[.ca] Destroyer

From Amazon.co.uk:
With their 1976 album Destroyer, the band's fifth release in two years, Kiss began to expand their fan base by shedding a bit of their edge and taking on a more melodic, less menacing image. The Peter Criss ballad "Beth", written for the drummer's wife, is the most sentimental love ballad the group ever recorded, and songs like "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud" had the kind of arena-rock punch that kept subscriptions to the Kiss Army at an all-time high. Despite, or perhaps because of, the blatantly commercial direction the band seemed to be heading in, 1976 was the most creatively rewarding period in its lengthy career. In addition to releasing Destroyer, the band pumped out the equally touted album Rock and Roll Over, which included the pounding "Take Me" and the groovin' "Calling Dr Love". The only finer year was 1978, when the band starred in the classic B-grade flick Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. --Jon Wiederhorn

Amazon.com essential recording:
With their 1976 album Destroyer, the band's fifth release in two years, Kiss began to expand their fan base by shedding a bit of their edge, taking on a more melodic sound and a less menacing image. The Peter Criss ballad "Beth," written for his wife, is the most sentimental love ballad the group ever recorded, and songs like "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud" had the kind of arena-rock punch that kept subscriptions to the Kiss Army at an all-time high. Despite, or because of, the blatantly commercial direction the band seemed to be heading in, 1976 was the most creatively rewarding period in its lengthy career. In addition to releasing Destroyer, the band pumped out the equally touted album Rock and Roll Over, which included the pounding "Take Me" and the groovin' "Calling Dr. Love." The only finer year was 1978, when the band starred in the classic B-grade flick Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. --Jon Wiederhorn

KISS' arguable finest triumph:
KISS' fifth album Destroyer was released in March of 1976. The album was the band's long-awaited followup to the monstrously successful live album, 1975's Alive!. Alive was the album that made KISS a household name but its followup immortalized KISS forever. The band entered The Record Plant in early 1976 with legendary producer Bob Ezrin to create their classic contribution to rock history. I first got this tape by mistake in July of 1988 and the chance paid off, KISS' best studio release from the make-up years(I now have the remastered CD). On this album, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss peaked as a band. From the opening Detroit Rock City to the rocking God of Thunder to the grand sounding Great Expectations to the ballad Beth, Destroyer is a roller coaster of songs. Sweet Pain featured Dick Wagner on lead as Ace didn't play on the track and was irked to find out after the fact that he wasn't on the song. Destroyer went to #11 and Gold thanks to Shout it Out Loud hitting the Top 40 but the next single Flaming Youth(co-written by Paul, Gene, Ace and Bob Ezrin) tanked and this album was almost a flop with Detroit Rock City not faring well. However, DJ's flipped the single over and played its B-side Beth, which was written and sung by Peter, and the song hit #7 on the charts. Beth brought the album back on the charts and pushed the sales past Platinum(and eventually Triple Platinum according to the band). The closing Do you Love me is great as well but the album ends with the collage of sound effects a/k/a Rock and Roll Party and was on the original LP, CD and CD remaster of Destroyer. Sales figures aside, Destroyer remains KISS' greatest triumph. Highly recommended!

KISS DESTROYER WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!:
Destroyer Is Maybe The Most Classic KISS Album With Classic Hardrock, Popmetal,Glam Rock, Love Ballads And Heavy Metal. I LOVE DESTROYER!!!!!!!! IT HAS CLASSIC HARDROCK: DETROIT ROCK CITY, FLAMING YOUTH, KING OF THE NIGHTTIME WORLD. POPMETAL: SWEET PAIN. GLAMROCK: SHOUT IT LOUD,GREAT EXPECTATIONS, DO YOU LOVE ME? LOVE BALLADS: BETH. HEAVY METAL:GOD OF THUNDER. MANY STYLES? MY FAVORITES ARE DETROIT ROCK CITY, GOD OF THUNDER, FLAMING YOUTH, SWEET PAIN, SHOUT IT OUT LOUD AND BETH.

I NEED MORE STARS Than just 5:
This is the album that introduced me to the group when I was only 4yrs old. This is my favorite since it captures a very special time for me. I loved it from the moment that the needle dropped on the intro track DRC and I initially listened to those mysterious voices reading the headlines. The fact that the group does not play on every track does not bother me at all. Sometimes the music speaks volumes or begins to do so years after the record goes into the collective dust bin. Destroyer sounds fresh today 2004 as it did then. Kiss created a wall of sound and fantasy that only elevated and layed the blue print of what they could accomplish.

Gods of thunder at best:
Destroyer is what followed kiss`s succes with Alive! and with this one they made sure it continued to reach other hights.After Alive!KISS hired producer Bob Ezrin for their next studio album the band got scared after this one and returned to a more familiar sound on `Rock n roll over`their next album.Destroyer was great musicaly but was even better as a comercial succes the band once again enjoying gold and platinum succes with this album. The album s higlight is definetly Beth that you like it or not it was tha band s most chart succesful song ever and its kinda bizzare because the single was Detroit rock city.God of thunder is one of my favorite songs and is great with Gene s superhuman voice.shout it out loud ,man i love this one!its an arena anthem something like that it will get everyone to sing along the song is similiar to i love it lound from creatures of the night.do you love me is one of the good songs on the album.king of the night time world is also good while dtroit rock city is great but i think god of thunder should have replaced this one as the single.flaming youth and the rest depends how good you think it is but its not bad.these are the best costumes they wore for an album and the album cover is the best cover kiss had for an album to me this album is one of the best kiss albums. `76 was a good year for kiss and the other album of that year rock and roll over also did great.every songs are good .Ace didnt play on a certain track of this album ,for the track he was replaced by Bob Kulick.Destroyer was a succes for KISS with outstanding tracks like;Beth,God of thunder,Shout it out loud ,King of the night time world and many.good for starters or fans of the band you cant go wrong by buin this one!

Destroyer:
This is considered by Kiss to be their best release ever.It is great.Is it their best?In my opinion no.Having said that.I am a huge Paul Stanley fan .He could record himself singing the alphabet & I would buy it.

• 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?