Celebrating its 45 anniversary, Destroyer was originally released in 1976 and is considered to be one of the quintessential KISS albums. It is the band’s first album to sell one million copies in its first year and holds the title of being their all-time best-selling studio album. Packed with concert staples and KISS Army favorites, including Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, God Of Thunder and Beth, on November 19th, UMe will release KISS – Destroyer 45th in the form of a Super Deluxe 4-CD + Blu-ray audio box set as well as on standard double black vinyl and limited edition yellow and red double colored vinyl, 2-CD set and digital.
For the recording of Destroyer, Bob Ezrin was brought in as KISS’s new producer, helping the band reach new levels, both sonically and creatively. The album also showed the band’s growth as musicians and songwriters, experimenting with new sounds which came in the form of the softer side of songs like Do You Love Me? , and songs heavy with orchestral arrangements including Great Expectations and their Billboard No. 7 hit single Beth. Following the breakthrough success of 1975’s No. 9 Billboard-charting Alive!, Destroyer was the KISS album that brought them to the forefront of the mainstream and transformed them into global rock icons. For its anniversary, UMe celebrates this seminal album’s legacy with a staggering amount of bonus material.
CD 1 includes the original album newly remastered at Abbey Road Mastering, while CD 2 features 15 demos from Paul Stanley‘s and Gene Simmons‘s personal archives — nine of which were previously unreleased. CD 3 is packed with studio outtakes, alternate versions / mixes and single edits — most notably a brand-new stripped-down mix for Beth (Acoustic Mix), and CD 4 contains an electrifying performance from the band’s visit to Paris France at the L’Olympia on May 22nd, 1976. For the Blu-ray audio disc, Steven Wilson was brought in to create a first-ever Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mix of the original studio album plus two bonus tracks, 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).
Additionally, the Super Deluxe box features an extravagant array of collectable KISS memorabilia and ephemera, including a complete recreation of the original KISS Army Kit with the original folder and following items:
* 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 set:
* 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, photo shoots, 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.
Destroyer Super Deluxe track listing:
Disc One:
Destroyer: Original Album Remastered
1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. God Of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
5. Flaming Youth
6. Sweet Pain
7. Shout It Out Loud
8. Beth
9. Do You Love Me?
Disc Two
Destroyer-Era Demos:
Paul Stanley demos:
1. Doncha Hesitate
2. God Of Thunder And Rock And Roll
3. It’s The Fire*
4. Detroit Rock City*
5. Love Is Alright*
Gene Simmons demos:
6. Bad, Bad Lovin’
7. Man Of A Thousand Faces
8. I Don’t Want No Romance*
9. Burnin’ Up With Fever*
10. Rock N’ Rolls Royce*
11. Mad Dog
12. Night Boy*
13. Star*
14. Howlin’ For Your Love*
15. True Confessions
Disc Three
Destroyer: Outtakes, Alternate Versions / Mixes, Single Edits:
1. Beth (Acoustic Mix)*
2. Shout It Out Loud (Single Edit)
3. Flaming Youth (Single Edit)
4. Detroit Rock City (Single Edit)
5. Shout It Out Loud (Mono Single Edit)
6. Flaming Youth (Mono Single Edit)
7. Detroit Rock City (Mono Single Edit)
8. Beth (Mono)
9. King Of The Night Time World (Live Rehearsal Instrumental)*
10. Do You Love Me? (Mono Instrumental)*
11. God Of Thunder (Early Instrumental Mix)*
12. Ain’t None Of Your Business (Instrumental)*
13. Detroit Rock City (Instrumental)*
14. King Of The Night Time World (Alternate Mix)*
15. Great Expectations (Early Version)*
16. Flaming Youth (Early Version)*
17. Do You Love Me? (Early Version)*
18. Shout It Out Loud (Alternate Mix)*
19. Ain’t None Of Your Business (Outtake)*
20. Beth (Take 6 – Instrumental)*
21. Beth (Instrumental)*
22. Do You Love Me? (Alternate Mix)*
Disc Four
Live In Paris – L’Olympia – May 22, 1976*:
1. Deuce
2. Strutter
3. Flaming Youth
4. Hotter Than Hell
5. Firehouse
6. She / Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
7. Nothin’ To Lose
8. Shout It Out Loud / Gene Simmons Bass Solo
9. 100,000 Years / Peter Criss Drum Solo
10. Black Diamond
11. Detroit Rock City
12. Rock And Roll All Nite
Blu-ray audio:
Destroyer: *Dolby Atmos 48kHz 24-bit, *Dolby True HD 5.1 96kHz 24-bit,
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 96kHz 24-bit, PCM Stereo 96kHz 24-bit
1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. God Of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
5. Flaming Youth
6. Sweet Pain
7. Shout It Out Loud
8. Beth
9. Do You Love Me?
Bonus Tracks:
10. Beth (Acoustic)
11. Sweet Pain (Original Guitar Solo)
* Previously unreleased
Deluxe Edition 2CD track listing:
Disc One:
Destroyer: Original Album Remastered:
1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. God Of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
5. Flaming Youth
6. Sweet Pain
7. Shout It Out Loud
8. Beth
9. Do You Love Me?
Disc Two:
Paul Stanley demos:
1. God Of Thunder And Rock And Roll
2. Detroit Rock City*
3. Love Is Alright*
Gene Simmons demos:
4. I Don’t Want No Romance*
5. Rock N’ Rolls Royce*
6. Star*
Rarities:
7. Beth (Acoustic Mix)*
8. Shout It Out Loud (Mono Single Edit)
9. King Of The Night Time World (Live Rehearsal Instrumental)*
10. Detroit Rock City (Instrumental)*
11. Flaming Youth (Early Version)*
12. Shout It Out Loud (Alternate Mix)*
Live In Paris – L’Olympia – May 22, 1976*:
13. Deuce
14. Strutter
15. Flaming Youth
16. Hotter Than Hell
*Previously Unreleased
Destroyer Deluxe Edition 2LP track listing:
LP One:
Destroyer: Original Album Remastered:
Side One:
1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. God Of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
Side Two:
1. Flaming Youth
2. Sweet Pain
3. Shout It Out Loud
4. Beth
5. Do You Love Me?
LP Two:
Side Three:
Paul Stanley demos:
1. God Of Thunder And Rock And Roll
2. Detroit Rock City*
3. Love Is Alright*
Gene Simmons demos:
4. I Don’t Want No Romance*
5. Rock N’ Rolls Royce*
6. Star*
Side Four:
Rarities:
1. Beth (Acoustic Mix)*
2. Shout It Out Loud (Mono Single Edit)
3. King Of The Night Time World (Live Rehearsal Instrumental)*
4. Detroit Rock City (Instrumental)*
5. Flaming Youth (Early Version)*
6. Shout It Out Loud (Alternate Mix)*
*Previously Unreleased
Dolby Atmos – streaming
Destroyer: *Dolby Atmos 48kHz 24-bit:
1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. God Of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
5. Flaming Youth
6. Sweet Pain
7. Shout It Out Loud
8. Beth
9. Do You Love Me?
Bonus Tracks:
10. Beth (Acoustic Mix)
11. Sweet Pain (Original Guitar Solo)
* Previously unreleased
12 Responses
Peopppplllleeeee Waaooohhh!!! How ya doin’?!?!?!?!! Alright, alright lithen! Ya know, you just knowewwwohhh we will be releasing Destroyer XL in 5 short years from now LEMME HEAR YA!!!! Owwwlll!! Even more shitty recordings of demos that sound like you were standing outside of a garage recording with a ghetto blaster say YEAHHHHH!! We need the money people!!!!
Whatever, f–k it, this is KI⚡⚡! Come on, we all grew up with KI⚡⚡, we all love KI⚡⚡, well, except for Dana! 😉 At first I wasn’t interested, but the more I read on, the more interested I got! Really looking forward to that 1976 Halloween concert poster, how many opportunities do we get to relive our “Flaming Youth?” 😉
Doug I still have my original copy it’s trashed lol I replaced it of course, I thought the same thing until I read further and it looks like they loaded it up with really great stuff!
Robert, I still had my original vinyl until 4-5 years ago? But after 40 years, it was so warped it looked like it just came out of the microwave! Destroyer is not only KI⚡⚡’ best album (IMO) but it is also 1 of the greatest albums of all time! And it looks like there’s more than enough goodies in this box set to have one hell of a “Rock And Roll Party!”
I am so excited for this, I am actually levitating. This is awesome!!!
This the first rock album, I bought with my own money. From a store chain called Two Guys. Has my favorite Ki⚡️⚡️song “God of Thunder.”
The cover was a big draw since “Rock and Roll Over” was their latest at the time. Great songs: “Sweet Pain.” “Flaming Youth,” and “Great Expectations”. Still have my LP, cassette and CD when it was released, and it has allot of cool stuff, but just like they say is all about the money.
So, we’ll see how much it’s gonna be, cause it’s nice, but my money can be spent better on newer music or getting copy’s of my other favorite albums on CD. Oh and forgot to mention, one of the best album openers of all time.