With KISS heading towards their final tour it perhaps is of little surprise that the band would want to do something special for one of their most celebrated albums. That album is Destroyer from 1976 which celebrates its 46th birthday this year.
What perhaps is a surprise if that in charge of the remix is PROG and Remix superstar Steven Wilson. Even though musically himself he is treading a more pop-orientated path all his remix projects up to this point have been classic PROG records like YES, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant etc. He may also have tackled XTC and Tears for Fears but I do not think anyone saw this coming!
But if we look more closely I believe you can see where his interest might be. The album was originally produced by Bob Ezrin who gave it an almost cinematic sound and you can imagine Steven Wilson visualising what a 5.1 mix might be like before he got to track two.
Personally, I am really excited about this and I know a lot of people do not see KISS as the real deal sometimes but if you have ever seen them live you will know that they are.
This is such a classic album and was the first KISS album to sell over 1 million copies. It contains “Detroit Rock City”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “God Of Thunder” and “Beth”
This super deluxe edition box set look comes with all the bells and whistles you might expect from a band like KISS.
CD 1 includes the original album remastered at Abbey Road Mastering
CD 2 includes 15 demos from Paul Stanley’s and Gene Simmons’s personal archives — 9 are unreleased.
CD 3 contains studio outtakes, alternate versions / mixes and single edits — plus a stripped-down mix for “Beth.
CD 4 contains a live concert from Paris France at the L’Olympia on May 22, 1976.
Blu Ray Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mix of the original studio album plus two bonus tracks by Steven Wilson “Beth (Acoustic Mix)” and “Sweet Pain (Original Guitar Solo)”, the latter featuring Ace Frehley’s original recorded guitar solo that was not released on the studio album (this track is available on the 2012 “Destroyer: Resurrected” project).
The Super Deluxe Box Set box also includes a complete recreation of the original KISS Army Kit with the original folder with;
- KISS Army newsletter Volume 1 – No 2 announcing “Destroyer”
- 2x 8″x10″ “Destroyer” Press Photos
- Discography Sheet
- Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter Bio Sheet
- KISS Army Member Certificate
- KISS Army Membership Card
Also included in the Super Deluxe box set are
- KISS logo Iron-on
- KISS Army Sticker
- “Detroit Rock City” Bumper Sticker
- “Destroyer” Cover Sticker
- 11″x17″ KISS on Westminster Bridge UK Poster
- 4 brand new 8″x10″ Band Member Photos
- 8″x12″ “Destroyer” Foil Flyer
- 8″x12″ “Destroyer” Canadian Flyer (super rare)
- 4x Band Member Trading Cards (newly created for this boxset)
- 16″x24″ KISS Over New York Skyline Poster
- 16″x24″ KISS Halloween 1976 Concert Poster
- 2x 9″x12″ “Destroyer” Tour Stage Blueprints on Transparent Vellum (never been seen before)
- 16-page “Destroyer” 1976 Tour Program
- Gotham Rock City News Volume 1 Newspaper that is a track-by-track interview with all 4 band members, Bob Ezrin and crew
- 68-page hardcover book with extensive liner notes by Paul Elliott and Ken Sharp featuring interviews from Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, then-manager Bill Aucoin, album producer Bob Ezrin, and many more about the album’s writing and production process, U.S. and European tours, photoshoots, promotional stories, band member memories from their TV appearance on “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special”, and an intoxicating amount of unreleased photos and imagery
The entire contents are housed in a lift top- style box and features artist Ken Kelly’s original “Destroyer” cover art, arguably one of the most iconic album covers in rock, making this the ultimate KISS “Destroyer” souvenir.
The album will also be available as a 2CD Set
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
