My original Kiss – Destroyer (Resurrected) review can be found here.
KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected) (2012 Universal, replacement CD)
Good day, loyal LeBrain readers.
Back in 2012, Scott your Heavy Metal OverloRd informed me of a flaw in Kiss’ Destroyer (Resurrected) CD. As he noted then, on the song “Flaming Youth”, there seemed to be a skip or some music missing: “It’s only about 4 seconds in just before Paul sings ‘Whoa Yeah’. It’s like there’s a half beat missing or something.”
When I noticed what he was talking about, it did effect my enjoyment of the CD. Once you hear it, you cannot un-hear it. I haven’t played Resurrected much in the last year and a half. Even iTunes downloads were affected by the flaw.
Then, recently, Scott informed me that Universal were replacing defective CDs for those who bought them. I didn’t realize this, in fact I read nothing about it on the numerous rock sites I read daily. Scott found a contact email for a gentleman at Universal who was in charge of the replacement CDs. I contacted him, and he responded to me within 24 hours with instructions to provide a proof of purchase, which I also did. He then told me he would send out the replacement CD as soon as possible. No fuss, no muss!
I received my replacement copy today. I was surprised to see that Universal sent me not just a CD (as sometimes is the case) but a sealed CD in jewel case. This replacement copy was obviously different as soon as I popped into my computer: the track time of “Flaming Youth” is 3:00 instead of 2:59…and the skip is gone!
I’m enjoying revisiting Destroyer (Resurrected). It is less glaringly different sounding now than it was a year and a half ago. I think I’m actually enjoying it more, for what it is. I’m also enjoying the booklet and liner notes (by Bob Ezrin) once again. Now that I finally have a copy without that annoying flaw, I think this will become the version of Destroyer that I listen to most. The reason is, after enjoying the original Destroyer for decades, this sounds fresh and surprising to my aged ears. When you listen to music that you know and love, you expect every note and every sound exactly as they always have been. When an album gets a subtle facelift like this, the songs continually surprise me. Every time I notice a difference, it forces me to pay attention. When it’s a bad remix, that’s annoying. When it’s a good remix, it’s enjoyable.
One final note: Universal sent me an American pressing, and it is very different looking than my old Canadian version! I don’t know if the design of the CD art was changed specifically for the “fixed” pressing, or if all American pressings have always looked like this. Where previously I had a silver CD with a Casablanca logo and designed to look like an old LP, this version has a black CD — both sides! The Casablanca logo is still there, but the design is otherwise different. Instead of silver artwork with faux-LP grooves, it’s a plain black disc. It’s uber-cool looking and I like it a lot.
Revised score: 3.5/5 stars
And thanks to Aaron at Universal