peter criss

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 – 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 – Jigoku-Retsuden (2008)

Getting closer to the end…Part 45 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster! 

KISS – Jigoku-Retsuden (2008) (Translated from Japanese: Intense Transmission from Hell)

After touring for several years with a lineup consisting of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer & Tommy Thayer, Kiss finally layed down a studio album, their first with this lineup.

Except it wasn’t a studio album of new original material.  It was re-recordings of past hits, and only available in Japan. It was recorded so Kiss could use these new versions any time they wanted to commit a song to a film or TV commercial without Universal taking a slice of their pie.  From a business point of view, it made sense.  And later on, the band ended up giving this CD away for free, as a bonus disc called Kiss Klassics within the Sonic Boom album.

I firmly believe that the original versions sound superior (except for, arguably, “Hotter Than Hell”) because they are more raw and have individual character. The original recordings all had different sounds or flavours to them. This is partly because they were all recorded in different studios for different albums, years apart, and sometimes because the band members varied from track to track. Here, they all have roughly the same sound which I would describe as “sterile”. Not bad, certainly, just lacking in something special.

Most crucially, there are bits and pieces you miss from the original recordings. Eric Carr’s signiture “1-2-3-4” drum thunder in the second verse of “Forever” was a highlight of that song for me in its original guise, and nobody else plays it like he did. Gene and Paul’s voices, while still strong, are noticably different. The vocal parts vary enough that you will miss certain nuances that you have emotional attachment to. On the positive side of the vocal front, Eric Singer sings his very first lead vocal on a Kiss studio album, (“Black Diamond” to be specific) which is cool. Tommy Thayer also nails pretty much all his solos, regardless of the originator.

Some versions included a DVD with concert footage previously released on Kissology 2, from Budokan Hall 1977. This (of course) is the original Kiss lineup. The tracklisting for it is in the gallery below; this DVD is region 2 encoded.

3/5 stars

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.

REVIEW: KISS – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss Vol. 1, 2 and 3

Part 41 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!   We’re deep into the second compilation years of Kiss.  This time I’m doing three at once!

KISS – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss Vol. 1, 2 and 3 (2003, 2004, 2006)

This series is one I find quite enjoyable (The Millenium Collection in general, which spanned many artists). For a budget price you get 10 to 12 hits in a brief running time. Perfect for people who aren’t fans but want some hits.  If you know where to go you can get these for around $5.  Imagine that — three discs of awesome Kiss for $15.  Not a bad value.

Let’s start with Volume 1, shall we?

I am a fan. I don’t play this series often, but I do enjoy it. The problem here is, of course, you can’t sum up the early years of Kiss in 12 songs. Here’s the album breakdown:

  • 2 songs from Kiss
  • 1 song from Hotter Than Hell
  • 1 song from Dressed To Kill
  • 1 song from Alive!
  • 2 songs from Destroyer
  • 2 songs from Rock And Roll Over
  • 2 songs from Love Gun
  • 1 song from Dynasty

Considering what this album is, the only thing I don’t like is the inclusion of “I Was Made For Loving You”. I would have put on something like “Shout It Out Loud”. Dynasty doesn’t really fit in with the other albums included here, but it came out in 1979 and therefore couldn’t go on Volume II (the 80’s).

1. Strutter
2. Deuce
3. Hotter Than Hell
4. C’mon And Love Me
5. Rock And Roll All Nite
6. Detroit Rock City
7. Beth
8. Hard Luck Woman
9. Calling Dr. Love
10. Love Gun
11. Christeen Sixteen
12. I Was Made For Lovin’ You

Volume 2 continues the concept.  It contains tunes from the following records:

  • 2 songs from Creatures Of The Night
  • 2 songs from Lick It Up
  • 2 songs from Animalize
  • 2 songs from Asylum
  • 2 songs from Crazy Nights
  • 2 songs from Hot In The Shade

Although between Volume I and Volume II, a couple albums slip through the cracks (Unmasked, The Elder, Killers) this CD is a pretty good summary of key singles from 1982-1989. Only a few singles are missing (“Who Wants To Be Lonely”, “Turn On The Night”, “Let’s Put The X In Sex”, “(You Make Me) Rock Hard”, “Rise To It”). I don’t think I would have subsituted any of those, for any of these:

1. Creatures Of The Night
2. I Love It Loud
3. Lick It Up
4. All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose
5. Heaven’s On Fire
6. Thrills In The Night
7. Tears Are Falling
8. Uh! All Night
9. Crazy Crazy Nights
10. Reason To Live
11. Hide Your Heart
12. Forever

Volume 3 is the shakiest of the three.  It leans a bit too much on live versions of popular hits for my tastes.  I would have preferred more studio songs, but KISS didn’t release that many studio albums in the 90’s so there’s not much you can really change. Here’s the album breakdown.

  • 2 songs from Revenge
  • 1 song from Alive III
  • 3 songs from Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions
  • 2 songs from MTV Unplugged
  • 3 songs from Psycho-Circus
  • 1 song from the Detroit Rock City soundtrack

I think 3 is too many Carnival Of Souls songs on a hits CD aimed at the casual fan, and I think “Nothing Can Keep Me From You” is a terrible song with no redeeming value.  Sorry Paul.  In reality, it should almost be considered a Paul solo track:  No other members of Kiss played on or were anywhere near that song.  It’s also never been performed live by the band.

This disc is notable for being an easy, cheap place to get two rare tracks.  “Nothing Can Keep Me From You” is one, and the unplugged version of “Got To Choose” is another.

1. God Gave Rock & Roll To You II
2. Unholy
3. Domino
4. Hate
5. Childhood’s End
6. I Will Be There
7. Coming Home (Unplugged)
8. Got To Choose (Unplugged)
9. Psycho Circus
10. Into The Void
11. I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock & Roll
12. Nothing Can Keep Me From You

For the whole set:

3/5 stars

BEST OF INNER

REVIEW: KISS – The Very Best Of (2002)

Part 40 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster! 

KISS – The Very Best Of (Universal, 2002)

My 1 star review is not based on the music. Clearly, these are all classic songs, each of which needs to be included on a Kiss hits CD. Rather my 1 star is based on what this CD represents.

The Very Best Of was the first release by Universal after Kiss’ contract was over. They could then release as many hits albums as they wanted, with no new material required, and they have. Many more times albums like this came out, some better than others, and most better than this.

No liner notes, no input from the band, and a tracklist that is largely repeated on CDs such as Greatest Hits and Greatest KISS. At least this CD was in chronological order and not scattershot like the previous two that I mentioned. It was also nice to finally see “Forever” on a hits CD as that was a huge hit for the non-makeup version of the band. Weird thing though, the then-current Kiss never played that one live.  It was nice that “New York Groove” (an Ace solo track) is on here, as well as “Lick It Up” which were being played live by the band at that time.

Otherwise, this CD was unnessesary then, and is very unnessesary now. As mentioned, at the time there were plenty of similar Kiss hits discs out, and now there are literally at least a dozen. This one stands out in no way anymore.

1/5 star. For diehards who have to own everything, or newbies only.

1. Strutter
2. Deuce
3. Got To Choose
4. Hotter Than Hell
5. C’Mon And Love Me
6. Rock And Roll All Nite (live)
7. Detroit Rock City
8. Shout It Out Loud
9. Beth
10. I Want You
11. Calling Dr. Love
12. Hard Luck Woman
13. I Stole Your Love
14. Christine Sixteen
15. Love Gun
16. New York Groove
17. I Was Made For Loving You
18. I Love It Loud
19. Lick It Up
20. Forever
21. God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II