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That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:30 am
by version sound
This is the thread to talk about Knights In Satan's Service (aka KISS). I've been listening to them a lot in the car with my daughter (at her request). What's your Kisstory?

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:12 am
by scannest
They followed the Bay City Rollers on Scanny's Kiddie Hit Parade. Got KISS ALIVE when I was 7, maybe 8. Bought everything that followed up to and including UNMASKED (that's when I officially jumped ship).
Spent a lot of time drawing Marshall amps, Les Pauls and all 4 of their faces. The older boys down the block dressed up as them for Halloween and you would have thought it was the band themselves from the response of us little kids. Tried being Peter myself the following year but the face paint made me woozy.
The Paul Lynde Halloween special was SUCH a big deal. You just didn't get to see your rock idols on prime time TV (I wasn't staying up late watching the Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert yet). My folks were pretty indulgent with records and comics and t-shirts and posters (although I never owned a copy of HOTTER THAN HELL. My mom drew the line at the title and the artwork on that one). Never got to see them live back in the day (my first concert was in '82 and KISS was definitely kid's stuff to me by then). Saw them in '96 on the first make up reunion tour and had a blast but never felt the need to relive again.
Come the mid to late '80s bands like the Replacements, Redd Kross, Doughboys, Sonic Youth, etc. made it 'safe' to acknowledge yer secret KISS past. I still think they had more than their share of big, dumb, catchy, fun hard rock tuneage. I'd rather listen to them than Grand Funk, or Montrose or Mountain or anyone of the dozens of dopey hard rock bands crisscrossing the country back then. I mean, they're not in the league of Sabbath/Zep/Aerosmith, but they are eminently fun.
And the CAT was my favorite, which says plenty enough about me.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:15 am
by version sound
That mirrors my experience almost exactly, except I did see them (Dynasty tour). I didn't see them on the Paul Lynde special, but I did see Kiss Meets the Phantom when it was on TV.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:24 am
by version sound
Image

I'm on the right (of course).

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:36 am
by scannest
Wow, you even got the green around the eyes. Your mom was pretty cool.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:42 pm
by creature

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 5:22 pm
by version sound
creature wrote:Here's mine with my mom as well!
http://theressomethinghardinthere.blogs ... criss.html


Nice! Weren't Gene and Paul teachers at one point? That was the story going around when I was a kid. I once had an awesome dream that Gene was my teacher and KISS were planning a secret concert in my neighborhood. Did I mention that I was obsessed with them?

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 6:37 pm
by creature
version sound wrote:
creature wrote:Here's mine with my mom as well!
http://theressomethinghardinthere.blogs ... criss.html


Nice! Weren't Gene and Paul teachers at one point? That was the story going around when I was a kid. I once had an awesome dream that Gene was my teacher and KISS were planning a secret concert in my neighborhood. Did I mention that I was obsessed with them?


I believe Gene was a teacher, not sure about Paul. The Starchild is a vital instructor in the ways of rock and roll between-songs banter, though. Ah, Yeah!!

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:40 am
by scannest
Not only was Gene a teacher, but he got his undergraduate degree from...the College of Staten Island!

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:07 am
by akissfan
If you're a fan of the 70's era KISS you need to check these guys out. Their sound is spot on IMO.

http://www.klassik78.com

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 11:54 am
by Gary
akissfan wrote:If you're a fan of the 70's era KISS you need to check these guys out. Their sound is spot on IMO.

http://www.klassik78.com



I kinda shouldn't like this,but's it's actually quite well done.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:23 pm
by scannest
Picked up a cheap copy of this on vacation recently:

https://www.amazon.com/Shout-Out-Loud-D ... 1617136182

You might not think you need 400 pages on Destroyer, but you do.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:16 pm
by xxxMidgexxx
i would look awful playing this, but I want it anyway.

Image


Image

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:36 pm
by neutral knieval
made a comp tape for an ex that thought kiss was flat-out retarded. just put ace songs on it and she came around. to ace songs.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:24 pm
by SamDBL
To me, they were like AC/DC or Van Halen. A perfect rock band for about 5 or so albums. Their image was, of course, amazing. And hit a bullseye with me as I was the perfect age for it (and a comic book fan). But I think they're songs have really gotten overlooked. They really did put together some anthemic, amazing, simple, no frills rock songs for a good stretch. Totally up there with the greats, imo. Room Service, Strutter, Cold Gin, Detroit Rock City, Christine Sixteen, Love Gun... the list is pretty endless. I could jam that stuff as much as I can any Sabbath album. They weren't tremendous players. But they got the job(s) done. And all were good singers, to some degree. Peter Criss could seriously give Rod Stewart a run for his money. And why wasn't Hard Luck Woman a bigger hit? I grew up being a fan of Peter and Gene, mostly. Mostly because I only cared about the make up. Later on, I learned to appreciate Ace's songs almost the most. I really like his style of playing back then, too. But the one I've really come around on is Paul Stanley. I actually think his voice is amazing for rock. And his songs are probably my favorite. And he comes off as pretty cool and grounded in interviews.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 1:51 pm
by version sound
Those first 6 studio albums are chock full of great songs.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:23 am
by FlexMyHead
I had never listened to their recordings, obviously I was vaguely aware of them, but thought they were cheese-ball cartoon characters. I remember seeing videos on MTV but that was when they didn't have on make-up and it was hair metal stuff. After hearing some punk-band covers of them, I did go back and listen to it, while lyrics were party-rock, music was basically bar chord pop punk stuff.

In college my band did a parody of Destroyer on a white bed sheet with us instead of them. It was drawn but looked pretty fucking sweet. Many people had no idea it was from KISS, they just thought it was us being goofy and this was in '94, so I think many people also had no clue about them. My band covered "Deuce" but it was meant to be funny not because we thought it was a great song.

Are they really thought of highly now? Like do younger people care about them?

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 1:16 pm
by SamDBL
FlexMyHead wrote:Are they really thought of highly now? Like do younger people care about them?


Nope.

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:48 pm
by xxxMidgexxx
SamDBL wrote:
FlexMyHead wrote:Are they really thought of highly now? Like do younger people care about them?


Nope.


I have to disagree. Plenty o' parents are bringing their kids to the shows. Perhaps a generation gap in the making....

Re: That KISS Thread

PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 5:50 pm
by SamDBL
xxxMidgexxx wrote:
SamDBL wrote:
FlexMyHead wrote:Are they really thought of highly now? Like do younger people care about them?


Nope.


I have to disagree. Plenty o' parents are bringing their kids to the shows. Perhaps a generation gap in the making....


Maybe I'm wrong. Totally anecdotal experience, on my part. I mean, Kiss live shows are always going to be an experience. But kids that listen to whatever is hard rock now (Five Finger Death Punch, Rise Against, Under Oath, Etc) are aware of KISS due to their iconic status, but probably couldn't name a song besides RNR All Night. I always feel like they have the same thinking that I had about those bands that I had about Elvis or Johnny Cash when I was a kid. As in, who gives a fuck about this old fart bullshit. They don't sound heavy by today's standards, they haven't put out an album in decades, and their make up thing probably seems weird now that we've all seen what they look and act like thanks to reality tv. 'So this crabby old Jewish business man dresses up like a bat when his band plays? Uh... ok'. I'm just trying to see it through their eyes. When we were kids, it was a totally different ball game.