KISS (Official Thread)

[Lynch]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

I'll put up a review on the next two albums, Creatures of the Night and Lick It Up later on. As far as I'm concerned, these were easily their best two albums of the 80's

 

[rtbuck]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

"They both have their fair share of talent. In fact the first version of KISS "Wicked Lester" didn't even have Peter or Ace and utilized woodwind instruments...keys...a more jazzy feel..."

MP, I really enjoy that Wicked Lester stuff. I wish they would officially release it as they could really package it up nice with maybe a booklet filled with liner notes & photos. From what I've read the album was recorded for Epic Records but the band was either dropped by the label or split up so it was never released(I can't remember which). I read that after Kiss was starting to gain publicity around the time of 'Dressed to Kill' Epic was going to release the Wicked Lester album but Kiss then bought the tapes from Epic & they still own them as far as I know.


MP Awesome stuff with Paul on Gene,I never seen that.

Lynch, I've actually grown to like 'Unmasked' but when it first came out (I really hate to say this) but I kind of gave up on Kiss. I remember I was in Record Theater with a friend & we seen the album for the first time.We thought maybe it was a parody album or something but once I read the back I knew it was Kiss. I wasn't too impressed. The only songs that I liked was "Is That You" but I hated the way the chorus was sung; "You always Get the boys you like..." & "Talk to Me". I thought "Torpedo Girl" was dumb & how I hated "What Makes the World go Round". What didn't help with 'Unmasked' was during this time I was really getting into stuff like Judas Priest,UFO, & the Scorpions & also punk stuff like the Ramones. By the mid 80's with the releases of Creatures,Lick it Up, & Animalize I was just as heavy into Kiss as I was 6 years earlier & accepted & now enjoyed 'Unmasked' & have never looked back.
Good review on The Elder. I had a few problems with that one at first but with songs like I, The Oath, Darklight, Mr. Blackwell, & Escape From the Island it didn't take long for that to be one of my favs

 

[Lynch]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Buck: yeah, I'll admit that I've been pretty close minded on Unmasked for many many years. Being the big Kiss fan that I am, I really should pull it out and give it a few listens again. Maybe since I've aged some and find new appreciation for things that I didn't have before, maybe I'd find something about it that I like now. I won't hold my breath. If I go in with low expectations, perhaps I can be pleasantly surprised.

Good review on The Elder. I had a few problems with that one at first but with songs like I, The Oath, Darklight, Mr. Blackwell, & Escape From the Island it didn't take long for that to be one of my favs

Thanks. It's definitely one of my favorite albums by them. Not just from the 80's but overall. It was a new direction that wasn't received well at all, but I've just liked it since day 1. It certainly isn't for everyone. Anyone not familiar with it expecting to hear Destroyer, Love Gun or anything else from the 70's will definitely not get what they expect. Go in with an open mind and you can find some real gems there.

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Bucky I wish SOOO bad they would come out with a new remastering of the Wicked Lester sessions...that would be choice.

I second the opinion that Unmasked is pretty good....I do like it from a pop point of view however I enjoyed your review Lynch and from your point of you I know what you're saying and I'm not just saying that cause we're buds and all.

I do however agree that the Elder is so underated it's sick. :

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

 

[Soot and Stars]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Another surprise! I never expected a loungy side from a KISS member. Not as good as Stanley but some decent classy tunes for sure!

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Wild stuff huh?

 

[Lynch]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Continuing on with my short reviews of the 80's albums from KISS....


* Creatures of the Night (1982)



Quite possibly their best album of the 80's, along with Lick It Up. Anyone who knows Kiss, outside of just the commercial stuff knows damn well that this is a fantastic album. Carr's drumming is heavy, heavier than anything we ever heard on a Kiss album before. Not known at the time by most people, but supposedly, Ace Frehley didn't actually play a single note on this album. There were 5 different (uncreditted) guitar players doing all the studio work. Ace appeared on the cover as well as in the I Love It Loud video, but that was it.

Highlights: War Machine, Rock and Roll Hell, Creatures of the Night, Saint and Sinner, as well as Stanley's fantastic vocals on I Still Love You. They even had a shot at replacing Rock and Roll All Night as their rock / party anthem of the 80's with I Love It Loud. It just didn't work out. Too bad cuz this album was the beginning of a new era and the end of an old one. Criss's drumming was long forgotten and Ace was on his way out the door as well.

One last thing regarding I Still Love You, this song is darker and heavier than any "ballad" ever done by Kiss, both before and after this album. Stanley's vocals are outstanding and Eric Carr's drumming is hard-hitting, at the very least. If you don't own this album, you should. If you do own it, I doubt you could argue with me (but I'd welcome a challange)

My Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

---------------------------------------------

* Lick It Up (1983)



Fantastic album, from start to finish. Tied with Creatures as their best work of the 80's and one of their best albums ever. A fresh new face (Vinnie Vincent) and no makeup gimmick was actually their new gimmick, along with solid hard rock. I think that side 1 was the weaker of the two sides to this album, but that's only because side 2 is just THAT good. Exciter and Not For the Innocent are both very good tracks. The title track Lick It Up is more pop-oriented than anything else on the album, but is still a good Kiss tune.. The really good stuff was on side 2 with All Hell's Breakin' Lose, A Million To One, Dance All Over Your Face and On The 8th Day. Without a doubt, the best album that Kiss did without makeup and a classic album in their huge discography.

My Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

[rollingstoned]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Do you love me?

really love me!

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: The Official KISS Thread!

Cool Creatures and LIU reviews Lynch!! I agree on both titles there!!