Album · 45 years old this year
Music From “The Elder”
Music From "The Elder" is the ninth studio album by KISS, released on 10 November 1981 through Casablanca Record and FilmWorks. It sits at an odd turning point in their story: a concept album with orchestral touches, far removed from what they had made before. It brought in drummer Eric Carr, who took on the persona of "The Fox", and it was the last record with lead guitarist Ace Frehley until the band's 1996 reunion.
Sales were poor, and for the first time in their eight years KISS did not tour behind an album, settling for a few promotional TV slots, including Solid Gold and Fridays. "A World Without Heroes" was the lead single and later turned up in their 1995 MTV Unplugged set. Critics were fairly kind at release, yet the record was long disliked, even by the people who made it. More recently it has been reappraised as a flawed but notable concept album, and that makes it well worth a listen.
Music From “The Elder”: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 41:35Tracklist
- 1The OathEzrin, Powers, Stanley4:32
- 2FanfareBob Ezrin and Paul Stanley1:22
- 3Just a BoyBob Ezrin and Paul Stanley2:30
- 4Dark LightFig, Frehley, Reed, Simmons4:12
- 5Only YouGene Simmons4:19
- 6Under the RoseEric Carr and Gene Simmons4:49
- 7A World Without HeroesEzrin, Reed, Simmons, Stanley2:40
- 8Mr. BlackwellLou Reed and Gene Simmons4:53
- 9Escape From the IslandCarr, Ezrin, Frehley2:50
- 10OdysseyTony Powers5:36
- 11IBob Ezrin and Gene Simmons3:52
- Produced by
- Brian Christian, Bob Ezrin
- Recorded at
- Ace in the Hole Studios, Wilton, CT, A & R and Record Plant Studios, New York City, Sound Interchange, Toronto, Canada, Ezrin Farm, King City, Canada
- Recorded
- March–September 1981
- Mixed at
- Manta Sound
- Labels
- Casablanca Record and FilmWorks, Casablanca
- Length
- 41:35
Line-up
- Eric Carr · drums (drum set), acoustic guitar
- Ace Frehley · bass guitar, lead vocals · guest
- Paul Stanley · guitar, lead vocals
- Gene Simmons · bass guitar, guitar, lead vocals, electric guitar, electric bass guitar
- Bob Ezrin · bass guitar · guest
- Allan Schwartzberg · drums (drum set)
- Tony Powers · keyboard · guest
Singles
- “A World Without Heroes” · 17 November 1981
- “I” · 17 November 1981
- “The Oath” · 25 January 1982 (JP only)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1981 | 51 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1981 | 75 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1981 | 7 |
| German Albums · 1981 | 10 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1981 | 11 |
| Austrian Albums · 1981 | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 2022 | 16 |
| Swedish Albums · 1981 | 19 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1981 | 21 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1981 | 23 |
All 12 charts
| Dutch Albums · 1981 | 39 |
| Scottish Albums · 2022 | 75 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1982 | Gold |
| Norway · 1982 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
68.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
880
ListenBrainz listeners
150k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
KISS
1974
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1974
Dressed to Kill
1975
Alive!
1975
Destroyer
1976
Special KISS Tour Album
1976
Rock and Roll Over
1976
Love Gun
1977
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1977
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1978
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1979
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1979
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1980
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1982
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1982
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1983
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1984
Asylum
1985
Crazy Nights
1987
Crazy Crazy Nights
1988
Let’s Put the X in Sex
1988
Tears Are Falling
1988
Turn On the Night
1988
Chikara
1988
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
1988
Hot in the Shade
1989
Revenge
1992
Alive III
1993
MTV Unplugged
1996
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
1996
Greatest KISS
1997
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
1997
Psycho Circus
1998
Box Set
2001
The Very Best of KISS
2002
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 2
2004
KISS Gold
2004
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 3
2006
KISS Alive! 1975–2000
2006
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2008
Ikons
2008
Sonic Boom
2009
Monster
2012
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2014
KISS Rocks Vegas
2016
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More on Casablanca Record and FilmWorks
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1981-11-16 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 November 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 November 1981 | |
| Wikidata | 16 November 1981 | |
| US release | 10 November 1981 | earliest US date |
30 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | PT | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| 1981 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| November 1981 | NO | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 10 November 1981 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 10 November 1981 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 25 April 1986 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 4988023000169 | other |
| 23 May 1989 | US | Casablanca Records | 042282415325 | other |
| 26 May 1993 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011336294 | other |
| 1997 | — | Mercury Records | 0602537864102 | other |
| 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453239029 | other |
| 7 October 1997 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453239029 | other |
| 24 November 1997 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011354908 | other |
| 19 September 1998 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011360084 | other |
| 4 March 2004 | XW | Casablanca Records | 731453239029 | other |
| 9 June 2005 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005390912 | other |
| 27 September 2006 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005442413 | other |
| 25 June 2008 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005518378 | other |
| 18 June 2010 | DE | Mercury Records | other | |
| 20 March 2013 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005749055 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Mercury Records | 602537885411 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 0602537850709 | other |
| 2014 | XW | Mercury Records | 602547064165 | other |
| 26 May 2014 | XE | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537785698 | other |
| 27 May 2014 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537785698 | other |
| 3 June 2014 | XW | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537855810 | other |
| 20 October 2015 | XW | Mercury Records | 602547064158 | other |
| 2022 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602435914589 | deluxe |
| 11 March 2022 | XE | Casablanca Record & FilmWorks, Inc. | 0600753948156 | deluxe |
| 1 May 2022 | US | Casablanca Records | 602435914688 | deluxe |
| — | — | — | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |