vinnie vincent

REVIEW: KISS – 40 (Japanese import with bonus track)

NEW RELEASE

KISS – 40 (2014 Universal Japan)

Alright people. I got a question for everybody here (and I didn’t forget about you people upstairs neither, woah yeah!). Β How many of you people believe in rock and roll?

If you believe in rock and roll, like you say you believe in rock-and-ro-oh-oll, then you know that 2014 is the 40th anniversary of the very first Kiss album. Β Gene Simmons believes in rock and roll. Β So does Universal music. Β They believe in rock and roll’s ability to fill their pockets again and again. Β  As fans, we have learned to accept this. Β You don’t have to buy every re-package and reissue that comes out; we all choose which releases to buy based on our wants and budgets.

Unreleased music is a top priority for me, so seeing Kiss 40 coming out with a number of unreleased tracks, I was excited about this release. Β I bought the Japanese edition from the folks over at CD Japan, for the Japanese exclusive bonus track. Β I’ll talk about that track in a bit, for now I want to express how happy I am with Kiss 40, as a compilation aimed at fans both new and old.

Sets like this are tricky. Β You have to include familiar versions of familiar hits for the people buying their first Kiss CD. Β You have to include value to the cantankerous old fan, and present the old songs in novel ways. Β What Kiss and Universal chose to do was include one song from every Kiss album, including every live album. Β Sprinkled into that are the unreleased songs.

High points:

I love that they used the Paul Stanley version of “God of Thunder”, the fast one. Β Marko Fox has been using that as his theme song on his show for a while, and I’ve really grown to love this version. Β All four solo albums have a song included. Β (I would have preferred a harder song from Paul’s album, but “Hold Me, Touch Me” was the single after all.) Β Killers is represented, via “Down on Your Knees”. Β Not a bad song. Β I’m glad to have the radio edit of “Jungle”, finally. Β I never had that before, and “Jungle” probably wouldn’t be on the album if it wasn’t edited down from its full seven minutes. Β (Although not stated, “Psycho-Circus” is also edited to remove the “circus” intro.)

Low points:

The goal of including Kiss songs from every album also means that you have to hear “Let’s Put the X in Sex”. Β Although this would have been a great place to use a rarer remixed version, it’s just the same one from Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. Β Another total miss that is here is the dreadful “Nothing Can Keep Me From You”, from the Detroit Rock City soundtrack. Β Whyyyyy.

Nitty gritty details:

The first rarity is a 1977 Gene Simmons demo called “Reputation”. Β You can hear that aspects of this song later made it into other Gene Simmons compositions such as “Radioactive”. Β This is one of those song titles I’d read about for years, but have never heard until now. Β Cool. Β While the song is definitely a demo, and not quite as good as most finished Kiss songs, it does boast a cool dual guitar solo and rocking piano a-la “Christine Sixteen”.

KISS 40On the second CD are the rare live tracks. Β In addition to live songs sampled from You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!, Alive IV: Kiss Symphony and The Millenium Concert, there are rare ones here from Instant Live CDs. Β Instant Live CDs are live albums you buy at the concert, immediately after the concert — a souvenir of the show you just saw. Β Extras are then sold online. Β I have a handful myself, but nobody has all of them (at least, nobody I know of!). Β “Deuce”, “Cold Gin”, and “Crazy Crazy Nights” are all from these Instant Live albums. Β “Crazy Crazy Nights” is the one I was most interested in. Β Live performances of that song are scarce in my collection. Β It is from the Sonic Boom tour, and it’s pretty solid. Β The song is played in a lower key to accommodate Paul, who does pretty good anyway. Β Eric and Tommy help him out on the chorus. Β Thayer simplifies the original Kulick solo, adapting it to his style and keeping the key hooks intact. Β The result is a tasty guitar solo which is a cross of both players.

Finally, those lucky lucky fans in Japan got a brand new live song: Β “Hell or Hallelujah” recorded at Budokan. Β Although the song itself smokes, Paul’s voice is really sore on this one. Β (Both the intro and outro, which could have been neatly edited out, are really harsh.) The song includes the line, “No lies, no fakin’,” and that is totally appropriate, because this sounds 100% live and untouched. Β Gotta give ’em credit for not trying to fix Paul’s voice in the mix.

Notable omissions:

“Love Gun”, “Creatures of the Night”, “Hotter than Hell”, “I Stole Your Love”, “Rocket Ride”, “Sure Know Something”, “Hide Your Heart”, “Domino”.

The verdict:

Buy this CD. Β The concept of “one track per album” creates some interesting listening results. Β The ratio of rarities to hits keeps it fresh all the way through. Β And if you’re a Kiss fan absolutely get the Japanese version. Β Just go to CD Japan and order it.

4/5 stars

Disc One

  1. β€˜Nothin To Lose’
  2. β€˜Let Me Go, Rock β€˜N’ Roll’
  3. β€˜C’mon and Love Me’
  4. β€˜Rock And Roll All Nite’ (Live)
  5. β€˜God Of Thunder’ (Demo)
  6. β€˜Beth’
  7. β€˜Hard Luck Woman’
  8. β€˜Reputation’ (Demo) – Previously Unreleased
  9. β€˜Christine Sixteen’
  10. β€˜Shout It Out Loud’ (Live)
  11. β€˜Strutter β€˜78β€²
  12. β€˜You Matter To Me’ (Peter Criss)
  13. β€˜Radioactive’ (Gene Simmons)
  14. β€˜New York Groove’ (Ace Frehley)
  15. β€˜Hold Me, Touch Me’ (Paul Stanley)
  16. β€˜I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ (Single Edit)
  17. β€˜Shandi’
  18. β€˜A World Without Heroes’
  19. β€˜I Love It Loud’
  20. β€˜Down On Your Knees’
  21. β€˜Lick It Up’
  22. β€˜Heaven’s On Fire’

 

Disc Two

  1. β€˜Tears Are Falling’
  2. β€˜Reason To Live’
  3. β€˜Let’s Put The X In Sex’
  4. β€˜Forever’ (Remix)
  5. β€˜God Gave Rock β€˜N’ Roll To You II’
  6. β€˜Unholy’ (Live)
  7. β€˜Do You Love Me?’ (MTV Unplugged)
  8. β€˜Room Service’ (Live)
  9. β€˜Jungle’ (Radio Edit)
  10. β€˜Psycho Circus’
  11. β€˜Nothing Can Keep Me From You’ (Detroit Rock City soundtrack)
  12. β€˜Detroit Rock City’ (Live)
  13. β€˜Deuce’ (Live 2004) – Unreleased commercially
  14. β€˜Firehouse’ (Live – 1999/2000)
  15. β€˜Modern Day Delilah’
  16. β€˜Cold Gin’ (Live 2009) – Unreleased commercially
  17. β€˜Crazy Crazy Nights’ (Live 2010) – Unreleased commercially
  18. β€˜Hell or Hallelujah’
  19. β€˜Hell or Hallelujah’ (Live in Japan 2013) – Japanese bonus track

REVIEW: A World With Heroes – A KISS Tribute for Cancer Care – A 40th Anniversary Celebration (2013)

Part 7.5 in my series on Ace Frehley, sorta! Β Plenty of Ace related coolness here. Β For the last part of the Ace series, 12 Picks, click here.

A World With Heroes – A KISS Tribute for Cancer Care – A 40th Anniversary Celebration

Cancer sucks. Β Kiss rules. Β Agreed? Β Buy this CD.

Mitch Lafon executive produced this sucker, and I suspect that means a hell of a lot of work. Β I have never in my travels discovered a cooler Kiss tribute album. Β Do you really need to buy another Kiss tribute album? Β Do you? Β Yes, you do. Β Why? Β For the following reasons:

  • IMG_00000937Profits benefit the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care Residence in Hudson, Quebec.
  • Obscure track selections.
  • Rare Kiss related gems, such as two Peter Criss Band demos with Phil Naro.
  • New Brighton Rock! Β Finally.
  • Superstar performers including Mark Tornillo of Accept, Russ Dwarf, Don Dokken, Bonfire, Sean Kelly, Vinny Appice, L.A. Guns, Doro, and many more.
  • Members of the Kiss family including Eric Carr, Peter Criss, Frehley’s Comet (minus Frehley), Bob Kulick and Phil Naro.

I can’t say enough good things about this compilation. Β Upon first sight, it had enough rarities from artists I liked, as well as Kiss obscurities, to make it a must-have. Β Hearing it, I’m blown away repeatedly. Β It is a heady brew of hits and deep, deep cuts. Β Since there are 51 tracks in total, I can’t go into too much detail. Β I’ll point out some personal favourite moments.

I’m a huge fan of the Revenge album, and I’m a huge fan of Accept. Β Hearing Mark Tornillo do his thing through “Spit” was awesome. Β  I think the man’s vocal cords must be made of steel or something for him to sing like that. Β I also loved “Sure Know Something”, although I don’t know Chris BuckΒ & Anthony Cardenas Montana. Β It’s a slinky version, very true to the original but with a Rod Stewart vibe. Β Jeff Paris does a pretty authentic “Shout Mercy” and I give him full points for doing a Monster tune, the newest Kiss song on A World With Heroes.

I’ve loved Brighton Rock since I was a kid, but I never expected them to unplug “Creatures of the Night”. Β This twist takes a moment to get used to, but their haunting arrangement is very original and cool! Β “Larger Than Life” from Alive II is revisited by Brian Tichy and friends, and they do it pretty straight to the original, almost lick for lick. Β It’s great. Β I love that Ron Young from Little Caesar sings “Little Caesar”, a nice wink and a smile there. Β A band called Shredmill contribute their original song “Outerspace”…which was later covered by Ace Frehley on his Anomaly album (giving himself a writing credit). Β Shredmill’s version is more Danzig, where Ace’s was more Ace.

On the second CD, surprises and highlights continue. Β Ron Keel and friends from Tesla and Cinderella knock it out of the park on “Rock N’ Roll Hell”, with a nod at the start to Keel’s own “The Right To Rock”. Β Rick Hughes of Quebec metal masters Sword helps blow the doors off “The Oath”, a favourite from The Elder. Β The L.A. Guns guys (Phil Lewis included) tackle the difficult “Master & Slave” from Carnival of Souls, and it smokes. Β They do it authentic to the grungy original but with Phil’s snarky vocals.

As a Killer Dwarfs fan, I’m always pleased to hear Russ Dwarf’s nasally twang, and he turns in a decent “Hard Luck Woman”. Β (Meanwhile, another bunch of L.A. Guns guys did their own version on disc one.) Β Bonfire contribute a live version of Paul Stanley’s unreleased song “Sword & Stone”, from their Live at Wacken CD. Β I don’t really know who American Dog are, but I love that they covered the Paul Stanley version of “God of Thunder”, not the Gene Simmons take from Destroyer. Β They do it the speedy rocked-up way that Paul originally demoed. Β Jim Crean does justice to “Magic Touch”. Β He’s almost Joe Lynn Turner style on this one.

A WORLD WITH_0001The second CD ends with two takes of “Beth” (Chris VanDahl sounding like the hoarse Peter Criss on Alive II, and Phil Naro). Β This is in addition to Michael Lardie’s (Great White) version on disc one. Β Naro’s is easily the best of the three.

But wait, that’s not all, folks. Β iTunes are selling a 51 track version of A World With Heroes, including 11 exclusives. Β Thankfully, you can buy these exclusives separately if you already bought the CD (like I did). Β Once again, highlights are many. Β Doro contributes a 2013 re-recording of “Only You”, which she had a previous hit with back in 1990. Β Russ Dwarf returns with an outstanding “God Gave Rock and Roll To You II”. Β There are two previously unreleased demos by the Peter Criss Band with Phil Naro. Β These feature Peter on drums, but believe me, you can hear that it is the Cat Man and no one else. Β In addition, there’s a third song from this period, but recorded by Phil in 2013. Β There is also a second version of “Larger Than Life”, this time by somebody calledΒ Robot Lords Of Tokyo. Β I don’t know whoΒ Robot Lords Of Tokyo are, but I love “Larger Than Life” and I have no problem with another version of it. Β This one’s done quite differently, and heavier too.

But wait! Β There’s still more! Β Pledgers who pre-ordered the CD got four bonus tracks. Β I missed the boat on these, and you can’t get them anymore. Β I’m bummed about that, but for the sake of completion, the four bonus tracks are:

  1. ‘Calling Dr. Love’ – Performed by: Crash Kelly
  2. ‘Comin’ Home’ – Performed by: Sudden Flames
  3. ‘Heaven’s On Fire’ – Performed by: The Feckers (ft. Irene Slade)
  4. ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ Performed by: Alain Pernot

I’d love to have these, especially Crash Kelly, but alas. Β The project is still awesome and worth your coins. Β Especially if you’re a self respecting Kiss fan. Β Get it.

5/5 stars

EDIT: Β I now have the tracks. Β Crash Kelly’s is awesome! Β Fun and awesome.

Disc 1:

  1. ‘Psycho Circus’ – Performed by: DDRIVE (Phil Naro, Don Mancuso, Dave Sessions, Jt Taylor & Bobby Bond)
  2. ‘Spit’ – Performed by: Ken Dubman, Jimmy Callahan, Scott Metaxas, & Mark Tornillo
  3. ‘Deuce’ – Performed by: Bill Leverty, Kevin Valentine, John Regan, & Russ Dwarf
  4. ‘Sure Know Something’ – Performed by: Chris Buck & Anthony Cardenas Montana
  5. ‘Detroit Rock City’ – Performed by: Ron β€˜Bumblefoot’ Thal, Rex Brown & Brian Tichy
  6. ‘Eyes Of Love’ – Performed by: Eric Carr, Benny Doro & John Humphrey
  7. ‘Shout Mercy’ – Performed by: Jeff Paris, Troy Lucketta, Eric Brittingham Jeff Labar
  8. ‘Creatures Of The Night’ – Performed by: BRIGHTON ROCK
  9. ‘Larger Than Life’ – Performed by: Rex Brown, Brian Tichy & Mark Zavon
  10. ‘Cold Gin’ – Performed by: Don Dokken & Tommy Denander
  11. ‘Love Gun’ – Performed by: Tony Harnell, Mark Kendall, Scott Snyder, Sean Michael Clegg, Kevin Valentine & Tommy Denander
  12. ‘Little Caesar’ – Performed by: Ron Young, John Regan & Tommy Denander
  13. ‘Hard Luck Woman’ – Performed by: Chris VanDahl, Stacey Blades & Adam Hamilton
  14. ‘Outerspace’ – Original demo later covered by Ace Frehley on his Anomaly album – Performed by: SHREDMILL (David Askew, Jesus Mendez Jr, Jaime Moreno)
  15. ‘Goodbye’ – Performed by: IMPERIA & BOB KULICK (J.K.Impera, Matti Alfonzetti, Tommy Denander & Mats Vassfjord) – Additional Guitars by Lars Chriss
  16. ‘See You Tonight’ – Performed by: TODD FARHOOD & MYSTERY (Todd Farhood, Michel St-Pere, Sylvain Moineau, Jean-SΓ©bastien Goyette, Francois Fournier & Benoit Dupuis)
  17. ‘Beth’ – The Grand Piano Version – Performed by: Michael Lardie
  18. ‘Tomorrow’ – Performed by: DRESSED TO CHILL (Matt Bradshaw, Rav Thomas & Rhys Lett)
  19. ‘Anything For My Baby’ – Performed by: SLAVES ON DOPE (Kevin Jardine, Jason Rockman, Seb Ducap & Peter Tzaferis)
  20. ‘Unholy’ – Performed by: Fred Duvall, Glenn Belcher, Mark Slaughter (Guitar Solo), Rob Zakojc & Russ Dwarf

Disc 2:

  1. ‘Breakout’ – Performed by: Tod Howarth, John Regan & Kevin Valentine
  2. ‘Rock N Roll Hell’ – Performed by: Ron Keel, Troy Lucketta, Eric Brittingham & Jeff Labar
  3. ‘Nowhere To Run’ – Performed by: DRUCKFARBEN (Phil Naro, Ed Bernard, William Hare, Troy Feener & Peter Murray)
  4. ‘The Oath’ – Performed by: Rick Hughes, Chris Buck & Bob Richards
  5. ‘Master & Slave’ – Performed by: Adam Hamilton, Scott Griffin, Stacey Blades & Phil Lewis
  6. ‘Calling Dr.Love’ – Performed by: BURNING RAIN (Keith St John, Doug Aldrich, Sean McNabb & Matt Starr)
  7. ‘I Stole Your Love’ – Performed by: S.U.N. (Brian Thomas Tichy, Sass Jordan & Tommy Stewart) With Derek Sharp (Of The Guess Who)
  8. ‘Reason To Live’ – Performed by: Johnnie Dee & Derry Grehan of HONEYMOON SUITE with Michael Foster & Bill Leverty of FIREHOUSE
  9. ‘Hard Luck Woman’ – Performed by: Fred Duvall, Glenn Belcher, Rob Zakojc & Russ Dwarf
  10. ‘Forever’ – Performed by: Terry Ilous, Sean Kelly With Jeff Paris.
  11. ‘Sword And Stone’ – Taken From Bonfire Live In Wacken – Performed by: BONFIRE (Claus Lessmann, Hans Ziller, Chris Limburg, Uwe KΓΆHler, Harry Reischmann)
  12. ‘God Of Thunder’ – Performed by: AMERICAN DOG (Michael Hannon, Steve Theado & Keith Pickens)
  13. ‘She’ – Performed by: RAZER (Chris Powers, Chris Catero, Jordan Ziff, Paul Sullivan, Eric Bongiorno & Chuck Alkazian)
  14. ‘New York Groove’ – Performed by: SLAVES ON DOPE (Kevin Jardine, Jason Rockman, , Elizabeth Lopez & Peter Tzaferis With Marty O’Brien)
  15. ‘Magic Touch’ – Performed by: Jim Crean, Phil Naro, Vinny Appice, Steve Major & Stan Miczek
  16. ‘Tears Are Falling’ – Performed by: Willie Basse, Bruce Bouillet, Scott Warren & Mike Hansen.
  17. ‘Rock N Roll All Nite’ – Performed by: Harley Fine, John Regan & Atom Fellows
  18. ‘Shandi’ – Performed by: Dani Luv, Scott Griffin & Matt Starr
  19. ‘Beth – Bonus Track’ – Performed by: Chris Vandahl & Scott Griffin.
  20. ‘Beth – Bonus Track’ – Performed by: Phil Naro, William Hare & Ed Bernard

iTunes exclusives:

  1. ‘No, I’m Not Afraid’ (Previously Unreleased Peter Criss Band Demo from 1991) – Performed by Peter Criss and Phil Naro
  2. ‘Wait For A Minute To Rock N’ Roll’ (Previously Unreleased Peter Criss Band Demo from 1991) – Performed by Peter Criss and Phil Naro
  3. ‘Back On The Streets’ (2013 Mix originally from Return of the Comet) – Performed by Richie Scarlet, John Regan, Tod Howarth, Arthur Stead & Steve Werner (The Comet Band)
  4. ‘Only You’ (2013 Recording) – Performed by DORO
  5. ‘God Gave Rock N Roll To You II’ – Performed by Russ Dwarf
  6. ‘I’m An Animal’Β (2013 Mix originally fromΒ Return of the Comet) – Performed by the Comet Band
  7. ‘Let Me Go Rock N’ Roll’ – Performed by The Oddfathers
  8. ‘Surrender In The Name Of Love’ (Written by Peter Criss & Phil Naro) – Performed by 24K featuring Phil Naro and Mladen Alexander
  9. ‘Love Gun’ (Tommy Denander Guitar Solo Mix) – Performed by Tony Harnell, Kevin Valentine and Tommy Denander
  10. ‘Larger Than Life’ (2013 Remaster – Robot Lords Of Tokyo version) – Performed by Robot Lords Of Tokyo
  11. ‘Cold Gin’ (2013 Remaster from L.A. GUNS’ 1998 Wasted EP) – Performed by L.A. Guns

Gallery: A World With Heroes

This arrived in the mail today. Β Haven’t even taken off the shrink wrap yet! Thanks @mitchlafon!

A World With Heroes – A KISS Tribute for Cancer Care – A 40th Anniversary Celebration. Β That’s a buttload of songs, people! (I love that Ron Young of Little Caesar SINGS “Little Caesar”.)

REVIEW: Carmine Appice – Carmine Appice (1981)

Next in line of my reviews from Record Store Excursion 2012! Β Check out the video below if you missed it. Β This one bought at Paradise Bound. Β If you recall, this is actually one of two drummer solo albums I bought that day, the other being Over The Top by Cozy Powell.

MIKE AND AARON GO TO TORONTO

CARMINE APPICE – Carmine AppiceΒ (1981, CBS/Pasha)

Well hey. Β He did co-wrote “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy”, and that ended up being one of Rod’s more massive hits. Β Why not do a solo album?

Carmine co-wrote all tracks herein, and sings lead as well. Β There are a couple interesting co-writes: Β “Drum City Rocker” was co-written by an unknown named Vincent Cusano. Β Cusano would later change his name to Vinnie Vincent when he joined Kiss the following year. Β Another alumnus from the school of Gene & Paul, Ron Leejack (ex-Wicked Lester) “Am I Losing You”.

The sound is pop rock with pounding drums, a sound I don’t mind too much. Β I’ve always been a fan of Carmine’s drumming, and his drum sound here is what I like. Β A big snare drum that sounds like a snare drum, lots of toms and a non-stop approach.

The songs are not great, especially dreadful is a tribal keyboard-drenched “Paint It Black”. Β Perhaps inspired by Ian Paice, Carmine chose this Stones cover for a drum salvo. Β He plays it very tribal but…how many people have done covers of this song and buggered them up? Β Most. Β The minority do it well.

Better is the ballad “Blue Cafe” with its mournful sounding vocal and keyboard lines. Β The rockers fare less well, with “Have You Heard” and “Keep On Rolling” both sounding pretty weak kneed for rock songs. Β The drumming’s great of course, the singing less so. Β Carmine barely holds it together at times.

“Sweet Senorita” which closes side one is a Bon Jovi-esque rocker that might have been hit worthy in 1981. Β Really the weakest aspect of the album is the vocal. Β Carmine’s voice lacks character, sounding very much like Joe Pop Singer. Β It’s too bad because “Sweet Senorita” boasts a great groove and fine guitar solo, along with memorable hooks.

Side two opens with a drum salvo!…and then this lame vocal part kicks in, “Drum city, drum city…” Β Yes, it’s “Drum City Rocker”. Β Why couldn’t they have left it instrumental? Β It’s otherwise fine, with punchy drum fills and a great boogie!

“Hollywood Heartbeart”, much like the earlier song “Keep On Rolling” sounds like a Journey reject, without any of Steve Perry’s vocal grace. Β They sound like pale imitations. Β I had higher hopes for Phil Spector’s “Be My Baby”, being a personal favourite. Β Thankfully this is more suited to Carmine’s style and he doesn’t butcher it. Β  The backing vocals are pretty sucky though.

“Am I Losing You” is another strong ballad, a good song, a decent vocal from Carmine. Β I hate buying a rock album only to find that the best songs are the ballads, but in this case, that’s the way it is. Β Both ballads are good and have some feeling to them.

“Drums Drums Drums” closes the album, and as you can guess, it’s a plethora of drums…with Carmine’s annoying vocals! Β “Drums drums drums…” he sings. Β This is followed by an awful “Heyyyyy, heyyy, heyyy–o!” section.

Produced by Richard Polodor. Β It has this dry, dull sound kind like a Peter Criss solo album.

The record sleeve has an ad (expiring December 31, 1982) to send $12 to buy Carmine’s own book, The Ultimate Realistic Rock Drum Method! Β A quick Amazon search reveals that the book is still in print today, available for $18 on Amazon.

2/5 stars

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

PartΒ 47 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!Β 

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.Β  All of these discs are part of a “series” spanning multiple artists.Β  None are particularly notable. Β 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”.Β Β  It’s also funny to see “Uh! All Night” on a compilation like this at all.Β  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”.Β Β  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.Β  I think it’s for ringtones.Β  But it’s only good in the US, so it doesn’t matter to me.

The Best Of KissΒ (from the “Green Series”) has “Shock Me” on it, which is an interesting choice.Β  Yet, it doesn’t have “Love Gun”.Β  Odd.

Superstar Series is definitely to be avoided, since it only has 7 tracks, and all 7 are repeated on Legends of Rock.Β  Bizarre.Β  Yet you see them atΒ comparableΒ prices.

Legends of RockΒ has a pic of a Fender strat on the back cover, a guitar that nobody in Kiss played onstage. Β Again, it’s just lack of care, interest, and knowledge. Β It has 15 tracks, at least, unlike Superstar‘s meager seven.

Tracklists are below. Β Avoid at all costs.

1/5 stars

Β 

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

PartΒ 41 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!Β Β  We’re deep into the second compilation years of Kiss.Β  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.Β  If you know where to go you can get these for around $5.Β  Imagine that — three discs of awesome Kiss for $15.Β  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.Β  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.Β  It leans a bit too much on live versions of popular hits for my tastes.Β  I would have preferred moreΒ studio songs, but KISS didn’t release that manyΒ studioΒ 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 thinkΒ 3 is too many Carnival Of Souls songsΒ 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.Β  Sorry Paul.Β  In reality, it should almost be considered a Paul solo track:Β  No other members of Kiss played on or were anywhere near that song.Β  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.Β  “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)

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

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.Β  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

REVIEW: KISS – The Box Set (Deluxe mini guitar case edition!)

Part 39 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!Β 

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KISS – The Box Set (Deluxe miniΒ guitar case edition, 2001)

These days it’s pretty common to seeΒ deluxe versions of box sets, for the mega-fan who just has to have everything.Β  In 2001, it was less so.Β  Am I giving Gene Simmons credit for creating the concept?Β  Kind of, yeah.Β  This, the very firstΒ KISS box set, was available in three editions.Β  First I’m going to discuss the one that I chose — the mini guitar case edition — and we’ll go from there!Β  Gene is pretty much a business genius, and he knows if he makes something available, people will buy it.Β  “If you build it, they will come.”Β  I don’t blame him in the least and I’m the last person who’d call him “Greed Simmons”.Β  He’s not taking our money — we’re giving it to him.

So, leave it to KISS to package one version of their first box set in a miniature replica guitar case.Β  Granted there have beenΒ much cooler box looking sets before and since (see: ZZ Top, Pink Floyd) but everybody needs a KISS box set in a case like this, don’t they?

Well, I did.Β  It’s a handsome sturdy black case, withΒ handle and silver KISS logo emblazoned on the front.Β  If memory serves it cost me about $250.Β  I got it from the American Amazon site, I had it on pre-order and I was so stoked to get it.

Included are 5 CDs (around 6 hours of music), an awesome hardcover book with loads of liner notes and rare photos, and 31 rare or unreleased tracks.Β  Some have been released on singles or compilations before, which I will discuss in greater detail, but most are previously unheard.
The box doesn’t hold the CD jewel cases all that well when you open it, so be careful.Β  Under one of the CDs is a secret compartment, with a thing of silica gel (“DO NOT EAT” helpfully written upon it) and keys for the case!

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Before I go through the discs, I’ll mention a few things that KISS fans oftenΒ moan about when it comes to this box set:

  • “Gene promised the entire Wicked Lester album, and it’s not here.”
  • “There was supposed to be entire early KISS show would be in the box.”
  • “GeneΒ said there’d be a video orΒ a DVD.”
  • “The Elder demos are not on here, and Gene said they would beΒ .”
  • “Where’s ‘Rip And Destroy’ and the acoustic version of ‘Beth’?”
  • “I have bootlegs of this stuff already,Β and it sounds better on the bootlegs.”

Since the release of this set, KISS have released ample DVDs (the KISStory series will be hitting 4 volumes this year) so I think that point is moot.Β  When questioned on other points, Gene always responds, “Be patient.Β  It’s coming.”Β  A buddy of mine, Mike Lukas of the band Legendary Klopeks, actually asked Gene some of these exact questions in person, and Gene said, “I know.Β  It’s coming.Β  Be patient.”Β  I’m sure that will bear out to be true.Β  As for the sound quality issues, I have bootlegs of some of this stuff on CD already, andΒ none of them sound better thanΒ this box set, so I don’t know where people got that better sounding stuff.Β  And plentyΒ of this stuff has not been bootlegged before.

Onto the music!

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DISC 1:

This CD starts off with a whopping 12 rare tracks before you even delve into the first KISS album.Β  The first two, Eddie Kramer demos of “Strutter” and “Deuce”, have been released before on singles and compilations, but many casual fans did not have them until now.Β  These tracks just smoke, with “Strutter” being quite a bit longer.Β  They are raw and have great playing from Ace.Β  Three tracks from the Wicked Lester album are included.Β  Wicked Lester was Gene and Paul’s original band, which transformed into KISS when they fired the other three guys.Β  Many Wicked Lester tracks were later recorded by KISS.Β  Yes, it would have been nice to have the whole album.Β  Maybe it will be released officially one day, maybe we will have to live with the crap-soundingΒ bootlegs.Β  If it is never released, I won’t blame Gene.Β  It’s pretty terrible.

More demos abound including an early Gene song and an early Paul song.Β  Both hint at some directions they would explore within KISS and their solo albums.Β  A live take of the unreleased songΒ “Acrobat” follows (essentially: “Love Theme From Kiss” melded with an unreleasedΒ song called “You’re Much Too Young”, which contains an early version of the “Detroit Rock City” riff — whew).Β  From here, there areΒ nine tracks from the firstΒ three albums, ending with “Rock And Roll All Nite”.Β  Not a terribly generous slice of music from those first albums, but it does prevent too muchΒ duplication with the songs already included as demos.

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DISC 2:

Live tracks from Alive! kick off this disc, which is mostly made up of songs from the 4th through 6th KISS studio albums.Β  One really cool track is “Doncha Hesitate” which was completely unknown toΒ me Β previously.Β  It is especially cool because unlike later KISS demos, it includes all four members.Β  Plus, it is actually a really great song!Β  It just didn’t fit in with the direction of Destroyer; it is clearly in the mould of early KISS, which is why it never made the album.

Paul’s “God Of Thunder” demo is here (Paul’s lead vocal and alternate lyrics about Aphrodite), as well as an early version of “Dr. Love” called “Bad Bad Lovin'”.Β  The disc ends with another previously unheard song, a Gene demo called “Love Is Blind” which reveals his crooningΒ Beatles roots.

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DISC 3:

This disc chronicles KISS’ decline in popularity in the early 80’s.Β  It starts out with a bang, “Detroit Rock City”, which is out of chronology.Β  Some tracks from Alive II and the solo albums (with another Gene demo) take us into the disco years.Β  The demo and live versions of the disco tracks reveal the harder edge intended when those songs were written.Β  Not many rarities on this disc, although “Nowhere To Run” is included, one of my all time favourite songs from KISS Killers, an import-only hits compilation with bonus material.

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DISC 4:

There are even fewer rare tracks on this disc, which is strange because there are tons of demos from the 80’s floating in collector’s circles.Β  I guess they’re probably just not that good.Β  This CD covers Lick It Up (1983) through to Hot In The Shade (1989):Β  The non-makeup part of the 80’s.Β  “Ain’t That Peculiar” is one of the best rarities here, an Eric Carr demo of what would become “Little Caesar”.Β  There is also a demo of Paul’s “Time Traveller”, a keyboard-based pop rock song which has not aged well.Β  Unfortunately, due to squeezing so many albums onto this CD, Lick It Up is criminally underrepresented.Β  It had many more great songs than just the two singles presented here.Β  “Let’s Put The X In Sex” should have been dropped in favour of “Exciter”, “And On The 8th Day”, or “A Million To One”.

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DISC 5:

Eric Carr’s final recording (and Eric Singer’s first with KISS) was “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II”, which kicks off this disc.Β  Eric Carr was sick with heart cancer, and was unable to play drums on the track.Β  He did sing the background vocal, which is a highlight of the song.Β  Eric Singer, who had played with Paul Stanley on his 1989 soloΒ tour, was called to replace Carr for the sessions.Β  Sadly, that replacement would have to become permanent when Carr died in November of 1991.Β  I would have preferred the original mix of this song, from the Bill & Ted soundtrack, personally.

As far as rarities go, there is not much on this disc.Β  A Gene demo of “Domino” is neat, but underwhelming.Β  “Got To Choose” from the Japanese version of MTV Unplugged is very welcome, but where is the live take of “New York Groove” from the Japanese version of You Wanted The Best?Β  I would really like to have that in a digital format — I only have it on vinyl.

“It’s My Life”, from the Psycho-Circus sessions, was an old KISS song written back in the 80’s and first released by Wendy O. Williams on an album written and produced by Gene Simmons.Β  KISS finally released their own version of it many years later on this box, and it purports to include the entire original band playing on it.Β  I am skeptical of this, but it does definitely have a verse sung by Ace Frehley, while Gene sings the main part.Β  “Nothing Can Keep Me From You” is on here, a terrible song from the Detroit Rock City movie, and actually more of a Paul solo song since no other members appear on it.Β  The unreleased full-length version of “Childhood’s End” from Carnival of SoulsΒ (featuring a coda called “Outromental”) round out the non-album stuff.

A bad song choice or two from Revenge, some of the wrong tracks from Carnival of Souls, and a few too many from Psycho-Circus are the main flaws with this disc.Β  A track from Alive III would have been nice.

The box set ends with the “live” (not really though, actually dubbed) version of “Shout It Out Loud” from the Greatest KISS album, and a “preview track” from what was intended to be the forthcoming Alive IV: Β “Rock And Roll All Nite” (the only song to be repeated).Β  This version of Alive VI ended up getting shelved in favour of a symphonic live album, which was then dubbed Alive VI: Kiss Symphony.Β  The original version of Alive VI has since been issued in another KISS box set.

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As I said earlier in the review, I am sure that KISS will release more rare stuff in the future.Β  It has already started to happen with the afforementionedΒ KISS Alive Box, and KISSology DVD sets.Β  As Gene said, be patient, it’s coming.Β  On the whole, quibbles aside I very much enjoy listening to the KISS box set.Β  It is quite interesting to hear the band evolve, and you gain an appreciation for their charisma and songwriting.Β  Regardless of what the critics say, Kiss are quite talented songwriters.Β  Often simple, but we’re still listening to them almost 40 years later.Β  And they said it would never last six months.

The liner notes are quite insightful if not entirely accurate (Peter Criss did not play on any tracks from Psycho-Circus except one, no matter what the notes say).

I mentioned there were other versions available.Β  There is a basic version, with a softcover version of the book, in a simple black box.Β  It retails for around $100.Β  That’s the version most people should grab.Β  The only difference is the box it comes in, and the softcover book vs. hardcover.Β  Oh, and the guitarΒ box also came with a print of a Β noteΒ in what appears to be Paul Stanley’s handwriting,Β talking about the long awaited set.Β  Not a huge deal.

Then, for the ultimate fan, there is the box set that actually came in a full sized guitar case. The Premium Gold Edition. It appears to still be available.

It comes with an RIAA gold record of Kiss Alive!Β  and apparently “hand written” liner notes in gold ink on parchment paper.Β  Retail price to us Canucks:Β  $850 smackaroos!

For the music itself, I rate this one:

5/5 stars

REVIEW: KISS – Greatest Hits (European import 1997)

PartΒ 37 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release of Monster!Β 

KISS – Greatest Hits (1997, Europe only)

Wait a minute — wasn’t the last review I did a Kiss compilation from 1997 called Greatest Kiss?Β  Yup!Β  Welcome to Kiss – the compilation years.Β  This is why fans such as me were losing their patience.

Yet, I paid $40 to order this from Europe, wanting my Kiss collection to be as complete as possible.Β Β  My employers wondered what the hell was wrong with me, spending $40 for 20 songs that I already had.Β  I guess it’s hard to understand if you’re not from the Kiss Army!

Greatest Hits was released in Europe hot on the heels of Greatest Kiss. For the fifth time in a row, Kiss had released a non-original, non-studio album. This had never happened before. (For the record, the four before this one were Alive III, MTV Unplugged, You Wanted The Best, and Greatest Kiss.Β  And this doesn’t include Kiss My Ass.)

The tracklisting is actually a little interesting. Greatest Kiss only had one non-makeup song (“God Gave Rock And Roll To You II”) and this one has three: “Crazy Crazy Nights”, “Lick It Up”, and “God Gave”. That alone was unexpected and I remember listening to this CD, glad that Kiss weren’t totally disregarding the 80’s.

Aside from this,Β it’s a pretty ordinary compilation and covers a lot of ground already on Greatest Kiss. I did detect one bad edit between tracks, where a fade did not end completely. This was dissapointing to me, and combined with the lack of any sort of liner notes in the packaging, smacked of a rush-job and cash-in.

Thankfully, Kiss were listening, and finally released a studio album next.Β  Puzzling the general public even more, the next album didn’t have the original lineup.Β  TO BE CONTINUED…

2/5 stars

BOOK REVIEW: KISStory

PartΒ 33 of my series of Kiss reviews, leading up to the release ofΒ Monster! Β By 1995, Kiss merchandising was in full gear.Β  This was its flagship release.

KISStory, Jeff Kitts, 1995 ($149.99 in 1995, currently $320.70 new/$263.24 used, on Amazon, in CAD)

I got KISStory back when it came out, inΒ earlyΒ 1995 or so.Β  I ordered it (or, rather, my mom ordered it for meΒ since she had the credit card in the house) back in July of 1994.Β Β  When it arrived, it took me a couple weeks to go through all theΒ content.

Early pressings were all signed by Eric Singer, Bruce Kulick, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons. The second pressing was signed by the original band. Personally I am happy with my copy, as I love the Revenge lineup of the band, which was much shorter lived than the original. As a side note, according to the Firehouse fanzine, Bill Aucoin (ex Kiss-manager) stated that a good number of the copies signed by the original band are actually autopen.Β  For that reason I’m glad I have the Revenge lineup, which was contemporary to the release of the book.

Also, early pressings had a lot of binding issues. Be careful. A friend of mine had his copy of KISStory repaired professionally because his binding fell apart. I have been very, very careful with my book and in the 15 years since, the binding is still OK.Β  But I treat this thing with kid gloves, people.

Each book is numbered and comes in a black case. The book is massive. Absolutely huge. It’s alwaysΒ funny when the advertizing for a book states that it weighs over 8 lbs.

Content wise, it is rich but flawed. There are numerous errors in the book. For example, the book states that five new songs were released on Kiss Killers. Well, we all know it was four new songs. The timeline is a bit mixed up at times, and the 80’s are not covered in enough depth.Β  But let’s face it, you don’t buy a book like this for text.Β  You buy it for the pictures.Β  Text is kind of like…a bonus track.Β  The best text is probably in old newspaper articles and concert reviews contained inside anyway.

Where the book succeeds, it succeeds like no other. However you have to remember, when this came out this was the only authorized Kiss book. Now there are lots, and much cheaper. At the time though, some of these photographs had never seen the light of day before. Newspaper articles, reviews, magazine covers, it’s all here, in massive quantities.

I think my personal favourite things were sketches of costumes and basses out of Gene’s personal sketchbook. Also, early lyrics for songs released and unreleased. There are costume sketches for outfits never made. There are drawings for stage shows that never saw the light of day. Everything you can imagine.

Yes, the price tag is hefty. However, if I sold my copy of KISStory today, I’d make aΒ goodΒ profit. This is an investment as much as a book, but I think you’ll want to hang onto yours.

4/5 stars.