About the Artist: 

Polar Blair's Thoughts on the Artist:  With makeup: cool.  Without makeup: not cool.  That's all there is to it.  The non-makeup KISS is one of the biggest farces of all time...right up there with New Coke.  And since 1996, it doesn't look like they're in any rush to drop the makeup...even with Criss and Frehley long gone.  I guess they know not to do that again! 

    KISS defined itself with makeup, wild costumes, pyrotechnics and other stage theatrics.  Take away all that, and they're like the bands we see playing at county fairs.  I like some of the music they made in the post-makeup/pre-makeup days, but ALL of it could have been played during the makeup eras.  I even like a lot of the musicians that came after the original line-up.  But none of that hides the fact that KISS is makeup and makeup is KISS.

    Gene Simmons is easily the most marketable member because he's the most animated and gets the most spotlight.  He's a great showman and I admire him a lot for his performing and business savvy.  Musically, though, Ace Frehley is the most talented...hands down.  Ace is quite a guitarist, singer...even songwriter.  All the guys are great, but Ace is distinct.

    I think it's wonderful that "real" KISS came back in 1996.  I do, however, think they have a lot of potential they haven't shown yet.  How come they don't do more on TV, or in movies?  And only one studio album all this time?  I think they need to do a lot more if they really want to cash in.

    I think the idea of KISS is awesome.  They were not the first to do "theatrical rock", but they are certainly the biggest act to have ever done it, and that's no easy task when your competition is Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Rick James, Twisted Sister, Judas Priest and other top groups.  I do think, though, that they need to do something new.  They came out with one awesome concept in 1974 and it's stayed there.  It wouldn't hurt to get one or two more guys in the band...maybe flesh out the music with some keyboards or horns.  New music would be great, too.  Mostly, though, I think they just need to give fans more of a good thing.  They don't need to change what they do, just expand it.

Personnel:

Discography: Album:


KISS (1974)
Hotter Than Hell (1974)
Dressed to Kill (1975)
Alive! (1975)
Destroyer (1976)
Rock And Roll Over (1976)
Love Gun (1977)
Alive! II (1977)
Peter Criss (1978)
Ace Frehley (1978)
Gene Simmons (1978)
Paul Stanley (1978)

Dynasty (1979)-  KISS' disco album.  Great seller but put off a lot of KISS fans who felt they sold out to a fad.  Peter Criss played drums on only one song, "Dirty Livin'".  The rest of the drums were done by Anton Fig who was uncredited.

Unmasked (1980)-  Peter Criss credited on drums, but NOT on album.  Anton Fig played all drums, who was again uncredited.  Criss was on the cover, and he did a promotional video for song "Shandi" with bandmates, and that was it.

Music From "The Elder" (1981)-  KISS' concept album.  Probably the least-liked and poorest-selling of their albums.  The last album with Ace Frehley on guitar.  Also the first album with Eric Carr who became the credited, permanent replacement drummer for Peter Criss.

Creatures of the Night (1982)-  Ace Frehley credited on guitar, but NOT on album.  Shown on one of the version's of this album's cover (the original 1982 release).  The 1985 reissue showed Bruce Kulick and the rest of the band without makeup.  What's funny is that Bruce was not on this album.  KISS was essentially a trio at this time, with many musicians taking over lead guitar duties including:  Steve Farris, Robben Ford, Bob Kulick, and Vinnie Vincent (all uncredited).


Lick it Up (1983)- The first KISS album where they stopped wearing the makeup and costumes.  Eric Carr was still on drums, as he had been on Music From "The Elder" and Creatures of the Night.  Vinnie Vincent was the new, official lead guitarist.  The title track was a hit and the only song that isn't largely ignored by KISS and their fans since that time.

Animalize (1984)- The same line-up as last, but with Mark St. John on lead guitar.  Famous for "Heaven's on Fire" and that's about it.  That's the only song that's been played regularly at KISS concerts since then.

Asylum (1985)-  The same line-up as last, but with Bruce Kulick on lead guitar.  The Simmons/Stanley/Kulick/Carr era of KISS is the second most successful line-up of the band, and the first time KISS kept the same personnel for more than one album.  This line-up continued until Carr's death in 1991.  "Tears are Falling" was the only real hit from this album and the only song from this time that they played at concerts throughout the years.  When the original line-up returned in 1996, this song was dropped from the concerts, and brought back in 2004, long after Frehley and Criss were out of KISS again.

Crazy Nights (1987)-  Another album that failed to produce any big hits, although it DID go Platinum.

Hot in the Shade (1989)-  Last album with drummer Eric Carr before his death.  Although not a memorable album, it went Gold.  The vast majority of KISS music in the 1980s has been ignored by KISS and their fans since the resurgence of "Makeup KISS" in 1996.

Revenge (1992)-  First album with Eric Singer as drummer.  This was a big deal and made newspapers at the time.  Singer was KISS' first blond member.  Despite the publicity, and the fact that the album went Gold, it didn't produce any hits.  One song, "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You II", was used in the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and that's about as popular as this album got.

Alive III (1993)-  I don't know why they did this or called it "Alive III".  "Alive" was something from the makeup era with Criss and Frehley.  They would've done better giving this live album a different name so as not to compare it to the past two.  It did go Gold, but was nowhere near the hit of Alive! or Alive II.  What was great about the first two live albums is that they both contained all unique tracks.  This live album had some songs that they had already released live on the previous two (with the new line-up, of course).  It was mostly 1980s KISS music, and not the most interesting selection of material.

KISS Unplugged (1996)- Live album.  This was KISS' deepest, darkest moment.  How could they...why would they...?  Okay, KISS was always supposed to be electric.  The KISS image was established on the makeup and costumes and stageshows.  They took away the makeup and all the cool stuff way back.  NOW they take away the electric guitars?  Now KISS wasn't any different than any other garage band.  Lick it Up was a ballsy enough attempt, and this is just insulting.  Some people can do Unplugged albums, but KISS ain't one of them!  The only cool thing is that Peter Criss and Ace Frehley sat in with the band at one point in the show.  And this led to the eventual reunion of the original, makeup era line-up!

Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)-  The last of the non-makeup KISS albums (thank goodness).  This was recorded in late 1995/early 1996.  It was their grunge rock album, another poorly-decided direction from the band.  After this album was recorded, the original members of KISS reunited, in full makeup.  This album was meant to be shelved, because it didn't jive with the KISS Alive/Worldwide Tour.  However, this album was being bootlegged, and it prompted KISS to officially release it.  This album didn't do well at all.


You Wanted the Best, You Got The Best! (1996)-  Live album.  This actually comes from the original, make-up era of KISS.  Most of the songs come from Alive! and Alive II, but four previously-unreleased tracks from that timespan are included.  It was released to sell during their triumphant 1996-1997 Alive/Worldwide Tour.  It was a very quickly-made album and a wise thing for them to release at the time.  It went Gold.

Psycho Circus (1998)-  This was the first studio album of original material to feature Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley since 1979's Dynasty.  Despite the controversy that surrounds this album, it was still quite a feat for the original members to work on an album again, in makeup, after such a long hiatus.  Rumors circulating prior to this album's release started about Frehley and Criss being used sparingly.  The rumors, it turned out, were true.  Criss, himself, only played drums on "Into the Void".  Frehley only appeared on "Into the Void", "Psycho Circus", and "You Wanted the Best".  Many additional musicians were used.  The only song where the four original members played instruments was "Into the Void".  "You Wanted the Best", however, was the only song that shared vocal duties with the entire line-up.

    This album went Gold, but to date it is the last studio album of original material by KISS.  The song, "Psycho Circus", received quite a bit of radio airplay at the time.  This is also the last album, to date, on which Ace Frehley has appeared playing guitar.  Ace left the group in 2002.


KISS Symphony: Alive IV (2003)-  Live album.  Tommy Thayer replaced Ace Frehley on guitar.  For the first time ever, a replacement for Ace Frehley appeared wearing his Spaceman outfit.  Reportedly, Ace is not too happy about this.  This is also the last KISS album, to date, featuring Peter Criss on drums.  When he left in 2004, replacement Eric Singer began wearing his Catman outfit.

    This live album is unique for the fact that they are backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra of Australia.  They play a lot of the same stuff as they had on Alive! and Alive II, but with an orchestra.

KISS Alive 35 (2008)-  Live album.  The line-up is now Simmons, Stanley, Tommy Thayer on lead guitar, and Eric Singer on drums.  They still do the makeup (not surprising).  This is a rather odd release.  It's a 2-CD set of a complete concert, that you could buy AT the concert during the Alive/35 World Tour during 2008.  1500 CDs were released for each recorded show.  The track-listings on this "live album" varies depending on the show from where it was recorded.  This is also the first time Thayer and Singer appeared on a KISS album cover in the makeup.

Discography: EP:

Discography: Single:

Filmography (Film & Television):

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978 TV Movie)
Detroit Rock City (1999 Film)

Photos:

Videography:

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (2005, Cheezy Flicks):  96 minutes.  This is their infamous 1978 TV movie.  The concert performances are awesome with stage theatrics even better than what you'd see in many of their other filmed concerts.  The rest of the movie?  Eh.  If you have some extra dollars and can find this, I'd suggest it for the KISS fan.  It's a part of KISS history, for sure, but more of a novelty than anything else.

KISSology Volume 1 1974-1977 (2006, VH1 Classic Records):  RECOMMENDED!  Approximately 6.5 hours.  This is a cool two-disc set.  It features rare concert footage and classic TV appearances.  And it's the "real" line-up of KISS with Simmons/Stanley/Criss/Frehley.  My only complaint is that some of the concert footage doesn't really dazzle us with crystal clear picture quality.  I know it's supposed to be remastered, but some of it still looks grainy.  I do think, though, that this set is a must-have for people who follow early KISS.  Since there are so many songs on this set, it's easier and more relevant to list the programs.