RECORD STORE TALES Part 152: Carnival of Lost Souls
The Year: 1996
The Place: Dr. Disc, Hamilton Ontario
The Guilty Party: Me
Remember when the original Kiss reunited back in ’96? It was a huge deal. Everybody was talking about it. What very few people were talking about was the studio album that the previous Kiss lineup (with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick) had completed prior to the reunion. That album, Carnival of Souls, was shelved to avoid confusion.
It was, however, leaked. Or, at least most of it was. It revealed a new, grungier Kiss ready to take on the likes of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Not a bad album in fact, and some songs such as “Hate” and “In My Head” were downright vicious. A buddy of mine, Len Labelle, hooked me up with a poor-sounding cassette. It was better than nothing.
Both Gene and Paul pooh-poohed the idea of a release. You’d read things like, “We don’t know when it’s coming out,” or “We have no plans to release it right now.” But I was digging that tape and I wanted a CD, dammit!
T-Rev, Tom and myself were at a record show in Hamilton, and we stopped at a local Dr. Disc. I went over to the Kiss section. I saw two discs, both at $30 staring me in the face: the ultra rare Japanese import Chikara, a greatest hits album, and a bootleg copy of Carnival of Souls…
I had a limited budget and could only buy one. I chose Carnival of Souls. I’ve never seen a copy of Chikara again. And Kiss officially issued Carnival 9 months later, rendering my bootleg obselete. I can’t give it away, today.
It was a bad call, Ripley! Bad call!
So what about this bootleg that I bought? Well, it has a few notable features.
The title is wrong. The title on the bootleg is Carnival of Lost Souls.
The wrong lineup is on the front and back covers. They show the original Kiss, in makeup.
Even though it says it’s “the complete 11 track version” on the front cover, Carnival of Souls has 12 tracks. Missing is “I Walk Alone”, the lone Bruce Kulick lead vocal.
The songs are in the wrong order, and most have the wrong titles.
For example:
“Hate” = “Hate (Is What I Am)”
“Master & Slave” = “Tell Me”
“Rain” = “I Think It’s Gonna Rain (Down On Me)”
“It Never Goes Away” = “It Never Ends”
“In the Mirror” = “(Take A Look) In the Mirror”
“I Confess” = “You Confess”
At best, this is now just a weird oddity that sits in my closet, unlistened to, unwanted, unloved, for the rest of eternity. There’s $30 I’ll never get back again. Yeah, like I said, it was a bad call!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 145: Cassettes Part I – T-Rev’s Tapes
I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but back in the day, us Record Store Dudes were expert mix tape makers. I’ve been making mix tapes since I got my first dual cassette deck, back in 1985. It was a Sanyo. Thanks mom & dad.
I made all sorts of mix tapes. I made mixes of whatever tunes I was into at the time. I made mix tapes for girls that I liked, sneaking in the odd commercial Judas Priest tune like “Parental Guidance” in order to sway them to the dark side. I made greatest hits tapes. I distinctly remember an Ace Frehley greatest hits tape I made, 90 minutes. The first 5 songs were classic Kiss hits that he sang. The next 5 were from his first solo album. Then on side two, 5 songs from Frehley’s Comet and 5 from Second Sighting. I also made a Kiss hits tape from the post-Double Platinum period, basically all the singles from Dynasty through to Asylum.
When I first met T-Rev almost a decade later (1994), I had met a kindred spirit. He was doing the same thing! He made hits mixes for Guns N’ Roses. The Four Horsemen. Van Halen. And so on and so forth. But in a lot of ways, he had taken it to the next level.
Trevor had an artistic ability above and beyond me, he was really really good at art. That’s why we used to get him to make all our store signage. So it probably should have been no surprise to me that he put equal effort into his cover art. He did a beautiful job on the Guns and Van Halen mixes!
Somehow these ended up in my possession. I don’t even remember how anymore, but here they are. It looks to me like not only did T-Rev did awesome cover art, but he numbered all his mixes and must have had a numerical filing system. The Guns mix appears to be a Part II, and is #34 in his library. Van Halen must have followed shortly behind at #38. I also ended up with an early mix of his, number #14, called What De Hell!!
I’m really glad that I found these! It brings back a lot of memories of the early days at the record store. There was no such thing as blank CD’s yet, and even if there was, T-Rev didn’t have a computer to burn one on yet. Tapes were our canvas, and they even had a longer running time than a CD. 90 minutes was our standard, but you could even go as high as 100 without losing too much sound quality.
Not that there was much sound quality!
Thanks for loaning these to me T-Rev! If you still have something to play them on, I’ll send ’em back to ya if you want them!
Next in line of my reviews from Record Store Excursion 2012! Check out the video below if you missed it. This one bought at HMV, in their 2 for $25 sale. What I came for was Japanese imports, which they apparently don’t carry anymore. Why?
MIKE AND AARON GO TO TORONTO
KISS – Double Platinum (1978, 1997 foil embossed reissue)
For the record, until Record Store Excursion 2012, I’d never seen this before. It’s a pretty cool, pretty accurate CD reproduction of the original foil embossed LP. As far as appearances go, it’s superior to the usual jewel case version, and it’s even superior to the 1997 Japanese edition, which I also have. The cover is fragile, prone to scuffs and fingerprinting, so I’ve kept mine nice and safe in a sandwich bag.
I like that its embossed, not just flat cardboard. I like that the faces inside the cover are also embossed, just like the original LP. The photos don’t really do it justice. I wish I knew the story behind this. In all my years at the record store I never saw one, even though the year on the back clearly states 1997 (the same year as the other Kiss remasters). It even still has the same crappy 1997 liner notes by Robert V. Conte (who?).
I first heard this album back 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. It’s also still an excellent introduction even though most of the material has been remixed. (A lot of people can’t tell the difference anyway.) There’s also one “new” song, a disco-ish remake of “Strutter” called “Strutter ’78”. For me, these were the original versions that I heard!
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 was always in regards to the CD version. Since the original pressing of the LP had the Kiss logo embossed on silver foil, I felt the CD reissues were cheap and didn’t do it justice, even the Japanese, which just has a dull paper cover. The domestic jewel case CD is just printed in silver ink.
Where did this come from? What’s the story? No idea. Comment below!
You lucky, lucky boys and girls. Not only do you get TWO KISS MONSTER reviews for the price of one today, but you are getting a guest review from the scholarly Tommy Morais! This guy is one of the most fanatic rock fans I know, and one of the top rated reviewers on Amazon.ca.
And then, after Tommy’s review, I present to you part 52 of my own series of Kiss reviews! FYI, neither of us had read the others’ review when we did this. Anything they have in common is coincidental!
TOMMY’S TAKE
Out of all the guest shots Mike “LeBrain” Ladano has had, it seems he knew the contributors for years and they wrote great personal stories. Well, I’ve always been the black sheep at anything I did and this is no exception. I’ve only known Mike since 2010 and we’ve never met in person. However, I know that Mike is one of the most enthusiast fan and a hardcore collector there is and his passion for the website’s content is genuine and largely impressive. Sure I have all the studio and live albums from all my favorite bands, books, magazine, flags etc. but Mike takes it one step further and owns stuff I could only dream to own and afford, his collection is like no other as you’ve probably seen here. I first came to know LeBrain when he read some of my Amazon reviews and e-mailed me about them. He was kind enough to let me know he liked some of my reviewing work, particularly the one I did for Ratt’s Infestation album (2010). I soon discovered we both shared a love for many of the same bands and we’ve been talking Rock N’ Roll since then: albums, musicians, gossips, upcoming releases what we’d like to see etc. Best of all, Mike knows his music and you cannot understate his love for music and those bands that personally, have kept me going and rockin’. What follows is both Mike’s and my review of the new KISS album, Monster. But just before here’s to your host, all his dedication and the time and effort he puts into this website which I admire and visit daily. Cheers!
KISS – Monster (2012)
I think it’s safe to say that even though they’ve truly upset and angered some fans (to the point of leaving the KISS army) Paul and Gene still command a vast KISS army around the world. With Sonic Boom, KISS was back and it was a nice return after 11 years of complete studio silence and lack of a new album. SB was mostly well received as a return to form and a great KISS album. Then there are fans who didn’t buy the album because it’s not KISS and it’s disrespectful to Ace and Peter who were the originals to have Tommy and Eric wear their makeup. I understand both sides completely and agree with both, but I liked Sonic Boom for what it was and three years later it’s follow up (and 20th studio!) album, Monster is I have to say, better. While I was glad that there was a new KISS album and I enjoyed it, SB sounded a little too 80’s rooted at times. However, Monster is heavier, doesn’t feel like 80’s KISS and its edgy and aggressive and did I say heavy? The guitars are turned up LOUD and the drum is almighty, the sound that comes from it is massive, anthemic and fist pumping Hard Rock formula pushing far into Metal territory and as a fan, that’s good. It helps that there are no ballads either. At this point it shouldn’t be about “Fake KISS” and so on like there was a lot of talk on the Sonic Boom Amazon page, the music should stand on its own. Buying the new KISS album was always like an event, an obligation in some way whether it was Love Gun or Dynasty or Crazy Nights and now, Monster.
Opening track and first single “Hell or Hallelujah is in your face heavy, and I was surprised at how fast it sounded. To me it sounds like something from Love Gun in ’77 like “I Stole Your Love” meets the speed of “Gimme More” from Lick It Up or perhaps another fast 80’s KISS tune. It works really well, it’s anthemic, it’s pure KISS and Paul sings it like he’s on fire and the backing vocals just get it done. “Wall of Sound” is Gene being the real demon Gene Simmons again. He’s menacing and attitude comes throughout, it’s one of the best songs on Monster. “Freak” is a track that I love if not just for the lyrics, they’re representative of KISS in a way and Paul does nicely here, it’s catchy and hits it home. “Back To The Stone Age”, now this is what I’m talking about! The sound is massive, heavy and Gene’s voice, he’s got that angry demon voice we all love. The lyrics are cool and very Gene, there’s even a neat little breakdown and it’s one of the best songs here absolutely. “Shout Mercy” is undeniably catchy and has that classic, quintessential chorus that made their classic songs memorable and radio staples, and the “whoohoos” back vocals add to the catchiness, you’ll see.”All For The Love Of Rock And Roll” is one that I quite like, it’s slower paced and less aggressive and Eric Singer does a wonderful job on the vocals (“All For The Glory” was one of my favorite songs on SB).On an album where pretty much the songs are heavy it’s nice to have something to balance it out, and while not a ballad this song does just that. I could almost see it as a single on radio. “Eat Your Heart Out” starts out with just the band singing and nothing else, those harmonies sound great and you know it’s going to be a cool track. It kicks in and doesn’t let you down, another strong one. “Outta This World” is sung by Tommy Thayer and it fits the Spaceman persona nicely, I much prefer this one to the song he had on Sonic Boom, it’s a good rockin’ track I was impressed by Tommy and he comes off as more of his own this time around. “Take Me Down Below” has obviously sexual innuendo and the reason this one is special is because Gene and Paul share lead. Gene has his story that’s reminiscent of “She’s So European” from the 1980 Unmasked album (talks about a lady, standing there, champagne, perfume, now she’s standing next to me, very Simmons) and Paul comes up with something and then the chorus and it works nicely I wish they did this more often. The only song that didn’t really do it for me was “Last Chance” but while it’s not awful I think the album might have ended stronger without it. I haven’t gone through every song or every little detail but I think you get the idea of my appreciation.
I was initially worried about the album being delayed as usually that’s never a good sign, but the album is excellent and those fears were unfounded it turns out. They’ve been at it for 40 years now (almost) and it doesn’t show, they have that drive and that passion in the sound. I think it shows more of their influences too, in one song I detected a really Zeppelin-ish part and so on which I think was great.
Gene really surprised me on Monster with his lyrics, voice and attitude he really contributed amazing stuff time around that exceeds what he did on the previous album, I think his songs may just be the best ones here. It’s not a retro album, its KISS being KISS and kicking it up a notch and sounding tighter and heavier and it works extremely well. Sonic Boom grew on me, Monster I loved immediately (SB had that extra re-recorded KISS Klassics CD and live DVD but Monster stands proudly on its 12 songs people).
To me Sonic Boom wasn’t a five stars KISS album, while very good it didn’t take it to the next level which is exactly what Monster does. Is it the perfect KISS record? Look at this point it’s better than I could have anticipated, exceeds the last one which was really good and it stands on its own, plus they’re heavier this time around and it’s the record they needed to follow up SB with. To me it’s full marks on this one, Monster really is a Monster and it impressed me! Nicely done and I don’t say just because I’m a die-hard fan with everything they’ve made. Initially the band talked about having another painting as the album cover much like Destroyer or Love Gun and that didn’t happen, a slight let down. Now I’d just love to see KISS play a big chunk of this album in a LIVE setting, they sound made for the stage and I can only imagine how well it would work.
5/5.
I’ll leave you alone and let you read what you came here to read and what we’ve all been anticipating, LeBrain’s review of KISS’ new album, Monster. I’ve been anxious as to what Mike thinks and we haven’t even discussed it yet, I’m anxious to read it myself. Enjoy!
LEBRAIN’S TAKE
CHECK OUT MY QUICKIE VIDEO ON THE 3D COVER ART!
KISS – Monster (2012 3D lenticular cover, iTunes editions)
Right from that opening guitar salvo there’s no question: it’s Kiss. And Kiss have made a remarkable album. Not only is Monster a logical follow-up (and up-ratchet) to Sonic Boom, but it shows that Kiss are not afraid of growth. Monster succeeds in sounding like new Kiss, where Sonic Boom succeeded in sounding like old Kiss. Nothing wrong with that, I like Sonic Boom. But I already bought that album once.
Immediately you will notice that Monster is heavier, both song-wise and production wise. It sounds as if Kiss are attempting to scale Mount Zep. Songs like “Wall of Sound”, “The Devil Is Me” and “Back to the Stone Age” are all classic Gene attitude, totally up his alley and he kicks them in the ass. Listen to his bass kickin’ it on “The Devil Is Me”! Actually I want to draw special attention to Gene as a bass player on this album. Producer Paul Stanley wisely chose to place emphasis on Gene’s bass, and meanwhile Gene decided to throw in some of the tastiest bass-licks from his bag o’ tricks. Nobody will ever compare Gene Simmons to Geddy Lee, but there is absolutely no question that Gene’s bass playing is perfect for these songs.
Meanwhile, there’s Paul: yes, his voice is really rough in spots, but he works around it successfully. Eric Singer and Gene Simmons can be heard backing him on a song like “Freak” (another great tune) creating that classic Kiss sounding harmony. The combination of all four Kiss singers helps conceal Paul’s roughness. And besides, every once in a while he goes for the high notes, and using them sparingly makes you appreciate them more. The first single, “Hell Or Hallelujah”, demonstrates how Paul still manages to kick ass in the studio within the confines of his voice.
At first the only song I wasn’t digging was “Eat Your Heart Out”. It threw me, right from the a cappella harmony that opens the song. Now, I’m digging it. From Gene’s signature slinky bass to Eric’s cowbell and Paul’s sly backing vocals, I love this song. It’s an upbeat party tune like you want from Kiss.
“Outta This World”, written solely by Tommy Thayer, is his vocal showcase. It’s another great song, not too different from his previous “When Lightning Strikes”. It’s a great example of Tommy’s songwriting prowess. Clearly, this is the right guy right now for Kiss.
Not to be outdone, Eric Singer’s lead vocal, “All For the Love of Rock and Roll” (written by Paul) is my current favourite song. It’s probably the most “rock & roll” sounding of all these new Kiss songs. It has a certain guitar jangle that would have been at home on some of the first 6 Kiss albums. Think “Mr. Speed”. Eric has always been a great singer and I don’t understand why Kiss didn’t take advantage of this, by having him sing lead on albums back in the 1990’s.
Gene and Paul trade vocals on “Take Me Down Below”, but even better is “Last Chance” which closes the album. At first, by the opening bass, I’m thinking “Plaster Caster”; but then the riff kicks in. When Pauls sings the chorus, Gene’s infectious “Ahh, ahh ahh’s” under it seal the deal. This is a great tune. Hope it makes the live set.
Best Buy and iTunes have a bonus track: “Right Here Right Now”. The beginning is like Kiss meets AC/DC! Then it slides into an old-school Kiss singalong rocker. Awesome tune, shame some people won’t get a chance to hear it.
MVP: Gene Simmons. Not only did he contribute some great songs, but his bass kicks this whole album in the nuts. Not to mention he’s singing a lot more backing vocals, which just makes it sound more like Kiss!
Most improved: Tommy Thayer. To quote the Heavy Metal OverloRd himself, Tommy is throwing in fewer “second-hand-Ace-isms”. I agree heartily! He sounds less like Ace, and more like Tommy. Just listen to his solo on “Wall of Sound”. Ace wouldn’t have played something like that. Which is fine — Kiss don’t have to keep trying to sound like 1977 anymore. They should (and did) try to make an album that sounds like one that these four guys — Gene, Paul, Eric and Tommy — would make in 2012. And that’s just groovy.
5/5 stars
OF NOTE: I have not yet located the Japanese edition. Oh, but I will. Bonus track: “King of the Night Time World” live.
Thought I was done with Kiss reviews? Hah! It never ends! They keep putting this stuff out, and I keep buying it! Ain’t it the way?
KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected) (2012, originally released 1976)
Here it is, the much ballyhooed Bob Ezrin remix of Destroyer. Ezrin went back to the original master tapes and remixed the album himself, toughening it up while not tampering with the arrangements.
It is necessary? Nah. I don’t think so. I had high hopes for this remix, that it would shed some serious new light on these classic tunes. But, it really doesn’t. “Flaming Youth” sounds more or less the same. You can hear some more acoustic guitar on “Beth”. Other songs might have some echo where there wasn’t before. Perhaps in some cases, the layers of guitars are more individually audible. The drums are definitely heavier, which is and isn’t a good thing. I’m always a fan of big, big drums, but somehow they’re drawing too much attention to themselves in this version, especially on “Do You Love Me”. On the other hand, Peter Criss fans will be in nirvana to hear him bashing his kit like never before in “Sweet Pain”.
Bob Ezrin contributes liner notes to this package. He explains choices he made back then, and choices he made today on the album. He says that many of the effects such as echo and reverb were on the master tapes and could not be changed. The goal in this remix, he says, was making the album more “immediate and modern”. I agree that it is more modern sounding. I like that Ezrin included some alternate takes and forgotten moments here and there. I just find the whole thing to be a bit of a novelty, and a bit stingy.
Besides the entire album remixed, you also get another version of “Sweet Pain”: One with the original guitar solo, and one with a very different take. Seeing as Destroyer wasn’t a long album to begin with, I’m disappointed that the empty disc space isn’t taken up by something like demos. Ahh well.
We all know Gene. More is coming. You’ll buy it. Wait and see!
3/5 stars
NOTE: The mighty Heavy Metal Overload notified me of a flaw in “Flaming Youth”: about half a beat is missing near the beginning, about 4-5 seconds in. Once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it.
Part 50: Here we are at the end! We started with the first album, but I thought I’d end it with something a little special. I got this about a month ago. So: on the final KISS review before Monster, here we are with Best Of Solo Albums!
KISS – Best Of Solo Albums (German import, 1979)
The compilation was never released in North America, so here it’s quite a rarity. I have read that there never has been an official CD release either. Any CD would be a bootleg.
It’s a very even-handed and enjoyable listen. The album is divided into four sections, one for each member, and each member gets three tracks. Ace’s solo album was the most popular, so logically they started it with him, and his biggest hit.
“New York Groove” isn’t my favourite song in the world, but to start this album with anything but the big hit wouldn’t have been logical. A better song, “Rip It Out”, follows. I think this just might be the Ace’s best song. An upbeat rocker with a killer Ace riff, it easily stands up against any Kiss hit. This also offsets any lack of momentum that the mid-paced opening lacked.
“Speedin’ Back To My Baby”, another one of Ace’s best tunes, finishes his set. I like this cool rocker, although my pick from Ace’s album would have been “What’s On Your Mind”. Regardless, the album was wisely sequenced so it starts strong and finishes strong. Ace’s side assured a good start. What followed was Peter’s.
I don’t think there will ever be a consensus on the best songs from Peter Criss. It’s a pretty bland affair, and one song is hard to distinguish from another sometimes. “You Matter To Me” is, well, whatever it is. Bad 70’s synth, midtempo AM radio crap is basically what it is. “Tossin’ And Turnin'” and “Hooked On Rock And Roll” are both better, being rock and roll songs at least. Peter loans them his souful rasp and he turns in decent versions of both songs. I suppose I would have thrown in “I Can’t Stop The Rain” or “Easy Thing” instead. I guess Casablanca were avoiding the ballads. Makes sense in a way — they were probably trying to collect the songs they thought would most appeal to Kiss fans, out of Peter’s lukewarm songs.
Ace and Peter take up side 1. Gene starts side 2, another controversial album. “Radioactive” is his signiture disco-rocker, and Kiss were playing it on tour that year (as they also were with “New York Groove”). It is followed by one of Gene’s all-time best songs, “Mr. Make Believe”. This acoustic Beatles-y ballad has always been a favourite of mine. Gene’s remake of “See You In Your Dreams” finishes his suite. I prefer Kiss’ version. But again, it’s a rocker, unlike a lot of Gene’s album.
Much like Ace’s record, Paul Stanley was well received by Kiss fans, if critisized for being so Kiss-like. “Tonight You Belong To Me” is a dramatic opener and one of Paul’s greatest songs. Kiss were playing “Move On” on the Dynasty tour at this time, so it too appears. It’s not my favourite song. (That would be “Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me”. ) Paul’s set, and the album, closes with “Hold Me Touch Me”, which was also a single that had some success. I think it’s a great song if a little saccharine. Paul plays the guitar solo.
As a straight listen, the album works. I mentioned how I would have swapped one song for another. Well, yeah, on paper that’s what I would have done. As an album, it works as it is. Whatever the rationale was for picking the songs, it’s a consistent listen and one I enjoyed. Now that I’ve ripped the LP to CD, and I can put that record away, for special occasions.
4/5 stars.
Side 1
ACE FREHLEY – “Rip It Out”, “New York Groove”, “Speedin’ Back to my Baby”
PETER CRISS – “You Matter To Me”, “Tossin’ and Turnin'”, “Hooked on Rock and Roll”
Side 2
GENE SIMMONS – “Radioactive”, “Mr. Make Believe”, “See You In Your Dreams”,
PAUL STANLEY – “Tonight You Belong To Me”, “Move On”, “Hold Me Touch Me”
The 49th and penultimate instalment in my series of Kiss reviews, all leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Icon and Icon 2 (2010)
OK, this is where I lose it!
Fuck you, The Island Def Jam Music Group, for putting out these discs! These suck!
Kiss Icon: IDENTICAL to 20th Century Masters – The Millenium Collection: The Best of Kiss Vol. 1. Exactly the same, track for track. Without the liner notes, and suckier cover art.
Kiss Icon 2: This time, a 2 disc set. Logically, you’d assume it would be Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 of the Millenium Collection, right? Well, hell no. It has some of those songs, but it also has songs that weren’t on those, like “A World Without Heroes” and “Shandi”. But…BUT! The first disc of this set? It’s just Icon over again! Yes, disc 1 of Icon 2 is just Icon, over again! But it doesn’t tell you that. It also has an incorrect song listed! The cover says “Shout It Out Loud (Live)” is the last track of disc 1. But no. The last track on disc 1 actually is “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, just like the Millenium Collection.
But wait, I ain’t done! Disc 2, track 1, is “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”…AGAIN!
Part 47 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – The Best Of Kiss(Green Series) (2008), Playlist Your Way (2008), Legends of Rock(2009), Superstar Series (2009) (All on Universal)
These are all garbage. All of these discs are part of a “series” spanning multiple artists. None are particularly notable. The ones that do have liner notes (Legends of Rock and Green Series) are just generic, with info readily available on wikipedia.
Playlist Your Wayis amusing at least for pairing “Beth” followed by “Uh! All Night”. It’s also funny to see “Uh! All Night” on a compilation like this at all. I’m not sure why that song was chosen to represent the 80’s, along with the much more notable “Lick It Up” and “I Love It Loud”. Of the four, this is the only one that has “Love Gun”, interestingly.
Playlist Your Way also has a big ol’ hole in the front cover, holding some kind of download card. I think it’s for ringtones. But it’s only good in the US, so it doesn’t matter to me.
The Best Of Kiss (from the “Green Series”) has “Shock Me” on it, which is an interesting choice. Yet, it doesn’t have “Love Gun”. Odd.
Superstar Seriesis definitely to be avoided, since it only has 7 tracks, and all 7 are repeated on Legends of Rock. Bizarre. Yet you see them at comparable prices.
Legends of Rockhas a pic of a Fender strat on the back cover, a guitar that nobody in Kiss played onstage. Again, it’s just lack of care, interest, and knowledge. It has 15 tracks, at least, unlike Superstar‘s meager seven.
Part 46 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Ikons (2008, Universal)
Ikons, (a four disc set not be confused with the later Icon and Icon 2!), was released October 2008, just in time for Christmas, by Universal. The concept: Each disc showcases a member of the band, and key tracks that they sang. It’s a neat concept in that the music’s never been presented this way before. As such, as a fan, this is a set that I listen to a lot.
Because Ace and Peter didn’t have nearly as many lead vocals as Paul and Gene, there are songs included here that can’t be found on any other compilation. It’s actually quite fun to listen to the whole thing and hear the differing styles from the four guys.
The only flaw with the disc, of course, is that the people who sang the song didn’t always write the song. “God Of Thunder”, on Gene’s disc for example, was written by Paul Stanley. Gene did make it his own, but who does that song really represent, the singer or the writer? Regardless, there’s cool stuff here. Check out Peter’s disc, which includes songs such as “Mainline” and “Black Diamond”, both incidentally written by Paul!
To the casual fans, they won’t care who wrote what. They just want to hear the familiar voices sing their best known songs. Are these the best known songs? Well, when it comes down to Ace and Peter who didn’t have as many lead vocals, I think they’re some of the best tunes if not best known. Even the songs selected from their solo albums are my favourites. When you look at Gene and Paul’s discs, it’s less certain, since they had so many greats. Maybe Paul’s disc should have included “Got To Choose” for example. Maybe Gene’s disc should have included more stuff from his solo album such as the Beatles-y “See You Tonite”.
Also worth noting, nothing here from non-makeup albums, although Ace and Peter both get a track from the ill-fated Psycho Circus.
4/5 stars. I have to credit the originality of the concept. Very enjoyable listen.
Disc 1 (Red): The Demon
“God of Thunder” from Destroyer
“Almost Human” from Love Gun
“Calling Dr. Love” from Rock and Roll Over
“Ladies Room” from Rock and Roll Over
“Christine Sixteen” from Love Gun
“Deuce” from Kiss
“Rock and Roll All Nite” from Dressed to Kill
“Cold Gin” from Kiss
“Parasite” from Hotter Than Hell
“Larger Than Life” from Alive II
“Love ’em and Leave ’em” from Rock and Roll Over
“Plaster Caster” from Love Gun
“Radioactive” from Gene Simmons
“Charisma” from Dynasty
Disc 2 (Purple): The Star Child
“Detroit Rock City” from Destroyer
“Love Gun” from Love Gun
“Take Me” from Rock and Roll Over
“Strutter” from Kiss
“C’mon and Love Me” from Dressed To Kill
“Hotter Than Hell” from Hotter Than Hell
“100,000 Years” from Kiss
“Rock Bottom” from Dressed To Kill
“Do You Love Me?” from Destroyer
“All American Man” from Alive II
“Mr. Speed” from Rock and Roll Over
“I Stole Your Love” from Love Gun
“Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me” from Paul Stanley
“I Was Made for Lovin’ You” from Dynasty
Disc 3 (Blue): The Space Ace
“New York Groove” from Ace Frehley
“Shock Me” from Love Gun
“2,000 Man” from Dynasty
“Rocket Ride” from Alive II
“Snow Blind” from Ace Frehley
“Speedin’ Back to My Baby” from Ace Frehley
“Talk to Me” from Unmasked
“What’s on Your Mind” from Ace Frehley
“Rip It Out” from Ace Frehley
“Save Your Love” from Dynasty
“Hard Times” from Dynasty
“Two Sides of the Coin” from Unmasked
“Dark Light” from Music from “The Elder”
“Into the Void” from Psycho Circus
Disc 4 (Green): The Cat Man
“Hard Luck Woman” from Rock and Roll Over
“Baby Driver” from Rock and Roll Over
“Hooligan” from Love Gun
“Beth” from Destroyer
“I Can’t Stop the Rain” from Peter Criss
“Black Diamond” from Kiss
“Mainline” from Hotter Than Hell
“Don’t You Let Me Down” from Peter Criss
“Dirty Livin'” from Dynasty
“Getaway” from Dressed To Kill
“Strange Ways” from Hotter Than Hell
“That’s The Kind of Sugar Papa Likes” from Peter Criss
Getting closer to the end…Part 45 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!
KISS – Jigoku-Retsuden (2008) (Translated from Japanese: Intense Transmission from Hell)
After touring for several years with a lineup consisting of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer & Tommy Thayer, Kiss finally layed down a studio album, their first with this lineup.
Except it wasn’t a studio album of new original material. It was re-recordings of past hits, and only available in Japan. It was recorded so Kiss could use these new versions any time they wanted to commit a song to a film or TV commercial without Universal taking a slice of their pie. From a business point of view, it made sense. And later on, the band ended up giving this CD away for free, as a bonus disc called Kiss Klassics within the Sonic Boom album.
I firmly believe that the original versions sound superior (except for, arguably, “Hotter Than Hell”) because they are more raw and have individual character. The original recordings all had different sounds or flavours to them. This is partly because they were all recorded in different studios for different albums, years apart, and sometimes because the band members varied from track to track. Here, they all have roughly the same sound which I would describe as “sterile”. Not bad, certainly, just lacking in something special.
Most crucially, there are bits and pieces you miss from the original recordings. Eric Carr’s signiture “1-2-3-4” drum thunder in the second verse of “Forever” was a highlight of that song for me in its original guise, and nobody else plays it like he did. Gene and Paul’s voices, while still strong, are noticably different. The vocal parts vary enough that you will miss certain nuances that you have emotional attachment to. On the positive side of the vocal front, Eric Singer sings his very first lead vocal on a Kiss studio album, (“Black Diamond” to be specific) which is cool. Tommy Thayer also nails pretty much all his solos, regardless of the originator.
Some versions included a DVD with concert footage previously released on Kissology 2, from Budokan Hall 1977. This (of course) is the original Kiss lineup. The tracklisting for it is in the gallery below; this DVD is region 2 encoded.
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