Shout It Out Loud

The Story of Kiss's Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon

De: James Campion

Narrado por: Stephen Borne

How does an underground oddity become a cultural phenomenon?

For more than 40 years, the rock band Kiss has galvanized the entertainment world with an unparalleled blitz of bravado, theatricality, and shameless merchandizing, garnering generations of loyally rabid fans. But if not for a few crucial months in late 1975 and early 1976, Kiss may have ended up nothing more than a footnote.

Shout It Out Loud is a serious examination of the circumstance and serendipity that fused the creation of the band's seminal work, Destroyer - including the band's arduous ascent to the unexpected smash hit Alive!, the ensuing lawsuits between its management and its label, the pursuit of the hot, young producer, a grueling musical "boot camp", the wildly creative studio abandon, the origins behind an iconic cover, the era's most outlandish tour, and the unlikely string of hit singles.

Extensive research from the period and insights into each song are enhanced by hundreds of archived materials and dozens of interviews surrounding the mid-'70s-era Kiss and its zeitgeist. New interviews with major principals in the making of an outrageously imaginative rock classic animate this engaging tale.

©2015 James Campion (P)2021 Tantor

Great album, not a great story

As a KISS fan for nearly 50 years and with Destroyer being one of the first albums I ever bought (Alive was my first) and is one of my all-time favorites, I was really looking forward to the stories behind the making of the album. What I got were a lot of passages that made it seemed like the author had just gotten a new thesaurus and he was going to use it. Lots of pompous pontificating (see what I did there.) One feature I absolutely despised were the chapters where the lyrics for each song were recited and then dissected for some deep meaning. And when I say the lyrics were recited, every lyric was read, even if it was the same line 8 times in a row. As Gene Simmons is quoted in the book "Why are you looking for meaning when there is none." There is also a lot in the book that is about the formation of KISS and the making of the first three albums. Not bad but not really needed in a book that is supposed to be "The Story of KISS'S Destroyer". Also, lots on Bob Ezrin's work with Alice Cooper. Relevant, but could have been handled in far less detail. I was also irked by how the author would refer to KISS as "the act" rather than "the band." Sounded condescending. So what was good? The story behind the album cover art was very interesting. I knew Beth was originally titled Beck, but I didn't know the true origin story behind the song. And I learned I had a mis-heard lyric: In King of the Nighttime World, I always thought the line was "and you're my midnight queen" but learned it is actually "headlight queen." The background stories on the engineers and what they went on to after Destroyer was interesting. All in all, the book could have been half as long and still accomplished the goal of telling the story behind the making of Destroyer.

Kiss fans only

Too many adjectives and an over reach of big words. The reciting of all of the song lyrics was too much…it’s not Shakespeare. I almost quit listening after the first couple of chapters. Couldn’t stomach the adjectives. But I’m glad I didn’t give up on it. Good story for a real KISS fan. Some interesting facts and insight to the recording of Destroyer.

Great trip down my teenage memories!

I’m a music producer, and while I didn’t really appreciate the role of Bob as written in the production of destroyer when I was younger, today I realize what an amazing achievement this record was at the time. That, plus all the other drama around the beginnings of Kiss are all laid out in this book.

I feel the author does a very good job of bringing the reader to that time and place, filling in details that otherwise would have been lost in time. It was very obvious that the author not only knew his literary trade, but also had a deep emotional connection to the subject matter.

I think this book would be a welcome addition to any Kiss fans bookshelf, or playlist, as the case may be.

Good stuff! But really only for hardcore kiss fans

Expertly researched and superbly written, this detailed analysis on the making of Destroyer, widely considered KISS's best (studio) album, has lots good stuff!

But as a dedicated KISS fan myself, it's fair to say about 80% of the material will only be of interest to other hardcore KISS fans.

There's plenty of great KISSstory, but there's other sources I suggest you turn to first for such content.

And while there are plenty of juicy details about the making of Destroyer, they're embedded amid a sprawling narrative (the audiobook is 14 hours long for Pete's sake!?).

Personally, I was hoping for something more tightly focused on the songwriting, performances, and studio craft. But I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

And again, I definitely recommend it to any hardcore KISS fans.

Shout it out

I learned a lot that I did not know about Kiss.
Awesome book!
The Detroit Rock City story was compelling.

Author’s handling of researched materials—as If he were in the room (s).

Nothing to dislike. Fair and comprehensive discussion of the Kiss phenomenon and their ascendancy; explains why their “brand” (and it certainly IS one here in 2024) remains.

A fascinating look at a band and an era

I thought this book was fantastic. Here are a few reasons:

1. You get a feel for what it was like to be in the middle of history as KISS went from unknown to international fame.

2. The story of the Destroyer cover artwork was wonderfuly presented, and I appreciate the time and effort that went into that.

3. The story of the song Beth, and all of its fascinating twists and turns, and the fact that I could listen to audio of it and watch videos of it (and so many other songs) on YouTube was fantastic. The Australia performance on video was particularly amazing in my opinion.

4. Hearing the absolutely terrible reviews by the music press of the Destroyer Album just underscored what I’ve learned about many “professional” reviews.

Good and Bad

The good: great details on what was going on at the time.
The bad: enough useless adjectives to drive a college writing professor leap off of a tall building.

Skip The First Few Chapters, This Is A Must-Read!

I have to start with . . It is no fault of the author however the "child" voicing the intro to Alice Cooper's The Ballad Of Dwight Frye was around 20 at the time. Uncredited, her name is Monica.
Shout It Out Loud produces a detailed, focused account which not only includes specific quotes but some fascinating recent insider interviews from the Destroyer production team. Yeah the book cover stupidly features the non-Ace and Peter lineup (WTF?!?) and fails with a disorienting, meandering waste within the opening chapters, but what we really get is hundreds of fun facts none of us has previously heard along with dozens of hilarious anecdotes. The research and placing of each quote is a great tribute to KISS and Destroyer. The real star is Bob Ezrin who looks back with great affection.
But again... the detail! The new interviews! The Legend.
rb

Loved all the perspectives of the people who were there.

Great book. If i have to critique something, id say that i did have to up the speed to 1.5X. Maybe that’s because my AAD. Loved this book