Kiss - any good?

axisus

As a kid, Kiss were one of those bands that fascinated me by the look of them but it was impossible to actually hear them in the 70s as there were none of the outlets that we have now (Google Youtube etc). They were one of those bands that didn't really make an impact in the UK.  To this day, the only track of their that I know is that Crazy crazy nights thing.

Anyway, I was just wondering if they are actually any good? worth buying a greatest hits or live album or one amazing studio release? 

Yeah, I could go off to Youtube, but it feels a bit like life is too short to go wading around looking for what might be good when I can't keep up with what I know is good!

Opinions?

not_the_dj

Kiss Alive! is the place to start.

scrumhalf

Just get The Sweet's Greatest Hits and some facepaint.

DiscoStu

No. Just no.

 

xSkarloey

Agree with @Discostu. Life's too short.

EricTheWeary

Yes, I was quite fascinated by them - I even read a book about them not having heard a note (Kisstory ? ). Then when I did, oh dear - very little like how I'd imagined. At this point I'll also throw in Ted Nugent as someone who sounded little like I'd imagined, although I grew to quite like his stuff in the end. As a heavy metal loving teenager these were the kind of names that came up in the same company as Iron Maiden or ACDC but turned out to be incredibly wimpy. Heavy Metal was a British invention and the Americans just didn't do it right at all.

Jason

Yes and no, thats coming from a big fan. Try Alive and Alive 2, for something more recent (1990ish - gulp) Revenge. Don't bother with Alive 3 or 4.

My personal favourite is Paul Stanley's Kiss solo album, its better because it doesn't have any Gene songs on it , plus the riff to Tonite You Belong To Me is awesome. Ace Frehley's Kiss solo album is pretty good too.

They are  patchy at best, generally (the same with all long standing bands) the earlier the better. They were never metal, more of a 60's rock n roll band with a bit more noise, kinda like Slade in many respects, another band that people only ever see the costumes. Paul Stanley is the real talent and Ace Frehley inspired a whole generation of US guitarists. I've read so many biographies that start with " when I first saw KIss...."

They have hung around too long, they have too much merch etc etc etc, but when you see them live, none of that matters, I never have to hear Rock N Roll All Nite ever again, but when they play it in front of you, its pretty damn special

mudslide73

I saw their reunion tour when they last had the original lineup in makeup. An absolutely killer show (fireworks, cherry pickers, blood, wires the lot). Musically, not so good. Very enjoyable though.

I recommend Destroyer for Detroit Rock City, King of the Night Time World etc. Very enjoyable - just don't take 'em too seriously.

Reverend

EricTheWeary said:

Yes, I was quite fascinated by them - I even read a book about them not having heard a note (Kisstory ? ). Then when I did, oh dear - very little like how I'd imagined. At this point I'll also throw in Ted Nugent as someone who sounded little like I'd imagined, although I grew to quite like his stuff in the end. As a heavy metal loving teenager these were the kind of names that came up in the same company as Iron Maiden or ACDC but turned out to be incredibly wimpy. Heavy Metal was a British invention and the Americans just didn't do it right at all.

Americans did heavy metal very well. Riot, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Metallica, Slayer, Wasp.

monquixote

I was a big fan when I was a teenager. Don't tend to listen to them much these days. 

As others have said they aren't a metal band. More 70's glam rock in the style of early Alice Cooper, or Aerosmith. Ace Frehley is the only one who is musically inspiring and was a big influence on loads of guitarists.

The negatives are that Peter Kris is not a great drummer and Gene is not a great singer, but Paul Stanley tends to do the most singing.

First three albums (Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed To Kill) are a bit hit and miss, but have a few decent songs.

They got famous off the back of the live album Alive and then had a run of three classic studio albums (Destroyer, Love Gun and Rock n Roll Over) which are probably the ones to get followed by another live album (the imaginatively titled Alive II)

After that it's mostly down hill as Peter and Ace were pissed or stoned so the albums have session musicians replacing them on a lot of stuff and Paul and Gene were chasing the dollars so they went for a sappier poppy sound. 

Once you get to the 80's they ditch the makeup and become a completely different band. Widdlier guitars and an 80's Bon Jovi, Poison type sound. None of their 80's albums are worth bothering with IMO as other 80's bands like Van Halen do that sort of thing better. Since they went back to the makeup in the 90's they are a tribute act of their 70's heyday so again not really worth bothering with.

Octahedron

Destroyer!! Quality KISS album. And the greatest hits album.

Actually, if you like their old songs but don't like the sound of them, they released a deluxe edition of Sonic Boom (yes a more recent album) but it had a bonus disc with re-recordings of their greatest hits. They did a nice job. Songs like Love Gun sound really great re-recorded.

EricTheWeary

Reverend said:

EricTheWeary said:

Yes, I was quite fascinated by them - I even read a book about them not having heard a note (Kisstory ? ). Then when I did, oh dear - very little like how I'd imagined. At this point I'll also throw in Ted Nugent as someone who sounded little like I'd imagined, although I grew to quite like his stuff in the end. As a heavy metal loving teenager these were the kind of names that came up in the same company as Iron Maiden or ACDC but turned out to be incredibly wimpy. Heavy Metal was a British invention and the Americans just didn't do it right at all.

Americans did heavy metal very well. Riot, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Metallica, Slayer, Wasp.

You're getting into the 80s though and, obviously, I'm making a huge generalisation anyway  But plenty of the big names in US rock in the seventies were pretty meek and mild compared to Sabbath or Led Zep. Even Grand Funk had given up their acid rock roots and we're playing some pretty pappy stuff by the mid seventies. Kiss had an OTT image and some not very OTT songs. I was listening the Scorpions and Motorhead and Judas Priest and thought they'd sound more like that. They didn't. 

Reverend

EricTheWeary;1074953" said:

Reverend said:



EricTheWeary said:

Yes, I was quite fascinated by them - I even read a book about them not having heard a note (Kisstory ? ). Then when I did, oh dear - very little like how I'd imagined. At this point I'll also throw in Ted Nugent as someone who sounded little like I'd imagined, although I grew to quite like his stuff in the end. As a heavy metal loving teenager these were the kind of names that came up in the same company as Iron Maiden or ACDC but turned out to be incredibly wimpy. Heavy Metal was a British invention and the Americans just didn't do it right at all.



Americans did heavy metal very well. Riot, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Metallica, Slayer, Wasp.







You're getting into the 80s though and, obviously, I'm making a huge generalisation anyway  But plenty of the big names in US rock in the seventies were pretty meek and mild compared to Sabbath or Led Zep. Even Grand Funk had given up their acid rock roots and we're playing some pretty pappy stuff by the mid seventies. Kiss had an OTT image and some not very OTT songs. I was listening the Scorpions and Motorhead and Judas Priest and thought they'd sound more like that. They didn't. 

Grand Funk in the early days were untouchable but by the mid 70s had lost it. Nugent had some killer stuff. Hammer Down and Venom Soup were heavy as hell. Oddly, the US didn't have much heavy music in the latter part of the 70s except for early Y&T and Riot. There are some great one offs like Sqadran and the Dave rock Feinstein single that predates the rods.

Headphones

Image only.

No worthy content.

They were always a parody act; nowadays its a parody of themselves in their (did they have one?) youth.

I suspect substances had a big influence on their poularity in the states - that never happenned here, so they were barely a comic fad.

Headphones

America's answer to The Wurzels.

FelineGuitars

Was a huge fan in my time 

I'd recommend the Paul Stanley & Ace Frehley solo albums from 1978 and Alive from 1975

I have a lot of time for many of the early albums and each of the subsequent albums had it's moments too.

If you want a compilation that is good and benefits from the remastering that was done try Kiss Gold.

For my own point of view I wish Gene Simmons would keep his gob shut and not come out with the sort of claptrap that would even make Donald Trump blush

Paul Stanley's voice actually went through a period of growth and improvement in range from about 1979 till 1990.

Sadly he's fucked it up beyond all recognition these days but he was really good (if you like his style) during that era 

Was sounding great when they did the MTV unplugged session in 1995 (they had Eric Singer on dums and Bruce Kulick on guitar at the time - really good lineup)

FelineGuitars

However being signed to Casablanca which became the biggest disco label at the end of the 1970s came with it's own pitfalls that the band would be pressured to do something poppy or disco flavoured. To be fair the tracks they did were rather excellent if a bt of a departure from the heavy metal thunder they were known for 

However check out Gene's bass playing on this track - it's pretty tasty and the whole song is rather pleasant

FelineGuitars

During the unmasked era (1983-1996) they lost their way a bit and started jumping on other bands coat-tails under pressure to have some kind of hit and MTV success rather than ploughing their own path and it did get a bit - what are Poison or Bon Jovi doing this week, and lets copy that .

When they pulled themselves together and made something that sounded like Kiss they were better

Creatures of the Night was good and finally Revenge was a return to form

This is Unholy from Revenge

and their cover of God Gave RNR to you by Argent (from Bill & ted's Bogus journey movie)

Emp_Fab

Music is a smorgasbord for everyone to pick their tasty morsels from.   Kiss, however, are a plastic cocktail umbrella stuck to a week-old bit of sausage.

Fretwired

Headphones said:

Image only.

No worthy content.

They were always a parody act; nowadays its a parody of themselves in their (did they have one?) youth.

I suspect substances had a big influence on their poularity in the states - that never happenned here, so they were barely a comic fad.

Spot on .. I think they were more interested in selling merchandise and making cartoons than music.

Fretwired

Emp_Fab said:

Music is a smorgasbord for everyone to pick their tasty morsels from.   Kiss, however, are a plastic cocktail umbrella stuck to a week-old bit of sausage.

@Emp_Fab .. utterly brilliant .. :-)