#551: “You’re Wrong on Unmasked” (Intro to the KISS RE-Review series!)

GETTING MORE TALE #551: “You’re Wrong on Unmasked“
(Introduction to the kiss-logo Re-Review series)

When mikeladano.com launched five years ago on March 9 of 2012, one of the earliest projects on hand was posting a complete series of Kiss reviews.  This included every compilation I’d ever listened to, every studio album, every official live album, every B-side.  As comprehensive as it was intended to be, it was not 100% original.  Most of it was recycled from old reviews I wrote long ago and posted elsewhere.  Posting the old Kiss reviews was a good way to kick-start the site with loads of content right off the bat.

There was, however, a certain sense of dissatisfaction, as there often is with any old writing that is repurposed for something else.

Several months after the series was completed, I received a text from a girl I knew named Lee.  Out of the blue, she sent me this Kiss-related note:

“You’re wrong on Unmasked”.

“Pardon?” I texted back.  We’d never talked about Kiss even once.  She’d didn’t read my stuff.  I didn’t get it.

“You’re wrong on Unmasked.”  Then a followup: “Eric told me to text that to you,” she added.  “I’m not sure what it means.”

Ah, that made sense.  Lee played darts with Uncle “Eric” Meat, legendary Kiss fan and one of the Jedi masters who instructed me in the ways of the Rock.   Apparently, Uncle Meat felt I was too harsh on the second of Kiss’ two disco albums.  He urged me to one day revisit it.  Having moved on to other series since (including Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and King’s X) I wasn’t too interested at the time of going back and doing any Kiss over again.

Still…I’ve improved as a writer since Kiss.  Some of those reviews are over a decade old.  Plus, the other series (particularly Van Halen) were so much, much better than Kiss.  That text message planted the idea in my head of one day re-doing all of my Kiss reviews fresh, from scratch, the way they should have been done.

So that’s what we’ll be doing:  Bigger, better, fresher.  The old reviews are fine, but feelings change, even in as short a period as five years.  Sometimes you might feel different about an album from day to day, even for an album you’ve owned for 30 years!  It will be interesting to compare.  The new reviews will be bigger and beefier, with more info and more photos.  Plus, Uncle Meat will even be joining me on some albums to add his own ratings and comments!    Just as a remastered CD forces you to buy the album again, my “remastered” reviews will hopefully force you to read about Kiss one more time.  There will even be a review of a rare officially released Kiss song that I was unaware of when I did the first series!  (It was on a tribute album, recently acquired and also featuring other luminaries such as Alice Cooper and Def Leppard.)

For these reasons, and in the effort of creating a truly high-quality series of reviews deserving of the Hottest Band in the Land, we will be taking one last in-depth look at the official Kiss catalogue.  One more time!  (It won’t be necessary to re-do budget compilations like 20th Century Masters, but everything significant from Wicked Lester to Sonic Boom will be given a second look.  Reviews from Monster onwards were fresh from the start, so we won’t need to look at those a second time either.  Besides, we have already posted reviews for three separate editions of Monster!)  There may even be room for some additional reviews outside the traditional discography.

2017 promises to be the year of  kiss-logo at mikeladano.com.  Get ready to shout it out loud!

Original KISS reviews are below:

KISS – 20th Century Masters –  The DVD Collection (2004)
KISS – 40 (2014 Japanese with bonus track)
KISS – 40 (“Best of Kiss 40” 2015 Universal Japan)
KISS – Alive! 1975–2000 (2006, 4 discs, Best Buy bonus CD, iTunes bonus track)
KISS – Alive! (1975)
KISS – Alive II (1978)
KISS – Alive III (1993)
KISS – Alive IV: Kiss Symphony (2-disc edition, 2003)
KISS – Alive 35: Live at Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon SK, Nov 10 2009 (Concert Online)
KISS – Animalize Live Uncensored (VHS, 1985)
KISS – Animalize (1984)
KISS – Asylum (1985)
KISS – The Best Of Kiss (Green Series) (2008), Playlist Your Way (2008), Legends of Rock (2009), Superstar Series (2009)
KISS – Best Of Solo Albums (German import, 1979)
KISS – The Box Set (Deluxe mini guitar case edition, 2001)
KISS – Carnival of Souls (The Final Sessions) (1997)
KISS – Crazy Nights (1987)
KISS – Creatures of the Night (1982, 1985, 1997)
KISS – Deadly Demos (1995 bootleg CD)
KISS – Destroyer (1976)
KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected) (2012, originally released 1976)
KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected) (2012 Universal, replacement CD)
KISS – “Don’t Touch My Ascot” (2015)
KISS – Double Platinum (1978)
KISS – Double Platinum (1978, 1997 foil embossed reissue)
KISS – Dressed To Kill (1975)
KISS – Dynasty (1979, 1997 Japanese import)
KISS – Exposed (VHS 1987, DVD 2002)
KISS – “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II” (1991 CD single)
KISS – Gold (2005, Universal)
KISS – Greatest Hits (1997, Europe only)
KISS – Greatest Kiss (1997 European, Japanese, North American versions)
KISS – Greatest Live Hits (2015 Concert Live limited edition)
KISS – “Hell or Hallelujah” (2012 single)
KISS – Hot In the Shade (1989)
KISS – Hotter Than Hell (1974)
KISS – Icon and Icon 2 (2010)
KISS – Ikons (2008, Universal)
KISS – Jigoku-Retsuden (2008) (aka Kiss Klassics)
KISS – Killers (1981)
KISS – Kiss (1974)
KISS – Kiss Rocks Vegas (3 CD/1 Blu-ray Japanese import, 2016)
KISS – Kissin’ Time in San Fransisco (1974 or 1975 bootleg)
KISS – Lick It Up (1983)
KISS – Love Gun (1977)
KISS – Love Gun (2014 Deluxe edition)
KISS – Monster (2012 CD, iTunes editions) Reviews by LeBrain and Tommy Morais
KISS – Monster (Japan Tour Edition bonus CD)
KISS – MTV Unplugged (1996)
KISS – Music From The Elder (1981, 1997 remaster)
KISS – The Originals & The Originals II (1976 & 1978)
KISS – Psycho Circus (1998)
KISS – “Psycho Circus” (CD/VHS single, 1998)
KISS – Revenge (1992)
KISS – The Ritz On Fire (2013 Gold Fish, recorded 1988)
KISS – Rock and Roll Over (1976)
KISS vs MOMOIRO CLOVER Z – “Samurai Son” / “Yume no Ukiyo ni Saitemina” (2015 CD singles)
KISS – Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988)
KISS – Sonic Boom (2009 Walmart exclusive version)
KISS – Unholy Kisses (1992 bootleg)
KISS – Unmasked (1980)
KISS – The Very Best Of (Universal, 2002)
KISS – Wicked Lester / Eddie Kramer Demos (1972 – 1973, CD bootleg)
KISS – You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996, Japanese import, bonus track)
KISS SOLO – Peter Criss (1978)
KISS SOLO – Ace Frehley (1978)
KISS SOLO – Gene Simmons (1978)
KISS SOLO – Paul Stanley (1978)
A KISS Tribute for Cancer Care: A World With Heroes – A 40th Anniversary Celebration (2013)
A KISS Tribute for Cancer Care: A World With Heroes EP (2014)
KISS My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved (Official tribute album, 1994)

 

 

 

37 comments

    1. Mad for rock and roll! I hope you enjoy this. It’s been a lot of work but well worth it. Tomorrow’s post is the first of the “bigger, better, more” style of Kiss review. I think it’s a good one!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. “The only constant is change.” I’m not sure who originally said that but I’d have to agree. You’ve already done so much writing on this topic and your new undertaking is ambitious! It’s sure to be interesting. :)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

        1. Ah man. I’m sorry. I haven’t forgotten this, believe me. It’s not over — I will finish it. I’ve been kind of too timid to jump back in.

          Like

  11. Don’t want to annoy you……
    ….but by the time you finish this, Tool have made a new album.

    …and maybe a single from Chinese Democracy 2

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Ladano toiled for months to make those old reviews (previously only available in Japan) up to scratch. This included rewriting paragraphs, adding new pictures, and revising the reviews. While some made it to an international release, the blog ended before he finished. The completed reviews are available on this site, tagged “The Michael Ladano Years”.

    Like

    Reply

  13. Tremendous amount of work. Congratulations! Starting to read it now.
    I’ll be honest. I’ve always liked the KISS fandom more than I like the band itself. Having said that, I don’t dislike them. In fact, I’ve listened to most of the records.
    But, I love the fans’ dedication. I have really ever seen this, perhaps, with Beatles fans.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Jim! Thanks for that comment. I guess you’ve found a dedicated Kiss fan here. I think they are the band I’ve written about the most. They were critical to my childhood. I guess that’s why I still like them. They make me feel good.

      Like

      Reply
  14. Pingback: Kiss: Unmasked (Review) – The Mad Metal Man: Reviews and Rambles

Rock a Reply