I just dug up this old model kit I made in the 80’s. It is, of course, ZZ Top’s old car Eliminator. It’s been sitting for 25 years, so, quite dusty. To clean it will take a lot of work. Back then, I remember painting the engine logo was really tough. If you want to see a nice professionally painted rendition of this kit, click here.
The Hot Wheels toy, I’m sorry, I have no memory of where I got this! It’s very cool too, Definitely from the 80’s.
Although there had been one Kiss re-pack before (a vinyl set called The Originals), Double Platinum was their first “greatest hits” disc. The band was beginning to fracture internally. Both Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were looking to break out with their own solo albums. Instead, Kiss decided to record four solo albums and release them simultaneously. This, a first ever for anybody, was a big project and would require six months to execute. In order to satiate the fans, who had become accustomed to new Kiss albums twice a year, Double Platinum was conceived.
I first got this album in 1985 or 1986 and it was my first exposure to songs like “Hard Luck Woman” and “Makin’ Love”. For years I would often recommend this album as one of the first Kiss albums for people to get. It is still an excellent introduction despite the fact that the market has been flooded with approximately 15 different compilations (rough guess) since then.
One “new” song (a disco-ish remake of “Strutter” called “Strutter ’78”) and a boatload of remixes were quickly prepared. Sean Delaney worked on the remixes, and I don’t think they are as bad as they are made out to be by some fans. For me, these were the original versions that I heard! And the cool thing in my own experience was, when I eventually moved on to collect the rest of the studio albums, I wasn’t familiar with those versions of the songs. Everything was fresh for me on those albums.
The technical reasoning for the remixing was to make the band’s uneven catalogue sound more alike, when presented together in this fashion. The material produced by Bob Ezrin (Destroyer) sounded leaps and bounds different than the other stuff, so it was remixed to bring it to Ezrin’s level.
“Strutter ’78” was re-recorded with more compression on the drums. I still think it’s a great track, but it lacks the fire of the Kiss original. It’s more sleek. “Hard Luck Woman” has been remixed to highlight the acoustic guitars, leaving the band out until later in the song. “Rock Bottom’s” intro is presented here without the song itself, and it does work in that form, serving now as an intro to “She”. “Black Diamond” lacks the slow-down ending, and I kind of prefer this version: Instead, at the end, the song starts all over again and goes into a fade.
My only complaint about Double Platinum is in regards to the CD version. The original pressing of the LP had the Kiss logo embossed on silver foil. I paid a lot of money for a Japanese import CD and I wanted the silver foil cover. Instead I got dull paper. The domestic CD is not much better, although the cover is different yet again (printed with silver ink).
FYI, those with records for sale: I would love a mint complete Double Platinum LP, please.
My guess is that one day we’ll get yet another load of Kiss reissues (it’s already starting with Destroyer/Resurrected) Let’s get it right next time.
Still, 5/5 stars. Start your Kiss collection with Kiss Alive!, and then grab some studio versions here.
That’s really not a good excuse to give away an autographed Rush disc, man. But, as Burgess Meredith said so wisely in Clash of the Titans, “A divine gift should never be questioned, simply accepted.” And are Rush not gods of rock?
Part 9 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
Produced once again by Eddie Kramer, this is taken from multiple shows in 1977, plus 5 studio tracks. The crowd noise (probably from the Japanese shows) is a bit shrill and the overdubbing of Paul Stanley’s voice is much more noticeable than it was on the first Alive.
The problem that Kiss had in Alive II was to avoid repeating any songs from Alive!, which was only two years prior. That resulted in a truncated tracklist, and then Simmons had the idea to tack on a fourth side of studio material. He says this was inspired by the ZZ Top album, Fandango! That idea turned out to be pretty smart, as the five new songs are by and large very decent.
Two other songs were recorded at rehearsals or soundchecks: “Tomorrow And Tonight”, and “Hard Luck Woman”. Crowd noise was overdubbed and the songs sweetened in the studio.
Once again, it is hard to argue with the track selection on Alive II. There are very few songs I would have excluded in favour of others. The concert opens with the double salvo of “Detroit” and “King of the Night Time World”. “God of Thunder” is played at a faster tempo and I generally prefer this version to the original. Ace’s “Shock Me” is here, and Peter Criss sings on “Hard Luck Woman” and of course “Beth” (sung to backing tapes as always).
Ace also had a lead vocal on “Rocket Ride”, one of the new songs. Let’s talk about those a bit.
“All American Man”: I like the riff a lot, and I find this to be one of Paul’s coolest songs. I have also felt it had a similar vibe to the stuff they’d later record for Killers, 4 years down the road. But who’s that on lead guitar? Bob Kulick. Kulick replaced Ace Frehley on lead guitar, on four of the five studio tracks on Alive II!.
“Larger Than Life”: A Gene plodder. Another pretty strong one. I think you can guess what he’s singing about in the title.
“Rockin’ In The USA”: Gene loves the USA which has given him so much. The lyrics are pretty bad, but it’s basically Gene’s love song to America, much like the Beach Boys had done.
“Rocket Ride”: Ace’s track. Ace plays all guitars and bass, Peter Criss plays drums, and the other two only contribute vocals. An Ace classic which later appeared on his solo Live + 1 EP.
“Anyway You Want It”: I have a soft spot for Kiss covers like this Dave Clark Five track. I think Kiss did a great job with it, particularly with the vocals. Paul plays all guitars.
I must stress, I think you should buy the Alive Box rather than this version. You’ll get four Alives, and some rarer tracks.
5/5 stars. Might not be very live, but it sure is very rock.
Part 8 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Love Gun (1977)
Love Gun, the 7th album by Kiss in a brief 3 year period, was the end of an era. It would be the last album by all four original Kiss members (Alive II was missing Ace Frehley on four songs, Dynasty featured Peter Criss on only one track). Yet at the same time, it also featured Ace Frehley’s first lead vocal on “Shock Me”.
Not terribly different from Rock And Roll Over, Love Gun is nonetheless a glossier package. “Tomorrow And Tonight” for example featured female backing vocals, and “And Then She Kissed Me” was a Phil Spector cover (the Crystals actually, with genders reversed).
Incidentally, I made sure I had “And Then She Kissed Me” played at my wedding!
Like Rock And Roll Over, there’s a little bit of filler on here. I’m not a big fan of “Almost Human” even though Gene is, and some people dislike “Hooligan” although I love it. I could also take or leave “Got Love For Sale”.
The classics here are among Kiss’ all time best. “Shock Me”, “I Stole Your Love”, and “Love Gun” are still played in Kiss’ set circa 2012 (with Tommy Thayer singing lead on “Shock Me”). “Tomorrow And Tonight” and “Christine Sixteen” were on Alive II and were often in the live set. (“Christine”, in this writer’s opinion, contains Peter Criss’ best-ever drumming. He channels Charlie Watts and plays the most interesting fills and beats of his career.) “Plaster Caster” was covered by the Lemonheads. Even “Hooligan” got played live by Kiss on the Love Gun tour.
The only flaw with this CD is that there’s no cardboard love gun inside like there was in the vinyl. Otherwise it’s a great sounded disc, with cover art once again by Ken Kelly. Man I gots to get me some vinyl!
Part 7 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Rock and Roll Over (1976)
After 1976’s Destroyer, Kiss had a choice: a) continue down that road and see what they could see with the epic, orchestrated sound that Ezrin got out of them, or b) return to their rock roots
On Rock and Roll Over (for better or worse) they chose b).
I love Rock and Roll Over, and I consider it a slightly stronger album than both Destroyer and Love Gun. Check out the tracks:
“I Want You” – Acoustic intro, electric riffage, classic song.
“Take Me” – Paul co-wrote this album cut with Sean Delaney. A lost klassic.
“Calling Dr. Love” – I was never a huge fan of this song, but obviously it always goes over well with the fans in concert.
“Ladies Room” – Peter Criss plays some fun drum rolls on this Gene rocker.
“Baby Driver” – The weakest song on the album, which Peter Criss claims is due to Kiss playing it at the wrong tempo. He does get to scream his butt off though.
“Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” – Gene’s motto? Either way a great Kiss tune.
“Mr. Speed” – Another Stanley/Delaney classic. Best song on the album! I wish Kiss would play it again!
“See You In Your Dreams” – I prefer this version to the later one on Gene’s solo disc.
“Hard Luck Woman” – Peter Criss has never sounded so raspy and good. Truly, a song for everyone. Simply perfect songwriting courtesy of Paul, with some sweet 12 string.
“Makin’ Love” – Like a stick of dynamite in your ear.
Interestingly Ace had no songwriting credits on Rock and Roll Over. I recall reading that he did write a song called “Queen for a Day”, that he intended on singing, but it was dropped.
Kiss regrouped with Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Hendrix) to co-produce this album. Kramer previously did the original Kiss demo and Alive! They recorded it as live as possible in a theater. While it does not sound like a live album, it does have a lot more life than Destroyer.
5/5 stars
Also, check out this weird bootleg I have from the Rock and Roll Over tour, simply titled Kiss Army! It’s obviously supposed to look official. Although no exact date is given, it purports to be recorded live at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo Japan, 1977. (Check out how “rhythm guitar” is spelled on Paul’s page.)
Part 6 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster! See the end for a bit of a preview of the forthcoming Destroyer: Resurrected too.
KISS – Destroyer (1976)
DISCLAIMER: I’m not the biggest fan of Destroyer. I loved the cover as a kid, and that cover led me to expect the album to be heavier. Also worth noting: I got mono real bad around the time that I got this album, so upon initially hearing it, I was constantly sick.
I strongly like four of the tracks today, which unfortunately have become overplayed:
Detroit Rock City
King of the Night Time World
Shout It Out Loud
God of Thunder
And let’s face it, Kiss fans can take or leave “Beth”. Unfortunately for Peter Criss it was the only hit that he had a hand in writing, and during the reunion got way overplayed. It was nice hearing it again at first, since it had been dropped from the set for about 17 years. I’m sick of it now. We’re all sick of it. Kiss felt the song was a throwaway, and it kind of is. A novelty.
Other tunes:
“Sweet Pain” — not a big fan. I find it dull.
“Flaming Youth” — again, not a big fan. I think Ezrin got carried away with production on this one, and to be honest I’ve never been a fan of the “Mad Dog” riff in the middle.
“Great Expectations” — never liked it. Always thought it was a novelty even moreso than Beth. But the live version on Alive IV is stunning.
“Do You Love Me?” — I have no idea how this song continues to be played live. Maybe when Nirvana covered it, it got a new life? It’s just too simple.
Ezrin’s production is probably too sweet for my tastes. On the Alice Cooper stuff he was a little bit more rock, a little bit more raw. As I said, “Flaming Youth” is drenched in production. Calliope? Why? I don’t know.
Having said that, Ezrin pulled a few tricks out of the bag on this album that are really cool:
1. Grand piano subtley doubles the guitar riffs on most songs. It is audible on “Shout It Out Loud”, but you can hear it if you really listen on the other tracks. It gives the riffs a little extra BOOM!
2. The sound effect intro to “Detroit”, and the walkie-talkies on “God Of Thunder”. Genius atmospheres. No wonder this guy would later produce Pink Floyd!
3. Songwriting. Ezrin really helped Kiss learn about songwriting craft, and Kiss would never be the same.
So there you go. It is undeniably a classic, but it does not represent what Kiss really sound like. Maybe if Kiss had continued down this road immediately and tried some production stuff on their own, without Ezrin, they would be a different band today? But they didn’t, and Kiss returned to rock and roll on the next album, which I like better.
3/5 stars
AND NOW!
Destroyer: Resurrected (35th Anniversary Edition)
This baby is coming in August. A full-on Bob Ezrin remix of Destroyer, plus unheard demos. Now I know a lot of you don’t particularly care for remixes, but if Ezrin is helming it, I believe there will be a point to it. Ezrin is a producer of integrity and I don’t believe he would waste our dollars or time if this remix wasn’t somehow going to be worth it. I don’t know if the original mix will be included. But who cares? Everybody owns that and it’s not being deleted.
Ezrin pulled the tapes from the vaults and painstakingly remixed the entire album, enhancing the sound and bringing out its rich texture and vibrancy, while keeping the integrity of the original recording intact. Destroyer: Resurrected will also include rare and unreleased recordings rediscovered during the remixing process, plus the originally intended cover artwork.
I’m now hearing it’s only going to be 1 disc, but with the original Ken Kelly cover art (Alive! costumes), read more here!
Part 3 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Dressed To Kill (1975)
Dressed To Kill is an interesting album. While it contains the best known Kiss song (“Rock N’ Roll All Nite”) it also contains quite a few album classics that a lot of people don’t know (“Getaway”, “Anything For My Baby”, and “Two Timer” being good examples). This is one I play frequently. I never tired of it. It just has “vibe”. Listen to “Two Timer” for example. Kiss were obvious more than the sum of their parts, and this album was pretty heavy for 1975.
“Room Service” is an upbeat Paul opener, and I think we all know what kind of service Paul was getting. “C’Mon and Love Me” has a killer riff, one of the best Paul’s ever written. “She”, of course, goes back to the Wicked Lester days. It’s one of Gene’s sludgier moments. Even standard album tracks like “Love Her All I Can” and “Anything For My Baby” are entertaining enough. They might not be classics, nor complex, but they sure get the foot tapping.
The first and only album produced by the Casablaca label president Neil Bogart, Dressed To Kill retreats from the weak but more metallic sound of Hotter Than Hell, and goes back to the more rocky feel of their debut. The songs are every bit as good. I particularly like “Two Timer”, “C’Mon and Love Me”, and “Rock Bottom”. “Rock Bottom” features a beautiful acoustic intro by Ace Frehley.
The album cover is also classic — a shot of the band wearing ill-fitting suits, given to them by manager Bill Aucoin. It’s perfect.
Stepping out of continuity: Part 5 of my series of Kiss reviews, this time on the BRAND NEW SINGLE, leading up to the release of Monster!
Yes, I know I forgot part 3. It’s coming. I just forgot to publish Dressed To Kill!
KISS – “Hell or Hallelujah” single (download only, 2012)
If you’re still hung up on Ace and Peter not being in the band anymore, just go away. Get over it. This sounds like Kiss. Pure and simple Kiss. Like the 70’s crossed with the speed of the 80’s. Picture a song like “Take Me” with the velocity of “Under The Gun”.
Sticking to the seldom-broken formula of having a Paul song be the first single, “Hell or Hallelujah” kicks ass from start to finish. I can’t say I prefer it to the first single from the previous album, “Modern Day Delilah”, but it’s certainly heavier. I love the sound of Gene and Paul singing together. The riff is retro-Kiss, and Paul is singing great.
Tommy Thayer shines, with a guitar solo that is less Ace and more Tommy. Rather than rip off a bunch of Ace licks like he did last time, this solo reminds me more of something like Bob Kulick would have done back in the day. Still Ace-like enough in general sound, but with much more dexterity. Having said that I don’t think it strays too far from the classic Kiss sound, and it’s about time Tommy got to really show off his chops.
Clocking in at 4:06, and selling for $1.29 on iTunes, I can’t wait for a better sounding format. The CD has to sound better than this!
Part 4 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Alive! (1975)
For the record I would recommend the Alive Box over this, simply because you get the first 3 Alives in one set with extra material. Buut we’ll get there evenually.
Kiss Alive!…what can you say? Greatest live album of all time? Not really live? Who cares! It sounds amazing and 35 years later people are still buying it. The same cannot be said of many live albums from the era. Live At Last by Black Sabbath was recorded around this time, nobody buys that record now. It’s one of a handful of classics. Frampton Comes Alive, and Live & Dangerous (Thin Lizzy) are up there with it.
Is it live? Sort of. Paul’s guitar playing and singing was not up to snuff for the live album that producer Eddie Kramer wanted to make (too much jumping around) so a lot of it was done in the studio. Can you tell? Absolutely not. You can’t tell at all.
The sound: Epic, loud, superior in every way to the studio albums. The songs: Played faster, more intense, solos are crazier and longer. Paul’s stage raps became popular because of Kiss Alive! Now everybody knows the rap about “a taste of alcohol” (“Cold Gin”), and the big middle section to “100,000 Years”.
You can’t fault one single song inclusion on Kiss Alive!, and indeed this version of “Rock And Roll All Nite” has become more well known than the original. Sure, there are other great Kiss songs that didn’t make it here, but when a live album becomes too long it also becomes harder to listen to.
This (or the Alive Box) should be your first Kiss purchase if you’ve never bought one before.
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