VIDEO'S OF THE WEEK - (Classic-) KISS-Special

[Niels (Mod)]

VOTW KISS-Special

KISS is one of those bands, where probably most (or all?) of the footage/promo's and stuff from the 70's have been seen by you guys for sure already, buy RJhog wanted a KISS-special, and here it comes. I will put this up from a very ego-point of view, because everything after 1979, doesn't really interest me that much, regarding KISS. You know the story, therefore I'll give you my personal KISS-story, or a little bit of it:

I WANT YOU

The first KISS-promo I saw on the TV was "I Want You". I had been a fan for about half a year (since I saw them in a maazine in January 1977), before I saw this video, and I really didn't know, what to expect, when I found out, that KISS would be one of the bands,that got a promo on the danish TV-show "DerudAf" in May/June 1977. At that point, I only owned "Destroyer", so I still remember the feeling, not only seeing KISS "live" for the first time, but also hearing a "new" song. (I had seen "Rock'N'Roll Over" in the local record-shop, but didn't have any money, and I was kind of glad for my "Destroyer"-album, and didn't need another KISS-album right away). It would be another month or so, until I heard "Rock'N'Roll Over" at a friends house, and I got it myself not long after that. Still one of my favorite TV-moments, though. I never forget it.

BLACK DIAMOND

As every other KISS-fan around the world, at the age of 12 in 1977, I had the walls in my room covered with KISS-posters. One of the first one, was a picture from this "concert" in their "Hotter Than Hell"-costumes. That album (HTH) is still my favorite KISS-album, and the band was so fresh at that time. This track, off course, isn't from HTH, but this performance shows how young and hungry KISS was at that time.

FLAMING YOUTH

This is probably the first KISS-song I ever heard, without knowing who it was playing, because when I got Destroyer for my 12 year old birthday, in April 1977, this was the only song, that was kind of familiar to me. So it was the old "Huh? Is that them playing that song?!"-feeling, well kind of the same feeling I got, when I saw Aerosmith live in 1989, when they played "Sweet Emotion".

KISS ALIVE II Promo

I think, I got Alive II in January 1978. (I had all the released KISS-albums up until then, and my first "new" KISS-album had been Love Gun, which I bought in June 1977, but only because I by coincidence saw it in a record-shop around the time of it's release. Otherwise I may not had gotten it until later ) I still wonder, why I didn't get Alive II earlier on, but as I remember it, I wasn't aware of it's excistence until the start of 1978. That was the time, before the internet. But of course I got the one, with the booklet and tatooes and stuff, and again that day was another day in heaven for me. Luckily for me, one of my good friends was also a KISS-fan, so I could share these great feelings about getting new albums, magazines and posters, at least for a couple of years.

SURE KNOW SOMETHING

Dynasty was another album, I didn't know excisted, until after 1 or two months after it's release, when my friend, who also was a fan, played "Charisma" on the telephone for me, when I was away on holliday. It was in July of '79, and the next day, I went out to find it, but it was impossible for me to track the album down in Copenhagen. Eventually, I found it in a shop near my home where they had a red vinyl-copy of the album, and I could settle down. At the time, I was a bit tired of the "Love Gun"-costumes, that KISS had had for 2 solid years , and was a bit dissapointed, that they didn't wear new costumes on the poster within Dynasty. But it only took a month or so, until I saw the new costumes in a magazine, and for the last time was in KISS-heaven with new costumes and a new great KISS-album.

ACE FREHLEY & PETER CRISS - STRANGE WAYS

When I finally saw KISS live for the first time, Criss was out of the band (I only realized that a few months before the concert, as I recall it, in maybe May 1980), and I wasn't that big a fan anymore. NWOBHM had most of my attention, but I met another KISS-fan around that time, who had just discovered KISS, and it helped me to get psyched up one last time, when Eric Carr came in to replace Criss, and seeing KISS live (with Iron Maiden as support) in October 1980 was very cool, and I was kind of a big fan again, even though I was totally dissapointed in Unmasked. When The Elder came out, it was near the end of my career as a KISS-fan. But I still bought the albums, throughout the 80's, and read the articles in the magazines I bought. I even bought Criss's solo-albums and Ace's, even though they were utter crap-albums, but the last posters went down from my wall around early 1982. I leave you with this "live-video" of Criss and Frehley playing my very favorite KISS-song in 1995.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I think I've heard of this band, not sure though...

I Want You - I have always liked the song.  I love the easy intro and the way it's repeated after the guitar solo.  Paul Stanley is my all-time favorite singer.  He might not be able to do it live these days like he could back then, but I've just always loved his voice.  I think I remember this video, though it's cloudy.  The audio is not synced up with the video.  Don't remember if it was like that back then.  How could a ten or eleven year old kid see this and not be stoked.  Their video presence was amazing.  I'm sure Peter was mad because he wasn't shown very much.

Black Diamond - One of the greatest Kiss songs ever.  This performance is amazing.  So theatrical.  But the audience is totally lame.  I'll say this, Peter was a killer drummer back then.  You can really see it in the live performances from this era.  And Ace, he might not be the most technical player in the world, but he wrote great, melodic solos that really moved the song along.  Awesome!  Oh, and Gene looks much more evil to me here than he does in his Destroyer costume.

Flaming Youth - Love the song, but they play it too fast here.   It sounds better at the normal speed.  That got to be a big problem in the 80's, but that's neither here nor there.  The arrangement is quite different than that on Destroyer, but it's still a cool performance.

Promo - The stage during this time was probably my favorite.  I can't say I particularly remember details about buying this album, but I do remember thinking it was so great.  Of course, now I know that it was way over-doctored in the studio, but I never realized it then.  The gatefold cover for this album is amazing.  It's a snapshot of the live show and it's better than the gatefold cover for Alive!  And I remember how cool it was to open up a new Kiss album.  Such a thrill.

Sure Know Something - This is one of Paul's finest songs.  It has always been one of my absolute favorites.  The bass, the harmonies, just fantastic.  And I remember this video,  It was one of if not the first true Kiss concept video, although it's a performance video.  Now I think about what was going on in their heads back then.  I'm sure Peter was a mess by then.

Strange Ways - One of Kiss' heaviest songs.  Probably the heaviest Kiss song.  Peter had a great voice.  He doesn't seem to be giving the greatest effort here.  In retrospect, it's funny that he wrote the least material for the band, but he left the band first because he was gonna be a huge solo star.  Ace certainly had a better solo career, but they both should have gotten their lives together and stayed in the band.  Just my opinion.

Great post Niels.  You know I'm a Kiss fan.  I don't have much time for their current day shenanigans, but this stuff brings back great memories for me.

[Niels (Mod)]

I had a feeling, you would like it 

"I can't say I particularly remember details about buying this album," Funny, because I remember a lot of details, buying all KISS-albums especially up until Dynasty. In fact, I remember what we had for diner (some kind of potato-dish, actually quite good), the night my father brought home Alive II, because I had to wait, until after diner, before I could hear the album, and my friend, who also was a KISS-fan, sat impationally in the livingroom, waiting for me. I don't think, I ate much that night

The day, me and my friend bought all of the 4 new solo-albums among us, is another day/night I remember with details.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I don't remember much about actually buying any of the Kiss albums.  I sure-as-shit don't remember what I was eating for dinner.  I remember picking up "The Originals" at a K-Mart and thinking how absolutely cool it was.  The mushroom cloud and flames on the front.  And the fact that it had the first three Kiss albums was so, so cool.  But I didn't buy it.  Didn't have the money. 

But I do remember walking in to the local record store in 1983 and seeing Lick It Up.  I had no idea it was Kiss.  It just caught my attention.  Then I noticed the small Kiss logo on it and freaked.  I had been away from Kiss for a couple of years.  I had the money this time so I bought it and went right home and listened to it.  

[Niels (Mod)]

I remember, that The Originals was kind of "The Holy Grail" for me, until I realized, that it was just the 3 first albums, which I already owned, and eventually I got the booklet from both The Originals and Alive!. I do wish, I'd become a fan 1 or 2 years earlier, because getting Alive! around the time it was released, must had been very, very cool. I got it in the fall of 1977.

[Scott]

I WANT YOU..  Not my favorite KISS tune, in fact its more of a throw away tune for me.  Its kind of funny watching Peter in these post-Destroyer videos, he seems to be always disengaged - as is the case here.  And this feels more like a showcase for Paul than everyone else in the band.  eh...  RARO is good album, not great just good, with several filler tracks.  This is one of them.  Weird thing is, I still watched all of it because I like watching the original band.

BLACK DIAMOND ...  GO PETER!!!  HTH era KISS is pretty cool KISS, even if its another song that doesn't thrill me. Overplayed and not that well written IMO it can only be pulled off by the original band.  Ace and Peter shine yet again.  And for some reason Peter and Gene think they can pull off a make-up era with them...  hmmm....  Another thought crossed my mind listening to the riff on this song and that's the Stones influence I hear.  Didn't realize this for years, but there's a ton of KISS riffs that are owed to the Stones, especially the early stuff.  Maybe the fact that Ace covered 2000 Man is a hint?!

FLAMING YOUTH ... Ha, Paul blew off the second verse and while this one of my favorite KISS tracks this live version isn't very good.

KISS ALIVE II PROMO ...  The must have live album of 1978, at least for 6th and 7th graders like me!  My friend came to school with a KISS Army sticker on his lunch pale. He also owned the 3 album set of The Originals and several posters.  That was my intro to the band.

SURE KNOW SOMETHING ...  I love Dynasty its #2 on my list of favorite KISS albums (right after Destroyer for this who wanted to know).  But, we get unengaged Peter here again and he appears loopy and not in sync with the tune, but of course we all know its because he didn't play on it.  Still a great KISS tune though!

STRANGE WAY ...  Cool tune!  Ace wrote some great stuff in the early days!  Parasite being of the best IMO, but I love the guitar solo on this one.

FUN POST!!!  Thanks for not going past Dynasty  :-)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Ha!  You said "unengaged Peter"...

[Scott]