Get up! Everybody gonna move their feet and leave their seat for a new deluxe edition of KISS' signature studio album Destroyer, available November 19.
Following the success of the double concert album Alive! in 1975, which introduced the world at large to the hard-rockin' quartet in black and white facepaint and out-there stage costumes, Destroyer was polished to perfection by producer Bob Ezrin. The group added layers of unique craft to these songs, from string sections to sound effects - and Ezrin's unconventional methods (later compared to "musical boot camp" by lead singer Paul Stanley) enhanced their musicality.
The album was anchored by stalwart rockers like lead single "Shout It Out Loud" and "Detroit Rock City" - but tucked away on the second side, the tender ballad "Beth" (sung by drummer Peter Criss) helped the album outsell the band's previous studio efforts, becoming their first Top 10 (and highest-charting) single. Destroyer went double platinum and firmly established the band as a blockbuster act - which they still are today, currently rolling through their final End of the Road World Tour through 2022, with Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer (who replaced Ace Frehley in 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (a member of the band since 1991, barring occasional reunions with Criss).
The 45th anniversary super deluxe edition (see video here) is packed with audio extras - many previously unreleased - and plenty of ephemera for KISS Kollectors. Alongside the remastered album, three bonus discs offer demos from Stanley and Simmons' archives, a jam-packed offering of outtakes and single edits (including a new acoustic mix of "Beth" and the long-coveted "Ain't None of Your Business," the first song cut during the album sessions), and a live concert taken from the Olympia Theatre in Paris. A Blu-ray disc offers the a new mix of the album by the mighty Steven Wilson (plus the acoustic "Beth" and the original mix of album track "Sweet Pain" that featured a guitar solo by Frehley instead of session player Dick Wagner) in Dolby Atmos, True HD and DTS 5.1 surround sound. (A hi-res stereo mix is also included.)
The box also features a treasure trove of items, including a faithful reproduction of the original KISS Army fan club kit, an iron-on patch, stickers, posters, reproduced flyers and tour programs, newly-created trading cards and even blueprints for the band's stage show. On top of that, the set features a 68-page hardcover book featuring liner notes by Paul Elliott and Ken Sharp - drawing from interviews with all four original band members, Ezrin and then-manager Bill Aucoin - and "an intoxicating amount of unreleased photos and imagery." For the casual fan, a cut-down 2CD and 2LP version includes the remastered album and a 16-track sampler covering all the bonus discs.
Look for Destroyer on November 19. You'll find pre-order links and the complete track listing below.
KISS, Destroyer (45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (Casablanca/Mercury/UMe)
4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
+ denotes bonus track also available on 2CD/2LP edition
Disc 1: Original album remastered (released as Casablanca NBLP-7025, 1976)
- Detroit Rock City
- King of the Night Time World
- God of Thunder
- Great Expectations
- Flaming Youth
- Sweet Pain
- Shout It Out Loud
- Beth
- Do You Love Me?
Disc 2: Demos (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Doncha Hesitate - Paul Stanley
- God of Thunder and Rock and Roll - Paul Stanley +
- It's the Fire - Paul Stanley *
- Detroit Rock City - Paul Stanley * +
- Love is Alright - Paul Stanley * +
- Bad, Bad Lovin' - Gene Simmons
- Man of a Thousand Faces - Gene Simmons
- I Don't Want No Romance - Gene Simmons * +
- Burnin' Up with Fever - Gene Simmons *
- Rock N' Rolls Royce - Gene Simmons * +
- Mad Dog - Gene Simmons
- Night Boy - Gene Simmons *
- Star - Gene Simmons * +
- Howlin' for Your Love - Gene Simmons *
- True Confessions - Gene Simmons
Tracks 1-2, 6 and 11 released on The KISS Box Set - Mercury 314 586 561-2, 2001
Tracks 7 and 15 released on The Vault - Rhino, 2017
Disc 3: Outtakes, Alternate Versions/Mixes and Single Edits (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Beth (Acoustic Mix) * +
- Shout It Out Loud (Single Edit)
- Flaming Youth (Single Edit)
- Detroit Rock City (Single Edit)
- Shout It Out Loud (Mono Single Edit) +
- Flaming Youth (Mono Single Edit)
- Detroit Rock City (Mono Single Edit)
- Beth (Mono)
- King of the Night Time World (Live Rehearsal Instrumental) * +
- Do You Love Me? (Mono Instrumental) *
- God of Thunder (Early Instrumental Mix) *
- Ain't None of Your Business (Instrumental) *
- Detroit Rock City (Instrumental) * +
- King of the Night Time World (Alternate Mix) *
- Great Expectations (Early Version) *
- Flaming Youth (Early Version) * +
- Do You Love Me? (Early Version) *
- Shout It Out Loud (Alternate Mix) * +
- Ain't None of Your Business (Outtake) *
- Beth (Take 6 - Instrumental) *
- Beth (Instrumental) *
- Do You Love Me? (Alternate Mix) *
Track 2 released as Casablanca single NB-854, 1976
Track 3 released as Casablanca single NB-858, 1976
Track 4 released as Casablanca single NB-863, 1976
Track 5 released as Casablanca promo single NBX-854, 1976
Track 6 released as Casablanca promo single NBX-858, 1976
Tracks 7-8 released as Casablanca promo single NBX-863, 1976
Disc 4: Live in Paris, L'Olympia - 5/22/1976 (previously unreleased)
- Deuce +
- Strutter +
- Flaming Youth +
- Hotter Than Hell +
- Firehouse
- She/Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
- Nothin' to Lose
- Shout It Out Loud/Gene Simmons Bass Solo
- 100,000 Years/Peter Criss Drum Solo
- Black Diamond
- Detroit Rock City
- Rock and Roll All Nite
Blu-ray: Remixes
Original album plus "Beth (Acoustic Mix)" and "Sweet Pain (Original Guitar Solo)" in
- Dolby Atmos 48kHz 24-bit
- Dolby True HD 5.1 96kHz 24-bit
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 96kHz 24-bit
- PCM Stereo 96kHz 24-bit
zubb says
at $200 for the super deluxe edition I will pass. I will get the 2CD reissue for $20
Paul E. says
True, but the thought of hearing “Detroit Rock City” in ATMOS is almost worth it alone. Good chance my neighbors to the left/right of me would pay $100 each for me to turn the music down- I might have this pre-funded on that basis.
David B says
i'd love this one in surround .. but with so many box sets coming out soon i can't justify the cost. Here's hoping there a stand alone bluray at some point ..
Edward says
As much as I love KISS and "Destroyer" I won't be getting this. It boils down to content vs price. Personally I don't care for the all the extra ephemera, if I'm paying $200, there had better be at least 10 discs, plus the extras. The benchmark I use for content vs. price is King Crimson and their boxed sets - music, music, music, a booklet and a few other things. None of those sets cost me more than $180. I also have the monstrous John Mayall set and that was more than $200 but it was 30 some discs, two books, a few posters. I have the Judas Priest set on pre-order: 42 discs with 13 of those featuring prev. unavailable (thru official channels) content, that's a hefty $400 plus but worth it for the amount of cds.