Kiss Book About ‘Music From ‘The Elder” Now Available for Pre-Order
A book purporting to offer the "definitive" take on Kiss' much-maligned 1981 concept album Music From 'The Elder' is scheduled to arrive later this month.
Titled Odyssey, the book — which weighs in at more than 530 pages — takes an in-depth look at the Music From 'The Elder' album through "more than 30 long-form interviews and more than 10 topical features" that the press release promises will add up to the first "concentrated effort to put this album under a historical microscope."
Even though none of the members of Kiss is listed among the interview subjects, Elder producer Bob Ezrin spoke with authors Tim McPhate and Julian Gill, as did a variety of label execs and creative personnel.
"Readers will gain unique perspectives regarding the album's creative process, commercial release and legacy, in addition to fun anecdotes and recollections," adds the press release. "The topical features in Odyssey will shed more light on Kiss' activity in 1981 and early 1982 and dissect the album further with in-depth musical analysis, including a comprehensive summary of the album's 11 tracks, an overview of the history of the concept album as an art form, a look at the studios utilized for The Elder, biographical information on the album's participants, details on the aborted companion Elder film and much more."
Odyssey, which is scheduled for a Sept. 16 release and is available for pre-order now, arrives at something of a moment for the Elder album, which was a notorious flop on arrival but has since acquired a cult audience. As previously reported, fall also sees the arrival of a new Elder-inspired Kiss comic book — and there's also a long-in-the-works Music From 'The Elder' movie, which has struggled to find funding in recent years, but could potentially see a shot in the arm from the new book.
Kiss Albums Ranked Worst to Best