February 3, 2011

THE ALBUM OF THE DAY
KISS...Destroyer (1976)
(CD, vinyl, Allmusic review)

This is the 4th studio album from Kiss, released in 1976. The album reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard charts and the single "Beth" reached number 7. This is definitely in my top 5 of Kiss studio albums. The album flat out rocks, and at this point in their careers it was the most experimental work the band had done. Choirs, studio tricks, additional musicians and a soft ballad turned out to be fine additions to the album. Some of the bands most popular songs in their history are on Destroyer, including "Beth", "Shout It Out Loud", "Detroit Rock City" and "God Of Thunder". Hard rock/heavy metal has been heavily influenced by this record ever since. Even if you're not a Kiss fan but a rock 'n' roll fan I strongly recommend you check this one out. Rock critics just don't get it. They usually ignore this album and the band all together. This would definitely be in my Top 20 favorite albums of all time. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars, and I strongly, wholeheartedly recommend it


Check out the New Releases here
Check out What We're Listening To This Week here
You can check out the Top 10 ROCK genre CD's/LP's/Downloads here

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR FEBRUARY 3
Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra of Canned Heat is 65; Dave Davies from The Kinks is 64;

ON THIS DATE
1959 A single-engine plane crashed shortly after midnight near Clear Lake, Iowa, claiming the lives of rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as pilot Roger Peterson

1969 Paul McCartney plays drums for the Steve Miller Band for the track "My Dark Hour"
1969 This Was by Jethro Tull has it's U.S. release
1973 Journey Through The Past by Neil Young is released
1998 Yield by Pearl Jam is released
2002 "Rock And Roll" by Led Zeppelin is heard in a commercial for Cadillac during the Super Bowl. It is the first time a Zep tune is used in a commercial. U2 performs at halftime
2003 Phil Spector is arrested in connection of the shooting death of Lana Clarkson
2004 Cornelius Bumpus, formerly with the Doobie Brothers, dies on a flight from Los angeles to new York of a heart attack at the age of 58
2008 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform at the Super Bowl halftime
2009 Reflections by Graham Nash is released