– Monsters of Rock (Mistral Music bootleg from 1988 tour)
Oh, live bootlegs! A fascinating and labyrinthine assortment of live Kiss bootlegs are out there, but don’t always expect the covers and song titles to match the actual contents! Kiss didn’t release a live album from the Crazy Nights tour, as was expected by many fans. An old Faces magazine from 1986 proclaimed, “Already there is talk of the next studio album, and Alive III.” Instead we have numerous bootlegs from this period to sift through.
This CD is without any notes, but fans pieced together that it’s Schweinfurt, Germany, August 27 1988. Kiss opened with “Deuce” rather than “Detroit”, and the energy is electric. Bruce Kulick did a fine job of adapting his style to the old Kiss songs, and “Deuce” demonstrates that Bruce really was the right guy for the band. He’s awesome but he plays for the song and not himself. “Love Gun” is next, truly an awesome song, and with Paul at the peak of his vocal prowess, it rarely sounds better. Meanwhile, Eric Carr sings the backing vocals impeccably, but there’s an annoying electronic drum that he hits at the end of it, a very 80s touch that wasn’t necessary.
The Kiss classics you’ve heard a million times are great as always, but what about the newer material from Crazy Nights? It takes a while to get there. “No No No” and “Crazy Crazy Nights” are crammed back to back in the middle of the set. “No No No” acts as Bruce’s big solo too, which is fantastic, but the song isn’t. It’s a shambles, as if they don’t know exactly how to play it. “Crazy Crazy Nights” is much better, almost a classic. They follow that up with the also-recent “Tears are Falling”.
One cool surprise is a bit of “Heartbreaker” right before “Fits Like a Glove” which is strangely split up between two tracks. Another surprise is obtrusive keyboards. Since Kiss had an offstage keyboardist now, maybe they felt like they had to use him on songs like “Cold Gin” that totally do not need keyboards. In fact it’s like oil and water. The keyboards roll off the rock and roll like an annoying rain storm.
The CD has some audio issues, odd noises here and there. Ignore the track list on the back which is nonsense. You’ll find the real track information below for your convenience. At least the back cover credited keyboardist Gary Corbett, surely a rarity. For a real howler though, check out the front cover. That’s not Bruce, and that’s not 1988!
With all respect to Ace Frehley, the originator and influencer, I think Bruce Kulick is the finest guitar player that Kiss ever had. His solo career is certainly worth investigating, and so is live Kiss from his time in the band. Monsters of Rock is difficult to recommend over others, but if you find it within your price range, go for it.
“Hello. The show we are about to see is a rousing docu-drama. It will disgust some, and titillate others. But whether it disgusts you, or titillates you, it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but…the truth.”
Kiss were on to something here. The concept of a home video release that was more than just a compilation of clips was fairly new. Kiss took the bull by the horns and put together a video that was all at once extremely sexist and innovative, offensive and invaluable. Only fans need apply; anyone who is sick of Gene Simmons’ schtick will bore quickly of his oafish humour. But when Kiss play it “straight” in certain interview segments, light shines through. The old memories and the old friendships are fresh and vivid.
Interviewer Mark Blankfield strolls up to the “Kiss Mansion” where all four members live Monkee-like together in one house with dozens upon dozens of beautiful women. The doorbell plays “Rock N’ Roll All Nite”, and Paul Stanley is confused. He thought the interview was scheduled for…not noon, but 12 midnight! Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.
The KISS Mansion
Some of the scripted bits are actually funnier than you’d expect. Paul and Gene are natural clowns, and playing the role of disinterested rock stars tickles the funnybone. Blankfield keeps chasing them around, trying to get them to do some interviews. All the while, he encounters scantily clad babes in various states of undress, and a butler intent on keeping him away from them. Subjects of discussion in the scripted bits include nutrition and fitness. Learn about Joseph Kiss Sr., who came up with the vision of Kiss in 1773. Check out Paul Stanley’s workout video! Meet his best friend, a monkey named Sonny Crockett. Cut to a music video!
The music videos are something. In a scripted bit, Paul is surprised that they have access to the uncensored version of “Who Wants to Be Lonely”, which neither MTV nor MuchMusic were willing to play. Censors were offended by images of women in bikinis spraying themselves with hoses, even though I’m sure George Michael did something similar a couple years later. Every music video that Kiss filmed from “I Love It Loud” (1982) to the Asylum album (1985) is included, except “Thrills in the Night”.* All videos from eras prior to this are live and unreleased!
“Deuce” in San Fransisco
Live in Rio, from Kiss’ very last concert in makeup, it’s “I Love It Loud” with Vinnie Vincent! This is good quality video and audio from a TV broadcast. From the now famous bootleg Kissin’ Time in San Francisco (1975), it’s a nuclear version of “Deuce” in black and white. It’s the first appearance of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in this feature, and the rawness of the old band is a delightful contrast to the new. Then it’s “Strutter” at Cobo Hall in ’76, an Ace guitar solo from 1980, and “Beth” in 1977 with Peter Criss (and a pretty bad final note). Gene’s got a bass solo/blood spitting clip to show off, but the most interesting clip of the batch could be “Detroit Rock City” in Australia, 1980. Paul did the verse melody with a slightly different twist. “Rock and Roll all Nite” is included from the same show, which had Eric Carr on drums. “I Stole Your Love” and “Ladies Room” have the original lineup from the Love Gun tour; Kiss at their bombastic best.
Of the best of the “straight” interview clips is the question, “How did you two get together?” Paul and Gene start busking to “I’ll Be Back” by the Beatles, and suddenly you can imagine what they sounded like in 1972. They even sing bits of Gene’s more…obscure early material. “I love Eskimos…” “My mother is beauuuutiful…” (Hopefully we will hear these songs on Gene’s upcoming 150 track box set, Vault?) Another good question, to Gene, is “Have you gone Hollywood?” which he answers with candor.
Incredible special features
The very large issue with this DVD is the absence of Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr. They only appear in brief cameos, and get a couple lines a piece. That’s very unfortunate. And then there is the excessive objectification of women. It’s done as an obvious satire of the rock star stereotype, but not particularly well. Too bad. This isn’t Spinal Tap.
Some of the diehards would have preferred a home video with more music and less gags. Fortunately Kiss got the message when they eventually got around to a sequel.
3/5 stars
* It appears that “Thrills in the Night” must have been intended for inclusion at one point, because it’s in the songwriting credits at the end of the video.
The closest “record store” when I was a young kid wasn’t a “record store” at all. It was a now-defunct department store called Zellers. Located at Stanley Park Mall, they were a mere 10 minute walk from home. If we were looking for new tapes to listen to, Zellers would be the natural first stop. It was a bit of a needle in a haystack situation because I didn’t know the names of a lot of bands or albums. For example, there was a cool band from Japan on MuchMusic. They had a killer heavy metal track called “Crazy Nights”, but I couldn’t remember the name of the band. I scoured the racks at Zellers until I found what I assumed was the right group: “Wang Chung”. Never mind that “Wang Chung” doesn’t actually sound like a Japanese name, but what did I know at that age? I definitely didn’t know that the name of the band was Loudness, and the album I was looking for was called Thunder In the East! It’s a good thing I figured that out before putting Wang Chung on my Christmas list.
Bob and I spent a lot of time browsing records at Zellers just out of convenience of location. It was there that I first saw the band known as Poison. “They look like girls don’t they?” said Bob. “Yeah,” I responded, secretly deciding that Rikki Rockett was the hottest. But they were men! That first Poison album cover turned me off the band for a time. I considered them a sub-Motley Crue.
What finally turned me on to Poison was actually a highschool Battle of the Bands. It seemed every highschool band learned “Talk Dirty to Me” in 1987. The track had a vaguely old-timey rock and roll feel and that appealed to me. It was like old Kiss.
I gradually got into Poison, by taping their videos off MuchMusic. It is quite possible that their videos were the most action packed of the era. They were highly choreographed, but so much fun. There is no shame in admitting that when Bob and I got our first guitars, we were more interested in doing stage moves than playing. Poison (and also Cinderella) were the prototypes for many of our moves. A few guitars hit a few ceilings because of Poison. I had to have a faux-snakeskin guitar strap, with strap locks, of course, for those over-the-shoulder-throws.
The Poison video I liked the best was a ballad called “I Won’t Forget You”. It was tour footage from the stage and off, and it was less choreographed. It had a guest shot by none other than Paul Stanley! If Paul appeared on stage with Poison, then they had to be good. Right?
It was obvious from their videos that Poison were a flashy band, bent on entertainment or death. My musical perception wasn’t strong enough to detect that the band weren’t the greatest musicians, but they did have good songs to my ears. Every video they made was fun and catchy as hell. Poison were pretty easy to get into, and they were everywhere.
The music video turned out great, and one day I hope to transfer it to a format you can upload to Youtube.
I’m not sure how many kids back then could have claimed they used Poison for a school project, but we did and we kicked that project’s ass! Add Poison to the list of bands I used for school presentations and essays, including Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Judas Priest. Poison’s music might have been vacuous, but they served their purpose. Even today, I still get those feelings that say “I Want Action”! Poison are intertwined with my childhood, permanently, and that’s not a terrible thing.
It’s a song that is a recurring theme for Kiss in the 1980s. It’s a down and out song: Asylum failed to live up to commercial hopes and the band only toured in North America. Paul Stanley was still firmly in control of Kiss. His partner Gene Simmons was now a record label mogul. He signed Loz Netto and House of Lords. Meanwhile, Paul observed bands like Bon Jovi who once opened for them, now eclipsing their success.
Kiss chose producer Ron Nevison for their next album tentatively titled Who Dares Wins. Nevison had recently produced big hits for Heart and Ozzy Osbourne, and Kiss aimed to follow along. The new music was the most commercial they’d written since 1980’s Unmasked. Big name songwriters participated on all but two songs. Much to the chagrin of Kiss fans, keyboards were brought on heavily for the sessions. Paul had been writing on keyboards for the first time. (In concert, keys were played offstage by Gary Corbett.)
The album was renamed Crazy Nights, preceded by first single and video, “Crazy Crazy Nights”. From the first “Woo!”, it’s far too bright and shiny. It’s one of those “gosh, this is so inspiring!” tunes that you’re embarrassed to like. “They try to tell us that we don’t belong, but that’s alright, we’re millions strong.” The awkward change to a higher key at the end is annoying as Paul hits absurd notes. Bruce Kulick’s guitar playing is exemplary, a showcase of true technical mastery, but not the kind of playing associated with classic Kiss.
A pretty stinky song called “I’ll Fight Hell to Hold You” is a mish-mash of mismatched parts and very high notes. It inspired my neighbor George to say, “If a song this poor made the album, can you imagine the songs that didn’t?” Gene wrote about 25 songs for Crazy Nights. Shudder. “Bang Bang You” is pretty weak too, keeping things in “park” rather than “drive”. It’s also the second time Paul referrs to a previous Kiss song in the lyrics. This time Paul states that he’s gonna “shoot you down with my Love Gun, baby.” On “Crazy Crazy Nights”, Paul stated that we “Love It Loud”. Reminding fans of better songs from more nostalgic times?
Bruce Kulick gets a smoking guitar into on Gene’s first track, “No No No”. Every trick in the book is thrown down in a mere 45 seconds. The track is a sudden fast thrash into heavier territory. However it’s track 4, and it’s Gene’s first song? That’s problem numero uno. The second issue is Gene’s newfound smooth singing style. The demonic growl is gone, and Gene adopted a clean voice that does not really sound much like Gene Simmons. He continues that style on “Hell Or High Water”, a pretty good tune in fact.
Things go a ridiculous extreme on “My Way”, another one of Paul’s “inspirational” tunes. “I’m gonna talk like I talk, walk like I walk, My Way.” Sinatra this is not. What sinks it are the stupidly high notes that Paul hits. Paul Stanley was simply one of the great voices in rock, bar none. He could do things that few people this side of Freddie Mercury could do. But just because you have a car that can go 200 mph doesn’t mean you have to keep it floored. Save it for when it counts.
Side two commences with another atrocity, “When Your Walls Come Down”, which never would have been in consideration for a better album. Consider that Eric Carr wrote a number of ideas for this album that weren’t used, like “Dial L For Love”. That unfinished song had a Van Hagar vibe that was on trend, and potentially better than crap like “When Your Walls Come Down”.
The first Kiss ballad since “I Still Love You” on Creatures of the Night (1982) is “Reason to Live”. A weak ballad is of little interest, and the music video surprised some by having Bruce Kulick on stage playing damn keyboards! Paul and his buddy Desmond Child are responsible for a song we’d rather forget.
Simmons returns with a great number called “Good Girl Gone Bad”. Cliche title aside, this understated dusky prowler has melodic qualities in common with some of Gene’s better material on Unmasked. Another decent song, Paul’s “Turn On the Night” is a hokey but good enough anthem for the 80s. It’s co-written by Diane Warren, who later scored it big with a little song called “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing“. It will be too bright for some fans, but it’s a tasty pill if you can swallow it. Paul has always had a way with a chorus. Bruce’s solo is another standout. “Turn On the Night” is actually pretty good. The music video seemed to be a continuation from “Reason to Live”. The blonde woman that torched Paul’s car seems to be now sabotaging a Kiss concert on a roof top? I’m very confused.
Crazy Nights ends with a fart, a pretty low-grade Simmons tune named “Thief in the Night”. On a better produced album like Creatures, a song like this could have smoked the competition. On a plastic, thin album like Crazy Nights, it completely misses the gut.
It’s probably unfair to lay the blame for Crazy Nights at the feet of Paul Stanley and Ron Nevison. If Gene wasn’t out trying to discover the next big band, and was actually focused on Kiss, could they have gotten it together? The fact is that Kiss are at their best when running full steam. It’s always been a partnership between Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as the primary writers. Crazy Nights represents a point at which these partners were working like broken cogs.
It’s a damn shame.
Today’s rating:
1.75/5 stars
Uncle Meat’s rating:
0/5 steaks
Meat’s slice: For this Meat’s slice, we include an actual commentary, as Uncle Meat listened to the album in real time.
Uncle Meat: This first shit tune…sounds like a wrestling entrance.
Mike LeBain: Totally. It’s of the time.
UM: It’s shit.
ML: You couldn’t even give this 0 steaks.
UM: It’s Warrant…It’s Poison…It’s shit.
ML: You’d have to go to rotten ground beef for this. And that’s…fuck what’s his name…
UM: And that key change is ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!! So awful.
ML …Ron Nevison produced.
UM: This is shit.
ML: Enjoy my friend. It gets pretty silly later. Wait until you hear My Way. Mark my words. Reemember: MY WAY. I’ll walk like I walk, talk like I talk, My Way…
UM: If I end up taking a walk and killing a 48 year old Chinese woman…It’s on you my friend.
ML: I realize that. It’s right here in permanent Internet records.
UM: Well…first absolute shit tune is over…and it’s rated dung.
ML: Second song is worse.
UM: The shit storm is over Randy… Oh no it’s not Mr Lahey…because here comes song 2. I’m using that in my review of this album…
ML: HAHAHAHAHAH
UM: I’m so glad I shaved my head two days ago…or I would be lighting my hair on fire. Bang Bang You…just about to start. I see it’s a Desmond Child vehicle. Grrrr This is so garbage…hot steaming garbage. I dont know if I can do this whole album.
ML: HAHAHAHAHA Bang Bang You… You have to finish it now.
UM: I hate this.
ML: You can tell this is the period when Gene wasn’t around anymore.
UM: My bum is embarrassed for my ears right now.
ML: You think this is bad, I invite you to play Hot in the Shade.
UM: OK…fuck man…it’s only song 4 of this one…hold it now.
ML: I’ll shoot you down with my love gun baby.
UM: I’m not guaranteeing I’m getting through this one.
ML: You can’t walk away now.
UM: And…I might just review the first 4 songs…and say… ok…I’m done…don’t care about the rest…goodbye. Goodbye. That would make a point.
ML Nope you HAVE to play MY WAY. I need you to hear track 6.
UM: Who is singing No No No? Kulick?
ML: Gene.
UM: Doesn’t sound like him.
ML: He doesn’t sound like him on any of the album.
UM: Oh…ok…he sounds different.
ML: Nevison forced him to drop his normal voice.
UM: Passable.
ML: Barely.
UM: Kinda reminds me of Skyscraper by David Lee Roth.
ML: Same era. Very plastic and keyboardy and samply on the drums.
UM: Better than the first 3. Eric carr’s only writing credit. Does Kulick or Carr sing any tunes?
ML: Nope just Gene or Paul. Eric was promised a song and didn’t get one which made him very bitter. Apparently he stopped speaking to Paul around the next album.
UM: I mean on any album.
ML Eric sings two. He sings Beth on Smashes and Thrashes. And Little Caesar on Hot in the Shade. Bruce sings one. I Walk Alone on Carnival of Souls.
UM: Ok…that’s weird.
ML: Funny thing there: Both guys sang their first original Kiss songs on their LAST Kiss albums. In Fact Bruce’s song is the last song on his last Kiss album.
UM: Neat.
ML: In the current band Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer both have two lead vocals each.
UM: Hell or High Water is…boring…not offensive like earlier. Sounds like Tesla.
ML: But you can hear his voice is smooth not rough.
UM: I just wrote down one line now in the first minute of My Way. “Bon Jovi can fuck right the fuck off already”. Oh man this smells. It’s like actual runny sharts are oozing throught this speaker. OK… Reason to Live is on a new shelf of shit. Holy Fuck. Of course…Desmond Fucking Child. What a shit hat. It sounds like St. Elmos Fire meets Michael Bolton working out in a shit gym. OK…I’m done it’s off…I can’t do anymore…no fucking way. Done.
Crazy Nights is the last album reissued in the Mercury CD remasters series. No album more recent than this has been remastered and reissued.
When we last met our heroes, they were a fractured bunch with differing priorities. Gene Simmons cut his hair and went to Hollywood. Paul Stanley was steering the Kiss ship singlehandedly. They were down a guitar player (Mark St. John) but were fortunate to find his replacement in Bruce Kulick. Not only was Bruce an old acquaintance (his brother Bob played on a number of Kiss tracks) but he was also just what the band needed. He added a shot of stability and wrote good material. He has three writing credits on his first album Asylum, and that was just the beginning.
Paul and Gene produced Asylum, in a similar way to how Animalize was recorded. As had become routine, Gene wasn’t around to record some of the bass parts in Paul’s songs. Jean Beauvoir returned to fill in, while Paul also played some bass. Without Gene fully committed, Asylum was the second Kiss album in a row hobbled by his reduced participation. Animalize was a huge selling album for Kiss having gone platinum. Asylum sounds like Paul wanted to duplicate that record.
Eric Carr opens the album with a thunderously memorable drum intro. Carr didn’t have to try to impress anybody; his drumming brought Kiss to a higher level musically. His double bass work on “King of the Mountain” would make Lars poo his pants. For Carr fans, “King of the Mountain” surely must be considered one of his brightest moments. Fortunately the song also kicks ass. As one of the Kulick co-writes, the new guitarist impresses immediately. His soloing style was so much smoother than his predecessor Mark St. John. He had similar speed and ability but better composition when it comes to solos. Meanwhile, Paul takes this high octane speed rocker and turns it into a rallying call of encouragement.
I’m gonna climb the mountain, I’m gonna hit the top, I wanna go where nobody’s ever been, I’m never gonna stop.
Who needs Shakespeare when you just need a good shake? “King of the Mountain” is fuel injection for the bloodstream.
Over to Gene. “Any Way You Slice It” kicks ass. He had a habit of barking out his lyrics in the 80s, and “Any Way You Slice It” is very bark-y. The riff really catches air and takes off. Back to Paul, and a big single. “Who Wants to Be Lonely” has a chug and a plaintive chorus. Paul’s vocal abilities were at a peak, but it sounds like Gene was nowhere near the studio when it was recorded.
There are a lot of contributions from outside songwriters on Asylum, from people such as Desmond Child and Jean Beauvoir. One of the few songs without them is “Trial By Fire” by Gene and Bruce. Once again the rhythm is a chug, but this simple little rocker is appealing. There’s nothing wrong with the chorus, but it has never been played live. Nor has Paul’s “I’m Alive” which just takes the speed thing to an absurd level for this band. Kiss isn’t a speed metal band and “I’m Alive” isn’t a memorable song. “I’m hot enough to give you chills.” I’ll take your word for it, Paul!
Flip the album and you’ll hear “Love’s a Deadly Weapon”, which both Gene and Paul have a credit on. This is noteworthy, because the pair hadn’t written anything together on Animalize and only one track on Lick it Up and The Elder each. That’s all the co-writing credits they had together after the infamous Kiss solo albums. However, “Love’s a Deadly Weapon” isn’t really a co-write. It’s one of Gene’s songs, with a title and some words taken from a Paul Stanley demo called “Deadly Weapons”. Again, Kiss takes the speed level to the absurd. This ironically renders the song powerless.
Fortunately Paul’s big single “Tears are Falling” brings back the quality. It was one of the few songs from this era to continue to be played live. It was kept in the set on the Revenge tour, and had been brought back periodically by the current lineup of the band, even appearing on their last album Kiss Rocks Vegas. That’s because it has a chorus that goes on for days and days. Bruce’s guitar solo is one his most memorable, which doesn’t hurt either.
Gene’s “Secretly Cruel” shows off his sleazy side, on a likeable but forgettable album track. He wrote this one solo, just as Paul did for “Tears are Falling”. And it’s sleazy from there in. “Radar for Love” is a Paul/Desmond composition with a groove and a chorus that nails it.
And then it’s “Uh! All Night”. Yes, “Uh! All Night” is the name of a song.
I’ll confess that when I first heard “Uh! All Night” in 1985, I didn’t know what “Uh!” meant. I figured it meant “partying” or something. And there was a period when I really liked this song, but that was over 30 years ago and it sure has worn out its welcome.
Kiss went on tour again, never leaving home territory except for one date in Toronto. This was a step backwards for the so-called “Hottest Band in the World”. Asylum wasn’t the hit album that Animalize was. Money was becoming a problem. These are problems they aimed to solve next time.
The irony is, although Asylum wasn’t as big as Animalize, song for song it’s probably a better album.
– 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 IIwith 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.
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.
For the first time in my life, I bought a CD that sounded so shitty, I couldn’t even stand to listen to it. I knew that the bootleg CD, Kiss Demos 1981-1983 wasn’t going to sound terrific, because my neighbor George had a version of this on LP way back in the day. I didn’t know it was going to sound this horrid.
Demos 1981-1983 collects some Kiss and assorted tracks, from some very dubious sources. It sounds like 12th generation cassettes, complete with music bleeding through. You can actually hear “Tokyo Road” by Bon Jovi bleeding through on track 7. Enjoy the tape drop-out and inaudible drums too. There are some interesting bits here, and some useless ones.
You can divide this CD into three sections. The first six tracks seem to be Vinnie Vincent demos. They include “Boyz Are Gonna Rock”, which evolved into two separate songs. The verses became “And on the 8th Day” by Kiss, from the 1983 album Lick It Up. The choruses became “Boyz Are Gonna Rock” from Vinnie Vincent Invasion’s debut LP. These demos reportedly feature Vinnie himself on lead vocals, and he does a fine job of it in fact. Why did he even need a lead singer? Another curious track is “Back on the Streets” which Ace Frehley was known to play live before his first Frehley’s Comet album. In fact the Comet band covered it on the tribute album Return of the Comet, and Vinnie put it on the first Invasion album. Finally there is the track listed on the back as “Your Baby”. This is actually “Baby O” also from Invasion’s debut.
Moving on from the Vincent tracks, there are a few Kiss demos supposedly from The Elder sessions. These include titles that are probably made up: “Heaven”, “The Unknown Force” and “Council of the Elder”. They are accompanied by an instrumental demo of “A World Without Heroes” and the original Frehley version of “Dark Light”, called “Don’t Run”. These are actually really cool skeletons of tracks. The one titled “Unknown Force” is a bass-led instrumental, and it has a funky little guitar part that is insanely nifty, but it’s just one idea that needs to be fleshed out. Then there is “Heaven” which fans today know better as “Carr Jam” (on Kiss’s Revenge) or “Breakout” (on Frehley’s Comet). Eric Carr wrote this riff for The Elder sessions and though Kiss didn’t use it, Ace did. “A World Without Heroes” is an instrumental on which you can barely hear guitars. Finally there is the track called “Council of the Elder” which could be the best of the lot. It has a Zeppelin-y beginning reminiscent of things like “Thank You”, before it blasts into a cool riff that I don’t recognize from anywhere else. Only a small part of the song seems to have been used, in “Only You”.
The third chunk of songs focuses on Lick It Up demos, a boring bunch of inaudible crap, all but one snippet called “You”. It’s just a few chords and a vocal melody idea that Paul and Vinnie came up with, but it’s cool to hear them harmonize. It’s possible this track evolved into “A Million to One” as the chords are similar.
The most inexcusable inclusion on this CD is “Young & Wreckless” which claims to be a Lick It Up demo with vocals by Vinnie Vincent. This inclusion is an error that goes all the way back to the vinyl versions of this bootleg that circulated in the 80s. The immediately obvious issue is that it’s not Vinnie Vincent singing, it’s Brian Vollmer. That’s because “Young & Wreckless” is a Helix song, and this track is lifted right from their 1984 album Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge! Like the rest of the CD, it sounds like an 18th generation cassette copy.
This disc is for die-hards only. What I’d like to see is an official release of the demo tracks from The Elder period, which are great. Next box set, boys?
– Lick It Up (1983 Polygram, 1997 Mercury remaster)
On September 18 1983, Kiss publicly unmasked on MTV. They each appeared with a name tag at a desk and answered questions from the press. Their first album with their bare faces on the cover was just released on that day: Lick It Up. With two non-original members now in the band, and their fortunes fading, it seemed like the best move commercially and artistically. According to writer Robert V. Conte, the Kiss press conference was overshadowed by an MTV special on Van Halen, broadcast the same evening.
It would be easy for skeptics to dismiss Kiss’ unmasking as a mere stunt, and in many ways they would be right, but it was not a decision made lightly. Kiss had legitimate fears about how they could carry on without the makeup and costumes. They came to realize that they could just continue doing what they do – playing their songs live as they always have.
The new album, Lick It Up, was brilliant. It is “exhibit A” in the case of “Did Vinnie Vincent save Kiss?” With eight out of ten writing credits, all of them great, it certainly appears that Vinnie gave Lick It Up a swift kick in the afterburner.
The stark white cover featured Kiss in their street clothes. It was a minimalist cover with the only clue to their identities being Gene’s tongue. In Japan, a full cover obi retained the band in makeup (including Vinnie) until you opened the package and saw the white cover inside. This led to an urban legend that Japan actually had a rare makeup cover on their edition of Lick It Up.
Strangely enough, even though Lick It Up was Vinnie’s official debut as a Kiss member, He didn’t play the solo on opening salvo “Exciter”. This was unknown to fans at the time, but “Exciter” was performed by Rick Derringer after Vinnie couldn’t nail the right vibe in the studio. It was an ominous warning of things to come.
Otherwise, “Exciter” ushered Kiss into the 1980s with a sound that fit. It had a chunky guitar chug, and killer melodic chorus, and left the sound of the 70s far behind. Perhaps most importantly, it had no outside writers. Nothing on Lick It Up required outside writers now that they had Vinnie in the band.
After the blowout opening of “Exciter”, Gene Simmons grinds it down slow with one of his heaviest tracks to date: “Not For the Innocent”. Gene adapted his singing style to include a Demon scream, and “Not For the Innocent” features lots of it on the outro. “Not For the Innocent” built on the heavy Kiss of Creatures of the Night and pushed it heavier.
The first single was the successful and surprisingly simple “Lick It Up”. It’s basically a textbook guitar chug with verses and a chorus – no solo. It was enough to go top 40 in the UK and Canada and has since become a concert staple. In fact it’s the only Lick It Up song to remain in the set beyond the 80s, and it’s a pretty good song for what it is.
Simmons returned to the fore on the frenetic “Young and Wasted”, an example of speedy 80s Kiss keeping up with their metal compatriots. Fortunately, Vincent provided a kicking riff. Live, “Young and Wasted” was often given to Eric Carr to sing. The studio version is the one to beat. Then it was Paul Stanley’s turn in the driver’s seat with “Gimme More”, keeping things rolling in a non-descript top gear.
One of the most interesting tunes on Lick It Up is the side two opener and second single “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose.” It was begun as a Zeppelin-y riff by Eric Carr, and finished by all four members – only the second Kiss song ever credited to all four members. It became, in Eric’s words, a “rock and roll rap song!” That’s not quite so, though Paul’s talk-singing in the verses evokes the basics of rap. No worries though; this is one brilliant Kiss song that really deserved more exposure. One worth buying the album for.
The Simmons-dominated second side of Lick It Up is where most of the treasures are found, but Paul had one more kick at the can. Paul’s “A Million to One” is an unsung classic. A defiant Stanley tells an ex that her chances of finding a better lover are “a million to one”. With such an awesome song backing him, Paul makes a convincing argument. He hits a homerun with melody and angst.
A trio of Simmons tunes ends Lick It Up as one of Kiss’ heaviest album. “Fits Like a Glove” is speedy-Kiss again, hyper-caffeinated and playing as fast as they can. Gene’s barking out the words, chewing them up, spitting them out and taking no prisoners. Then, he brings it back to a groove on “Dance All Over Your Face”. It’s a song you might not know, but you should. Kiss’ deep cuts from the 80s have some rare diamonds, and this is one of them.
The closer was an apocalyptic rocker called “And on the 8th Day” which was based on a Vinnie Vincent demo. The verses of that demo became “And on the 8th Day”. The choruses became a later Vinnie Vincent Invasion track called “Boyz Are Gonna Rock”, which we will look at later on. The two songs share DNA but have little else in common. The Vincent demo is the kind of speed rocker that dominated Lick It Up. Meanwhile the Kiss song “And on the 8th Day” has the slow monster plod, a killer riff, and a chorus that goes on for days. Although it’s never seen the light of a concert stage, it really should have.
Though Vinnie Vincent co-wrote the songs that may or may not have saved Kiss, he was a real problem. His personality didn’t mesh, and his ego got the better of him. He couldn’t come to an agreement with Kiss over his contract, and in fact never signed one to become an official Kiss member. This caused him to be let go at the end of the European Lick It Up tour.
Finding a replacement for Vincent wasn’t easy, and he was re-hired for the American tour, though he still delayed signing a contract. Issues with Vinnie grew on this tour, as he grabbed more of the spotlight from his bandmates. Like Ace Frehley before him, Vinnie was given a five minute solo spot, but sometimes Vinnie dragged them out well into overtime. This caused plenty of tension, especially when he once broke into an impromptu solo leaving the band on stage not sure what to do. The issue of Vinnie’s contract became a non-issue when he was let go permanently. The band have had very little good to say about Vinnie Vincent since then, especially when the lawsuits began. Despite this, Lick It Up was not to be Vinnie’s final collaboration with his former band.
Did Vinnie Vincent save Kiss? This argument will go on as long as there are Kiss fans to discuss it. Vinnie certainly did provide Kiss with some grade-A songs, both here and on Creatures of the Night. However he wasn’t the kind of guitar player they needed, who could play the old stuff authentically and also shred with the new kids. If Vinnie hadn’t come along, another talented writer would have, and Kiss would have continued. This doesn’t do anything to discredit Lick It Up, a damn fine “comeback” indeed.
Today’s rating:
5/5 stars
Uncle Meat’s rating:
3.5/5 steaks
Meat’s slice:After my scathing review of Creatures of the Night, I wasn’t sure how to approach this Lick It Up Meat’s Slice. I guess I’ll start with March 15, 1984. My buddy Scott Hunter and I went to Maple Leaf Gardens to see Kiss on the Lick it Up tour, with supporting act Accept! This was to be my second Kiss concert, as we were also at Maple Leaf Gardens for the Creatures tour on January 14, 1983. A concert in which we didn’t know until well after that it wasn’t Ace Frehley on guitar…but none other than Vinnie Vincent. Of course Vinnie was on guitar for the Lick it Up tour as well. Great show with openers The Headpins. Before my 15th birthday, I had now seen Kiss twice. I am 47 now and haven’t seen them live since.
Kiss had taken the makeup off between these albums. Years before I remember seeing a People magazine in my grandmother’s bathroom, while taking a shit, that showed Gene Simmons with a bandana over his face just over his nose. Up until now I had not seen any Kiss member without makeup. So there they are on the Lick It Up cover and all I can think is…”Damn…wish they still had makeup at least for that really ugly dude,” (Vinnie). The title track of the album has become a bit of a Kiss classic and is still a great song. Not a lot of this album is exceptionally great in my opinion, but there are some good gems in there. The best of which I think is “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose”, which I have always loved and still do. Other than those two songs? The album lies somewhere between Meh and Good for me.
Funny Vinnie story for me though. Many years ago our makeshift band at the time were playing a Christmas assembly at St. David’s High School in Waterloo here. I was standing behind the soundboard as my guitar player was on stage doing a sound check. The sound guy asked my buddy Dave to play a bit to get a starting level. As per usual, Dave went ripping into some heavy metal bullshit soloing. After a few seconds of that I could see the sound guy waving his hands in the air in front of me, and after getting Dave’s attention, says into the microphone at the board, “Okay Vinnie Vincent…Settle down there.” Always found that kinda defined the Vinnie Vincent Invasion.
Favorite Tracks: “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose”, “Lick It Up”
Forgettable Tracks: I don’t know about forgettable, but the rest isn’t that memorable.
– Creatures of the Night(1982 Casablanca, 1985 Polygram reissue, 1997 Mercury remaster)
The internal problems with Kiss continued full-bore into their next album, the surprisingly powerful Creatures of the Night. Ace Frehley was on the cover, and in the music video, but like Peter Criss before him, he didn’t play a note. In the midst of recording with new producer Michael James Jackson (Red Rider), they were also auditioning new guitarists to replace the Ace.
As a result of the embarrassing failure of their concept album fiasco Music From the Elder, Kiss had little choice in what to do next. If they had any hope of survival as a musical entity, they had to return to rock. What may have come as a surprise given their recent history including two pop “Kissco” albums was that their new music was really, really heavy. Kiss were unleashed and went full-bore heavy metal.
Aiding and abetting this: drummer Eric Carr was unchained on Creatures of the Night. His drum sound, inspired by the massive slam of Zeppelin’s John Bonham, was completely off the hook. These are by far the biggest sounding drums on any Kiss album. Also helping the band get heavier: a new songwriting partner. Vincent Cusano wrote and played on several tracks on Creatures. His talent was evident to all.
In fact there is a school of thought today regarding Mr. Cusano, later redubbed “Vinnie Vincent”. A large vocal group of fans proclaim today that “Vinnie Saved Kiss”. And that theory does hold some water.
Other contributors to the LP included Canadian writing team Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. Adam Mitchell and Mikel Japp also wrote with Paul and Gene. Guitarists Robben Ford, Steve Farris and Adam Mitchell lent chops and solos to the album. One guy who Gene claims came to the studio, but did not play, was one Eddie Van Halen. According to Gene Simmons, Eddie came down and poured his heart out complaining how miserable he was in Van Halen…and then asked to join Kiss. Believe it…or not?
The incendiary title track “Creatures of the Night” is powerful and instantaneous enough to be used as a concert opener. The metallic chug was new to Kiss, but not alien to them. This anthemic Paul Stanley rocker had the goods. Kiss were back, and in a big way. Just listen to those opening drums! It’s as if Kiss knew that Eric Carr still needed a more suitable introduction, and they gave it to him.
Creatures is notable for one major “first”. It was the first of many Kiss studio albums to only feature two lead singers, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Gene’s debut on Creatures is the incredible “Saint and Sinner”, heavy but low-key and based on a killer verse melody. “Get me off this carousel, you can do as you please…you can go to hell,” sings an angry Demon. And that’s Vinnie, absolutely smoking with a brilliantly melodic guitar solo. What a player…but only when he can control his instincts to play too fast.
Paul turns up the sex on “Keep Me Comin’” (har-de-har har!), a sleazy Kiss rocker with a heavy Zeppelin groove. While not quite filler material, “Keep Me Comin’” and another Paul track called “Danger” are definitely on the lower rungs of this album. “Danger” is the prototype for a kind of speed metal Kiss rocker that Paul threw on all the albums from this point to 1985.
One of Paul’s best songs, and longest lasting in concert, was the ballad “I Still Love You”. This is one heavy ballad, but Paul’s singing is completely over the top. Again, it’s more like a heavy Zeppelin blues ballad. A track like this proves why Paul is considered one of the greatest hard rock singers of all time. Not too many can do it like Paul on “I Still Love You”…and that’s Eric Carr on bass, by the way. Gene doesn’t play bass on most of Paul’s songs. Jimmy Haslip (ex-Blackjack featuring Michael Bolton and future Kiss member Bruce Kulick) and Mike Porcaro took over bass duties on “Danger” and “Creatures” respectfully.
As for Gene, Creatures really sounds up his alley, with tunes like “Rock and Roll Hell”, “Killer”, and “War Machine” suiting his dark persona. And what tunes these are, particularly “Rock and Roll Hell” which simmers with a midnight intensity. The song rides the basic bassline with not much in the way of additional crunch, into chorus time. The interesting thing is the song is actually a thorough re-working of an old Bachman-Turner Overdrive song written by Jim Valance. In fact, Valance claimed that Simmons only insisted on reworking the song in order to get writing royalties. Either way, “Rock and Roll Hell” just burns like an ember. Then in another interesting twist, the song was later covered by Ace Frehley (Origins Vol. 1)! A Kiss cover of a Kiss song he never played on.
“Killer” reeks of Vinnie Vincent. One of the key guitar riffs sounds quintessentially Vinnie, and kind of similar to his later solo track “Boyz Are Gonna Rock”. It’s a brilliant track, right up Gene’s alley, with intense speed and hooks. The female backing vocals in the outro are a surprise. “War Machine” on the other hand sounds purely Gene, even though it’s a co-write with Valance and Bryan Adams. Something about it personifies the “monster plod” sound that Gene specializes in. It’s apocalyptic Kiss metal for your nightmares. It’s strong and relentless.
The single was, of course, the overplayed “I Love it Loud”, which in turn was transformed into a killer music video featuring Ace Frehley miming Vinnie Vincent’s guitar. “I Love it Loud” is insanely catchy and unshakeable during its first several listens. After that, it’s too simple to maintain interest too long. It’s kind of baffling how this song has remained in set lists well past its sell-by date, especially when tracks like “Killer” and “Saint and Sinner” are not.
In 1985 this album was reissued with new non-makeup cover art. On the cover they replaced Ace Frehley, who never played on the album, with Bruce Kulick…who never played on the album. Three songs were remixed: “Creatures of the Night”, “War Machine”, and “I Love it Loud”, but only “Creatures” was included on the 1985 album. The remixed “I Love it Loud” was later issued on a compilation, and the remixed “War Machine” has yet to be released. The remixes by Dave Wittman generally toned down the awesome drum sound, weakening the experience overall.
Vinnie Vincent joined the band officially after Creatures was recorded, and was given his own makeup design: The “Ankh Warrior”. A strange choice for a new character; perhaps Kiss were plain out of ideas or just didn’t care. It’s the only Kiss makeup design to never be seen on an album cover. Then, Kiss embarked on their first American tour in years, the 10th Anniversary Tour. It featured a stage with a tank for a drum riser. “Killer” indeed!
Today’s rating:
4.5/5 stars
Uncle Meat’s rating:
2.5/5 steaks
Meat’s slice:When Creatures of the Night was released in 1982, Kiss had been on the back burner for me for a couple years. Obviously still loved the classics, but 12 year old Meat was starting to become a huge fan of Heavy Metal music. Two different friends of mine and I were discovering new music together. Albums like Ace of Spades, Maiden Japan and Saxon’s Denim and Leather were the gateway drug for me on my way to being addicted to Heavy Metal. So when Creatures came out I recall being so into it, primarily because this was a “Heavy Metal” Kiss record. What’s not to like? The video for “I Love it Loud” was awesome and renewed my love for the band at the time.
So I listened to Creatures from stem to stern the other day, 35 years after it was released, and my take on this album is now quite a different story. I am expecting that many will disagree with my slice on this one, but circumstances dictate my review. Metal music just doesn’t inspire me the way it used to. The love is still there but the lust is gone. Obviously there are staples that I will always love, and new exceptions pop up all time time, but the truth is I would rather put on stuff like Steely Dan, Sly and the Family Stone, Grand Funk Railroad, Yes, Steve Earle, Drive by Truckers etc etc.
If I would have done these Meat Slices let’s say…20 years ago?…I probably would have panned Unmasked and praised this album. But now it is the opposite. The album’s title track, “I Still Love You” and “I Love it Loud” are still enjoyable to me, but pretty much every other song sounds very forced and downright boring to me. This is what happens when a band, who was used to ruling the world, tries to regain said status by joining the new Heavy Metal revolution. Trying to be something they are not. The albums previous (with maybe the exception of the song “The Oath”) and the albums that followed were not Metal albums. The following albums have some heavy songs, but are definitely not Heavy Metal records. You have to fast forward a decade until they released Revenge, and even that album had some different styles within it. It’s so strange to me that a Kiss record that sees Kiss trying SO HARD to be a heavy metal band, turns to Bryan Adams for inspiration? What’s Metal about that? Hello. McFly?
Rating this album was tough for me. I had to consider how much I loved it when it came out, and that the Creatures of the Night tour was my first Toronto arena concert. I can’t say I dislike the album, but I can say that of all the Kiss records I have revisited doing these slices, it’s this album that truly disappointed me because I went into the listen looking forward to hearing it again.
My final thoughts are this. Would diehard Alice Cooper fans consider Flush the Fashion a classic Alice Cooper record? It’s an album I owned on vinyl and I like the album, but it’s a blatant grab at the New Wave market and sounds nothing like the rest of his career. Celtic Frost has done everything possible to erase the memory of the deplorable Cold Lake, since it is a very un-Celtic Frost like record for the band. Creatures of the Night is not genuine to me. Most of the album sounds like the inspiration for Spinal Tap’s album, Smell the Glove. Especially the song “Heavy Duty”, and not surprisingly it was released not long after this in 1984. So, to end this slice I will refer to the immortal Derek Smalls and put it like this. Creatures of the Night is a disingenuous collection of head banging bullshit that to me is forgettable. It sounds square, clunky and has way too many forgettable songs on it. I would rather listen to Bryan Adams’ 1983 album Cuts Like a Knife. But Kiss…I still love you.
Favorite Tracks: “I Love it Loud”, “Creatures of the Night”, “I Still Love You”
Forgettable Tracks: The rest
LeBrain’s rebuttal:You’re Wrong on Creatures
For this Kiss Re-Review series, I have purposely avoided reading Uncle Meat’s reviews, and vice-versa, until they are ready to post. We wanted to avoid influencing each other. Creatures is an exception. Meat sent this to me a couple weeks ago, long before I even started my review. And now that I have read it…I feel like crying a single solitary tear of sadness, just like the one Gene shed in the video for “A World Without Heroes”.
Uncle Meat has a point about the switch to heavy metal music seeming like an act of desperation. I don’t doubt that if The Elder had been a hit instead of an abject nearly career-ending failure, Kiss would have continued in that direction. But we are talking about Kiss here. This is a band that have usually been followers, not leaders. Were they the first to wear makeup and heels? No. Did they invent disco with “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”? No. Going forward into the future, you will see Kiss continuing to chase other people’s sounds, such as Jon Bon Jovi and Alice in Chains. Even Revenge, which Meat mentioned above, seemed like an effort to bring things in line with what was happening in rock and roll.
Having listened to Creatures again for what must be the 30,000th time, my love for it is still strong. I’ve bought Creatures five times over the years. Every time I play it, I’m a 13 year old again. I sink into the guitar tones, which Vinnie just nailed on this album, and enjoy the booming echo of the drums. “I Love it Loud” no longer pitches my pup tent, but mostly due to overexposure.
On this, the Meatmaster General and I will have to agree to disagree. It’s something we often do when it comes to music, but the benefit is that it generates rich discussions, just like this one. — LeBrain
– Monsters of Rock (Mistral Music bootleg from 1988 tour)
ML:
ML:
mikeladano.com 