I am curious as to whether or not I am the only one here old enough to have actually lived throught the KISS phenomenom as it actually happened.
I saw KISS the first time, in 77 or 78, with Judas Priest opening for them. I was 14 or so. I'll tell you, you simply couldn't look at everything at once. Their forte has always been their live performances. No flannel shirt and dirty sneakers, standing in one spot oozing angst. These guys put on a show.
Now, KISS will never be accused of being the best guitarists, or drummers, or songwriters. They were passable musicians, and they could only write about one thing: sex. Virtually every song has to do with getting the girl, wanting the girl, having the girl, losing the girl. Which is ok, I suppose.
Early on, their music was gritty, straight up 3 minute rock and roll songs, especially their first 3 studio albums, and the classic "Alive". When they released 'Destroyer', it was slick, production-wise, and changed their sound to a more smooth edged sound, even though it was still rock and roll.
After their 8th album "Alive II", that was when the wheels started to come off. A disco-based album, 4 solo albums, released simultaneously (wich, other than Peter Criss', weren't bad).
Excess, band members leaving, a revovling door at lead guitar, all lead to KISS making a last gasp effort at keeping their foothold in music, they took off the make up. Lo and behold, a whole new generation of KISS fans sprang up. They lived through the 80's, by adapting their look and getting face time on MTV.
When that well ran dry, they put the makeup back on, original members intact, and all us old-timers came out in droves to spend a night being a teen at a KISS concert again.
Were they great musicians? No. Were they witty songwriters? No. Were they master marketers? Absolutely. They whored themselves straight to the top.
The sum of all these mediocre parts made up the Greatest Show on Earth.
30 years of touring. And I mean headlining arenas, not little clubs and dives. Over 100 million albums sold. Whether you like them or not, you cannot argue that they have been successful.
Yes, I am a KISS fan. I have been for 25 years or better. I own 20+ KISS cds. I have been taking crap about it forever. There is nothing anyone can say that would upset me. I know they are average at best. But I love them, nonetheless.
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Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet. ~ Kabir
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