanfare" before we are introduced to the Paul Stanley helmed "Just a Boy" -- I never really liked this song in particular, however, taken into the context of the story, it works.
Which then leads to one of my favorites --- "Odyssey". Great song.
Other highlights include the Ace Frehley-led "Dark Light" which encompasses one of the greatest solos laid down by the Spaceman, the operatic, yet rocking, "The Oath" and the Frehley-Eric Carr instrumental "Escape from the Island".
To me, this album is one of the most forgotten gems in music.
Listen, and LET THE ODYSSEY BEGIN!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Single_hol_i1.jpg