The Hottest Band In The World !
Everytime I've ever heard that in my lifetime, I knew I was in for a fun time. I have seen KISS in concert about 17 times. I first saw KISS as a young teenager in 1978 and I have taken all 3 of my kids to KISS concerts.
KISS was formed in New York City in 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 shows, 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 original lineup consisted of Paul Stanley on guitar, Gene Simmons on bass, Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Peter Criss on drums. With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personas of comic book-style characters. Stanley became the "Starchild" referred to as the "starry-eyed lover". The "Demon" makeup reflected Simmons' cynicism and dark sense of humor. Frehley's "Spaceman" makeup was a reflection of his fondness for science fiction. Criss' "Catman" makeup was in accordance with the belief that he had nine lives because of his rough childhood.
Kiss traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock and roll band led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. They recorded one album and played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 and began forming a new group.
In late 1972, Simmons and Stanley came across an ad placed by Peter Criss, a drummer from the New York City scene. Criss auditioned for, and joined the new version of Wicked Lester. The trio focused on a harder style of rock. Inspired by the theatrics of Alice Cooper and the New York Dolls, they began wearing makeup and various outfits. The trio played a showcase for Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, who 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 band entered Bell Sound Studios in New York City on October 10, 1973 to begin recording their first album. 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. 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 stopped in Los Angeles in August 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. 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 & breathing fire" ; Frehley soloing as his guitar burst into flames; Criss's elevating drum riser that emitted sparks; Stanley's Townshend-style guitar smashing; and pyrotechnics throughout the show.
With Hotter Than Hell quickly dropping off the charts, Kiss was pulled from their tour to quickly record a new album. 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"
By late 1975, Casablanca was almost bankrupt and Kiss was in danger of losing their record contract. Fortunately a commercial breakthrough came in an unlikely form – a double live album. 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.
The success of Alive! not only brought Kiss the breakthrough they had been seeking, but arguably saved Casablanca, which was close to bankruptcy.
On March 15, 1976, KISS released Destroyer, their most musically ambitious album to date, with its rather intricate production utilizing an orchestra, choir, and numerous tape effects; a departure from the raw sound of the first three studio albums. 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.
In October 1976, Kiss appeared on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. The group was introduced to Lynde by Margaret Hamilton dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz. For many teenagers, this was their first exposure to Kiss' dramatic appearance. In addition to three musical performances, Kiss was the subject of a brief comedic "interview" conducted by Paul Lynde himself.
Two more highly successful studio albums were released in less than a year—Rock And Roll Over on November 11, 1976; and Love Gun a little over 7 months later . A second live album, Alive II, was released less than 4 months later. All three albums were certified platinum upon or soon after their release.
During this period Kiss merchandise became a substantial source of income for the group. Some of the products released included comic books, 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 reached an estimated $100 million.
Kiss was at its commercial peak by 1978. Alive II was the band's fourth platinum album in just under two years, and the ensuing tour had the highest average attendance (13,550) in the group's history. The group, along with creative manager Bill Aucoin, sought to take the band to the next level of popularity. To that end, an ambitious, two-pronged strategy was devised for 1978.
The first part involved the simultaneous release of four solo albums from the members of Kiss. Although Kiss has claimed that the solo albums were intended to ease rising tensions within the band, their 1976 record contract did in fact call for four solo records. Each album was a solo effort (none of the group appeared on another's album), and were all released and marketed as Kiss albums (with similar cover art and poster inserts). It was the first time that all current members of a rock band had released solo albums on the same day, September 18, 1978. The marketing blitz behind the albums was unprecedented. Casablanca announced it was shipping five million total copies of the albums (guaranteeing instant platinum status), and they spent $2.5 million marketing them. All four solo albums made it into the Top 50 of the Billboard album chart
The second part of the plan called for the band to appear in a film that would cement their image as larger than life superheroes. Although the project was proposed to the band as a cross between A Hard Day's Night and Star Wars, the results fell far short. The script underwent numerous rewrites, and the band (particularly Criss and Frehley) grew increasingly frustrated..
KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park, debuted on NBC on October 28, 1978. Despite scathing reviews, it was one of the highest-viewed TV films of the year. Later interviews with band members would have them talk about their filmmaking experience with a mix of humorous embarrassment and regret as to the finished product. They felt that the film ended up portraying them more as clowns than superheroes. It has been only sporadically available on home video; currently, a version of the film is available on a compilation DVD entitled Kissology Volume II 1978-1991.
Kiss' first album of new material in two years, Dynasty was released on May 22, 1979. Session drummer Anton Fig did almost all the percussion on the album while Criss recovered from an auto accident. Billed as "The Return of Kiss," the Dynasty Tour was expected by Kiss and their management to build on the success of previous tours. Although "The Return of Kiss" saw a marked decline in attendance. the fans on this tour were younger than their audiences had been, with many pre-adolescent children in Kiss makeup with their mothers and fathers (who were sometimes wearing the makeup themselves) in tow at most concerts. Kiss themselves did little to dissuade this new fan base, donning colorful costumes that reinforced a cartoonish image for these younger fans.
Unmasked released on May 20, 1980 had the dubious distinction of being the first Kiss album since Destroyer to fail to achieve platinum sales. Soon after the album's release,Peter Criss left KISS and war replaced by a little-known drummer-guitarist-singer from Brooklyn named Paul Caravello , who was given the stage name Eric Carr.
For their next album, the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin, with whom Kiss had found success on Destroyer. Early reports indicated that the album would be a return to the hard rock style that had originally brought the band success, but what was released instead was 1981's Music from "The Elder", a concept album featuring medieval horns, strings, harps, and synthesizers.The album was presented as a soundtrack to a fi lm that was never made, making it difficult to follow the storyline. Upset with the band's decision to record Music from "The Elder", Frehley did not actively participate in the album's creation, only providing lead vocals to one track. He recorded his guitar parts at his home studio. Although Frehley had already decided to leave the band, he was pictured on the covers of 1982's Killers and Creatures of the Night, although he did not participate in the recording of either album.
Creatures of the Night, released on October 13, 1982, was Kiss's heaviest album to date, and although it fared better than Music from "The Elder". Vinnie Vincent officially replaced Frehley as lead guitarist in December 1982, as the band embarked on its 10th Anniversary Tour. Vincent's personality did not mesh well with either Stanley or Simmons, and he was dismissed from Kiss at the end of the Creatures tour. He was re-hired because Simmons and Stanley could not find a new lead guitarist on such short notice.
Sensing it was time for a change, Kiss made the decision to abandon its trademark makeup and costumes. The band officially appeared in public without makeup for the first time on a September 18, 1983 appearance on MTV, which coincided with the release of the band's new album, Lick It Up. Although the album did well, the tour was even more sparsely attended than the one for Creatures of the Night. Vincent, once again, did not get along with Simmons and Stanley, and he left the band at the conclusion of the tour.
Kiss released the album Animalize on September 13, 1984. Mark St. John played on the album but became ill and was replaced by Bruce Kulick. The lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Carr, and Kulick turned out to be the most stable since the original, and Kiss released a series of platinum albums—1985's Asylum, 1987's Crazy Nights and the 1988 greatest hits compilation Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. Kiss ended the '80s with the October 1989 release Hot In The Shade.
During these non-makeup years, Kiss struggled with their identity and fan base. Simmons became less involved with the group in the '80s as he pursued outside interests; most notably, a film career; and Stanley became the driving force in Kiss.
In February 1991, the band decided to produce their first album of the 1990s, but before recording could begin in earnest, tragedy struck. In March 1991, it was discovered that Eric Carr had a tumor on his heart. It was successfully removed, but more tumors were soon discovered in his lungs. He died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 41 (the same day as Freddie Mercury). Though devastated, Kiss continued, bringing in veteran drummer Eric Singer. Singer had played with Paul Stanley previously, as part of Stanley's backing band during a 1989 solo tour. Kiss released Revenge on May 19, 1992. It featured a leaner, harder-edged sound, as indicated by the first single, "Unholy". In a surprise move, Kiss enlisted the aid of Vinnie Vincent for songwriting duties. Kiss followed with the release of Alive III (May 14, 1993), which was recorded during the Revenge tour.
On August 9, 1995, Kiss joined the long line of musicians to perform on KISS Mtv Unplugged. The band contacted Criss and Frehley and invited them on stage for several songs at the end of the set. The Unplugged appearance set off months of speculation that a possible reunion of the original Kiss lineup was in the works. In the following weeks the band (with Kulick and Singer), returned to the studio for the first time in three years to record a follow-up to Revenge. Carnival Of Souls was completed in February 1996, but its release was delayed for almost two years. While Kiss continued to exist publicly as Simmons, Stanley, Kulick, and Singer, arrangements for a reunion of the original lineup were in the works. On February 28, 1996, Tupac Shakur introduced the original Kiss lineup (in full makeup and Love Gun-era stage outfits), to a rousing ovation at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. On June 28, the Kiss Alive/Worldwide Tour began at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,867 fans. The tour lasted for 192 shows over 11 months and earned $43.6 million, making Kiss the top-drawing concert act of 1996.
In September 1998, the reunited group issued Psycho Circus. Despite their appearance on the album, the contributions of Frehley and Criss were minimal. While the images of Frehley and Criss are featured prominently on the album, the lead guitar work was performed by future band member Tommy Thayer and former member Bruce Kulick, and drums were handled by session musician Kevin Valentine.
August 13, 1999 saw the nationwide premiere of a Kiss-themed motion picture, titled Detroit Rock City. The film takes place in 1978, and focuses on four teenagers willing to do anything to score tickets for a sold-out Kiss show in Detroit. The next month, the group worked in with World Championship Wrestling to produce a Kiss-themed wrestler known as The Demon whose face was painted to resemble Simmons. The group performed live on WCW Monday Nitro and got $500,000 for the one-night, one-song performance. According to pro wrestler Dean Malenko, their appearance was the lowest rated Nitro ever, The character was short-lived.
Kiss announced in early 2000 that they would be launching a U.S. Farewell Tour in the summer, which was to be the band's last, although it was last for the original line up; the tour kicked off on March 12, 2000. The group quickly added dates to the tour, which ran through April 2001. On the eve of the Japanese and Australian leg of the Farewell Tour on January 31, 2001, Criss suddenly left the band once again. Taking his place was previous Kiss drummer Eric Singer who, in a move that was controversial among longtime fans, assumed Criss's Cat Man persona as the Farewell Tour continued.
With the band scheduled to call it a day supposedly by early 2001, a career-encompassing collection entitled The Box Set (94 tracks on five CDs) was released in November of that year, while the summer saw perhaps the most outrageous item of Kiss merchandise yet – the Kiss Kasket. In introducing the Kiss Kasket, Simmons quipped, "I love livin', but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good."
In February 2002, Kiss (with Singer on drums and Frehley on lead guitar) performed during the Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was Frehley's final performance with Kiss. He was replaced by Tommy Thayer, who donned Frehley's Spaceman makeup and costume.
In February 2003, Kiss traveled to Australia and recorded KISS Symphony : Alive IV with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Thayer once again replaced Frehley, while Peter Criss returned to the group. Simmons and Stanley did not renew Criss' contract when it expired in March 2004.
Gene Simmons released his second solo album, Asshole, in 2004
Paul Stanley released his second solo album, Live To Win, on October 24, 2006, and undertook a brief solo tour in support.
More than ten years after their last studio album, and years of denials about ever wanting to do a new album, Stanley and Simmons changed their minds. In November 2008, Paul Stanley stated that a new Kiss album was in the works, and the album would have a "real 70s Kiss sound" to it.KISS announced a release date of October 6, 2009 for the new album Sonic Boom.
On April 13, 2011, Kiss began recording a new album due for release later in the year. The band went back to using old analog equipment instead of a newer digital recording gear. Monster was released on October 9, 2012 in North America.
As of this writing, Stanley, Simmons, Thayer, and Singer are still touring. It is unclear if they will continue recording new music. There are rumors that KISS may continue even if founding members Stanley and Simmons decide to hang up their 7-inch platform boots.
Here is a live video from 2013
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