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Started By
Message
KISS--A Look Back
Posted on 3/14/14 at 9:04 pm
Posted on 3/14/14 at 9:04 pm
At the age of about 11, I owned all but 2 of the albums in KISS' discography (Dressed to Kill and Hotter than Hell). I had posters, "KISS" makeup, a poorly made Ace Frehley costume, and I was a member in good standing of the KISS Army (holding all rights, responsibilities, and privileges thereto). The highlight of my young life was getting to see KISS perform live at the Centroplex in 1978.
Well, yesterday I decided to take a trip down memory lane and listen to KISS Alive! II, which is the album that started it all for me.
HOLY shite what a disappointment. The music was terrible; singing awful; "chatter" stupid. Especially disheartening was Ace Frehley's guitar solo on his signature song "Shock Me". I couldn't believe how simple and rudimentary it was. Any 10-year-old who had had a couple years of lessons could have easily replicated that solo.
I had the sad.
TL;dr: KISS suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
Well, yesterday I decided to take a trip down memory lane and listen to KISS Alive! II, which is the album that started it all for me.
HOLY shite what a disappointment. The music was terrible; singing awful; "chatter" stupid. Especially disheartening was Ace Frehley's guitar solo on his signature song "Shock Me". I couldn't believe how simple and rudimentary it was. Any 10-year-old who had had a couple years of lessons could have easily replicated that solo.
I had the sad.
TL;dr: KISS suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
9
Posted on 3/14/14 at 9:42 pm to LuckySo-n-So
"Going Blind" is a great song...let's face it, KISS was never about technical musical ability. They were performers who delivered entertainment not musical classics.
Posted on 3/14/14 at 9:44 pm to DreadDub
Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Yea they suck.
Posted on 3/14/14 at 11:42 pm to LuckySo-n-So
I used to like a couple of their tunes. Black Diamond was decent. Most were pretty silly. They were fun when I was 15.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 12:55 am to RogerTheShrubber
quote:Probably their best song. This, or Strutter.
Black Diamond was decent
Posted on 3/15/14 at 1:29 am to LuckySo-n-So
When I was 11 (1987) they were just another hair metal band so consider yourself lucky.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 1:59 am to JBM210
quote:
Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Yea they suck.
Hope you're being sarcastic. It means something, but like say an Jethro Tull 'Hard Rock' Grammy..it's not Gospel!
Speaking of RRHOF and Black Diamond, and a 2013 nominated band that didn't make the cut..check out The Replacements superior ramshackle version of The Mats - Black Diamond
Excerpt: "The familiar ‘Mats playfulness had its day, too; the band paid tribute to KISS with a psychotically sloppy cover of “Black Diamond.” The song’s author, fire-breathing bassist Gene Simmons, apparently thought otherwise(suspecting directed mockery), while at a Replacements show in New York City, where he walked out as soon as the band began playing it, Manager Peter Jesperson recalls."
Even as a kid catching KISS at BR's Centroplex in 1977 and 1979, being a fabulous spectacle of a show, and me liking their music at the time. I wasn't disillusioned, I knew my Led Zep, Queen, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Aerosmith 'Rocks' 'Toys In The Attic', Boston & Van Halen debut 8-Tracks, to contain superior music and artistry..
But, damn if as a kid, the Kabuki Theatre that a KISS concert was with the pyrotechnic flames & rising stages had..were mindblowing!
This post was edited on 3/15/14 at 2:15 am
Posted on 3/15/14 at 2:22 am to LuckySo-n-So
quote:
At the age of about 11, I owned all but 2 of the albums in KISS' discography (Dressed to Kill and Hotter than Hell). I had posters, "KISS" makeup, a poorly made Ace Frehley costume, and I was a member in good standing of the KISS Army (holding all rights, responsibilities, and privileges thereto). The highlight of my young life was getting to see KISS perform live at the Centroplex in 1978. Well, yesterday I decided to take a trip down memory lane and listen to KISS Alive! II, which is the album that started it all for me. HOLY shite what a disappointment. The music was terrible; singing awful; "chatter" stupid. Especially disheartening was Ace Frehley's guitar solo on his signature song "Shock Me". I couldn't believe how simple and rudimentary it was. Any 10-year-old who had had a couple years of lessons could have easily replicated that solo. I had the sad. TL;dr: KISS suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
they're rock 'n' roll not motzart. how simple are ac/dc, the rolling stones, chuck berry, the beatles, thin lizzy, free,and most other rock bands?
kiss has been a tremendous influence to many rock bands that have followed. ace, while not a very technical player is responsible for a lot of kids picking up a guitar then and are still playing today.
Clapton wasn't playing solos that were anymore complicated than what ace did.
to say the singing was awful is off base. paul had a pretty good voice through the 80's. he had range & strength. their backing vocals were only topped by a few other bands.
have you listened to what some of the singers sound like today? and you think he was awful?
rock n roll is meant to be simple & fun. and that exactly the kind of music kiss focused on making.
they never intended to be anymore.
people that want anything other than that need to stick to jazz, fusion, or classical.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 4:08 am to Geert Hammink_43
quote:
kiss has been a tremendous influence to many rock bands that have followed.
Who? Motley Crue? Thanks Kiss.
quote:
rock n roll is meant to be simple & fun. and that exactly the kind of music kiss focused on making.
they never intended to be anymore.
people that want anything other than that need to stick to jazz, fusion, or classical.
The Ramones were simple and fun. Kiss were just simple.
This post was edited on 3/15/14 at 4:11 am
Posted on 3/15/14 at 5:08 am to northshorebamaman
quote:
Who? Motley Crue? Thanks Kiss.
kiss had an influence on many of the hard rock bands in the 80's & into the 90's. trying to dispute that is like saying the beatles had no influence on rock bands of the 70's.
metallica, stone temple pilots, van halen, foo fighters, garth brooks, anthrax, poison, pearl jam, lenny kravitz, motley crue, guns and roses, gwar, rob zombie, skid row, megadeth, alice in chains, pantera, nirvana, warrant, soundgarden, nine inch nails , Marilyn Manson ,twisted sister, weezer were all inspired in some way by kiss.
quote:
The Ramones were simple and fun. Kiss were just simple.
the millions of people that have bought their records and tickets say otherwise.
I doubt people would have continued to do so if they didn't enjoy their music.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 5:32 am to Geert Hammink_43
quote:
metallica, stone temple pilots, van halen, foo fighters, garth brooks, anthrax, poison, pearl jam, lenny kravitz, motley crue, guns and roses, gwar, rob zombie, skid row, megadeth, alice in chains, pantera, nirvana, warrant, soundgarden, nine inch nails , Marilyn Manson ,twisted sister, weezer were all inspired in some way by kiss.
A third of those bands are flat out terrible. And the rest that don't suck were only influenced in superficial ways. E.g. Garth Brooks, and most of the others you listed claim they were inspired by the live show, not the music. Or seeing Kiss "made them want to be a rock star".
They had a fair amount of influence in the 70's and 80's. They're mostly irrelevant after 92 or so.
This post was edited on 3/15/14 at 5:47 am
Posted on 3/15/14 at 7:00 am to northshorebamaman
Black Diamond
Strutter
War Machine
Rock N Roll Hel
Love Her All I Can
That's just a few of the damn good songs they made.
Some people were bitching about the pretentiousness of Tool fans just recently. Those fans have nothing on the pretentious snobbery of the people who bag on KISS. A good song's a good song, no matter if it's'simple' or not.
Strutter
War Machine
Rock N Roll Hel
Love Her All I Can
That's just a few of the damn good songs they made.
Some people were bitching about the pretentiousness of Tool fans just recently. Those fans have nothing on the pretentious snobbery of the people who bag on KISS. A good song's a good song, no matter if it's'simple' or not.
This post was edited on 3/15/14 at 1:04 pm
Posted on 3/15/14 at 9:25 am to Sayre
well, you mentioned "war machine" twice, and "rock and roll hell" is actually a cover of a BTO song, so.... 
but seriously, i still have fondness for what they did up to & including the 'lick it up' album, but kiss mostly lost the plot after that. and the current incarnation that has two people dressed as ace frehley & peter criss is indefensible, although many kiss apologists will try to spin it otherwise....
but seriously, i still have fondness for what they did up to & including the 'lick it up' album, but kiss mostly lost the plot after that. and the current incarnation that has two people dressed as ace frehley & peter criss is indefensible, although many kiss apologists will try to spin it otherwise....
Posted on 3/15/14 at 9:35 am to vandelay industries
Went to KISS concert as an older adult and when they did God of Thunder I was 12 years old again. Musically of course they suck (although gene is underrated as a bassist).
Posted on 3/15/14 at 10:19 am to northshorebamaman
quote:
A third of those bands are flat out terrible
oh good the music snobs are out in force
quote:
And the rest that don't suck were only influenced in superficial ways.
So if there is a band you actually like they couldn't possibly have been inspired musucally by 1 you don't? Get off your high horse. If you don't like KISS that's understandable but don't presume to tell us what did or did not influence other artist.
quote:
E.g. Garth Brooks, and most of the others you listed claim they were inspired by the live show, not the music.
Again I'll take what the artist themselves say over some one that clearly has a grudge against KISS (and BTW I was never a KISS fan and I completely agree the music is not very good or innovative). But the live show is kinda important. While watching great musicians just play can be awesome, so can a spectacular show. It is the music/entertainment BUSINESS after all.
quote:
Or seeing Kiss "made them want to be a rock star".
Yeah, that's not terribly important or anything
Posted on 3/15/14 at 1:03 pm to vandelay industries
quote:
well, you mentioned War Machine twice
Brain fart. I meant to put Love Her All I Can.
I like Lick It Up and Animalize. They're the newest ones that I'll listen to songs off of.
I was too young to know KISS in the 70s, and I was a snob later and trashed their music myself. It wasn't until I saw the original line up at the Cajun Dome in 99 that I started to open my mind. I also started to see just how many of the bands and musicians I respect the most were KISS fans. So I finally went back through their whole catalog and was delighted to find so many great tunes.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 1:05 pm to northshorebamaman
quote:
They had a fair amount of influence in the 70's and 80's. They're mostly irrelevant after 92 or so.
Why do music snobs put so much stock in this? "Bad" is pretty relative.
People like music for a hell of a lot of different reasons, impressing your peers is pretty low on the list, except on this board.
A lot of fun music is simplistic doesn't influence future generations.
This post was edited on 3/15/14 at 1:06 pm
Posted on 3/15/14 at 2:04 pm to Sayre
quote:
Black Diamond
Strutter
War Machine
Rock N Roll Hel
Love Her All I Can
That's just a few of the damn good songs they made.
Some people were bitching about the pretentiousness of Tool fans just recently. Those fans have nothing on the pretentious snobbery of the people who bag on KISS. A good song's a good song, no matter if it's'simple' or not.
Completely agree been a KISS fan for a long time.I've been to four concerts,three was there reunion tour the other tour the farewell tour.I understand why they got rid of Ace again the second concert I saw them in P'cola during the farewell tour he would disappear under the stage every other song it was disappointing.They're not Mozart its just fun rock and roll.
Posted on 3/15/14 at 2:11 pm to LuckySo-n-So
It ain't Beethoven, it's just fun music. Appreciate it for what it is. 
Posted on 3/15/14 at 2:28 pm to H-Town Tiger
quote:
oh good the music snobs are out in force
It doesn't take a music snob to think Warrant sucks.
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