animalize

REVIEW: Gene Simmons – The Vault – Disk 10 (2018)

Previous Reading: 

Record Store Tales #600:  The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
Disk 4 Review
Disk 5 Review
Disk 6 Review
Disk 7 Review
Disk 8 Review
Disk 9 Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 136-150 in the Vault box set.  This time we foray into genres far and wide, from disco to reggae.

GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 10 (2018 Rhino)

“Take It Like a Man #2” originated with a riff written on bass, and then intended for Psycho-Circus.  Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer play on this demo.  It was intended that Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene each take a line, and Gene does his little imitations of the members where he wanted them to sing.  This song may have had been better than “You Wanted the Best” which had the same idea.  It’s heavier and sounds pretty good in this demo form.  Though it came later, it has a Creatures vibe.  3.5/5

“Take It Like a Man #1” is the original bass lick from which the song was later written.  This is included to show how Gene would “hear” a full song in his head when coming up with the riff on bass.  It also demonstrates he’s a better bassist than he gets credit for.  This unfinished idea is just that: unfinished.  Yet you can hear he was onto something, as demonstrated by “#2”.  2.5/5

“Have Mercy, Baby” is a Simmon / Kulick composition with Bruce playing guitar.  This is a fully-fleshed out demo, at first recorded to four-track and then upgraded to 24-track for overdubs.  It sounds like a Crazy Nights or Hot in the Shade era tune.  That said, it wouldn’t have been album worthy.  Though Bruce Kulick always offers intelligent and tasteful solo work, the song itself only has one or two solid hooks.  2.5/5

Gene gushes over Eric Carr as a human being in the liner notes.  “We Won’t Take It Anymore” is a song that originated in the same session as “My Babe”, next on the box set.  Written by Gene and Eric, this is a hard rocker with a cool chorus.  It really is a shame that Eric wasn’t nurtured as a songwriter in Kiss the way he could have been.  This has a strong “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” kind of vibe, and the chorus really would have worked well with Kiss.  3.5/5

“My Babe” is completely different!  This fast, almost pop-punk!  It almost throws back to Dressed to Kill-era Kiss, with that kind of simplicity and basic rock and roll arrangement.  What it is, is a hybrid of many things and all of them sound good to me.  It’s understandable why Kiss didn’t want to do this kind of song in the Carr era, but they really should have.  3.5/5

“Eat Your Heart Out” is not the same song that was later used on Monster (though the chorus really is similar).  This is a late 70s demo of an idea that originated with “Rotten to the Core”.  It’s a tangled web since so many ideas appear in multiple forms on this box set.  This is a menacing little rock song that would have worked on any Kiss album from that period, but probably just wasn’t good enough.  There are some cool melodies on the pre-chorus especially.  3/5  

“Nine Lives” is a cool late-80s idea with Bruce Kulick on guitar.  Again, not quite good enough to replace one of the album songs, but there is promise here too.  It has a slow, slinky vibe.  Kulick shows of some cool whammy work, followed by two-handed tapping.  His technique seems to date it to Crazy Nights.  3/5

Back to the 70s, “Howling for Your Love” has Katey Sagal and the girls on backing vocals.  It’s very similar to “Bad Bad Lovin'”, also known as “Dr. Love”, and the tangled web of songs becomes even more so.  It’s pretty good and, once again, had Kiss made more albums, this would have been on one of them.  3/5

“I Ain’t Coming Back” is the song that “Never Gonna Leave You” from Disk 7 became.  This is a four track demo with a dancey beat, but it’s no better than the other version.  One of the poorer tracks on this set, with a chorus that should have never hit the recycle bin.  Just trash it.  1/5

The riff to…ahem…“Granny Takes A Trip” sounds similar to “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.  The title here was taken from a store in New York that sold platform boots.  It’s very metal, but not very good.  It’s very alterna-grunge.  Probably intended for Carnival.  Very noisy.  Not worth exploring further.  1/5

Former Journey and Vinnie Vincent Invasion singer Robert Fleichmann co-wrote “Piece of the Rock” (not the King Kobra/Kick Axe song).  This has a dark 80s vibe but sounds unfinished.  There’s a compelling guitar part with good verses and a decent chorus, but the bridge that connects them should be excised.  The song just needed something else to go in that section, and it would be pretty good.  2.5/5

Gene says “Rock It” was inspired by Fine Young Cannibals.  I also hear Love and Rockets.  Judging by the vocal track, this sounds like it was recorded much later.  It’s not bad.  There’s something cool going on here, especially with those 80s drum programs.  3/5

“Sticky Goo” is a cool reggae-based idea.  It also has a “New York Groove” vibe.  It could be finished into something cool.  Cool, but different.  There’s no denying that some of these songs would simply not work with Kiss and would have to go on solo albums.  But, then again, they did do “Torpedo Girl”, so who’s to say what’s ultimately outside the Kiss wheelhouse?  Gene is sure to lay down crunchy rhythm guitars here to ground it in rock.  Still hearing lots of “New York Groove” though.  3/5

“Love Came To Me” is Gene’s answer to “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, but it also re-uses certain melodies from “Love Is Blind”.  (This is not mentioned in the book, but I’m telling you with my ears.)  Gene concedes that he doesn’t know as much about dance music as Paul Stanley, but this isn’t a bad stab at the genre.  It’s not as fast and infectious, but the bassline is a lot of fun, as is the beat.  You could dance to it.  3/5

“Roar of the Greasepaint” is the original idea that later became “Journey of 1,000 Years” on Psycho-Circus.  He later added chords from the earlier “You’re My Reason for Living 4 Track” (Disk 4) to create the final version.  That version is superior for many reasons, including the heavy orchestration and progressive vibes.  “Roar of the Greasepaint” has a cooler title though.  It really ties into the Kiss image and should have been left as-is.  This was the closing song on Psycho-Circus, and would have been the closing song on this 150 song box set…if Gene didn’t include an 11th bonus disc!  3.5/5

Average score by song:   2.76/5 stars

 

Disk 10 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)

1. Take It Like a Man #2 (2:38) Simmons
2. Take It Like a Man #1 (2:44) Simmons
3. Have Mercy, Baby (4:04) Simmons / Kulick
4. We Won’t Take It Anymore (3:03) Simmons / Carr
5. My Babe (1:51) Simmons / Carr
6. Eat Your Heart Out (2:22) Simmons
7. Nine Lives (3:33) Simmons / Sigerson
8. Howling for Your Love (2:47) Simmons
9. I Ain’t Coming Back (3:02) Simmons
10. Granny Takes a Trip (1:55) Simmons
11. Piece of the Rock (3:48) Simmons / Fleischman
12. Rock It (2:23) Simmons
13. Sticky Goo (3:05) Simmons
14. Love Came to Me (3:25) Simmons
15. Roar of the Greasepaint (3:07) Simmons

REVIEW: Gene Simmons – The Vault – Disk 9 (2018)

Previous Reading: 

Record Store Tales #600:  The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
Disk 4 Review
Disk 5 Review
Disk 6 Review
Disk 7 Review
Disk 8 Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back, creatures of the night.  For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 121-135 in the Vault box set.

GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 9 (2018 Rhino)

Gene wrote “It’s Gonna Be Alright” with Mikel Japp, who was a Paul Stanley co-writer.  This was written for Creatures, and this 4:29 version appears on that box set.  Japp came up with the opening lick while the rest came from Gene.  It’s a good song, though too upbeat and pop for Creatures.  The drum machine is just a placeholder, but even with the drum machine, it’s a good song already.  The guitar part is catchy and Kiss-like.  It would have fit into that Kiss Killers sound.  3.5/5

“It’s Gonna Be Alright #2” was re-done with Bruce Kulick in the mid-80s.  This is more fleshed out, with solos and harder-edged guitars.  The drum program is more sophisticated and it’s more suitable for an album like Asylum.  A real shame that songs like this were not chosen in favour of weaker compositions.  Some songs might not have fit the direction of the album, but perhaps the direction of the album was at fault.  4/5

“Everybody Knows #1” is performed with Tommy Thayer, who plays a very similar acoustic guitar part inspired by “Rock Bottom” from Dressed to Kill.  The electric guitars kick in, along with a massive chorus.  This would date back to the Hot in the Shade era and absolutely should have been on that album.  The answering vocals are killer and it makes you wonder what Paul Stanley could have done with those backing vocals.    According to Wikipedia, the Japanese version of Asshole contained “Everybody Knows” as a bonus track, but it is unknown which one.  4/5

“Everybody Knows #2” is a very different version.  This one is more 90s and alterna-rock.  It could have worked on an album like Carnival of Souls or Psycho-Circus.  While it is still a good song, the previous one is superior, though that might just be a matter of taste.  The chorus is intact but a lot of the hooks I liked are not.  3.5/5

A very special demo is ahead.  “You’re All That I Want” was of course the closing song on Kiss Unmasked.  Gene says this is the only demo he has with Paul Stanley assisting.  Therefore this is the Starchild’s only appearance in this box set, and perhaps therefore the only “true” Kiss demo.  It’s like a shock to the system to finally hear Paul singing, nine discs in.  This demo doesn’t have the pep of the final version, but they were going for something harder edged.  The acoustic guitars are very crisp and unlike anything on the Unmasked album.  This demo just proves that Gene and Paul are better together than apart.  4/5

“Kids With Painted Faces” is the third version of “I Am Yours”, here re-written with new lyrics including one about playing air guitar to Ace.  The Beatles influence still comes through.  This is the song Gene compared to “All the Young Dudes” due to its anthemic guitar melody.  One lyric is pretty poignant:  “There is no Kiss without you.”  True, Gene.  True.  3.5/5 

“I Wanna Rule the World” is another variation of the “Now That You’re Gone” / “Mirage” idea.  It sounds as if the Beatles moved to Seattle in 1992.  It’s quite intriguing.  There was a certain simplicity that was happening with melody in the 1990s, and this demo shares that quality.  It is not bad, but the rough and distorted recording does it no favours.  It is important to remember that “demo” means “demonstration”.  You would literally record an idea to relay or demonstrate the idea to another person, either for them to perform it themselves, or see if they are interested in it.  3/5

“Rule the World #2” is a completely different idea with a similar title.  In the liner notes, Gene explains he does this to make box sets harder for reviewers to write about (kidding!).  This is a very grungey, alternative song with droning guitars and a distinctly 90s sound.  This is one of the songs Gene wrote with Scott Van Zen.  It’s pretty good, and if Kiss had just made more albums instead of drying up creatively after the reunion, this might have come out on one of them.  3/5

“Damn, I’m Good” starts with Gene coming up with the CCR-inspired chord ideas on acoustic.  It then fades into a funky electric demo with Eric Singer.  Gene notes that he re-used some of the lyrics in this song in multiple other songs in the box set, including opener “Are You Ready”.  Now, you don’t often associate Gene Simmons with funky rock, but “Damn, I’m Good” cooks.  Kiss could not have done a song this funky without Ace Frehley, which is to say, though it is only mildly funky, it would benefit from the guy who wrote “Torpedo Girl”.  In short:  this is a different song and it may turn off some listeners.  I think it’s great.  4.5/5

An instrumental version of “Dial L For Love” appeared on Eric Carr’s posthumous Unfinished Business album.  Now here is a full version with drums, lyrics and Gene Simmons singing.  Bruce Kulick also appears, and Adam Mitchell helped finish.  It has a cool 80s riff with the harmonics that were currently in vogue.  Had it been included, Gene says it would have been on Animalize or Asylum, but I think his memory is a bit faulty.  This sounds more like Crazy Nights era.  It should have had Eric Carr singing.  The chorus sounds up his alley.  3.5/5

“Just Like the Movies #1” is the only song Gene wrote with singer / songwriter Stephen Bishop.  This might be a good thing.  It’s hard to hear what Gene was going for.  It sounds like something circa Unmasked, with complex pre-recorded drums and a dancey sound.  In fact some of it did end up in “She’s So European” if you listen carefully.  You won’t read that in the liner notes.   Gene liked the title as a chorus idea:  “Just like the movies, I feel like Romeo.”  The idea seems like it has something usable, but this recording wouldn’t have been it.  2/5

“I Know Who You Are” ended up on Gene’s first solo album as “Living In Sin”.  This early demo features Joe X. Dube of Starz on drums.  Though this version still features prominent piano beats, it’s more rock n’ roll, and Kiss-like, than his solo counterpart.  You can almost hear where Gene would want Ace to lay down a fat solo.  Gene says all this is based on an old song idea called “Drive Me Wild”.  3.5/5

“Sweet Temptation”, or part of it anyway, was used in “Only You” on The Elder.  It becomes the “I can’t believe this is true, why do I listen to you?” part.  The rest was discarded.  Which is fine.  The chorus is not memorable.  It’s fascinating how these songs come to be.  Of course, as we have discussed, perhaps the older demo of “Only You” is better than the final, but here’s the missing element that was needed to created the Elder version.  2/5

“Are You Always This Hot” is a late-80s shredder song featuring Bruce Kulick and co-written by Adam Mitchell.  The solo is all whammy and tricks, and the tempo is that uptempo plod that Gene was good at on albums like Animalize.  “Are You Always This Hot” is a song title we’ve seen printed in magazines and books for years, but I always thought with a title like that, it was a Paul song.  Nope!  All Gene.  2.5/5

“Fourever” goes back to the same sessions as “Bad Bad Lovin'” aka “Dr. Love”, so you know how old it is, though this version sounds newer.  It features prominent sax, and was inspired by the Dave Clark Five.  It’s basically Gene singing about himself and Kiss, but it’s certainly not the first time.  It’s pretty good, mostly because of the saxophone and cool shouted backing vocals.  It could have worked with Kiss, who did eventually incorporate sax into some of their music.  3.5/5

Average score by song:   3.3/5 stars

 

Disk 9 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)

1. It’s Gonna Be Alright (4:30) Simmons / Japp
2. It’s Gonna Be Alright #2 (3:15) Simmons / Japp
3. Everybody Knows #1 (3:55) Simmons
4. Everybody Knows #2 (3:45) Simmons
5. You’re All That I Want (4:06) Simmons
6. Kids With Painted Faces (3:15) Leader / Simmons
7. I Wanna Rule the World (5:01) Simmons
8. Rule the World #2 (4:08) Simmons / Van Zen
9. Damn, I’m Good (3:29) Simmons
10. Dial L for Love (3:42) Simmons / Mitchell / Carr
11. Just Like the Movies #1 (2:45) Simmons / Bishop
12. I Know Who You Are (3:28) Simmons
13. Sweet Temptation (2:48) Simmons
14. Are You Always This Hot (3:01) Simmons / Mitchell
15. Fourever (3:05) Simmons

REVIEW: Gene Simmons – The Vault – Disk 7 (2018)

Previous Reading: 

Record Store Tales #600:  The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
Disk 4 Review
Disk 5 Review
Disk 6 Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some good and bad songs ahead.  For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 91-105 in the Vault box set.

GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 7 (2018 Rhino)

“No Conscience” comes with a Vinnie Poncia co-writing credit, which probably dates it back to the Hot in the Shade era.  Not much else is said about its genesis.  It’s an interesting hard rocker with what sound like drum machines.   It’s very much in the mould of that late 80s Kiss sound and could have been a B-side.  In the case of Hot in the Shade, a lot of the demos were polished up for the final album.  This needs some polishing, but it’s a little like finding a lost gem.  3/5 

Gene talks about writing “Suspicious” with Black ‘N Blue for In Heat, which dates this track back to about 1988.  There’s a clear “Stayin’ Alive” reference with the “Ah, ah, ah” in the chorus.   It’s not bad and would have fit very well on Hot in the Shade better than some of the songs that made it.  There’s a cool solo (must be Thayer) and the hooks eventually bore their way into your head.  Sounds a little like Trash-era Alice Cooper too.  4/5

“Everybody Wants” is a great song.  This is another of the Silent Rage demos.  The vocals aren’t recorded well enough to really make out the words, but the chorus has hooks.  It has a bit of a Dokken vibe, in a good way.  As we go through the Vault we keep running across songs that should have made onto Kiss albums.  Here’s another.  Which one would it fit on?  That’s the trick.  Maybe Kiss should have just made more albums.  4/5

“Promise The Moon” is interesting.  The chords go back to a song called “Sentimental Fool” written with Bob Kulick.  However, an instrumental (with prominent bass) was bootlegged as “The Unknown Force”.  On the Creatures of the Night box set, another version is titled “Tell It To A Fool”.  This isn’t information you’ll find in the liner notes.  This is coming from me using my ears.  Long have I loved that “Unknown Force”, demo and wished for a better version.  Here it is, with full lyrics, guitar solos, and everything else.  This song is stellar.  There were plenty of albums this could have fit on.  Gene reveals that he wanted Black ‘N Blue to do the song.  That would have been a waste.  This should have been Kiss.   I am overjoyed to have this song in my collection at last.  5/5

“All You Want Is a Piece of My Heart” is an Adam Mitchell song featuring Tommy Thayer.  It’s a bass groove, with some unexpected acoustic guitar overtop the metal riff.  It needed to be properly fleshed out, but there is definitely the skeleton of an idea here that had potential.  Sounds very Hot in the Shade with that acoustic.  It’s difficult to rate because there’s a terrific chorus and some cool guitar work, but also some sections that sound unfinished.  3.5/5

“Pride” is an early 2000s song, but unlike the other Asshole material, this one is really good!  Unbelievable!  How does stuff like this end up buried on a box set?  There’s a soulful chorus and a joyful arrangement.  It’s hard to describe.  It’s pop, not rock, with piano and a knack for a hook.  It’s criminal for a great song like this to sit unnoticed on an 11 CD box set that very few people have.  5/5

“Through the Night” and “Sweetheart of the Radio” are two earlier Simmons songs that eventually transformed into “Mirage” during the early 90s.  This Thayer demo has a strong beat and numerous hooks.  Once again, how does stuff like this get left off albums?  This song is all but finished, with “woah-oh-oh” vocals and some serious Thayer pyrotechnics.  For those who love that 80s Kiss sound, this song is right up their alley.  Gene says the bridge was later used in “Now That You’re Gone” and “I Wanna Rule the World”, but I didn’t notice.  That’s five songs all connected together!  4/5

Gene’s Simmons Records protege Bag (just Bag) was responsible for “Dog”.  It ended up on the Asshole album, unfortunately, because it’s garbage.  I don’t know what Gene was thinking on that album.  The only good thing about it is this big giant Jimmy Page-like guitar part that isn’t in the song enough.  1.5/5

“If I Had a Gun” is one of the few good songs on Asshole, and it’s another Bag song.  This demo is a lot like the finished version, just less adorned with all the accoutrements.  Some may like it, some hate it.  I like the “Uh-oh, uh-oh” falsetto vocal hook.  I think it’s a good song.  3.5/5

Onto Carnival of Souls.  One of the most remarkable songs on that album was a Bruce Kulick / Gene Simmons song called “I Walk Alone”.  Why remarkable?  Because it was Bruce Kulick’s debut on lead vocals.  This is an earlier version with a different chorus, and Gene on lead vocals.  Sounds like Eric Singer on drums.  It has ballady elements, but also slams quite hard on the chorus.  It’s hard to rank compared to the album version.  There are things to like about both.  3.5/5

“Seduction of the Innocent” is another Carnival demo.  It’s quite remarkable, but the melody idea is the oldest on the box set.  It dates back to 1964.  Gene wrote it when he was 13 years old and called it “My Girl Brought Me Chocolate Ice Cream”.  He finished it decades later with Scott Van Zen.  In the liner notes, Gene spends a good amount of time talking about growing up as a poor immigrant.  Not being able to speak English, and then gradually being able to understand Beatles songs.  Using a broken TV speaker and cabinet as a makeshift amplifier.  You can hear the Beatles in the song, but that may just be what Gene refers to as a “Middle Eastern” melody, a style familiar to him from his youth in Israel.  Fascinating history, but also a pretty good song that made it to the final album much like this demo.  3.5/5

Suddenly we jump to Animalize.  “Lonely Is the Hunter” should be familiar, but Gene takes a bit of a shot at Paul Stanley in the notes.  He says he prefers the greasy feel of the demo, and says he wasn’t there in the studio when Kiss recorded their version, saying it was Paul’s project.  Gene, of course, was busy filming Runaway with Tom Selleck.  This demo does have a sleazier groove, and hits in a way that might have more vintage Kiss in style.  Gene may have a point about Animalize, but it was his fault for not being there.  3.5/5 

The next few songs go back to 1977 and a Motown influence.  “Never Gonna Leave You #1” was recorded in a closet on a 4-track recorder.  You can hear what Gene was trying to achieve.  He didn’t.  Perhaps some of it wound on Gene’s solo album.  There’s a certain way he sings “Yeah” that is similar.  1/5

“I Ain’t Comin’ Back” is a better attempt from 1977 at the above sound.  Marginally better.  The beats are better.  The chorus is something pretty smelly.  Limburger.  1.5/5

“Never Gonna Leave You #2” is an update with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer.  Finally he got it right.  This is a rock version.  Gene seems to prefer the Motown version.  I don’t.  This could have been a solid Kiss B-side.  3/5

Average score by song:   3.06/5 stars

 

Disk 7 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)

1. No Conscience (3:35) Simmons / Poncia
2. Suspicious (3:22) Thayer / St. James / Regan
3. Everybody Wants (2:24) Simmons / Damon
4. Promise the Moon (4:00) Simmons / Kulick / Thayer / St. James
5. All You Want Is a Piece of My Heart (3:53) Mitchell
6. Pride (3:11) McCormack / Simmons
7. Mirage (3:30) Simmons
8. Dog (3:32) Chuaqui / Simmons
9. If I Had a Gun (3:27) Chuaqui
10. I Walk Alone (3:27) Simmons / Kulick
11. Seduction of the Innocent (5:09) Simmons / Van Zen
12. Lonely Is the Hunter (3:02) Simmons
13. Never Gonna Leave You #1 (2:22) Simmons
14. I Ain’t Comin’ Back (2:57) Simmons
15. Never Gonna Leave You #2 (3:19) Simmons

RE-REVIEW: KISS – Animalize Live Uncensored (2 CD broadcast)

The KISS RE-REVIEW SERIES Part 26: 

 

 – Animalize Live Uncensored (from 4 CD set Radio Waves 1974-1988) (2015 American Icons broadcast release)

The Animalize tour was the most successful that Kiss had done since the original lineup.  It was an exciting stage show including a finale with the band playing on a levitating platform over the stage.  It was logical to film the Detroit concert, returning to the Cobo Hall where much of Kiss Alive! was forged in 1975.  It had been a long time since Kiss released anything live.  The sequel album Alive II came in 1977, and then Kiss underwent radical upheaval and change, as we have documented through this series.   In the 1970s there was a pattern:  Three studio albums and then a live album.  Animalize was the sixth studio album since Alive II with no Alive III on the horizon.

Fans had their own theories as to why Alive III never materialized when due, but it likely has a lot to do with the lineup changes, shifts in direction, and fading fortunes.  These events all struck right around the time when the third live album would have been appropriate, but as Kiss replaced members and took off the makeup, they had to re-establish themselves as a valid, current entity not dependant on past glories.

The Animalize Cobo Hall concert that was filmed was released in 1985 as the home video, Animalize Live Uncensored.  For an entire generation of Kiss fans, Animalize Live Uncensored was our own Alive III.  You could break down KISStory up to this point into three distinct eras as seen in the chart below.
Kiss had a whole new generation of fans, the MTV generation, who associated the makeup with ancient history.  We didn’t have our own Kiss Alive.  Without one, we made Animalize Live Uncensored into our unofficial Alive III.

Kiss were introducing yet another guitar player to the fans, but Bruce Kulick was fitting in great.  Animalize Live Uncensored gave the fans at home a chance to check out his interpretations of new and old Kiss classics.  He gave the Mark St. John tracks a smoother soloing style with more emphasis on hooky licks.  The threw on tons of the flash that was in vogue at the time, but he didn’t showboat.  He did exactly what the bosses (Paul and Gene) wanted, and he did it well enough to win over fans and keep the gig.

The Kiss of the 80s were way, way faster than the Kiss of the 70s.  Eric Carr could play things that Peter Criss couldn’t, and speed was in fashion.  Even old songs like “Cold Gin” and “Detroit Rock City” were sped up and 80s-ized.  The fast stuff from their 80s albums, like “Fits Like a Glove” and “Young and Wasted” are done up even faster.  Lots of songs by the original band such as “Shout it Out Loud”, “Christine Sixteen”, “Firehouse”, “Strutter” and many more were dropped in favour of new ones.  “Under the Gun”, “Thrills in the Night” and “Heaven’s on Fire” were the newest, while plenty of songs from Lick it Up and Creatures were also retained.  Using the chart above for reference, only five Kiss songs from the first two eras combined were included.  The third era, never before represented in live form, gets ten tracks.  The rest of the space is taken up by solos:  Paul Stanley (guitar), Gene Simmons (bass) and Eric Carr (drums).  There is no Bruce Kulick solo.  As you have probably surmised, a Paul Stanley feature solo is as basic as they get, with Gene’s only a modicum more memorable.  Eric Carr’s is fun and flashy — more so on video.

One big highlight of Animalize Live Uncensored is Eric Carr’s lead vocal debut on a Kiss release.  The Fox was given “Young and Wasted” from Lick It Up to sing, in addition to Peter Criss’ part in “Black Diamond”.  And so Kiss fans began a long and painful wait to hear him sing something on a Kiss studio album.

For dyed in the wool Kiss fans, Animalize Live Uncensored is universally remembered for mainly one thing:  that is Paul Stanley’s epic song introductions.  “Love Gun” is the most legendary, a tale of Paul “partying” too much and having to go to the doctor to get himself checked out.  The nurse decides to “start this examination just a little bit early” and asks Paul to remove his pants…where she discovers his (wait for it) “LOVE GUN”!  There are so many great Paul intros on this video that it’s worth checking out for them alone.  Full visuals help.

But what about a CD release, for that generation of fans for whom this is their Alive III?  There are options.  None are perfect.  In fact, there isn’t even a DVD version.  There are only semi-official looking bootlegs and the old original VHS.  For CDs, you must go with a radio broadcast release, and none are perfect.  Single disc versions are obviously trimmed for time and usually have 15 tracks including a couple solos.  There is also a two disc broadcast from WLLZ in Detroit which has all 18 songs and all the solos too.  This is available on a quadruple disc set called Radio Waves 1974-1988, released in 2015.*  It even has intros and raps not included on the original Animalize Live VHS release!  “Black Diamond” has a much longer introduction and much of the talking isn’t available elsewhere.  During the encores, they mess around with the traditional “Oh Susannah”.  The other intros and raps, the classic ones, are edited or missing completely!  You just can’t win.

Only one track from this concert has been officially released on LP and CD:  “Heaven’s On Fire”, which was Kiss’ contribution to Ronnie James Dio’s Hear N’ Aid – Stars album in 1986.  Kiss completists will want to make sure they have that one.

One could meticulously paste in all of Paul Stanley’s missing and edited stage raps, and add them to your tracklist.  It would be bloody time consuming.  You’d have to listen to your compiled creation a few times to justify the time spent putting it together.  But it could be done.  It really is a shame that this broadcast CD is a few intros shy of complete.  The sound is iffy at times too, with a lot of static where there shouldn’t be.  But for the time being, it’s the best we got.

3/5 stars

To be continued…

*CD 1 is Agora Ballroom, previously reviewed in a prior superior edition.  CD 4 is Live at the Ritz 1988, but including the song “Reason to Live” often missing from the broadcast!

Original mikeladano.com review:  2012/08/01

 

 

 

 

 

RE-REVIEW: KISS – Animalize

The KISS RE-REVIEW SERIES Part 25: 

 – Animalize (1984 Polygram, 1997 Mercury remaster)

Animalize:  a huge hit not proportional to the quality of the songs inside.  It went platinum on the strength of lead single “Heaven’s On Fire”, but going deeper into the record, Kiss did not have the goods this time.

New guitarist Mark St. John (formerly Mark Norton) replaced the fired Vinnie Vincent, and in doing so, continued Kiss’ quest for shreddery dominance.  In the 80s you had to have an Eddie Van Halen or Yngwie Malmsteen to get noticed, or so it seemed, and that was what Kiss went for.  In the meantime, Gene Simmons was off in Hollywood leaving Paul Stanley to do handle Kiss, something Paul eventually came to resent.

Paul Stanley re-teamed with his songwriting buddy Desmond Child.  Their last collaboration was 1979’s disco hit “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” from Dynasty.  The partnership struck gold a second time with “Heaven’s On Fire”, a simple song perfectly suited for the Kiss of the 80s and beyond.  Paul Stanley’s “Woo-ooo-ooo-ooo-OOOOO-ooo” intro is legendary and truthfully a song like “Heaven’s On Fire” isn’t too far removed from classic Kiss.  Paul’s sassy delivery is enviable.

Desmond Child also co-wrote the opening number “I’ve Had Enough (Into the Fire)”.  As the 80s began, Kiss seemed determined to write fast songs for their albums.  Very fast songs.  “I’ve Had Enough” is one of those, and it’s a good one too, though it was rarely played in concert.  You’d never guess Desmond was involved without reading the credits, but you’d also not imagine it was Kiss if it wasn’t Paul singing.

Another fine Paul song called “Get All You Can Take” is a co-write with Mitch Weissman whose name has repeatedly popped up on Kiss credits over the years.  This slow paced sleazy rocker has one of the few Kiss f-bombs in the chorus:  “What fucking difference does it make?”   Mark St. John’s solo is a blazing showcase of different tricks and techniques, but it suits the song rather awkwardly like an ill fitting tux.  Such was the problem with a jazz-influenced shredder in Kiss.

Another fast number is “Under the Gun” written by Paul, Desmond and drummer Eric Carr.  This one was played frequently on the Animalize tour though there are better songs.  Fluttery guitars sound like laser beams zipping back and forth.  Carr kicks ass, but it’s not a great track.  Paul gets in a cute double entendre though:  “There’s no speed limit where I’m coming from…let’s hit the highway doing 69!”

The final Paul song is probably the best one, although he has since criticized it as not good enough.  “Thrills in the Night”, co-written with Jean Beauvoir, deserves praise.  Sometimes the artist is their own worst critic, but “Thrills in the Night” is awesome, dramatic Kiss rock.  The chorus goes on for weeks and the soloing fits.

If Animalize was a Paul Stanley solo EP, there would be enough good songs to give it a passing grade.  However…we have the Gene Simmons songs.

Animalize shall forever be cursed as the album with the lyric, “I wanna put my log in your fireplace.”  Yes, the man who once wrote a song with Bob Dylan also wrote a ditty called “Burn Bitch Burn”.  The riff is awesome.  It has its moments.  It’s also undeniably one of Gene’s worst lyrics, and that is saying something.  The song also sounds unfinished, as if he said, “OK good enough, onto the next song.”  Fortunately Mark St. John’s solo playing is awesome, though not especially accessible.  And that’s Gene’s best song on the album.

Gene’s other songs are “Lonely is the Hunter”, “While the City Sleeps” and “Murder in High Heels”.  Of these, “Lonely is the Hunter” is by far the best.  A slow sleazy groove is more up Kiss’ alley than these fast speed rockers.  All three of these songs have one quality in common with “Burn Bitch Burn”, and that is that they sound like rough ideas gone unfinished.  Animalize was produced by Paul (with a co-producer credit for Gene).  A Kiss producer like Bob Ezrin likely would have told Gene to go back and come up with better material.  The most interesting thing about “Lonely is the Hunter” and “Murder in High Heels” is the solo work.  It’s stellar.  It’s not overdone.  It’s melodic and memorable.  And it’s…familiar.  Future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick stepped in to play ghost guitar on these songs.

The trend of Kiss using uncredited outside musicians was growing.  Allan Schwartzberg (who also played on The Elder) did drum overdubs.  Jean Beauvoir played bass on “Under the Gun”.  Gene played the rhythm guitars on his own songs.  That’s why the credits on Kiss albums always simply state:  KISS – and the names of the members.

Gene cut his hair short for a movie called Runaway.  He starred as the villain (of course) Dr. Luther, opposite Tom Selleck.  Kirstie Alley was in it, and it was written and directed by Michael Crichton.  Considering the year and the names involved, this was a fairly high profile role.  Gene went for it, and has since admitted his brain wasn’t in Kiss at the time.  The wig he wore on stage with the band made him look silly, and new fans considered Paul the singer and Gene a secondary guy.  Gene’s songs weren’t singles anymore.  They weren’t being played live.  “Burn Bitch Burn” was only ever played once!  These were all clues as to what was going on behind the scenes.  Paul was sailing the ship now.  He had no choice.  Animalize suffers for it.  Gene is to blame for his own downfall during the period and has since gracefully accepted that.

The Animalize tour was the biggest Kiss had done since the glory years, but troubles began early.  Mark St. John couldn’t play.  He was diagnosed with an arthritic condition called Reiter’s Syndrome.  His hands swelled up and he simply could not do the gig.  Mark passed away in 2007, but suggested that the arthritis may have been triggered by stress.  The aforementioned Bruce Kulick stepped in to take his place, and did so with professionalism and respect.  He got along with everyone. He was willing to learn.  He was a great fit.  The first great fit in many years.

The Animalize period put Kiss on MTV and on back the radio again, but its success was vastly disproportional to its quality.

Today’s rating:

2/5 stars

Uncle Meat’s rating:

2/5 steaks 

Meat’s slice:  There really isn’t much to say here. “Heaven’s on Fire” is a good song that I still enjoy hearing. Everything else is OK at best and non-essential. “Burn Bitch Burn” might have some of the worst lyrics of all time.

Favorite Tracks:  “Heaven’s on Fire”

Forgettable Tracks: take your pick

To be continued…

Original mikeladano.com review:  2012/07/31

REVIEW: KISS – Animalize (1984)

Part 21 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!  Still flushing out the last of the lo-fi cell phone pics, sorry about that.

ANIMALIZE

KISS – Animalize (1984)

Exit Vinnie Vincent.  Enter Mark St. John aka Mark Norton, a music teacher that came highly recommended, but had no touring experience.  Looking for the next young hot shot to compete with Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie, Kiss took a chance.

In addition to yet another lineup change and third lead guitar player, there were other fractures setting in.  Gene Simmons was dead set to become a movie star, and played the villain role alongside Tom Selleck in a movie called Runaway, written and directed by Michael Crichton.  Paul Stanley was left to produce the next album.

Paul and Gene recorded in separate studios, shuffling Mark St. John between them when needed.  Gene didn’t play bass on several of Paul’s songs, and studio musicians were brought in to add guitar solos, drum overdubs, and backing vocals.  All songs but one were co-written by outside writers.

Animalize is one of those albums that was hugely popular (2 x platinum I think?). It has a couple hot singles, a couple decent album cuts, but disappointly Animalize is mostly filler. Gene’s material is particularly forgettable and uninspired. It’s like you’re listening to half a band.
Mathematically, here’s how it breaks down:

1. I’ve Had Enough (Into The Fire) – good song
2. Heaven’s On Fire – good song (but overplayed)
3. Burn Bitch Burn – bad
4. Get All You Can Take – great song
5. Lonely Is The Hunter – bad
6. Under The Gun – bad
7. Thrills In The Night – great
8. While The City Sleeps – terrible
9. Murder In High Heels – terrible

4 out of 9 good songs, and not one of them by Gene Simmons. All of Gene’s stuff on Animalize sucked, leaving the kids of the 80’s to think that he was a sideman and Paul was the main guy. Gene also has the worst lyric in Kisstory here: “I wanna put my log in your fireplace.”

However, a highlight of the album are some of the solos.  A fast neoclassical/jazz player, St. John was miles away from Kiss’ roots. It was the era of the fast classically trained player. Even so, when the band thought that Mark wasn’t nailing the feel, they asked Bruce Kulick to fill in on two songs.  He appears on “Lonely Is The Hunter” and “Murder In High Heels”.  So, technically Animalize was Bruce’s first Kiss album, although nobody knew at the time that Kulick was destined to replace St. John, who was struck with a freak arthritic condition that left him unable to tour.

Kulick wouldn’t be granted full member status until the next album, while the band felt him out.  Later, St. John too went on to make some great solo work — check out his Magic Bullet Theory CD.

Animalize is far from outstanding. I would rank it among Kiss’ three worst albums, the other two being Hot In The Shade and Psycho-Circus. It’s historically important because of how popular the tour and album were. Most of the good songs, however, can be found elsewhere such as the Kiss box set.

2/5 stars.

Mark St. John passed away in 2007.  Rest in peace.