Music from "The Elder"
| Music from "The Elder" | ||||
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| Studio album by Kiss | ||||
| Released | November 10, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | March – September 1981 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 42:46 (International version) 42:29 (US/European version) |
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| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Music from "The Elder" | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
Japan-only album-cover-sized obi
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Pitchfork Media | (0.0/10) |
| Vista Records | |
| Metal Nightfall | |
| TrueMetal | (70/100) |
Music from "The Elder" is the ninth studio album released by American rock band Kiss.
A substantial departure from their previous output with its epic concept and orchestral elements, album sales were so poor that Kiss did not embark on a supporting tour for the first time in its eight-year history, opting instead to make a handful of promotional appearances.Music from "The Elder" was Ace Frehley's last partnership with the band until their 1996 reunion Alive/Worldwide Tour.
While "A World Without Heroes" was later performed on the band's 1995 MTV Unplugged appearance, Kiss have largely avoided live performances of songs from the album. "A World Without Heroes", "The Oath", and "I" were all performed live on the ABC program Fridays in 1982; other performances from the era were lip-synched while the original recorded version played. During a 2004 Australia show, the band attempted to perform "The Oath" and "I", but Gene Simmons had long forgotten the lyrics. Short performances of "I ", "Mr. Blackwell", and "Just a Boy", were played on the 2011 Kiss Kruise. "The Oath" was performed in its entirety during both electric shows on the 2013 and on the 2014 Kiss Kruise.
Kiss was in the midst of a transitional phase as the 1980s began. Drummer Peter Criss, who was not involved in the recording of 1980's Unmasked, officially left Kiss in May of the same year. His replacement Eric Carr was officially introduced in July. The group had recently embarked on a hugely successful tour of Australia and New Zealand (where the group's popularity was at its peak) in November, but the band's commercial fortunes at home were drastically reduced from the 1975-79 era. Due to the lackluster sales of Unmasked, Kiss toured exclusively outside the US for the first time in their career, except for one concert at the Palladium Theatre in New York. The overseas tours were well attended, partly because Kiss had rarely ventured abroad and because the more pop-oriented Dynasty and Unmasked albums did better in the European markets than their earlier hard rock albums.
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