kiss

Part 108: Building the Store, Part 2

RECORD STORE TALES PART 108: Building the Store, Part 2

Last time, Statham posted something about a dream he had, of us putting together our own record store. I wish I could have had the experience of opening a store without doing work!  The reality of it varied.  On the couple of times I helped set up a store, it was hardly glamorous.

The first time was when we opened up the first store that I managed.  It was the biggest one so far, lots of stock, all crap. Junk. Shite.  Basically what we did was, maybe starting six months in advance,  just buy lots and lots and lots of stock.  Before long we had, I dunno, maybe 5000 discs, all garbage.  Dozens of Jann Arden, Spin Doctors, Michael Bolton…I had so much Michael Bolton that he took up three fucking rows!  I even had rare Michael Bolton.  Nobody had rare Michael Bolton!  Nobody wanted rare Michael Bolton!  Then you’d go to the Metallica section, nothing.  Kiss, a couple copies of Kiss My Ass.  And we had soooo much country.  We had buckets of country.  And rap artists that you nor I have ever heard of. 

Waltz back over to the rock section and browse the classics.  Did we have any Floyd?  Nothing.  Led Zeppelin?  Just the tribute album, Encomium.  Meat Loaf?  Bat 2, but not Bat.  We had a couple of Rush discs, like Counterparts, but nothing from the 70’s.  No Maiden.  No Miles.  No Dylan.  No Hendrix.

We had no standardized pricing scheme back then.  So, if I was pricing Eric Clapton’s Unplugged at $9.99, the guy next to me might have priced it at $11.99 because maybe he liked it more.  It was very subjective.  Sometimes you knew what a CD was worth brand new and based it on that, sometimes it was so common that it didn’t matter, and sometimes nobody had a fucking clue.  We’d try to fix the pricing it as we went, but it was slow.  After we opened, a customer would come up with three copies of the same album.  “This one is $8.99, this one $9.99, and this one $11.99.  Is that because one is more scratched?”  Logical question!  But no, we just cocked up.

It took weeks to manually input and price all those discs.  Shelving them took a couple more days. Making the header cards, setting things up, all told we were at it for maybe a month.  Then the big day came and we did our opening.  We were only half-equipped:  there was no second computer yet, and only half of our CD players for listening station had been bought.  Signs were still arriving to be put up.

I’ll never forget our sign that showed up that said, “WE PAY CSAH FOR YOUR USED CDS!” 

Regardless of how crappy the stock was, it sold!  I couldn’t believe it!  There were only a few decent albums and I figured once they were gone, that was it.  That wasn’t the case at all.  People kept buying the old rap and country discs.  Tanya Tucker?  Check!  We had lots!  And people were buying it!

Then, used stuff started coming in at a rapid pace.  Crazy stuff too.  I remember this one huge Tangerine Dream box set coming in, on the Thursday of the first week.

After we opened and good stuff started coming in by the box full, all the hard work seemed like it was paying off.  But the setting up was long and tedious, and I couldn’t stand Todd, who was also on setup duty.  But who gives a crap?  I spent weeks doing nothing but data entry while listening to music (our own music, which we brought in – of course).  I rocked a lot of Deep Purple those weeks.  It was awesome.

I remember that I had just found two Purple albums that I wanted:  Concerto For Group and Orchestra, and King Biscuit Flower Hour.  I also rocked Purpendicular, which had just come out, as much as I could.   Todd didn’t understand the music at all.  All he was interested in listening to was Floyd, nothing else.  He played Bush once or twice, but otherwise it was all Floyd.  He really, really liked P.U.L.S.E.  And he just murdered Floyd for me, for a long time.

When I listen to albums like Concerto and Purpendicular, it brings me right back to doing data entry in that store.  Not a bad soundtrack to work to.

REVIEW: KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected) (2012)

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.

REVIEW: KISS – Best Of Solo Albums (1979)

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”

REVIEW: KISS – Icon and Icon 2 (2010)

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!

GAHHH!  Just…stop putting this shit out!

-101/5 stars

REVIEW: KISS – Sonic Boom (2009 Walmart 3 disc edition)

We’re not done yet!  Part 48 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!   See below for my original 2009 review, unaltered.

KISS – Sonic Boom (Walmart exclusive versions — my original review from 2009)

This album was hyped as the the return of classic KISS.  Is this the best album since the 1970’s? Personally, not for me. I think both Revenge and Creatures are stronger — heavier, more aggressive, more challenging. However, Sonic Boom is really strong. Paul Stanley’s concept of having all 4 band members write and record without outside help is exactly what KISS fans had been asking for since the semi-disasterous Psycho Circus. It may not be the original members, but this is real KISS and this is real rock.

The production isn’t rough like I was expecting — I was hoping for something more akin to Jack White, since Paul chose to record analog. There are glossy harmonies and background vocals (check out “Stand” and “All For The Glory”) that are very unlike 70’s KISS and more like what happened later on with Revenge.

What grounds this album in the 70’s is Tommy Thayer, who is the star of the show here. Not only does he get a lead vocal (all four members do) but he demonstrates why (whether you like it or not) he was chosen to replace Ace Frehley. Basically, he cops Ace’s style, including several signiture Ace licks. How you feel about this is up to you. KISS have obviously wanted him to sound as much like Ace as he can, and that’s exactly what he does here on Sonic Boom. The result is a series of guitar solos that sound familiar, but are still catchy as hell.

The songwriting here is solidly above average. Paul and Gene write together — something that happens very rarely these days. Along with Thayer they have crafted a series of rock songs (no ballads!) that pay homage to KISS’ past catalogue. Moments of Rock N’ Roll Over are shaded with things that sound like Creatures, Revenge, Psycho Circus and even melodies that could have come from Crazy Nights. So while the press have misled us into thinking this was some 70’s retro-fest, it’s not that at all. Have you heard Angel of Retribution by Judas Priest? This is the same deal. Sonic Boom pays tribute to past KISS sounds, it re-grounds the band. In retrospect that is probably exactly what KISS needed to do. Maybe if they make another album (we can hope!), they will take another step forward like Priest did and come up with something more unique.

Interestingly, at least one song here does actually date back to the 70’s. “Hot and Cold” was written by Gene for Rock and Roll Over in 1976, except back then it was called “Rotten to the Core”. He re-demoed it several times for consideration on various Kiss albums until finally the chorus was re-written as “Hod and Cold”, and included here. So if you think it has some of that “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” vibe, that’s why. Both songs were written at the same time!

I was disappointed about some blantant ripoffs here, riff-wise.  “Never Enough” is “Nothing But A Good Time” by Poison rewritten.  This is nothing new, unfortunately.  Somtimes it worked, sometimed it didn’t.  Going back further, if you’re a KISS fan you already know that “Deuce” was ripped off from the Stones, and “I Just Wanna” is “Summertime Blues”. Alice Cooper sued them for using the riff to “I’m Eighteen” on a Paul song called “Dreamin'”  This has been happening since day one.  Come on, guys.

I won’t comment too much about the bonus CD, Kiss Klasssics, since I have already reviewed the Japanese import version that came out in 2008. What this is, is greatest hits re-recorded.  It’s fine — songs were re-recorded so KISS could use them on movie soundtracks and whatnot without having to pay off Universal. No big deal. The sound is OK. “Hotter Than Hell” sounds better than the original, but the rest sound too even and sterile. It’s hard to re-record a group of songs that span two decades, because the originals all have different sounds and vibes. However, again Thayer shines here, because he can nail the Ace solos as well as Kulick’s fantastic “Forever” solo — something even Ace wouldn’t be able to do.

Highlights:
“Modern Day Delilah” — simply catchy as hell, and featuring a really great Paul vocal.
“Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)” — the best Gene song on the album, and one of the most 70’s-sounding. Simply infectious!
“All For The Glory” — Eric Singer shreds on his first official vocal (aside from Black Diamond on the re-recorded disc) and his voice is a nice raspy replacement for Peter Criss’.
“Say Yeah!” — my current fave. It just has this epic vibe to it, a great melody, and a chorus ripped off from “She Loves You” by the Beatles. (If you’re gonna keep stealing, steal a diamond, not a lump of coal.)

Still, pretty much every song is good. I like some better than others but there’s nothing dreadful on here. No “I Pledge Allegiance To The State of Rock and Roll” (which I hated), nothing that bad, no filler in particular.

The bonus DVD is pretty cool. 6 songs, played heavy and mean. KISS have proven that they still deliver the goods live. The live versions always seem superior to the studio versions. “100,000 Years” in particular just rocks. And hey, it’s free!

On a side note, I also picked up one of the “instant live” albums from the Montreal October 1 show. And yes, “Modern Day Delilah” kicks butt live. Pick one of these discs up as a companion piece to Sonic Boom.  (Mini review:  Paul’s voice is getting hoarse, really bad.  He’s gotta take it easy on the vocal cords!  The raps between songs are great and I love when Paul speaks French (better than I do) and gets them to “booooooooooo!” the mere mention of Vancouver!

Good effort, KISS. Hit one out of the park next time!

4/5 stars

Here’s some new pics too, just for the fun of it.

REVIEW: KISS – The Best Of Kiss (Green Series), Playlist Your Way, Legends of Rock, Superstar Series (2008-2009)

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 Way is 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 Series is 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 Rock has 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.

Tracklists are below.  Avoid at all costs.

1/5 stars

 

REVIEW: KISS – Ikons (2008)

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

  1. “God of Thunder” from Destroyer
  2. “Almost Human” from Love Gun
  3. “Calling Dr. Love” from Rock and Roll Over
  4. “Ladies Room” from Rock and Roll Over
  5. “Christine Sixteen” from Love Gun
  6. “Deuce” from Kiss
  7. “Rock and Roll All Nite” from Dressed to Kill
  8. “Cold Gin” from Kiss
  9. “Parasite” from Hotter Than Hell
  10. “Larger Than Life” from Alive II
  11. “Love ’em and Leave ’em” from Rock and Roll Over
  12. “Plaster Caster” from Love Gun
  13. “Radioactive” from Gene Simmons
  14. “Charisma” from Dynasty

Disc 2 (Purple): The Star Child

  1. “Detroit Rock City” from Destroyer
  2. “Love Gun” from Love Gun
  3. “Take Me” from Rock and Roll Over
  4. “Strutter” from Kiss
  5. “C’mon and Love Me” from Dressed To Kill
  6. “Hotter Than Hell” from Hotter Than Hell
  7. “100,000 Years” from Kiss
  8. “Rock Bottom” from Dressed To Kill
  9. “Do You Love Me?” from Destroyer
  10. “All American Man” from Alive II
  11. “Mr. Speed” from Rock and Roll Over
  12. “I Stole Your Love” from Love Gun
  13. “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me” from Paul Stanley
  14. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” from Dynasty

Disc 3 (Blue): The Space Ace

  1. “New York Groove” from Ace Frehley
  2. “Shock Me” from Love Gun
  3. “2,000 Man” from Dynasty
  4. “Rocket Ride” from Alive II
  5. “Snow Blind” from Ace Frehley
  6. “Speedin’ Back to My Baby” from Ace Frehley
  7. “Talk to Me” from Unmasked
  8. “What’s on Your Mind” from Ace Frehley
  9. “Rip It Out” from Ace Frehley
  10. “Save Your Love” from Dynasty
  11. “Hard Times” from Dynasty
  12. “Two Sides of the Coin” from Unmasked
  13. “Dark Light” from Music from “The Elder”
  14. “Into the Void” from Psycho Circus

Disc 4 (Green): The Cat Man

  1. “Hard Luck Woman” from Rock and Roll Over
  2. “Baby Driver” from Rock and Roll Over
  3. “Hooligan” from Love Gun
  4. “Beth” from Destroyer
  5. “I Can’t Stop the Rain” from Peter Criss
  6. “Black Diamond” from Kiss
  7. “Mainline” from Hotter Than Hell
  8. “Don’t You Let Me Down” from Peter Criss
  9. “Dirty Livin'” from Dynasty
  10. “Getaway” from Dressed To Kill
  11. “Strange Ways” from Hotter Than Hell
  12. “That’s The Kind of Sugar Papa Likes” from Peter Criss
  13. “Easy Thing” from Peter Criss
  14. “I Finally Found My Way” from Psycho Circus

REVIEW: KISS – Alive! 1975–2000 (Box Set plus bonus tracks, 2006)

Part 44 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster! 

KISS – Alive! 1975–2000 (2006, 4 discs, Best Buy bonus CD, iTunes bonus track)

This is it folks.  This here is the only way to get your Kiss Alive on.

All tracks are digitally remastered of course, and all albums are complete, not truncated.  They managed to squeeze both Alive! and Alive II onto single discs without editing out any music or banter.  Alive III (1993) makes up the third disc.  The fourth CD is the previously unreleased album, Alive IV – The Millenium Concert.

This concert, from December 31, 1999 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, was to be released in 2000 but shelved.  It was released for the first time in this box set, and remains exclusive to this box set.  I’m not too keen on it myself.

I think the Millenium Concert sounds dull and uninspired, and maybe that’s part of the reason that it wasn’t released in 2000.  The band are playing by-the-numbers versions of the songs with few surprises. Perhaps this was an indication of the deeper problems setting in within the original Kiss lineup again.  The production also sounds over polished, and the crowd noise distracting.

One song from this concert, “Rock And Roll All Nite”, was included in the Kiss Box Set as a sneak preview.

There were bonus tracks included on the discs to render obselete your original versions (and entice you to buy them again).  The second CD includes the radio edit version of “Rock and Roll All Nite (Live)”.  The Alive III CD finally includes the Japanese and vinyl exclusive track, “Take It Off”.

When I first pre-ordered Alive IV back in 2000 before it was shelved, I pre-ordered the Japanese version which was advertized to have three bonus tracks:  “God of Thunder”, “2000 Man”, and “Detroit Rock City”.  These three songs remain bonus tracks, exclusive to different versions of this box set.

There was a Best Buy limited edition that contained “2000 Man” and “God of Thunder”.  But somebody screwed up and put the wrong CD inside the first few thousand copies.  Those unfortunate buyers received the regular disc of Alive IV, no bonus tracks.   This was rectified by sending those customers a fifth CD, the corrected version of Alive IV.  I paid $100 for my copy with fifth CD included.  It is pretty rare.

iTunes have their own bonus track, which is “Detroit Rock City”.  When I bought the song, it was available on its own for $1.29 or whatever.  Prior to this, you had to shell out $40 to buy the whole set again, just to get that one song!

5/5 stars

REVIEW: KISS – Gold (2005)

Part 43 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!   Chronologically, this album was released in between 20th Century Masters Vol. 2, and Vol. 3, in 2005.

KISS – Gold (2005, Universal)

At this point, you can’t blame Gene anymore.   Kiss’ old record label was free to issue whatever compilations they wanted, and they did.  Of these compilations, none contained previously unreleased material.  So, these are aimed strictly at the newbies, and the collectors.  And the collectors loathe shelling out for this kind of thing.

There is some light shining through the clouds.

First off, unlike every hits album released before it, this one actually has liner notes! Not bad liner notes either! Some common errors have been corrected in them (for example, Anton Fig is listed on drums for the “disco” albums). Not all the errors have been corrected, unfortunately, and I believe all lineup information has been taken directly from the liner notes of Kiss’ The Box Set.

Second, the track listing really is superb, even if offering few surprises. The ground covered is the “makeup years” 1974-1982…yet for unknown reasons the entire (excellent) Creatures Of The Night album is absent. Instead Universal ends this compilation with two tracks from the import only Killers, a pleasant if baffling inclusion. The liner notes end here as well, glossing over the entire last two decades of the band.

Lastly, there are a total of 40 tracks on two CDs, a very generous slice of rock n’ roll indeed. This allowed Universal to include no less than five tracks from the first album! Five tracks are included from Destroyer, four from Alive!, and each solo record is given one track as well! Even the box set didn’t have anything from Gene’s solo record (although it included an unreleased demo). The disco albums are given a total of four tracks combined, and Music From The Elder is not ignored either.

I suppose in this day and age, a band of Kiss’ age does need a number of hits albums. You need a good, full-length single disc for the people who want that (The Very Best Of). You need a double-disc version for the people who want a little more (Gold). And now in this era, you also need a budget-priced 10 or 12 track hits compilation like 20th Century Masters.   When you think about it, it all makes sense.

While I think Universal really should have put something on here for the diehards who already have all this material several times over, one version of this album comes with a DVD of Kiss Exposed.  I guess that’s cool if you don’t have it already.  It’s an odd pick, since Exposed mostly focuses on the music after the makeup came off, none of which are relevant to Gold.

For newbies: 4/5 stars.  It’s good value for a good selection of arguably the best years.  But be aware there are plenty more hits that you’re missing.

For fans:  2/5 stars.   Good compilation of material, that Universal are hoping to get you to buy again for the umpteenth time.

Full tracklist can be seen in the gallery below.

REVIEW: KISS – Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2003)

Part 42 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster! 

KISS – Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2-disc edition, 2003)

When Kiss announced their “farewell tour”, Ace Frehley assumed when they said “farewell”, they meant it.  He didn’t want to continue and so Tommy Thayer was drafted in.   Thayer came to to the attention of Kiss fans while in his band Black N’ Blue, which Gene produced.  He wrote songs for Hot In The Shade, and every studio album since then.  He even ghosted on Psycho Circus, and played Ace in a Kiss tribute band.  If ever there was a guy destined to replace somebody in a band, it was Tommy Thayer.

Kiss Alive IV: Kiss Symphony is a fantastic album, and is certainly better than Alive IV – The Millenium Concert. Say what?  There’s another Alive IV?

Ya’see, back in 2001, Alive IV was announced and then cancelled. I even had a pre-order for it back then, and its picture is included in the Kiss box set as “forthcoming” in the discography section.  It was shelved, and my pre-order cancelled.   But, it was eventually released as the Millenium Concert in the Alive Box.

This is better. Way way better.

Some will accuse Kiss of copying Metallica with the whole symphony thing. Well, then Metallica copied Deep Purple. Even Red Rider, whom have a Kiss connection, did their own concert album with orchestra in the 80’s (The Symphony Sessions). This is nothing new. Nothing in rock is new anymore.

Tommy Thayer performs admirably and very Ace-like, in his place. Peter Criss is here, keeping time remarkably well with an orchestra behind him. I don’t know if he played to a click track or just to conductor David Campbell. I am sure this was a challenge to him and kudos to him for doing so well.

(Incidentally, Peter Criss had briefly left the band prior to Ace, and was replaced by Eric Singer during this time.  This Simmons/Stanley/Frehley/Singer lineup was never captured on album unfortunately.)

Kiss split the show into three sections: Full-on live 4-piece Kiss, then a section of slow songs with a small string section, and then the full-blown Kiss symphony with orchestra. Great move there, it really builds, and it allows for more variety of songs on the album.

Highlights for me included “Sure Know Something”, which might be better than the original version. “Forever” and “Shandi” sound good. but I maintain that Eric Carr is the only drummer who can play “Forever” properly. It’s also great to hear “Detroit Rock City” go straight into “King Of The Night Time World” again, and everything on the symphony disc kicks butt. Biggest surprise was “Great Expectations” — had it ever been played live before?

Note note:
There is a single “highlights” disc available. It is, unfortunately, the source of some frustration for me. Read on.

You see, Kiss did an amazing Ramones cover of “Do You Believe In Rock And Roll Radio?”  The lineup was a rare three-piece:  Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer.  This song was included on the Ramones’ tribute album, We’re A Happy Family. It has some killer sax, and is among the best cover versions Kiss have ever done.

When the single disc “highlights” version of Alive IV came out, they stuck “Rock And Roll Radio” on it as a bonus track.  So, this version of the album is the only Kiss album where the song is to be found.  I wish it was on the double too.

5/5 stars…with the caveat that “Do You Believe In Rock And Roll Radio?” should have been on here, and I’m mad it’s not.