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Each month we will be checking
what we feel is an album that definitely may be worth revisiting.
Sometimes it is easy to forget how great some of these releases
were. Many of them went on to have significant influence on the
music of today. When going back and checking them out again you
will often find forgotten brilliance and just maybe it will give
you a new spark of inspiration for creating something awesome on
your own. (-: Thanks to Wikapedia
Kiss (often styled
as KISS) is an American hard rock band formed in New York
City in January 1973. Well known for its members' black and
white face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group
rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s with their elaborate
live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,
smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and
pyrotechnics. Counting the 1978 solo albums,
Kiss has been
awarded 28 gold albums to date, the most of any American
rock band. The band has sold more than 40 million albums
in the United States, of which 20 million have been certified
by the RIAA and their worldwide sales exceeds 100 million
records, making them one of world’s best-selling bands
of all time. The original 1973–'80 lineup consisted
of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons
(vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals)
and Peter Criss (drums and vocals). |
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their makeup and costumes
They took
on the personas of comic book-style characters: Starchild (Stanley),
The Demon (Simmons), Spaceman or Space Ace (Frehley) and Catman
(Criss). Stanley became the "Starchild" because of his
tendency to be referred to as the "starry-eyed lover" and "hopeless
romantic".
The "Demon" makeup reflected Simmons' cynicism and dark
sense of humor, as well as his affection for comic books. Frehley's "Spaceman" makeup
was a reflection of his fondness for science fiction and his supposedly
being from another planet. Criss' "Catman" makeup was
in accordance with the belief that he had nine lives because of
his rough childhood in Brooklyn. Due to creative differences, both
Criss and Frehley were out of the group by 1982. The band's commercial
fortunes had waned considerably by that point.
Buoyed by a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the
1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup in
1996. The resulting Kiss Alive/Worldwide/Reunion Tour was the
top-grossing act of 1996 and 1997. Criss and Frehley have since
left Kiss again, but the band continues with Eric Singer and
Tommy Thayer. Stanley and Simmons have remained the only two
constant members. Kiss has been named in many "Top" lists.
They include Number 10 on VH1's '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock',
9th on 'The Greatest Metal Bands' list by MTV,number one on Hit
Paraders's "Top 100 Live Bands", 56th on VH1's "100
Greatest Artists Of All Time", and 26th on Gibson's "50
Greatest American Rock Bands". Kiss was nominated for the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ten years after becoming eligible.
History
1971–75: Early years and struggles[edit]Kiss
traces their roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based
rock and roll band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul
Stanley. Wicked Lester, with its eclectic mixture of musical
styles, never achieved any success. They recorded one album,
which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of
live shows. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that a new musical
direction was needed, abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 and
began forming a new group.
In late 1972, Simmons and Stanley came across
an ad in the East Coast version of Rolling Stone placed by
Peter Criss, a veteran drummer from the New York City scene,
who was previously in bands called Lips and Chelsea. Criss
auditioned for, and joined the new version of Wicked Lester.
The trio focused on a much harder style of rock than Wicked
Lester played. Inspired by the theatrics of Alice Cooper
and the New York Dolls, they also began
experimenting with their image by wearing makeup and various
outfits. |
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In November 1972, the trio played a showcase for
Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, in an effort to secure
a record deal. Although the performance went well, Ellis hated
the group's image and music. On top of that, as he was leaving,
he was vomited on by Criss's brother.
In early January 1973, the group added lead guitarist Ace Frehley.
Frehley impressed the group with his first audition, although he
showed up wearing two different sneakers, one red and one orange.
A few weeks after Frehley joined, the Wicked Lester name was dropped
and the band became Kiss.
The Kiss logo
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Stanley came up with the
name as he, Simmons, and Criss were driving around New York
City. Criss mentioned that he was in a band called Lips,
so Stanley said something to the effect of "What about
Kiss?" Frehley created the now-iconic logo, making the "SS" look
like lightning bolts, when he went to write the new band
name over Wicked Lester on a poster outside the club where
they were going to play.
The runic letters happened to look
similar to the insignia of the Nazi SS, a symbol that is
now illegal to display in Germany. Therefore, to avoid controversy,
since 1979 most of the band's album covers and merchandise
in Germany have used a modified version of the logo instead,
in which the letters "SS" look like the letters "ZZ" backwards. |
The band's name has repeatedly been the subject
of many rumors pertaining to its alleged hidden meanings. Among
these rumors are claims that the name is an acronym for "Knights In Satan's
Service", "Kinder SS", or "Kids In Satan's
Service". These claims have been denied by Simmons himself.
The first Kiss performance was on January
30, 1973, for an audience of three at the Popcorn Club (renamed
Coventry shortly afterward) in Queens. For the first three gigs,
January 30 – February
1, they wore little to no makeup; the iconic makeup designs associated
with Kiss made their debut during the March 9–10 shows at
The Daisy in Amityville, NY. On March 13 of that year, the band
recorded a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer. Former
TV director Bill Aucoin, who had seen the group at a handful of
showcase concerts in the summer of 1973, offered to become the
band’s manager in mid-October. Kiss agreed, with the condition
that Aucoin get them signed to a recording contract within two
weeks. On November 1, 1973, Kiss became the first act signed to
former teen pop singer and Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart's
new label Casablanca Records.
The band entered Bell Sound Studios in New
York City on October 10, 1973 to begin recording their first
album. On December 31 the band had their official industry premiere
at the Academy of Music in New York City, opening for Blue Öyster
Cult. It was at this concert that Simmons accidentally set his
hair (which was coated in hairspray) ablaze for the first of
many times while performing his inaugural firebreathing stunt.
Kiss' first tour started on February 5, 1974
in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee
Auditorium. The band’s
self-titled debut album, Kiss, was released on February 18. Casablanca
and Kiss promoted the album heavily throughout the spring and summer
of 1974. On February 19, the band performed "Nothin' to Lose," "Firehouse," and "Black
Diamond" for what would become their first national television
appearance, on ABC's Dick Clark's in Concert (aired March 29).
On April 29, the band performed "Firehouse" on The Mike
Douglas Show. This broadcast included Simmons's first televised
interview, a conversation with Douglas in which Simmons declared
himself "evil incarnate," eliciting titters from an uncomfortable
and largely confused studio audience. Fellow guest Totie Fields
remarked that it would be humorous if, beneath all the make-up,
Simmons was "just a nice Jewish boy." Simmons deftly
parried this remark with neither a confirmation nor denial, by
saying simply, "You should only know." To which she responded, "I
do. You can't hide the hook," a reference to the Jewish nose.
Despite the publicity and constant touring,
Kiss initially sold just 75,000 copies. Meanwhile, the group
and Casablanca Records were losing money quickly. The band (while
touring) stopped in Los Angeles in August 1974 to begin recording
their second album, Hotter Than Hell, which was released on October
22, 1974. The only single, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll," failed
to chart and the album stalled at No. 100.
With Hotter Than Hell quickly dropping off the charts, Kiss was
pulled from their tour to quickly record a new album. Casablanca
head Neil Bogart stepped in to produce the next album, trading
in the murky, distorted sound of Hotter Than Hell for a cleaner
and slightly poppier sound. Dressed to Kill, released on March
19, 1975, fared slightly better commercially than Hotter Than
Hell. It also contained what later became the band's trademark
song, "Rock and Roll All Nite".
Although Kiss albums had not proved to be
big sellers, the band was quickly gaining a reputation as a top-flight
live act. Kiss concerts featured things such as Simmons spitting "blood" (primarily
raw eggs and food coloring) or "breathing fire" (spitting
flammable liquid at a torch); Frehley soloing as his guitar burst
into flames (light and smoke bombs placed inside the guitar); Criss's
elevating drum riser that emitted sparks; Stanley's Townshend-style
guitar smashing; and pyrotechnics throughout the show.
By late 1975, Casablanca was almost bankrupt
and Kiss was in danger of losing their record contract. Both
parties desperately needed a commercial breakthrough if they
were to survive. That breakthrough came in an unlikely form – a
double live album.
1975–78 Rise to prominence
Kiss wanted to express
the excitement felt at their concerts (which their studio albums
had so far failed to do) with their first live album. Released
on September 10, 1975, Alive! achieved Gold status and spawned
Kiss' first top 40 single, a live version of "Rock and Roll
All Nite." It was the
first version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" with a guitar
solo, and this recording has come to represent the definitive version
of the song; supplanting the studio original (the live version
is the basis of most covers, such as the cover by Poison in 1987).
In recent years the band admitted that additional audience noise
had been added to the album, as well as overdubs on select guitar
and vocal spots, not to deceive fans, but to add more "excitement
and realism" to the show.
The success of Alive! not only brought Kiss
the breakthrough they had been seeking, but arguably saved Casablanca,
which was close to bankruptcy. Following this success, Kiss partnered
with producer Bob Ezrin, who had previously worked with Alice
Cooper. The result was Destroyer (released March 15, 1976), Kiss's
most musically ambitious studio album to date. Destroyer, with
its rather intricate production (utilizing an orchestra, choir,
and numerous tape effects), was a departure from the raw sound
of the first three studio albums. Album art was designed by Ken
Kelly, who had drawn Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian and who also
worked with acts such as Rainbow and Manowar. While the album
sold well initially and became the group's second gold album,
it quickly dropped down the charts. Only when the ballad "Beth" (the B-Side to the single Detroit Rock
City) began to gain more airplay, on FM radio did the album's sales
rebound. "Beth" was a number seven hit for the band,
and its success revived both the album (which achieved platinum
status by the end of 1976) and ticket sales for Kiss.
In October 1976, Kiss appeared on The Paul
Lynde Halloween Special, lip-synching "Detroit Rock City", "Beth", and "King
of the Night Time World". For many teenagers, this was their
first exposure to Kiss' dramatic appearance. The show was co-produced
by Bill Aucoin. In addition to the three performances, Kiss was
the subject of a brief comedic "interview" conducted
by Paul Lynde himself. This included Lynde noting, when hearing
the member's first names, "Oh, I love a good religious group." The
group was introduced to Lynde by Margaret Hamilton dressed as the
Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz.
Two more highly successful studio albums
were released in less than a year—Rock and Roll Over (November
11, 1976) and Love Gun (June 30, 1977). A second live album,
Alive II, was released on October 14, 1977. All three albums
were certified platinum upon or soon after their release. Between
1976 and 1978, Kiss earned $17.7 million from record royalties
and music publishing. A 1977 Gallup poll named Kiss the most
popular band in America. In Japan, Kiss performed five sold-out
shows at Budokan Hall, breaking the previous record of four held
by The Beatles.
In May 1977, Kiss made their first of many comic appearances in
Howard the Duck issue 12 published by Marvel. This served as a
precursor to many more Kiss-related comics initially published
by Marvel.
The first of what is now many Kiss greatest
hits albums, Double Platinum, was issued on April 2, 1978. This
double album included many remixed versions of their hits, as
well as "Strutter
'78," a re-recorded version of one of the group's signature
songs. At Neil Bogart's request, the song was played in a style
similar to the then-popular disco music.
During this period, Kiss merchandise became
a substantial source of income for the group. Some of the products
released included a pair of comic books issued by Marvel (the
first one of which contained ink mixed with actual blood donated
by the group), a pinball machine, Kiss dolls, "Kiss Your Face Makeup" kits,
Halloween masks, board games, bubble gum trading cards, and many
other pieces of memorabilia. Membership in the Kiss Army, the band's
fan club, was in the six figures. Between 1977 and 1979, worldwide
merchandise sales (in-store and on tour) reached an estimated $100
million. |
