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KISS Retrospective — Transcript

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0:00Critics never got it. Rolling Stone to
0:02this day still doesn't, but that's okay.
0:03I guess being accepted by aging hippies
0:05is not at the top of my priority list.
0:07>> KISS is a lifestyle. It's a [music]
0:09force. It's a pack of dogs. It's
0:12whatever you want it to be.
0:13>> You were the weirdo in school with your
0:15black nail polish. That's okay, cuz you
0:17believed [music] in something. You knew
0:18something before they did.
0:20>> You want to hate us? God love you. You
0:22want to love us? That's great, too. If
0:24you're in the middle, get out.
0:29>> [music]
0:34[music]
0:39[music]
0:45[music]
0:53[music]
1:00[music]
1:06[music]
1:11[music]
1:19>> HEY CURLY.
1:20>> KISS MIGHT JUST BE THE MOST divisive
1:22band within all of rock history. The
1:24score that they receive from
1:26latte-sipping hipsters is pretty evenly
1:28matched from the man children out there
1:29you see that always find new and
1:30exciting ways to line the pockets of
1:32Gene Simmons. And I think I have a foot
1:34in both worlds. I grew up a massive fan
1:36of this band. There's old footage of me
1:38as a kid somewhere with a tennis racket
1:40rocking out to Shout It Out Loud. And
1:42I've wasted a lot of money on KISS
1:43merch, too. But in my teenage years, I
1:45went into a metamorphosis into the chai
1:47latte-sipping hipster whose favorite
1:49band is The Replacements, who by the by
1:50had the best Black Diamond cover you'll
1:52ever hear. And I have not been shy about
1:54making my fair share of jokes at this
1:55band's expense. But it does come from a
1:57place of love. Who knows? I might have
1:59such a soft spot for Kiss now because
2:01they made some of the first music I ever
2:02heard. But, all taste is dictated on
2:05your own personal experiences. You could
2:06say I only like The Replacements so much
2:08because I was depressed when I was 17.
2:10It's all about perspective. And sure,
2:11they're gimmicky ass band, but so many
2:14noteworthy bands are gimmicky, too. And
2:16if your favorite band are steadfast
2:17about their lack of a gimmick, then I
2:19hate to break it to you, buddy, but
2:20sometimes that lack of a gimmick is also
2:22a gimmick. And if you're fine with bands
2:24like Dio, Megadeth, Motörhead, Overkill,
2:27Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden slapping
2:29their iconography on [ __ ] to make a
2:31quick buck, then why are you blowing a
2:32gasket over Kiss dolls? You might say no
2:35one would care if it wasn't for the
2:36makeup, and that might be true to an
2:37extent, but the same thing goes for
2:39bands like Maiden and their mascot
2:40Eddie. But, people still listen to their
2:42records. Kiss have tens of millions of
2:44monthly listeners on Spotify, and
2:46there's no pyro, explosions, lights,
2:48smoke, capes, blood, or makeup to
2:51bolster that number for them. I highly
2:52doubt people are pulling up Destroyer
2:54just to ogle at the pretty album cover.
2:56This band has some good stuff under
2:58their belt. So, without any further ado,
3:00you wanted the best?
3:02You get some Jews from NYC.
3:04This is the Kiss Arch Perspective. While
3:06there have been quite a few lineup
3:08changes over the years, the story of
3:10Kiss is by and large the story of two
3:12men, a legendary bromance made up of two
3:14people who apparently don't like each
3:16other that much.
3:16>> What's the most unusual gift you've ever
3:19received?
3:20>> Um a babe.
3:22>> Yeah, the the imaginary baby. Obviously,
3:25you you can always make up stories or
3:27tell things about women and rock and
3:29roll and partying.
3:30>> Hold on one second. Cut this off for a
3:32second.
3:34Would you stop cutting me down in front
3:35of the camera? I don't go for that [ __ ]
3:37>> I wish the two of them would get
3:39together in a room and talk, since I
3:42know they don't talk to each other
3:43anymore and has not spoken to one
3:45another for quite a while.
3:46>> The first of which was an Israeli
3:48immigrant born Chaim Witz, I believe
3:50it's pronounced, later changing his name
3:51to Gene
3:52also another very Jewish name, then
3:54later changing it a third and final time
3:56to Gene Simmons when Kiss actually
3:57formed. Maybe the most hated man within
3:59all of rock, and with wastes of oxygen
4:01like Ted Nugent, to GG Allin, Phil
4:04Spector, Jimmy Page, Steven Tyler, and
4:06god damn Gary Glitter, that is quite an
4:09accomplishment. And honestly, I can't
4:11really bring myself to hate the guy, at
4:12least as much as everyone else does, for
4:14one reason and one reason only.
4:17He's very honest. He makes no qualms
4:18about the kind of guy he is. He called
4:20one of his solo albums [ __ ] He knows
4:22what you think of him.
4:23>> Gene's bark is a lot worse than his
4:24bite.
4:25>> And honestly, it is quite inspirational
4:27to see the empire he built for himself
4:28as a poor ass immigrant. I also really
4:30love his voice, his songwriting, he's a
4:32great performer, and I love his
4:33basslines, too. Honestly, as a bass
4:35player, he's so damn underrated.
4:37Obviously, he'll be the first to tell
4:38you that he's ripping off Paul McCartney
4:39every which way, but hey, if you're
4:41going to rip anybody off, you may as
4:42well rip off the best. And his partner
4:44in crime since 1970 has been Paul
4:46Stanley, born Stanley Eisen. Probably my
4:49favorite member of the band. I think
4:50he's the best songwriter. His vocals are
4:52top tier. Say what you want about Kiss,
4:54but Paul Stanley was a world-class
4:56singer in his day.
4:58It's a shame what happened to his voice.
5:05His stage persona was also great. He
5:06played off Gene very well, being a bit
5:08more feminine. His stage raps are lame
5:11as hell, but I'll let it slide. And
5:12honestly, he's maybe a little worse as a
5:14person than Gene is. His memoir is
5:16absolutely insufferable. Every hardship
5:18he or the band has ever gone through is
5:20everyone else's fault, and he can do no
5:22wrong.
5:22>> They were demanding, quite honestly,
5:24that we play with the two original guys,
5:27Peter and Ace. So, would give some
5:30people confusion, cuz if you saw people
5:32on stage who looked like Kiss, but
5:35sounded like that, maybe we should be
5:37called Piss.
5:41>> You're going to kill your voice.
5:43>> Also, [ __ ] on a dead man who's not
5:44even there to defend himself.
5:47Stay classy, Paul. Paul and Gene met
5:48through a mutual friend named Steve
5:50Cornell.
5:51The less said about him, the better.
5:52Steve, Gene, and Paul formed a band
5:54called Wicked Lester in 1970. Steve left
5:56in 1971, but he still played on the
5:58still to this day unreleased Wicked
6:00Lester album. Though it has since been
6:01leaked and bootlegged to the moon and
6:03back. It's a really odd listen, but I
6:04honestly really enjoy it. Incredibly
6:06eclectic stuff. Does not sound like Kiss
6:08at all, even when playing songs that
6:10Kiss would eventually perform
6:11themselves. Almost half of it is covers
6:13by the likes of Barry Man, The Hollies.
6:16It's part rock, pop, folk, a little
6:19psychedelic at times. If you have an
6:20open mind, I would recommend giving it a
6:22listen despite how scatterbrained it is.
6:25>> [music and singing]
6:33[music]
6:40>> Despite getting signed to Epic Records,
6:42the album was shelved. Though it was
6:44almost released in the mid-70s to cash
6:46in on the Kiss craze, but the band
6:48bought the master tapes to stop that
6:49from happening and to keep their hard
6:51rock image intact, which is funny
6:53considering how the 70s ended for this
6:55band. It also included pictures of the
6:56band without makeup, so I can understand
6:59it, I guess. In 1973, Paul and Gene,
7:01dejected about the record being shelved,
7:03decided to form a new band in a more
7:04hard rock style, taking influence from
7:06the glam rock of bands like the New York
7:08Dolls. It's a little funny how Gene and
7:09Paul will talk down on bands like the
7:11Dolls despite taking such obvious
7:13inspiration from them.
7:14>> seemed to be more a fashion show, and
7:16the music was the soundtrack to the
7:18fashion show.
7:19>> Obviously, they copped to taking visual
7:20influence from them, but even musically,
7:22if you listen to the first two Kiss
7:23records and then the first two New York
7:24Dolls records, you can totally make the
7:26connection. It's a little ramshackle and
7:28very in-your-face music, but David
7:30Johansen's stage presence was incredibly
7:32effeminate and flamboyant and knew how
7:34to make the girly scream just like Paul
7:35did later. Arthur Killer Kane had a lot
7:37of cool moving basslines throughout the
7:39songs that Gene did, and Johnny Thunders
7:40was basically Ace Frehley before Ace
7:42Frehley. Hell, Jerry Nolan and Peter
7:44Criss were childhood best friends. I'm
7:46not saying Kiss ripped them off
7:47wholesale or anything, but you'd be
7:49stupid to deny you both the visual and
7:51the musical influence.
7:59>> [music]
8:07>> Gene and Paul met Peter Criss, born
8:09George Peter John Criscuola, first three
8:11names have an S. After seeing an ad he
8:13put for himself in Rolling Stone
8:14magazine, they met him in a nightclub
8:16where he was set to perform, and after
8:17hearing his jazz-influenced drumming,
8:19and what Gene called his Wilson
8:21Pickett-style voice, he was recruited.
8:23And Peter gets a lot of crap, and some
8:24of it's deserved. He's definitely the
8:26Ringo of Kiss, but Ringo gets too much
8:28[ __ ] too, if you ask me. He's an expert
8:30at playing to the song, playing
8:31relatively simple beats, but with jazzy
8:33flourishes and swing-type flair that no
8:35one else could really replicate. Despite
8:37his two replacements being technically
8:39better drummers, but technicality ain't
8:41everything. And god damn, that voice of
8:43his is a classic. And the final piece of
8:45the puzzle was Paul Ace Frehley. He
8:48answered the ad the other three put in
8:49the Village Voice for guitarist wanted
8:51with flash and ability, and he walked in
8:54with one orange sneaker and one red
8:55sneaker, plugged into his amp, and
8:57immediately started wailing, totally
8:59interrupting Bob Kulick's audition that
9:01they were in the middle of, effectively
9:02taking the gig that most likely would
9:04have gone to Bob. And to remember the
9:06Kulick name, it'll come back later. Ace
9:08got the job, and thank god he did. Paul
9:10and Gene were the businessmen and wrote
9:12the songs, but Ace and Peter gave them
9:13their hard rock edge. Ace's solos were
9:15like songs within songs. He always knew
9:17how to elevate the material. He may be a
9:19sloppy player all in all, but that's how
9:21I like my Ace Frehley. They gave
9:23themselves the name Kiss after Paul's
9:25suggestion after Peter mentioned that he
9:26was in a band called Lips, and the
9:28simplicity of the name just stuck. Ace
9:30designed the original logo, and Paul
9:32later refined it a bit. And the S's in
9:34the logo sure look familiar. And Ace had
9:37a bit of a penchant for collecting Nazi
9:38memorabilia. It's a bit uh bit sus.
9:41>> A little sus.
9:42>> But Ace wasn't anti-Semitic. Why would
9:44he be in a band with two Jews to begin
9:45with? Also, Paul isn't exactly innocent,
9:47either. Lol. In some places in Europe,
9:49they have an ultra logo because
9:52you know. So, in Germany, they're
9:53effectively called Kiss, and they
9:55decided to don face paint to
9:57differentiate themselves from the glam
9:58bands because they just didn't look very
10:00good in drag. They each designed their
10:02own costumes and makeup based on their
10:04personality. Paul was the star and gave
10:07himself an excuse to be lazy with a
10:08simple design. Gene was super into comic
10:11books, so the demon was born from there.
10:12>> Peter.
10:13>> was a glorified alley cat who did some
10:15hard living on the streets of New York.
10:16He felt like he had nine lives, so he
10:18was the cat man. And Ace chose the
10:19spaceman because he was super into
10:21drugs, but he was also super into space,
10:24often saying that he came from the
10:25planet Jendell. You know, with such
10:27personality-driven characters they all
10:28came up with, it would sure be a shame
10:30if they got some scabs to wear the
10:32makeup later on.
10:35And that'd suck. They recorded a demo
10:36with legendary Kramer, and in
10:38mid-October 1973, former TV producer
10:41Bill Aucoin saw the band and offered to
10:43be the band's manager. And Bill's
10:44boyfriend, Sean Delaney, set up a video
10:46camera and coached them on their live
10:47act and set the building blocks for what
10:49would be their live show for decades to
10:51come. Bill Aucoin said to give him 2
10:53weeks and that he'd find them a record
10:54contract. Now, on the 1st of November
10:56that year, Kiss were the first signees
10:58to Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records.
11:01>> Who dreamed this up? This this ghetto.
11:02>> We all did.
11:04>> [laughter]
11:05>> How many members in the group?
11:06>> four members.
11:08You know, your audience really looks
11:09appetizing.
11:11>> Oh, really?
11:13Are you a bat?
11:15>> Yes.
11:17Actually, what I am is evil incarnate.
11:20And some of those cheeks and necks look
11:22really good.
11:24>> It'd be funny if under this he was just
11:25A NICE JEWISH BOY.
11:27>> [laughter]
11:28>> YOU SHOULD only know.
11:31>> Where are you
11:31>> I do. You can't hide the hook.
11:32>> If you're feeling [music] good,
11:34yeah.
11:43>> [music]
11:47>> KISS' debut is a stone-cold classic.
11:50It's by no means a masterpiece, but it's
11:51really impressive that on their first
11:53ever record, they had damn near all the
11:55pieces of the puzzle. A point of
11:56contention of this record, like with all
11:58the pre-Alive records, is the
11:59production, courtesy of Kenny Kerner and
12:01Richie Wise. It's clean and it's lacking
12:03the energy that can be heard on Alive,
12:05but a lot of that can be chalked up to
12:07this being their first ever record.
12:08According to Gene, it was recorded and
12:09mixed in about 3 weeks, though Wise says
12:12it was less than a fortnight. And it's
12:13kind of an in-your-face quality to it.
12:15It can be quite aggressive despite the
12:16clean sound. This is the sound of four
12:18New Yorkers who didn't give a damn of
12:20what you had to say. In fact, after the
12:22record release party, after the band's
12:23performance, Warner Brothers,
12:25Casablanca's distributor, was outraged
12:27after seeing the makeup and the stage
12:28show and ended the deal with Casablanca
12:30shortly after the album's release. Hell,
12:32their debut single was about talking
12:34your girlfriend into anal sex. This band
12:37gave no [ __ ] And what a song, too.
12:39Nothing to Lose has infectious hooks, a
12:41honky-tonk piano, and such a killer
12:42bassline from Gene that he's playing
12:44while singing at the same time. Also
12:46with Peter scatting
12:48with the subject matter that may not
12:50have been the best turn of phrase to
12:51use.
12:56>> [music]
13:05[music]
13:09>> The band was showing their influences on
13:10their sleeve with this record. Quite
13:12literally. The record sleeve is a homage
13:14to With the Beatles. Speaking of which,
13:16I will never understand why they made
13:17Peter get his makeup done by a
13:18professional makeup artist with a
13:20totally different design while the rest
13:21of the guys just handled their own
13:22makeup.
13:24Drummers always get the short end of the
13:25stick. This album surprisingly has some
13:27kind of heavy moments, or at least heavy
13:28by 1974 standards, as long as you don't
13:30look over the pond and see what those
13:32guys in Black Sabbath were doing, I
13:33guess. Deuce is a rock and a half with
13:35nonsensical lyrics and a powerful
13:37chorus. It should have been the opening
13:38track. There's a reason why this has
13:39been their opener for so many live
13:42shows. But, the actual opener, Strutter,
13:44is also fantastic. It's quintessential
13:46Paul Stanley. It's womanizing with a lot
13:48of attitude. I love the bluesy riffing
13:50Paul's doing with Ace behind him
13:52pounding out power chords and just
13:53letting them ring out in such a cool
13:55rock and roll way. And the band strikes
13:56every note in unison in the chorus, it's
13:59so damn mesmerizing. The original four
14:00guys complimented each other so well.
14:04>> [music]
14:10[music]
14:15[music]
14:17>> Though this album is not without its
14:19flaws. There's two pretty big stinkers
14:21on this album with a lame-ass love theme
14:23from Kiss, which at best is boring, and
14:25really light in the loafers. It's
14:26derivative of the song Acrobat, which
14:28they used to do live, and that song is
14:30way better. Compare both of them, and
14:31which would you rather hear on a rock
14:33record?
14:36>> [music]
14:40[music]
14:45>> Yeah, I thought so. And Kissin' Time, a
14:47cover originally by Bobby Rydell, is
14:49also piss poor. The vocals and riffs are
14:51okay, I guess, but the chorus is
14:52ear-grating and about as hard rocking as
14:54a Captain Teal record. It wasn't even
14:56originally on the album. After the album
14:58initially came out and didn't sell [ __ ]
15:00Neil Bogart forced them back in the
15:01studio to record it, and against the
15:03band's wishes, it ended up on later
15:04pressings. One of the few examples where
15:06a rare and expensive edition of an album
15:08is so valued because it excludes
15:10material, and for good reason, the song
15:12sucks. Ace Frehley has one composition
15:14on this album, the hard rocking Cold
15:16Gin. It's a mid-tempo classic that
15:18leaves a lot of room for the main riff
15:20and the vocals to breathe, while letting
15:21it go wild in the chorus, thanks to
15:23Peter's fantastic fills. The band wanted
15:25Ace to sing it, but he was far too shy
15:27to even attempt it, so he gave it to the
15:29famously straight-edge Gene Simmons,
15:31which is an irony I thoroughly enjoy.
15:41>> [music]
15:45>> 100,000 Years has a sense of scale with
15:47its lyrics about time and space travel.
15:50Very ironic that the very first
15:51space-based song on a Kiss record is not
15:54written by Ace. And the record ends with
15:56Black Diamond. I guess you could call it
15:58the epic of the record. Like with
16:00100,000 Years, there's a sense of scale
16:02from Paul's soft intro to Peter's
16:03batshit insane vocal performance on the
16:05rest of the song. And Ace's solo in the
16:07breakdown. And it even ends with a loud
16:09droning G sharp chord that just slowly
16:11degrades over the course of like a
16:13minute. Obviously inspired by what the
16:14Beatles did in A Day in the Life and its
16:16final chord. The journey the song takes
16:18you on in just under 5 minutes but this
16:20is magnificent.
16:36>> [music]
16:39>> Kiss is a hell of a way to begin a
16:41career. By no means perfect, but has
16:42such a goated track list that the flaws
16:45seem very secondary. It reads like a
16:47greatest hits compilation. But despite
16:48how much I and many other fans loved it,
16:50I mean even Gene says it's his favorite.
16:52This record didn't sell squat. They had
16:54a decent amount of publicity, they
16:55toured like madmen, and concert tickets
16:57sold well. They just couldn't make it
16:59translate into record sales. It
17:00initially sold less than 100,000 copies.
17:02Casablanca was losing money fast. So,
17:05Neil Bogart and Bill Aucoin are rushing
17:07them back into the studio the very same
17:08year to record their sophomore effort.
17:10Hey, how you doing? Hope you're enjoying
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17:28the video.
17:29>> It was Neil Bogart who had the idea, I
17:31want the drum riser to levitate. They
17:33went up maybe 6 ft.
17:35But, nobody'd ever [music] done that.
17:37>> Bill Aucoin said, "You guys are doing a
17:38song called Firehouse.
17:41One of you guys has to spit fire. Who
17:43wants to try?"
17:44>> Literally the very first show we did,
17:47my hair went up like a match stick.
17:51And the fans loved it.
17:56>> [music]
18:00[music]
18:07>> Now, after a debut that had a less than
18:09satisfactory production and sound, you
18:11think their next attempt would sound
18:12better.
18:14Wishful thinking. This is by far the
18:16shadiest production this band has ever
18:18had. It sounds like it was recorded in a
18:20Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit. Very muddy,
18:22there's no clarity or sparkle, quite a
18:24far cry from the debut, which if
18:25anything is too clean sounding. Richie
18:27Wise took the blame for the sound,
18:28saying his mental health wasn't in a
18:29good place at the time, that the record
18:31took a backseat in his life. This album
18:33sounds like a mess, but I honestly
18:35[ __ ] love it. I'll take a rock record
18:37sounding too dirty over too clean any
18:39day. This isn't Abba, it's Kiss. Abba
18:41comes later. The sonic inadequacies, if
18:43anything, make these songs sound better
18:45than if they were produced correctly.
18:47Take Going Blind off this record, for
18:49instance. The band's first ever ballad,
18:50but it's a dark ballad. It was written
18:52during the Wicked Lester sessions with a
18:54co-writing credit from Steve Coronel.
18:56It's a disturbed love song between a
18:5793-year-old man and a teenage girl. And
19:00yeah, I know, uh
19:04But, the disgust you feel from the age
19:05gap was intentional. The song doesn't
19:07lust after the girl, it's about the
19:09disintegration of the protagonist. It's
19:11supposed to be creepy and disturbing. We
19:13have a few more albums to go before Gene
19:14starts fetishizing teenage girls.
19:24>> [music]
19:31[music]
19:36>> The darkness presents maybe thanks to
19:38the fact that this was recorded in Los
19:40Angeles and being the mean New Yorkers
19:42of the world, they had no time for the
19:43West Coast or its [ __ ] One of
19:45Paul's guitars also got stolen, so I
19:47doubt he was very happy about that.
19:49Speaking of Paul, he's kind of the weak
19:50link on this album. His contributions
19:52just don't really fit too well compared
19:53to Ace's or especially Gene's, which is
19:55odd because he's probably my favorite
19:57member and I usually prefer his songs.
19:59The Peter song that Paul written
20:00Mainline is too happy sounding and
20:02sticks out like a sore thumb. The title
20:04track is classic, but again doesn't
20:06really fit too well. I personally prefer
20:07Rip and Destroy. Coming Home is a great
20:09song, but it's one of few examples where
20:11the dirgy production actually is a
20:13hindrance. Got to Choose is my favorite
20:15of his off this record. It shouldn't be
20:16the opener. Parasite would have worked
20:18far better, but the song is still a
20:20classic. I'm a big fan of Gene's very
20:21pronounced backing vocals. It gives a
20:23great singalong vibe to it.
20:28>> [music]
20:34[music]
20:40>> This album was probably their heaviest
20:41until the '80s. The dark production
20:43really beefs up the riffs on this thing.
20:46Almost like a dark psych rock album.
20:47Ace's Parasite is chock-full of
20:49blistering riffs with a hypnotic chorus.
20:51Watching You has a Sabbath-esque main
20:53riff. Such a killer groove from Peter.
20:55Those stops in the chorus will make your
20:57heart skip a beat. I imagine it's a
20:58great song to get stoned to. And
21:00speaking of songs to get stoned to,
21:01another stone-cold classic, Ace's
21:03composition, Strange Ways. It's doomy
21:06and thanks to the sound of this record,
21:07it's maybe proto-sludge metal. The
21:10Melvins not only cover Going Blind, but
21:12Buzz Osborne and Kirk Weinstein from
21:14Crowbar have both discussed their
21:16admiration of this record.
21:17>> Hotter Than Hell record now, I think
21:19it's a lot better than a lot of stuff
21:21that people are trying to do along those
21:22lines. It's inventive and strange and
21:25good brontosaurus rock, you know?
21:27>> And Strange Ways has such a punishing,
21:29bone-crushing riff that you could
21:31totally connect to the work of bands
21:32like Crowbar or The Melvins. Peter's
21:34vocal performance is one of his best and
21:36the shuffle-like beats work great
21:37against the wall of riff surrounding it.
21:39And of course, Ace's solo is awesome and
21:41is best.
21:46>> [music]
21:53[music]
22:01>> Hotter Than Hell, much like the debut,
22:03is also a stone-cold classic, but it
22:05took a little bit for it to attain that
22:06reputation. A lot of Kiss fans were just
22:09not fans of the sludge. Cowards. And I
22:12like it considerably better than the
22:13debut and I love the debut. Even the
22:15less-than-stellar tracks are far better
22:17than tripe like Kissing Time or The Love
22:19Theme from Kiss. But surprisingly,
22:21audiences in 1974 did not have time for
22:24this noisy ruckus and like its
22:25predecessor, it barely sold anything. If
22:28anything, I think it did even worse. In
22:29fact, it did so bad that they were
22:31rushed right back into the studio.
22:33>> By our third record, Casablanca was in
22:36deep trouble. We did two albums right
22:38away the first year, neither sold. The
22:40third album, Neil Bogart decided to jump
22:42on and produce it for us. [music] We
22:44were back in New York City and trying to
22:47cut costs where we could. If you look at
22:50Dressed to Kill, the album cover, most
22:52of us didn't own suits, but Bill Aucoin,
22:54our manager, had closets full of suits.
22:57So, we [music] got suits from Bill and
23:00I'm wearing my dad's shoes cuz all my
23:02shoes at that point had 8-in [music]
23:05heels, and that's all I had.
23:11>> [music]
23:17[music]
23:21>> I'M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU HERE.
23:22DRESSED TO KILL is honestly one of my
23:24lesser favorite Kiss records. It's not
23:25bad at all. It's got a lot of classic
23:27tracks, but they were really scraped for
23:29material here. This is the third record
23:30they recorded within less than a year
23:32and a half, and you can tell. Paul
23:34recalled a meeting with Bill Aucoin
23:35about recording a new album, and he was
23:37saying that he didn't feel inspired to
23:38write a whole new album so soon. And
23:40Aucoin said, "I'll show you the debt,
23:41and that'll make you inspired." It's by
23:43a long way their shortest record, barely
23:45over half an hour, and even then they
23:46extended the silence in between tracks
23:48just to make it seem a little longer.
23:50And even the production, I can't quite
23:51explain it, but it just feels more held
23:53back. The darkness felt on Hotter Than
23:54Hell is nowhere to be found here. They
23:56had such little material, in fact, that
23:58they took some old Wicked Lester songs
23:59and spruced them up with the Kiss
24:01treatment. And while I like both the
24:02Kiss and the Wicked Lester versions of
24:04these songs, you can't beat the Kiss
24:05renditions. Overall, I Can is an
24:07energetic bop and is one of few times
24:09the production kind of works. The
24:11cowbell is also a nice touch, and she is
24:13definitely the heaviest this album has
24:14to offer. I would have loved to have
24:15heard this track on Hotter Than Hell,
24:17but this version is no slouch. The riffs
24:18are groovy, and they work so well
24:20against the vocal harmonies.
24:24>> [music]
24:29[music]
24:38>> In my opinion, this album is very bottom
24:39heavy. The first four songs are good and
24:41all, but it doesn't really get good
24:42until Rock Bottom. A great song that has
24:44a beautiful intro written by Ace
24:46Frehley, I believe, that goes on a
24:48bit too long, frankly. Again, they
24:50didn't have much material to work with.
24:51Of course, Rock and Roll All Nite is on
24:53this record, and I'm not sure if I'm
24:54just too burnt out on it, but I never
24:56really dug it all that much. But it's a
24:57huge hit for a reason. It encapsulates
24:59its era of music so well. Maybe the most
25:01earworm hook this band ever wrote. But
25:03my favorite single off this album is by
25:05far Come On and Love Me. The intro solo
25:07was actually Paul's doing, not Ace's.
25:09And it's probably his finest ever guitar
25:12work. Not to be outdone by Ace's own
25:13solo later on, which is also classic.
25:15The hooks are round every corner. I love
25:17Paul's lyrics and his wordplay. And you
25:19can feel a sense of desperation here
25:20because they were near the end of their
25:21rope. But god damn, they could deliver
25:23like nobody's business.
25:25>> [music]
25:34[music]
25:40>> Just to Kill is a good record. I just
25:42hesitate to call it great. The second
25:43side is chock-full of classic tracks,
25:45but the first four songs just leave me
25:47wanting. And I think it's no coincidence
25:49they rarely play any of these live. It
25:51did a little better sales-wise, but not
25:53better enough. They still couldn't sell
25:55records if their lives depended on it.
25:57But their live shows were a different
25:58story entirely. So let's break the rules
26:00a little bit and cover one of the
26:01all-time great live records.
26:04Bring on Kiss Alive.
26:06>> When the first album didn't hit real
26:08big,
26:09we went, "You don't like that? [music]
26:10Here's another one."
26:11When the second one didn't do that
26:13great, we went, "How about this one?"
26:15Nobody radio really gave a [ __ ] about
26:18the band. We were too loud or whatever.
26:20So housewives would probably get rattled
26:23by the guitars or whatever. And we
26:25[music] thought we were so big in terms
26:27of our reputation as a live act, let's
26:30do
26:31>> [music]
26:31>> an album that's more or less a souvenir
26:33of coming to see us.
26:36>> [music]
26:42[music]
26:48>> By 1975, Kiss had established a pretty
26:51loyal cult following, just not cult
26:53enough to actually buy their records.
26:54But still, by this point they already
26:55had the pyro, Gene breathing fire,
26:57spitting blood, Ace just smoking guitar,
26:59Peter's elevating drums, and Paul
27:02existing. But this is before touring was
27:04the main money-maker for recording
27:05artists. Nowadays, you record an album
27:07so you have an excuse to tour, but back
27:09then you tour to support the album. So,
27:10Bogart, Aucoin, and Kiss thought it
27:12would be a great idea to record a live
27:14record. The fact it would be much
27:15cheaper to record was a pretty good
27:16bonus. Problem was, Bogart was in legal
27:18and financial straits at the time and
27:20owed money to the mob. So, Bill Aucoin
27:22funded the tour to record this record
27:24out of pocket. It was recorded over four
27:25nights and was stitched together by
27:27Eddie Kramer in post to give what you
27:28can easily consider the quintessential
27:31Kiss record.
27:35>> [music]
27:41[music]
27:50>> And god damn, after listening to the
27:51first three records and enduring the
27:53production, despite liking the sound of
27:54them to an extent, listening to these
27:56songs with the correct energy and fight
27:58is amazing. Now, I know you're all
27:59screwing at me about how it's so not
28:02live, dude. Um, actually, it's not
28:04really a live record. They recorded it
28:06in the studio and fixed it. Yes, it's
28:08doctored in the studio and it's
28:09basically Eddie Kramer Frankensteining
28:11the perfect Kiss show, adding the best
28:13of all four nights. And he overdubbed
28:15vocals that weren't sung perfectly into
28:17the microphone or in the correct key,
28:18missed marks. Hell, even the audience
28:20sounds were edited to sound bigger.
28:23>> I know [music]
28:24I've been gone too
28:25long. How about
28:26>> Well, there's a classic example of
28:29you know, the Paul's just running
28:31around, jumping up to the microphone.
28:33He's not on mic correctly, so this will
28:35be a
28:36uh an opportunity for us to fix this in
28:38the studio.
28:40>> [music]
28:43>> But I don't care. Eddie Kramer may have
28:45stitched together the perfect Kiss show,
28:47but the end result is the perfect Kiss
28:50show. How can you complain about that?
28:52Eddie Kramer said himself, "Who cares if
28:54it was overdubbed? The energy still
28:56comes through. It's an experience for
28:57anyone who couldn't see the band in
28:58their classic years." You can put this
29:00album on with a decent sound system or
29:02set of headphones, close your eyes, and
29:05you're there. Besides, most of the best
29:06live records were fixed in the studio.
29:08Judas Priest Unleashed in the East, Thin
29:10Lizzy Live and Dangerous, Blink-182's
29:12The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show. [ __ ]
29:13you, I like that album. You name it.
29:15But, funnily enough, the drums on this
29:16thing
29:17all live. Peter Criss was a far better
29:19drummer than most give him credit for.
29:25>> [music]
29:30[music]
29:35[music]
29:36>> This is
29:37big,
29:39booming, straight-on
29:41rock album, and it's uh makes you
29:44vibrate.
29:46And sure, I could see a fake live record
29:47just not sitting well with some people.
29:49Rock and roll is supposed to be about
29:50integrity and all that [ __ ] But, in my
29:52opinion, some people just worry too much
29:54about that kind of stuff. At the end of
29:56the day, it just doesn't really matter.
29:57Who cares? But, if you're in that camp,
29:59there's plenty of bootlegs out there if
30:00that's your interest. It may not be
30:02real, but neither is a film. I view live
30:05records in a similar vein. If you want
30:06to see something that really happened,
30:08then go watch a documentary or listen to
30:10a bootleg. Kiss Alive was the first time
30:11I can think of where a live record
30:13really made a band's career. See also
30:15Peter Frampton and Cheap Trick. This
30:16album did big numbers for them. It saved
30:18Casablanca from bankruptcy, and it's
30:20what made Rock and Roll All Nite into
30:21the smash hit that everyone knows it as
30:23today. Sure, it was on Dressed to Kill,
30:25but nobody bought that album. After the
30:27Alive tour, the band were not content
30:29about going back to the way they were,
30:30and they actually wanted to sell
30:31records. So, bring on what everybody and
30:34their dad calls Kiss's finest hour.
30:36>> Monica, could you have introduced me to
30:37your friends?
30:38>> Oh, forgive me. This is Ace, this is
30:40Gene, this is Peter, and this is Paul.
30:42>> Oh, I love a good religious group.
30:45I can take one look at you four and I
30:46can tell you how you got your name and
30:47how you got your act. You had a fight
30:50and your mothers told you to kiss and
30:52make up.
30:53>> [laughter]
30:58>> And your makeup is something else. How
31:01long does it take you to put it on?
31:02>> We don't wear [music] makeup.
31:12>> [music]
31:19>> Destroyer is kind of the Kiss album,
31:22isn't it? It was the first album of
31:23theirs to have the sense of extravagance
31:25and scale to it. Bob Ezrin was tapped to
31:27produce this record, whom at the time
31:29was best known for producing most of
31:30Alice Cooper's records, and he was a
31:32great choice. He knew exactly how to
31:33push these guys. He was basically
31:35Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket.
31:37He wore a whistle around his neck to use
31:39to instill discipline. He would yell at
31:40the band if their playing wasn't up to
31:42snuff. He even at one point stopped the
31:43recording sessions to enroll the band
31:45into lessons to learn basic music
31:47theory. Ezrin also got them into using
31:48sound effects and doing weird stuff like
31:50with God of Thunder, the definitive Gene
31:52song that Gene didn't write funnily
31:53enough. You can hear a demo of the song
31:55with Paul singing it and it's a bizarre
31:56thing to hear, but I'd be lying to say
31:58if I DIDN'T DIG IT.
32:03>> [music]
32:04>> THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE BAND EVER
32:06really tapped into the characters in the
32:07music itself. So heavy and creepy. And
32:10you can thank Bob Ezrin for that. It was
32:11his idea to slow the tempo down to get
32:13Gene to sing it, to get his kids in the
32:15studio to record those creepy ass
32:16voices. And he added all that reverb to
32:18push the atmosphere over the top.
32:26>> [music]
32:33[music]
32:39>> There's also the intro to Turock City,
32:40which kind of tells the story of a guy
32:43working on his car or doing the dishes,
32:45take your pick.
32:48Then driving in his car to a live and
32:50even sings along to it poorly.
32:54We've all been there before being
32:55flattened like A PANCAKE.
33:00IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE FAN WHO DIED AFTER
33:02BEING HIT by a car outside the arena
33:03they were playing in Charlotte, not
33:05Detroit, but Charlotte Rock City
33:06honestly sounds like more of a porno
33:08than anything. Gene's R&B inspired
33:10basslines and that dueling solo between
33:12Ace and Paul, written by Bob Ezrin,
33:13proved to everyone that Kiss was far
33:15more than just a wacky band who wore
33:17makeup. Shout It Out Loud is an anthem
33:19and a half and I like it far better than
33:20Rock and Roll All Nite, honestly. I
33:22believe it's the first time we hear Gene
33:23and Paul trade vocals and they
33:25compliment each other so well. It pushed
33:27something that's quite simplistic to its
33:28core to something that's really special.
33:30Though my favorite song of this record
33:31is the more simplistic Do You Love Me, a
33:33song about having a hang on girlfriend
33:35and wondering if she really loves you
33:37and the insecurity is honestly humbling
33:39for a band with egos you can see from
33:40space, but you can hear church bells at
33:42the end, so I guess it's a happy ending.
33:44And we can't forget that this is the
33:45song where Paul Stanley revealed the
33:46size of his dick.
33:47>> You like my 7-in leather heel.
33:51>> Thanks, Paul. We all needed to know
33:53that.
33:55>> [music]
34:01[music]
34:08>> You might be thinking I'm sucking this
34:09album's dick for all it's worth, but I
34:10honestly think this album is a little
34:12overrated. Great expectations is
34:14heinously anus. This kind of syrupy
34:16[ __ ] wouldn't be good enough for
34:17even the worst Disney film and the
34:19lyrics are just so bizarre. It's written
34:21to be a love song of sorts, but it gets
34:23bizarrely sexual. Gene, there are
34:25children present, please. By far the
34:27worst thing they released in the '70s. I
34:28don't think they approached this level
34:29of bad again until the late '80s at
34:31least. I'm not kidding, I hate the song
34:33that much. I'm also not really huge on
34:34songs like Flaming Youth or Sweet Pain.
34:36They're by no means bad, they're just
34:38kind of filler. And Rock and Roll Party
34:40just seems sort of pretentious, and I
34:41don't expect pretension from this band.
34:43And I usually hate calling things
34:44pretentious, but what the [ __ ] is this
34:46[ __ ] But surprisingly enough, the
34:47other ballad of this record is a far cry
34:49from Red Expectations. Peter Criss's
34:51Beth. It's a sweet love song that
34:53emphasizes with the wives of musicians
34:55who have to deal with their husbands
34:56barely being home and
34:58more than likely screwing other chicks.
35:00It was the first time Kiss ever
35:01approached a song this so genuinely.
35:03Peter's performance is amazing and the
35:04arrangement from the New York
35:05Philharmonic Orchestra is beautiful. The
35:07rest of the band didn't think it stood a
35:08chance. Paul and Gene didn't even want
35:10it on the record. It was relegated to
35:11being a B-side to Rock City, but DJs
35:13started flipping the record over and
35:15playing Beth on mass. And it slowly
35:17became the band's highest-charting hits
35:19ever, and had nothing to do with Paul or
35:21Gene. I hope that fact keeps him awake
35:23at night.
35:25>> [music]
35:34[music]
35:42>> Destroyer is definitely a career
35:43highlight, don't get me wrong, but I
35:45don't think it's the best Kiss record
35:46like many others do. I'll take the debut
35:48over it, Hotter Than Hell, and
35:49especially Alive if you want to count
35:51that. But it's still an incredible
35:53achievement. It's got a lot of the
35:54biggest hits. It was the first Kiss
35:56record to go platinum, but initially a
35:58lot of their fans complained
36:00a lot. They didn't want Kiss to make
36:02these extravagant rock records when they
36:03got into band thanks to their raw and
36:05primal sound of the first few records
36:07and Alive. So, the band listened to the
36:09complaints.
36:10>> When somebody says to you, "You're
36:11bigger than the Beatles in Japan,"
36:13you'll go, "Yeah, thanks. Very nice. Oh,
36:14thanks." The Beatles held the record
36:16there for playing at a place called
36:17Budokan for like four nights, something
36:20like that. We came in and sold out seven
36:22shows in advance. The airport is mobbed,
36:25and it's absolute chaos. We have two
36:27sets of limousines. Some fake guys in in
36:31makeup got into one and drove off and
36:33half the crowd followed them and the
36:35rest all descended on us.
36:36>> I must have been bug-eyed cuz Gene
36:38looked over me and went
36:40don't look scared.
36:41>> [music]
36:49[music]
36:54[music]
36:58>> Rock and Roll Over you could easily say
36:59is what the first few records should
37:01have been. It's got more simplistic and
37:02more primal written songs. In fact, many
37:05of them were originally written for
37:06Destroyer before Bob Ezrin got them into
37:08playing with sound effects and
37:09orchestras. But Paul thought it was
37:10cowardly to immediately backtrack at the
37:12trying something new just because a few
37:14vocal fans voiced their dissent. And
37:16they were quick about it too. It's wild
37:17to go back to the 70s and see how quick
37:19these bands could pump out records
37:20compared to the bands nowadays. There
37:22must have been a lot of cocaine
37:23involved. Eddie Kramer returns since he
37:25produced Alive and that was a great
37:26choice. No one got them like he did. But
37:28they didn't completely throw out
37:29everything they learned from Bob Ezrin.
37:31Calling Dr. Love has some weird backing
37:32vocals that sound like something he
37:34would do, but it's got a raw feel of
37:36something from Alive with that swagger
37:37and riffs and Peter's groove, which is
37:39simple, but he's adding some spice to it
37:41by doing the little hi-hat tricks on the
37:42song.
37:44>> [music]
38:00>> I Want You is an amazing opener. It
38:03starts the record off with some clean
38:04chords and Paul Crudup before absolutely
38:06blasting off with one of the most
38:08powerful songs span ever did. It has
38:10such an aura. Ladies Room is as catchy
38:12as it is ironic since Peter was
38:14recording his drums in the bathroom. And
38:15speaking of Peter, he sings a song with
38:17the sound called Hard Luck Woman,
38:18obviously trying to piggyback off the
38:20success of Beth. But it didn't start out
38:22that way. Paul originally wrote the song
38:23to give to someone like Rod Stewart, but
38:25Gene and Eddie Kramer heard it and said
38:27it would fit Peter far better. And as
38:28much as I love Beth, I think I like the
38:30song better. It actually has the other
38:32guys playing on it, unlike Beth, so it
38:33feels more like a Kiss song. Paul and
38:35Ace's sweet jangly guitars coupled with
38:37Gene's walking bassline makes the song
38:39incredibly Beatles-esque. And Peter's
38:40vocals are great. He sings the lyrics
38:42like he wrote them himself. Hell, he
38:43sells the song far better than Paul can
38:45whenever he tries to sing it, and he
38:47wrote the damn song. That raspy voice of
38:49his gives the song such a comforting
38:50quality, like you're receiving a hug. If
38:52Rod Stewart had recorded the song, it
38:54probably would have been a smash and be
38:55played on classic rock radio to this
38:57very day, but Rod would not have brought
38:58a tenth of the sincerity that Peter did.
39:01>> [music]
39:07[music]
39:14[music]
39:18>> There's some lamer cuts like "See You in
39:20Your Dreams." It's kind of whatever.
39:21"Baby Driver" is kind of a mess, which
39:23makes sense because it was a song that
39:25Peter brought into the fold after Beth
39:26was a hit. Sure, he co-wrote Beth, but
39:29he tow-wrote Beth. His friend Stan
39:31Penridge and Bob Ezrin also contributed
39:33to that song, and Bob Ezrin is a big
39:35reason why that song works. Paul is in
39:37top form in this record. "Take Me" is
39:39sleazy and delightful. "Mr. Speed" is a
39:41softer song, but the hooks and riffs
39:43more than make up for it. And "Making
39:44Love" closes the record in a powerful
39:46way. It feels like an exclamation point.
39:48It's my favorite kind of closer because
39:50it leaves you wanting more.
39:55>> [music]
40:02[music]
40:08>> Rock and Roll Over may have been a
40:09slightly cowardly excursion to make sure
40:12that they didn't alienate their fan
40:13base, but it's so well done that I have
40:14a hard time complaining. It has the raw
40:16power that you want from a Kiss record,
40:18but with enough studio flourishes to
40:19distinguish itself from a live. I wonder
40:21where they'll take their sound from
40:23here.
40:23>> I think Kiss is a lot more exciting than
40:26four slobs walking on stage who need a
40:28shave.
40:29>> But what is the art form that is
40:30involved when you pretend to be vomiting
40:33blood on the stage? What is that?
40:35>> Who told you it was pretend?
40:36>> There's an art to to projecting a
40:38fantasy to 2 million people or 3 million
40:41people. There's an art to selling out
40:43halls 20,000 seat halls every night.
40:46That in itself is an art.
40:49>> [music]
40:55[music]
40:56[singing]
41:03[music]
41:05>> You can argue that Love Gun is the best
41:06of both Kiss worlds. It has the
41:08grandiosity of Destroyer in its sound,
41:10but the writing can also evoke the
41:11rawness that this band's good name was
41:13built upon. Eddie Kramer once again
41:14returns and shows us all how it's done.
41:17And the guys are maybe at their best in
41:18terms of chemistry, despite how much
41:19they probably wanted to rip each other's
41:21heads off. And lines up with how big the
41:23band were at this point. According to a
41:25Gallup poll around this time, Kiss were
41:26the most popular band in America. The
41:28record itself has kind of majesty to it,
41:30even down to Ken Kelly's artwork. The
41:32same guy did Destroyer. It's probably
41:34the best album cover they ever had. Not
41:35my favorite, but it makes the band
41:37themselves look larger than life.
41:39Modern-day superheroes. And it's an
41:41album where every member gets a chance
41:42to shine, especially Ace, who has his
41:44first ever lead vocal on a Kiss record.
41:46Shock Me comes from an experience with a
41:48band were in Florida on tour, and Ace
41:50electrocuted himself on an improperly
41:52grounded metal railing. And after being
41:54out for the count for like half an hour,
41:55he woke up and eventually finished the
41:57show like the champ he is. Ace
41:58originally had Gene in mind to sing it,
42:00but Gene really pushed Ace to do it
42:02himself, and thank God for that. The
42:04rest was history, and man, I love Ace's
42:06vocals. Technically, he's kind of a
42:08terrible singer, but in a way that
42:09works. He has such a vibe to his voice
42:11and an aura of cool radiating off him.
42:14It's Eric Carr rocking away.
42:17>> [music and singing]
42:23[music]
42:29[music]
42:34>> The title track is maybe Paul's all-time
42:36best. It's such a powerful anthem. The
42:38chorus sounds like the gates of heaven
42:40opening. It paints such great pictures
42:41with words. But why is there a
42:43connection between Paul writing all-time
42:44classic songs and singing about his
42:46dick? I Still Your Love is bombastic and
42:48has the best of raw and gritty Kiss from
42:50the first few albums and the spectacle
42:52they were known for later on. I never
42:53used to like Cool Again, but I've come
42:54around to it. It's so cheesy, but I love
42:56it for Peter's performance and the
42:57actually pretty witty lyrics. Like it's
42:59dumb as all hell, but that's almost the
43:01point. Plaster Caster is about a groupie
43:03that would use plaster to make molds of
43:04famous rock stars' dicks like Jimi
43:06Hendrix famously. Though Gene was not
43:08one of these people and Cynthia Plaster
43:09Caster has said so herself, but you
43:11can't deny the hooks and wordplay here.
43:13But I think my favorite song with this
43:14album is actually one of the deep cuts,
43:16Almost Human. Since Paul wrote God of
43:18Thunder, I guess this is Gene's take on
43:19writing a proper demon song. And that
43:22main riff evokes images of Tony Iommi, I
43:24swear. That Gene insane solo from Ace to
43:26creepy background vocals to conga drums
43:28and Gene's awesome bassline that takes
43:30center stage in the song since guitars
43:32are more reserved. It makes the song
43:33sound so unique within the band's
43:35pantheon. It's got one of the best
43:36grooves this band ever had.
43:39>> [music]
43:45[music]
43:49[singing]
43:49[music]
43:57>> Now unfortunately, I have some issues
43:59with this record. Got Love for Sale
44:00never really impressed me. Tomorrow and
44:02Tonight is a poor rewrite of Rock and
44:03Roll All Night. Then She Kissed Me is a
44:05mystifyingly stupid cover song that has
44:07very little reason to exist and Jesus we
44:09need to talk about Christine 16. Yes,
44:11it's catchy as the plague and the solo
44:13originally written by none other than
44:14Eddie Van Halen himself is classic but
44:17god damn the lyrics are really hard to
44:19defend guys. I may defend it going blind
44:21but that's because the vibe of that song
44:22is not really a love song. It sounds
44:24more creepy and downright disturbing
44:26than anything and even if Gene didn't
44:27really mean it that way, I can at least
44:29use plausible deniability or death of
44:31the author but this is just a song with
44:33protagonist lust after a 16-year-old
44:36girl. Going blind was sludgy and doomy
44:37but this is structured like a pop song
44:39from the 50s. The context is important
44:40guys and I'm sorry but there's no
44:42defending these words. If you still like
44:44the song for its melodies, hooks and
44:45instrumentation then have at it. I'm not
44:47judging you but don't try and get on me
44:49or anybody else's ass for having a
44:50problem with a song about literally
44:52being a predator. Sure it was a
44:54different time back then and I
44:55understand that. These things should be
44:57considered but that doesn't mean we have
44:58to be okay with it in the modern day and
45:00look I'm not trying to cancel Kiss or
45:02anything but if it makes me woke to have
45:04a problem with a song that promotes
45:05pedophilia
45:07so be it. So that was Love Gun. It's
45:09still a good record with lots of
45:11classics but god damn some of these
45:13tracks are hard to overlook but the good
45:14cuts make this album worth owning. This
45:16is also the last Kiss studio record to
45:18prominently feature Paul, Gene, Ace and
45:20Peter. I mean it was the end of an era
45:22and since they had another three albums
45:23under their belts they decided they
45:25should do another Alive record.
45:27>> When we first started we were four
45:28idiots off the streets of New York who
45:31didn't have a
45:32clue. Bella coin [music] was far ahead
45:34of us. It was his vision to merchandise
45:38the band.
45:39>> This is Kiss. Put them in any crazy pose
45:42you want.
45:42>> Kiss your face. Introducing Kiss your
45:45face makeup.
45:46>> Kiss your face makeup
45:46>> is from Remco.
45:47>> Yeah.
45:48>> I thought it was cute and then
45:50more and more cute things I call them
45:52starting to [music] happen and I
45:53realized that the band this kick-ass
45:55band that came from the streets of New
45:57York we lost our edge. [music] We were
45:59becoming dolls. Our mantra and our way
46:02of thinking was that you're not forcing
46:04anybody to have something. You're
46:06denying them [music]
46:08if you don't give it to them.
46:15>> [music]
46:22[music]
46:28>> Recorded at three cities and two
46:29countries, making this the first classic
46:31live record of the '70s to be recorded
46:32at Budokan. Take that, Cheap Trick. They
46:34decided to use only tracks from the
46:36records they made since the first live
46:38installment, so they wouldn't
46:39redundantly redo songs that already
46:41exist in a live setting on wax, which is
46:43a great idea to give more recent songs a
46:45chance. And it would be really stupid if
46:47they stopped doing that on later live
46:49releases. And there's not much to say.
46:51If you liked the first Alive, you'll
46:52like this one, too. Eddie Kramer's back
46:54doing his thing, stitching together
46:55performances to give you the best of all
46:57the individual concerts. The man is
46:59simply the goat. But I do prefer the
47:00first Alive. Those songs really needed
47:02the kick in the gut, whereas the
47:03material from Destroyer onwards didn't
47:05really have that problem, so it feels
47:07less necessary. But if you hated Alive
47:09for being fake, if anything, it's even
47:10more fake now. Tomorrow and Tonight and
47:12Hard Luck Woman were recorded during
47:14soundcheck with crowd noises added later
47:16on. You can even hear Paul singing
47:18background vocals with himself.
47:20>> [music]
47:24>> You may call it fake, but I call it
47:26throwing your voice. And honestly, I
47:28can't let it bother me too much. I never
47:29even noticed these things until years
47:31down the line. Still classic record for
47:33most of the same reasons the first Alive
47:34was, but for some reason they decided
47:36for the fourth side of the record to be
47:37studio tracks. I don't know why, because
47:39there's still other tracks they could
47:40have recorded, but oh well. I'm honestly
47:42not huge on most of them. I like them
47:44enough, but they do come across as
47:45filler to me. Ace doesn't even play on
47:47most of them. Bob Kulick does. And that
47:49cover of Anyway You Want It just [ __ ]
47:50sucks. But Ace's Rocket Ride is by far
47:53the best out of all of them. It's a
47:54stone cold classic. The phasing effects
47:56on the guitars makes it truly sound out
47:58of this world. And the writing about
47:59space while making connections about sex
48:01is about as subtle as being hit in the
48:03head with a frying pan, but it works so
48:05well. Ace got a taste of singing and he
48:07wanted more. He may not have had the
48:09world's best voice. In fact, he was the
48:10worst singer in Kiss by a wide margin,
48:12but he knew how to use it very well.
48:15>> [music]
48:20[music]
48:26[music]
48:27>> After Alive II, the band needed a break.
48:29And for some reason, the band's
48:31contract, they each had to make solo
48:32records. Though, Gene and Paul have said
48:34that the solo records were an effect to
48:36placate Ace and Peter who weren't happy
48:38and wanted to leave the band and go
48:39solo.
48:40>> Both Ace and Peter decided they were
48:41going to leave the band. We all We told
48:43them. I did. I know my conscience is
48:45clear. I said, "Don't do it. You know,
48:47get yourself straight. You can have a
48:49solo career. You can do whatever the
48:50hell you want. Stay in the band." And
48:51they said, "We don't care. We're
48:52leaving. We're both going to go do a
48:54solo record
48:55>> now.
48:55>> We figured, "Well, great. Do a solo
48:57album. We'll all do solo albums. We'll
48:59put covers on that unify them. We'll put
49:02Kiss in one corner. We'll dedicate the
49:05albums to each other.
49:06And uh we'll all get our rocks off."
49:08>> I'm inclined to believe it was the
49:09contracts, though. So, on the 18th of
49:11September, 1978, each member released a
49:13solo record. And I'm going to review all
49:15of them in the order of which I like
49:17from worst to best. And I warn
49:20my opinions are not shocking at all.
49:22>> We had a levitating drum set. It was
49:23still going up at 30
49:24>> It would go up 6 ft, but there was like
49:26guys with ropes.
49:27>> [laughter]
49:28>> They were keeping it from falling over.
49:29>> They'd lift me up, yeah.
49:31>> And if we didn't get the guys for that
49:32night, the drums would have [laughter]
49:33been going up.
49:34>> I mean, when we first started out, we
49:36used to play clubs. And the drums would
49:38go up and Peter would be like this.
49:39[laughter] And the ceiling would be
49:40getting lower and lower.
49:42>> And I used to tell the guys, "Don't lift
49:43me anymore." And they still [laughter]
49:45keep going up.
49:46>> It go up like that.
49:46>> And then
49:47>> the drum would go back down.
49:48>> My head was going up. I forgot it.
49:50>> And my heart would drop with it.
49:51>> And we you know, we all fell for Peter.
49:53>> I [music] was
49:54calling
49:56>> [singing]
49:58[music]
50:03[singing]
50:04[music]
50:08>> Now, the Peter Criss solo album is a
50:09little controversial within the KISS
50:11canon. It's not a rock record at all.
50:14This album showcases Peter's love of R&B
50:16and soul music, and it's not
50:18particularly good R&B and soul music.
50:20And looking at me, you may not think I'm
50:22qualified to critique an R&B record.
50:25And you're not wrong, but I do love my
50:26fair share of material from Michael
50:28Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. So,
50:30it's not as if I don't have a taste for
50:31this kind of music. This record was just
50:33doomed to fail. The kids who bought this
50:34record in '78 wanted a record of
50:36hard-rocking cuts like Black Diamond,
50:38Strange Ways, and Hooligan, and maybe a
50:40few ballads here or there like Beth. But
50:42instead, we got a record that sounds
50:43eerily similar to this new thing called
50:45disco, every rocker's kryptonite. So,
50:48the KISS fans weren't going to like it,
50:49and the fans of this kind of music
50:50weren't going to buy any record with a
50:51KISS logo on it. This is the only one of
50:53the four solo records to have two
50:55singles released from it, according to
50:56Paul, because Peter had a [ __ ] fit
50:58after the first one bombed and demanded
51:00a second one, which then also promptly
51:03bombed. And the album is just a poor
51:04attempt to replicate artists that Peter
51:06loves. There's no hooks worth anything
51:08here. The production is painfully dated,
51:10and Peter is not a songwriter, as
51:12showcased in many of these songs
51:13originating from Peter's pre-KISS band,
51:16Lips. There's a cover, and Sean Delaney
51:18had to come in and write a few songs
51:19because Peter not only couldn't write
51:20songs, but he barely had any material to
51:22begin with. Vini Poncia was producer on
51:24this record, who previously worked with
51:26Ringo Starr. And Peter always felt a
51:28kinship with Ringo, as they were both
51:29underestimated drummers, but this album,
51:31unfortunately, proves why Peter was
51:33underestimated.
51:34>> No one wants to be Peter Criss lowest,
51:35not even Peter Criss. It's really not
51:37worth anybody's time unless you have a
51:39high tolerance for '70s dick cheese. If
51:41you want good music in this vein, then
51:42just listen to Stevie Wonder. And if you
51:44want good Peter material, then pick up
51:45any song he sang as a member of Kiss.
51:47These solo records were supposed to
51:49showcase the personalities of the band
51:50members, but this record goes against
51:52what everybody thought of Peter, who was
51:53a hard-rocking drummer from an awesome
51:55band with a kick-ass whiskey voice. No
51:57one knew him as a guy who poorly crooned
51:58on Motown scraps. Hell, due to a car
52:01accident he was in, he couldn't even
52:02play drums on all of it.
52:04What the [ __ ]
52:05>> I succumbed to fame,
52:07but not with chemicals and alcohol, but
52:09with ego.
52:10>> What a way to make a living.
52:12>> Grand delusions of myself.
52:15Power,
52:17money,
52:18and girls. My ambitions grew bigger, my
52:21appetite grew more.
52:23If a day went by and I didn't have
52:24companionship, it was a disaster.
52:29>> [music]
52:35[music]
52:40>> Now, there's a lot of expectations for
52:41Gene's solo album. This album cover was
52:43probably the best out of all of them. He
52:45was, for all intents and purposes, the
52:47face of Kiss, and it starts great with
52:48Radioactive. The intro is creepy as
52:50hell, and the song itself is groovy glam
52:52rock that you could see Marc Bolan sing,
52:54but it all goes out the window as soon
52:56as the second track starts.
52:58>> [music]
52:59>> Lovely.
53:00>> Then the album devolves into stiff and
53:02forgettable funk rockers and poor
53:03attempts at aping the Beatles, packed to
53:05the brim with corny-ass production, lame
53:07female backing vocals, and so many
53:09special guests, including, but not
53:11limited to, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Bob
53:13Seger, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Jeff
53:16Baxter of Steely Dan, and the Doobie
53:17Brothers. Helen Reddy, Donna Summer,
53:20Cher. It's a little [ __ ] ridiculous.
53:22At least it's with a hot mess of a
53:23record that lacks any kind of identity,
53:24[music]
53:25despite the most famous member of the
53:26band being behind it. A lot of people
53:28say this is the worst out of all the
53:29solo albums, but I'll give it a leg up
53:31over Peter because it actually has a few
53:32decent cuts that I come back to every
53:34now and then. As mentioned, Radioactive
53:36is a banger, and See You Tonight is
53:37actually a pretty good attempt at
53:39writing a McCartney-esque love song. It
53:41has a warm and welcoming atmosphere
53:42where Jean's performance sounds genuine
53:44with really cool layered production.
53:51>> [music]
53:53[singing]
53:59[music]
54:02>> But this record is not worth it outside
54:04those few cuts. Again, it doesn't really
54:06showcase Jean's personality because he
54:07doesn't really play bass on any of it
54:09for no discernible reason and it ends
54:11with a cover of When You Wish Upon a
54:12Star from Disney's Pinocchio. I
54:14understand the song was a big deal for
54:15Gene since it inspired him as a child to
54:17chase his dreams and that's wholesome
54:19big chungus. But put yourself in the
54:20shoes of a 14-year-old boy who bought
54:22this record in 1978. If you see this
54:24album cover released by your favorite
54:26member of Kiss, do you expect this?
54:31>> [music]
54:33>> Yeah, I thought so.
54:48>> [music and singing]
54:56[music and singing]
55:03>> Paul Stanley's solo record is the first
55:04of these records to actually sound like
55:06what most people would expect, but
55:07that's almost a problem. It sounds too
55:09close to Kiss. It's almost redundant
55:11because there's not much reason to
55:12listen to this over a normal Kiss
55:14record. But with that being said, I
55:15would say that I like this album. Paul
55:17is on point despite his songwriting
55:19sounding a bit formulaic, but he
55:20actually wrote every track with no
55:22outside songwriters or covers, so you
55:24got to give him that, I guess. Bob
55:25Kulick plays lead guitar and he's kind
55:27of doing an Ace type thing. Hold Me,
55:28Touch Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, Thrill Me
55:30was a single and it sucks really bad.
55:32It's the most sappy and saccharine thing
55:34I've ever heard in my life. Move On was
55:35the song that Kiss played live in the
55:36Dynasty tour, and it's catchy enough,
55:38but a little basic. But what should have
55:40been the single is It's All Right. It's
55:42a romp and a half about a one-night
55:43stand, but with a more personal touch.
55:45There's a connection of sorts between
55:47the girl in the song and the
55:48protagonist. It's got Paul's signature
55:49sense of energy. He's really belting it
55:51out with everything he has, all with
55:53maybe the catchiest riff Paul ever
55:54wrote.
55:59>> [music]
56:06[music]
56:14>> I also like Love in Chains, Now You
56:16Belong to Me, and Wouldn't You Like to
56:17Know Me. Just a lot of this record feels
56:19inessential. Like in even most of the
56:20tracks I like, I feel like there's
56:21something missing. But surprisingly,
56:23Paul actually had a bit of an epic for
56:25him on this record, Take Me Away
56:26Together as One. It feels very inspired
56:28by the AOR bands at the time. It's a
56:30little progressive and has a fantastic
56:32crescendo. It's the only example on this
56:33record where Paul takes advantage of
56:35this being a solo record and does
56:36something little different. I honestly
56:38wish this album had more cuts like this
56:39and less [ __ ] like Hold Me, Touch Me.
56:42>> [music]
56:48[music]
56:57[music]
57:01>> It's a good record, just not a great
57:03one. But unlike the last two records,
57:04I'd actually recommend this one [music]
57:05if it seems like it's up your alley, or
57:07if you're just a big Paul fan who for
57:08some reason has never heard it before.
57:10But I think we all know who had the best
57:11of the solo records.
57:13>> I think this outfit is self-explanatory.
57:16>> [laughter]
57:17>> I mean, you know, this is part of
57:20kind of a V-shape. This is my utility
57:22belt, and we don't want to go any
57:23belower than my waist area, cuz that's
57:25reserved for constant
57:27layers.
57:28>> But you're kind of like a space man,
57:29huh?
57:30>> No, ACTUALLY I'M A PLUMBER.
57:50>> EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THIS IS BY FAR the
57:52best one. In fact, I'm not sure if I
57:53trust you if you pick any of them over
57:55Ace's as your favorites. Sure, Paul has
57:57his moments, but
57:59come on. Eddie Kramer is here and thank
58:00God for that. Anton Fig, later of David
58:02Letterman fame, plays drums and kills
58:04it. And Ace really let his personality
58:06out here. Everything from his
58:07musicianship because he sings, plays all
58:09guitar, and even most bass, and his
58:11sense of humor, and his love of hard
58:13drugs. And my personal favorite track,
58:15Snowblind, is quite heavy with a great
58:16groove courtesy of Anton Fig. And it's
58:18about
58:19You know that Black Sabbath song from
58:21Volume 4, also called Snowblind? Yeah,
58:23it's not very subtle. And the song
58:24itself reflects this with its structure.
58:26The song is slow and slightly menacing
58:28throughout, but gets a rush of speed
58:30throughout the solo. And while I've
58:31never done cocaine,
58:33the song is how I imagine it feels like
58:35if you go too far with it, which
58:36according to many sources, Ace very much
58:38did at the time. But it isn't
58:40glorification of drug use if you
58:41actually listen to the lyrics. In fact,
58:43it's quite forward-thinking since Ace is
58:44singing about what very nearly took his
58:46life.
58:48>> [music]
59:06>> Part of what makes this record so
59:08miraculous is that no one saw this
59:09coming. Ace was the fuck-up junkie. He
59:11may have helped give the band their rock
59:13edge, but he wasn't a songwriter that
59:14Paul or Gene was. In fact, Ace talks
59:16about how little faith Paul and Gene had
59:18in him to even make a solo album. During
59:20the meeting to discuss making all these
59:21solo records, they both went up to Ace
59:23and said, "Hey, buddy, if you need any
59:25help, feel free to call us." And he sure
59:27[ __ ] didn't. In fact, if you look at the
59:29personnel of the '78 solo albums, Ace
59:31was the one who needed the least amount
59:32of help. In fact, this is the only one
59:34of these albums to have a bonafide hit.
59:35Hold Me, Touch Me, and Radioactive tried
59:37to within the top 50, but New York
59:39Groove made it to number 13, and still
59:41played on classic rock radio to this
59:42very day. Sure, it's a cover of a song
59:44that was already a hit in Europe, but
59:45Ace made the song considerably more
59:47popular, and today is the version that
59:48most people, if not everybody, knows.
59:50The original is by an English glam rock
59:52band called Hello, and was written by
59:54another Englishman Russ Ballard of the
59:56band Argent. And with all due respect to
59:57the original, it's fun enough, this song
59:59does not sound right sung by someone not
1:00:01from NYC. Let alone someone from a
1:00:03different continent altogether. Eddie
1:00:05Kramer urged Ace to sing it, and despite
1:00:07his reluctance at first, he eventually
1:00:09did and made rock history. Once again,
1:00:11one of the biggest songs within the Kiss
1:00:12canon was not recorded with Gene or Paul
1:00:15at all.
1:00:18>> [music]
1:00:26[music]
1:00:32>> While Ace's album is by far the best of
1:00:34the solo records, it's fair to say that
1:00:35a big reason for this was because Ace
1:00:37was holding back a lot of his material
1:00:38back from being included on Kiss albums.
1:00:40In fact, he's admitted as much. Hell,
1:00:42Rock and Roll Over doesn't have any
1:00:44songs written by him at all. It's
1:00:45probably a good reason why Ace has never
1:00:47been able to repeat his success on this
1:00:48record with his later solo efforts. Now,
1:00:50I enjoy Space Invader, Frehley's Comet,
1:00:52and Trouble Walkin', but this album is
1:00:54just lightning in a bottle. Though then
1:00:56again, a lot of these songs just would
1:00:58not work in a Kiss context. So, I guess
1:01:00it kind of makes sense why I kept them a
1:01:01secret. Ozone is a little psychedelic,
1:01:03What's on Your Mind is incredibly poppy,
1:01:05and Fractured Mirror is Fractured
1:01:07Mirror. It's simply put transcendent
1:01:09instrumental that is so far beyond what
1:01:10the other guys were doing on their
1:01:12albums. There's so much audio texturing,
1:01:14the crescendo is unbelievable, and more
1:01:16than anything else Ace has ever done, it
1:01:17sounds like it came from outer space.
1:01:19Like if you put a microphone up to
1:01:20Saturn or Pluto, you'd probably hear
1:01:22something that sounds like this.
1:01:40Ace Frehley's 1978 solo album may not be
1:01:42a Kiss album, but I think it's even
1:01:44better. Every song is a stone-cold
1:01:46classic, and the only other album we've
1:01:47discussed so far that I can also say
1:01:49that four is alive one and maybe hotter
1:01:51than hell depending on the day. For many
1:01:53years, I called it my favorite album
1:01:54with the Kiss logo on it, and I'm not
1:01:56sure if I can still say that, but it's
1:01:58at the very least top three. With these
1:02:00nine cuts, Ace showed Gene and Paul that
1:02:01he was a formidable force in his own
1:02:03right, and even outside of Kiss, Ace has
1:02:05by far the best solo discography. Then
1:02:06again, with records like One for All,
1:02:08Live to Win, and [ __ ] that's not a
1:02:10huge accomplishment in and of itself.
1:02:12Later in 1978, the Kiss movie was
1:02:14released, produced by Hanna-Barbera, and
1:02:16aired to NBC. Kiss Meets the Phantom of
1:02:18the Park is a heinous piece of '80s dick
1:02:20cheese, but I love it. If you need a so
1:02:22bad it's good movie, then this is a
1:02:24pretty good one to check out. I mean,
1:02:25any film to get this reaction out of
1:02:27Rich Evans has TO BE AMAZING.
1:02:30>> [laughter]
1:02:32>> THIS FILM WAS SOLD TO KISS AS STAR Wars
1:02:35meets A Hard Day's Night, but it's more
1:02:36like Plan 9 from Outer Space meets Alice
1:02:38in Wonderland. The guys in Kiss, to the
1:02:40shock of no one, are pretty awful
1:02:42actors.
1:02:43>> No gratitude need be voiced. Your mind
1:02:45speaks to us.
1:02:47You're looking for someone,
1:02:49but it's not Kiss.
1:02:50>> We've got to get out of here.
1:02:52>> Leave it to me, Starchild. I'll bend
1:02:54these beams with my mind.
1:02:55>> Apparently, they received a crash course
1:02:57in acting, but I think Peter spent more
1:02:59of his time being in actual car crashes
1:03:01since every line of his is ADR'd in post
1:03:03by voice actor Michael Bell.
1:03:04>> Without them,
1:03:06no powers. We're just ordinary human
1:03:08beings.
1:03:09>> What if a rat gets into the house?
1:03:11>> Get a dress.
1:03:12>> Yeah, I used to get into drag.
1:03:13>> Gene and Paul say this is because Peter
1:03:15never showed up for post-production.
1:03:17Peter says he attended it, but the proof
1:03:19is in the pudding here. A pussycat.
1:03:21>> Almost.
1:03:21>> And speaking of ADR, it's really funny
1:03:23in this movie. Characters will be
1:03:24talking when their mouths aren't even
1:03:26open.
1:03:26>> Sam,
1:03:28the talisman, [singing and music] they
1:03:29all led up to the park.
1:03:31Especially what Melissa said about that
1:03:33Abner cat.
1:03:34>> The general [snorts] plot of the movie
1:03:35is about insane evil scientist man,
1:03:38Abner Devereaux, who creates the world's
1:03:40worst animatronics of all time for Magic
1:03:42Mountain theme park. And after being
1:03:43fired, he takes it out on Kiss because
1:03:45he's anti-Semitic, I suppose. But he was
1:03:47already insane and kidnapping people
1:03:48before even being fired, so I don't
1:03:50think you can really blame his evilness
1:03:52on unemployment. He builds evil robot
1:03:54doppelgangers of Kiss that cause mayhem
1:03:56and perform a version of hotter than
1:03:57hell called rip and destroy with the
1:03:59worst lyrics ever that aren't even sung
1:04:01in time.
1:04:09>> [music]
1:04:13>> The band all have stunt doubles doubles
1:04:15used in their place at several points,
1:04:17mainly Ace because apparently he would
1:04:18disappear from the set for hours at a
1:04:19time, so they used his stunt double in
1:04:21more shots than they should have. This
1:04:23wouldn't be so bad if Ace's stunt double
1:04:24wasn't black. Ace changes race at
1:04:27several points in this movie, and it's
1:04:28so great. But he's not the only one
1:04:30guilty. Peter's is way taller than him
1:04:32and has a completely different build.
1:04:33Paul's is double has this awful glued on
1:04:35chest hair, and they're all used in
1:04:36places where the real guys could have
1:04:38easily been used instead. So, I'm not
1:04:39sure if Ace can totally be blamed for
1:04:41this. Also, why was his stunt double
1:04:43black? Are you kidding me, man? That's
1:04:44some Black Dynamite [ __ ] Kiss befriends
1:04:46a girl named Melissa whose boyfriend is
1:04:48kidnapped and brainwashed by Abner
1:04:50Devereaux, and he's eventually saved
1:04:52after Kiss defeats Robo Kiss, and our
1:04:54villain just randomly dies for no
1:04:56reason. But earlier in the film, we meet
1:04:57Chopper, Slim, and uh Max's girlfriend,
1:05:00I think. He kidnaps them as well and
1:05:02turns them into animatronics, but
1:05:03they're never brought up again after
1:05:04that. So, are they just cursed to be
1:05:05shitty animatronics for the rest of
1:05:07time? Kiss, save them, please. Oh, man,
1:05:09I I she still has an old jacket of mine.
1:05:11Surprisingly enough, there's some kind
1:05:12of funny jokes.
1:05:13>> Well, Gene, I think it was you.
1:05:15>> Think?
1:05:16It was him.
1:05:18>> Or his twin.
1:05:19>> Gene's brother was an only child.
1:05:21>> Now, I'm not sure if the jokes
1:05:22themselves are funny, or if the guys are
1:05:23such bad actors that any dialogue coming
1:05:25out of their mouths will make me laugh.
1:05:27>> Is there something wrong, Demon?
1:05:29>> I'm not sure.
1:05:33>> You fire signs worry too much.
1:05:35>> [laughter]
1:05:36>> Then again, even the dialogue from other
1:05:38characters played by real actors, I
1:05:40assume, have really funny deliveries.
1:05:42>> Try hearing Demon one more time.
1:05:45>> I said monster, not Demon.
1:05:48>> Same difference.
1:05:49>> Yeah, but you should see his feet.
1:05:52They've got eyes.
1:05:52>> It's not essential bad movie viewing
1:05:54like Faithful Findings or something
1:05:56along those lines, but it's still really
1:05:57fun. Even if a lot of your enjoyment
1:05:59rides on how big of a Kiss nerd you are.
1:06:01But in 1979, it was time for Kiss to get
1:06:03back to the saddle, and apparently it
1:06:04was also time for Kiss to find their
1:06:06groove thing.
1:06:07>> I don't really think we we made any
1:06:09drastic change. The song you're
1:06:11referring to is disco is is really rock
1:06:13disco, but the majority of the album I
1:06:15think is rock still.
1:06:16>> The whole idea for us was to do a song
1:06:19that fit the category, and be still
1:06:21pretty true to what we do. It must have
1:06:24been the right move because it's either
1:06:26one or two around the world.
1:06:28>> with a strong danceable beat, you know,
1:06:31is really popular now, so
1:06:34>> It's still rock and roll, but it's still
1:06:35rock and roll in my opinion.
1:06:38>> [music]
1:06:46[music]
1:06:52>> Oh, boy, the dreaded Kiss disco album.
1:06:55Kiss-co, if you will. The butt of the
1:06:57joke for many detractors of this band. I
1:06:58remember one time in a comment section,
1:07:00I tried to urge people to actually
1:07:02listen to Creatures of the Night if they
1:07:03think that Kiss sucks, and some guy
1:07:05who's about as funny as a children's
1:07:06cancer ward retorted with, "Oh, is that
1:07:08their disco album?" And so it remains to
1:07:10this day, even all these years removed
1:07:11from the inevitable disco backlash. The
1:07:13disco demolition nights were a bit harsh
1:07:16to retort of a bunch of dance records,
1:07:17and maybe it's a tad bigoted. I mean,
1:07:19it's a genre made famous by black and
1:07:21gay people, and women really liked it.
1:07:24I don't know. But at the time, disco was
1:07:26[ __ ] everywhere. And if you're a
1:07:2712-year-old boy in 1979 being forced to
1:07:29endure a genre that you hate so much,
1:07:31the news of your favorite rock band
1:07:32indulging in it can be a real hard pill
1:07:34to swallow.
1:07:35>> Disco's so [ __ ] big right now, I
1:07:37wouldn't be surprised if Kiss did a
1:07:38disco song sometime.
1:07:40>> Oh, yeah, yeah.
1:07:41>> Man, if there's one thing Kiss will
1:07:42never do, it's a [ __ ] disco song.
1:07:44>> No [ __ ] man.
1:07:45>> Yeah, man. Disco blows dogs for
1:07:47quarters, man.
1:07:49>> And despite still largely having the
1:07:50taste of a 12-year-old boy, I like this
1:07:52album, guys. I'm really sorry. Other
1:07:54than I Was Made for Lovin' You, there's
1:07:55still plenty of hard rock, just with
1:07:57slicker production and dancier elements.
1:07:59You could argue this is one of the first
1:08:00ever dance rock records. Eat your heart
1:08:02out, Stone Roses. Magic Touch hits the
1:08:04best middle ground of the rock stars
1:08:06they once were and the pop stars they'd
1:08:07become. There's a lot of great guitar
1:08:09from Paul, not Ace, funnily enough. His
1:08:11voice is on fire, and the production is
1:08:13perfect.
1:08:17>> [music]
1:08:20[singing]
1:08:23[music]
1:08:30>> The band thought that the solo albums
1:08:31would help the band's tensions, but Paul
1:08:33said it was very much like putting a
1:08:34band-aid on a gaping wound. Peter forced
1:08:36the rest of the band into using Vini
1:08:37Poncia, the guy who produced his solo
1:08:39album, as the producer for Dynasty.
1:08:41Peter said this backfired on him because
1:08:43Paul poisoned Vini against him.
1:08:46Sure thing, Peter. Vini said his
1:08:47drumming just wasn't up to snuff, which
1:08:49I'm inclined to agree. I mean, I wasn't
1:08:50there, so I wouldn't know for sure. And
1:08:52to be fair, Peter was in a car accident
1:08:54the year previous. But Peter's drumming
1:08:56in general kind of went to [ __ ] after
1:08:57Love Gun. I'm not sure if you can blame
1:08:59one car accident on that. And it's on
1:09:00fake from Ace's Frehley's album He
1:09:02played drums on this album with the
1:09:03exception of Peter's Dirty Living.
1:09:04Though according to some people, Anton
1:09:06also played drums on the song. I don't
1:09:07know. It's also very dancey and disco-y,
1:09:09but with a definite rock edge. Ace
1:09:11Frehley's solo was amazing. Gene's
1:09:13plucking bassline is as catchy as the
1:09:14vocals. And Peter's drums
1:09:17or Anton's drums give the song a right
1:09:19kind of groove. This is what Peter's
1:09:20solo album should have sounded like.
1:09:29>> [music]
1:09:38>> The big hit, I Was Made for Lovin' You,
1:09:40was the end result of Paul going to
1:09:41Studio 54 and thinking, "Damn, this [ __ ]
1:09:43is easy to write." And he went back to
1:09:45his apartment and wrote one of their
1:09:46biggest hits.
1:09:46>> I thought to myself, "It's going to be
1:09:48easier to get a hit with something like
1:09:50this than anything else. This you can
1:09:51write in your sleep."
1:09:52>> And while it's a lesser favorite of
1:09:53mine, I still really like it. It's clear
1:09:56that as Scooter's perspective, Paul had
1:09:58on disco. He and co-writers Vini Poncia
1:10:00and Desmond Child understood the genre
1:10:02far more than other rock artists who
1:10:04dove into the disco money train like The
1:10:07Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, and Alice
1:10:09Cooper. They knew the song had to be
1:10:10tight as a drum, and the lyrics had to
1:10:12be about the here and now. Along with
1:10:13some classic Kiss-isms like Paul's usual
1:10:16vocals, Ace's guitar, and Gene's which
1:10:18Gene actually goes back and forth as to
1:10:19whether or not he played on the song,
1:10:21but whatever. But the other single, Sure
1:10:22Know Something, is probably my favorite.
1:10:25As a kid, it was my all-time favorite
1:10:26Kiss song. Again, it's a good mixture of
1:10:28disco and hard rock. This time in a more
1:10:30soft, almost ballad type form. It has a
1:10:33more mellow vibe with the best bass Gene
1:10:35has ever had in a Kiss song. The main
1:10:37bass riff is so iconic. It sticks to the
1:10:39usual patterns, but it just hits so
1:10:41right, you know?
1:10:44>> [music]
1:10:46[singing]
1:10:51[music]
1:10:58>> And even if you hate songs like Magic
1:10:59Touch for its for rotations with disco,
1:11:01then just listen to Ace's songs because
1:11:03they're still pure hard rocking Ace. He
1:11:05plays all the bass and guitars and sings
1:11:07on them. And with Anton Fig returning,
1:11:09we got more songs within the vein of
1:11:10Ace's solo album. In fact, with Ace's
1:11:12three songs, he even outshines Gene who
1:11:14only has two songs. And while I like
1:11:16Charisma and X-Ray Eyes a lot,
1:11:18>> We were subject or subjected to disco
1:11:21and all kinds of crap. [music] And it
1:11:22was it was The Village People and it was
1:11:25anybody who wore a white suit and had
1:11:28Vinnie as their name.
1:11:29>> Yo, 2000
1:11:31Man.
1:11:31>> And it was like gloom and doom.
1:11:34>> There's a reason why Ace was given more
1:11:35of a chance to shine. 2000 Man was
1:11:37another great cover from Ace, originally
1:11:39done by The Stones. And despite it being
1:11:40a cover, Ace sells these lyrics far
1:11:42better than Jagger ever did. Ace is just
1:11:44way more of a weirdo, you know what I
1:11:45mean? Hard Times hearkens back to Ace's
1:11:47youth and early life growing up in the
1:11:48Bronx and being in gangs and all that
1:11:50stuff with a pretty heavy chorus and
1:11:51neat drum fills from Anton Fig. And the
1:11:53final track Save Your Love is about
1:11:55sending a chick to Dumpville. It's quite
1:11:57pathetic because this is right before
1:11:58the collapse of the original lineup. And
1:12:00when you read the lyrics of the song, it
1:12:01fits perfectly. It's a hard hitting cut
1:12:02that has Paul doing some backing vocals,
1:12:04which makes it feel more Kiss than any
1:12:06solo cut. It evokes the early material
1:12:07from this band in a really cool way
1:12:09since this pretty much was the end.
1:12:12>> [music]
1:12:17[music]
1:12:24[music]
1:12:27>> I've gotten a lot of [ __ ] for my love of
1:12:29Dynasty, but remember, it's all about
1:12:31timing. This album was on my iPod back
1:12:32in the day. It was on my cheap MP3
1:12:34players before I owned to my first iPod.
1:12:36My parents played it a lot. Hell, I even
1:12:38have the poster that came with the
1:12:39original vinyl here somewhere. Sure,
1:12:41it's disco. Sure, it's pop. But Kiss
1:12:43were sellouts from the get-go. They were
1:12:45never doing a whole lot unique, at least
1:12:46musically. They borrowed from The
1:12:48Stones, The Dolls, The Beatles, Slade,
1:12:50Bowie, Alice Cooper, you name it. Sure,
1:12:52I Was Made for Lovin' You may be a far
1:12:54cry from songs like Deuce and Cold Gin,
1:12:56but so was Beth. Kiss are perpetual
1:12:58sellouts. The sooner you come to peace
1:12:59with this, the happier you'll be. Just
1:13:01enjoy the music on its own merits. If it
1:13:03sucks, then criticize it. But if you
1:13:04like it, then just enjoy the tunes, man.
1:13:06Though as much as I love this album, and
1:13:08I Was Made for Lovin' You was a huge hit
1:13:09for them, it was the first point that
1:13:11Kiss' popularity kind of started to
1:13:13stagnate. They canceled a lot of dates
1:13:15on the Dynasty tour due to low ticket
1:13:16sales, and the audiences that did came
1:13:18weren't the burnouts in the bleachers.
1:13:20They were families. When mom and dad
1:13:22come to a rock show in the '70s, then
1:13:24something has gone seriously wrong. I
1:13:26mean, look at their stage costumes. It's
1:13:27way too Vegas and loud. With each of
1:13:30them wearing their primary colors, it's
1:13:31like the Wiggles. Wait a minute, it's
1:13:33the same colors as the Wiggles, too. A
1:13:34lot can be blamed for Kiss' downfall of
1:13:36popularity in the late '70s, early '80s.
1:13:38Some say disco, the changing trends, the
1:13:40original lineup dissolving, Ace and
1:13:42Peter being
1:13:43Ace and Peter. Those things did not
1:13:45help. But if you want to blame
1:13:46something, I'd blame overexposure. Kiss
1:13:49were [ __ ] everywhere. Kiss records,
1:13:51Kiss lunchboxes, Kiss action figures,
1:13:54Kiss comic books, makeup sets, feature
1:13:56films. In the '70s alone, there were
1:13:57seven studio records, four solo albums,
1:14:00two live records, a compilation album. I
1:14:02honestly have to blame Bill Aucoin and
1:14:03Paul and Gene for this one, honestly. It
1:14:05doesn't matter how much you think people
1:14:06love Kiss, eventually they will get sick
1:14:08of you if you market the band to such an
1:14:09extent. But with the Dynasty tour being
1:14:11called The Return of Kiss, are you
1:14:13kidding me? You guys only took 1 year
1:14:14off. During this period, the band did
1:14:16the Tom Snyder program, which is
1:14:17classic. Paul and Gene are super snooty
1:14:19and up their own ass, and they showed up
1:14:21drunk and talked mad [ __ ] cracking
1:14:23jokes, and even getting Snyder to laugh
1:14:24himself silly.
1:14:25>> I mean, when you realize that a lot of
1:14:26the people at the show have been waiting
1:14:283 or 4 months to come see us, and this
1:14:30is like the big night for them. And when
1:14:33you when you see all these people
1:14:34screaming and crying and all that,
1:14:36>> You
1:14:36>> [laughter]
1:14:37>> think I'm crying when I spent all that
1:14:39money?
1:14:42>> [laughter]
1:14:45>> Oh, what people think is funny is
1:14:46actually really sad. Nah, [ __ ] you guys.
1:14:48Ace was rock and roll and he made no
1:14:50reservations. In a weird way, he was
1:14:52being really defiant. I doubt he meant
1:14:54it that way, but still. I mean, just
1:14:55look at Paul and Gene, what bitter
1:14:57pricks. Dynasty did a lot of damage to
1:14:59Kiss's image. But, could it be salvaged
1:15:02considering right before the next record
1:15:03was released, Peter Criss was fired?
1:15:06Unlikely.
1:15:07>> Turn around.
1:15:08Look, IT'S ROCK AND ROLL.
1:15:10>> [laughter]
1:15:11>> HELLO AUSTRALIA, THIS IS GENE SIMMONS OF
1:15:13Kiss and I'd like to introduce you to
1:15:15Paul Stanley of Kiss who wants to
1:15:16introduce you to Ace Frehley of Kiss.
1:15:18What's the name of the new drummer?
1:15:19>> I don't know. I think his name is
1:15:22uh
1:15:27Oh, wait a minute. I remember. I
1:15:30remember. His name is Eric Carr and he's
1:15:32incredible.
1:15:32>> Okay.
1:15:33>> Now, get out of here.
1:15:34>> [laughter]
1:15:35>> Eric was so good. I mean, for the first
1:15:38week though, he did have to wear
1:15:39diapers.
1:15:40>> [laughter]
1:15:41>> Bands never sounded tighter. Uh I think
1:15:43I fit in really well with the guys.
1:15:45>> [music]
1:15:45>> And you know, if you come to the show,
1:15:46you'll hear it.
1:15:46>> And will you still be doing what you're
1:15:47doing at the age of 40?
1:15:49>> Oh, who knows? What will you be doing at
1:15:51the age of 40?
1:15:52>> [music]
1:16:03[music]
1:16:08>> Unmasked is all right. Not great,
1:16:10nowhere near as good as Dynasty, but
1:16:12it's all right. It was definitely the
1:16:13last wheel, so to speak, to fall off the
1:16:15Kiss train. Despite being credited
1:16:17initially, Peter did not play on this
1:16:18album at all. Once again, it was Anton
1:16:20Fig and Peter was kicked out due to his
1:16:22playing and just not being up to snuff.
1:16:24His drug problems were out of control
1:16:25and his ability to work with others was
1:16:27non-existent. There's a lot of stories
1:16:29of Peter stopping songs mid-set during
1:16:31the Dynasty tour and throwing his sticks
1:16:32at the band. Safe to say, he was not
1:16:34long for this group. Anton Fig was asked
1:16:36to join for one day before the offer was
1:16:38rescinded.
1:16:39>> He was thrilled. He he couldn't sleep
1:16:40all night. The next day Paul and Gene
1:16:43calls me and says, "I don't think
1:16:44Anton's a good choice."
1:16:46>> Oh.
1:16:46>> So, I had to do the dirty work, call
1:16:48back Anton and tell him, "Sorry, Anton,
1:16:50you're not in the band."
1:16:51>> That kind of sucks. And they got Paul
1:16:53Caravello, later re-christened Eric
1:16:55Carr, who's my favorite Kiss drummer.
1:16:56His ability to make the drum set sound
1:16:58like a harmonious thunderstorm is
1:16:59unmatched, but I'll talk more about Eric
1:17:02Carr later. Oh yeah, I forgot I'm not
1:17:03supposed to review this album. There's
1:17:04no disco on this album, but it's very
1:17:06poppy. Many tracks will take influence
1:17:08from bands like The Cars, Cheap Trick,
1:17:09and other power pop acts. The lead
1:17:11single Shandi is a fantastic ballad, a
1:17:13little bit bubblegum, but not in a bad
1:17:15way. I love the guitar licks all
1:17:17throughout, acting as exclamation points
1:17:19to the vocal hooks. Songs like this
1:17:20prove that Paul can write some pretty
1:17:22great leads on occasion. This video is
1:17:24famous for being the last time Peter
1:17:25ever played in the band. He was already
1:17:27out by this point, but he was asked to
1:17:29be in the video and he accepted. And
1:17:31like at the end of the video, they got
1:17:32out of their makeup and costumes, and
1:17:34Peter said he was the last to leave, and
1:17:36he sat in the dressing room and cried.
1:17:38It was simply put the end of an era.
1:17:39>> [music]
1:17:44[singing]
1:17:48[music]
1:17:55>> I listened to this record quite a bit as
1:17:56a kid, not quite as much as Dynasty, but
1:17:58a lot. I also had it on my iPods and
1:18:00whatnot, so I may have a bit of a soft
1:18:02spot for it, but even I can see the
1:18:04downgrade. For being a power pop record,
1:18:06it's quite restrained and held back.
1:18:08There's not much power behind it. Even
1:18:10Ace's songs aren't much to shake a stick
1:18:12at, if I'm honest. Talk to me, I like
1:18:13enough. Two Sides to the Coin is okay,
1:18:15but it inspired that really lame ass
1:18:17podcast. And so Peter Criss is just
1:18:19outright bad. Hurts me to say this being
1:18:21the Ace Frehley boy I am, but it's just
1:18:23not good. The riffs are kind of neat,
1:18:25but the hooks are as blunt and mushy as
1:18:27an ice cream cone. It's just a jumbled
1:18:29mess. The song Tomorrow is one of the
1:18:31few songs where I feel some actual power
1:18:33behind this pop. The drums in the intro
1:18:34hit like cannons, and Paul surprisingly
1:18:36can pull off a song this far better than
1:18:38the other two. The chorus has these
1:18:39really cool sounding keys, the
1:18:40arrangement is really great. Sure it's
1:18:42cheesy with the hand claps and all, but
1:18:45who cares? Paul really carries this
1:18:46album. Ace's tracks are whatever and
1:18:48Gene's aren't much better either. On
1:18:50Dynasty he also had the weaker
1:18:51compositions, but they're at least still
1:18:53good enough. But here we have [ __ ] like
1:18:55You're All That I Want, which is
1:18:56forgettable as hell, and She's So
1:18:58European, which is weird on top of just
1:19:00being bad. This is a song I could hear
1:19:02The Archies doing, but even Gene has a
1:19:04bright spot on this album. Naked City,
1:19:06covered by Bob Kulick. It's all the
1:19:07reggae-ish in the verses, it gives me
1:19:09Roxanne by The Police vibes. It's
1:19:11inspired by the old police procedural
1:19:12show of the same name from the 50s and
1:19:1460s and evokes images of crime noirs in
1:19:17the seedy side of New York.
1:19:20>> [music]
1:19:28[music]
1:19:36>> Overall, Unmasked has a lot of
1:19:38highlights, but a lot of duds, too. It's
1:19:40a very mixed bag. Like this [ __ ]
1:19:42album cover. Sure, it looks good as a
1:19:43vinyl record, but it won't look good
1:19:45when it's shrunk down for a CD. And even
1:19:47with Peter being out of the band, they
1:19:49were still fractured. Nobody played on
1:19:51Paul's songs, the other guys didn't play
1:19:53on Ace's songs. It just sounds like a
1:19:54toxic environment to be creative and
1:19:56work in. And we're left with a record
1:19:58that can be a little bit toxic to the
1:19:59ear, as well. And it continued the
1:20:00pattern of diminishing returns. The
1:20:02album went gold, not platinum. It didn't
1:20:04really have any hits, but that was in
1:20:06the states. The Unmasked tour was the
1:20:08first time Kiss played in countries such
1:20:09as New Zealand, Australia, and all
1:20:12across Europe, where they were still
1:20:13huge. And Shandi was a big hit in
1:20:15Australia. I heard it all the time
1:20:16growing up. They only played one show in
1:20:18the US, which should have been a bad
1:20:20sign. But the tour was a success and the
1:20:22fans immediately latched onto Eric Carr
1:20:24and his persona as the fox. It gave the
1:20:26band the right kick in the ass that they
1:20:27needed and the band were in good
1:20:28spirits. For the next album they wanted
1:20:30to go back to the roots with a hard rock
1:20:32record like Destroyer. So they got Bob
1:20:34Ezrin back into the fold, but that was
1:20:35until Bob saw the short story that Gene
1:20:37was writing and said, "Hey, do you know
1:20:38Pink Floyd?"
1:20:39>> Well, this this album is
1:20:41a group of songs that are taken from the
1:20:43story of the Elder and they're telling
1:20:45part of the story.
1:20:46>> And the story
1:20:48about a boy
1:20:48>> About a boy, a very special boy.
1:20:51>> Like the worm to a butterfly, we should
1:20:53simply change form and go on endlessly
1:20:56through the murky vast.
1:20:58>> [music]
1:21:02[singing]
1:21:06[music]
1:21:12>> Oh, dear. Kiss may be a controversial
1:21:14band at the best of times, but even
1:21:15within Kiss circles, this record isn't
1:21:17just controversial, it's reviled. And
1:21:20you can see why. Kiss was a band about
1:21:22good times and making good kick-ass rock
1:21:24and roll. So them attempting a prog art
1:21:27rock project mainly for the approval of
1:21:28critics, people who didn't like them to
1:21:30begin with, was not a good idea. They
1:21:31totally lost sight of who they were, but
1:21:33I'll be honest,
1:21:35I kind of love this album.
1:21:36>> MOVE THIS MAN.
1:21:41>> IT'S SO BIZARRE AND WEIRD AND the story
1:21:43is hard to follow and generic at the
1:21:45same time, but it's just got something
1:21:47to it, you know what I mean? And I don't
1:21:48really like prog rock at all. I hate
1:21:50most Pink Floyd. Genesis is one of my
1:21:52least favorite bands of all time. And my
1:21:53favorite Rush record is Permanent Waves.
1:21:55Again, it comes down to nostalgia. I
1:21:57remember listening to this record in the
1:21:58dark on my iPod when I was like 12 and
1:22:00it kind of blew my mind. It's not Kiss
1:22:02at all, but it's a good record. And I'm
1:22:04not the first to say this, but if this
1:22:06record was as big as The Wall, then you
1:22:07know for sure that Gene and Paul would
1:22:09do tours for it like Roger Waters does.
1:22:11And despite this story being kind of a
1:22:13generic chosen one fantasy story, they
1:22:15paint pictures with words with the
1:22:16instrumentation and the lyrics.
1:22:17Honestly, I'm a big nerd when it comes
1:22:19to this sort of stuff. I may be lost
1:22:21story-wise, but when Under the Rose
1:22:22comes on, written by Gene and new
1:22:24recruit Eric Carr, who did not gel with
1:22:26this concept at all and told the band as
1:22:28much. Pretty ballsy for a guy who just
1:22:29joined the band. He still helped craft
1:22:31this mystical song with an odd time
1:22:32signature. It's in 6/8 and it has these
1:22:34huge growing sounding chants and it
1:22:36totally envelops the listener. Despite
1:22:38how messy the story is, you understand
1:22:40almost everything [music] in that
1:22:41chorus.
1:22:44>> [singing]
1:22:54[music]
1:22:57>> Another member who disliked this concept
1:22:58was Ace Frehley. He more than anyone
1:23:00else wants to go back to the hard rock
1:23:02direction, but since Peter left and Eric
1:23:03was basically a salaried employee, he
1:23:05was often outvoted two to one. So,
1:23:07remember when you read Paul's book and
1:23:09how he blames Gene and Bob about The
1:23:11Elder being made, he had the power to
1:23:13veto this idea if he wanted to,
1:23:15but he didn't.
1:23:18The record was recorded in Canada and
1:23:19Ace was there for a little bit, but he
1:23:21soon went back to his home studio and
1:23:22literally mailed in his guitar parts,
1:23:24but to his credit, he still contributed
1:23:26a decent amount.
1:23:27>> Ace was amazing on the record even
1:23:29though he didn't like it.
1:23:30>> Ace's solos all throughout are amazing.
1:23:32We have the kick-ass instrumental
1:23:33written by Ace, Bob Ezrin and Eric Carr,
1:23:35and Dark Light written by Ace, Anton
1:23:37Fig, Gene and Lou [ __ ] Reed. Let me
1:23:39repeat that, Lou Metal Machine Music
1:23:42Reed writing on a Kiss record. Did he
1:23:44owe money to Bob Ezrin or something? I
1:23:46have no understanding of how this could
1:23:47have happened. I'd love to see the
1:23:49reaction of hipsters at this time if
1:23:50they found out that Lou Reed wrote songs
1:23:52for Kiss, but honestly, it's great. He
1:23:54wrote the lyrics and they're weird in a
1:23:55way that totally fits the project. And I
1:23:57never thought about this, but Ace kind
1:23:58of has a similar way of singing compared
1:24:00to Reed, being that they're both singers
1:24:01who can't sing. And that batshit insane
1:24:04solo from Ace was such a great way for
1:24:06him to say goodbye to this band.
1:24:08>> [music]
1:24:16[music]
1:24:24>> The reason for it failing so bad at
1:24:25first was the piss-poor attempt at
1:24:26sticking to the concept. The label
1:24:28decided to jumble up the track listing
1:24:30and the record started with the heavy
1:24:31metal classic, in my opinion The Oath,
1:24:33instead of
1:24:34[ __ ] Fanfare, when The Oath was
1:24:36originally on side two. This might have
1:24:38seemed like a good idea from the
1:24:39outside, but that's like reading
1:24:40chapters of a book out of order and the
1:24:41story itself needed all it could get.
1:24:43It's not Tolkien, it's not Frank
1:24:44Herbert, it's not Robert Jordan. I would
1:24:46hesitate to call it as good as Terry
1:24:47Goodkind. It's a by-the-numbers chosen
1:24:49one story, but this is supposed to be a
1:24:51big franchise like The Wall with a film
1:24:53and sequels that continue the story, but
1:24:55oops, we never got any of that. So, the
1:24:56story is not only not great, but it
1:24:58doesn't even have an ending. It ends on
1:24:59a cliffhanger.
1:25:00>> Morpheus,
1:25:02you have been summoned here to offer
1:25:04your judgment of the boy. Do you still
1:25:07deem him [music] worthy of the
1:25:09fellowship?
1:25:10>> At least Fellowship of the Ring is
1:25:11engaging all the way throughout and it
1:25:13can be digested on its own if you want,
1:25:14but there's even a cover on this record.
1:25:16This is a concept record. Why are you
1:25:18recording covers? The one kind of proper
1:25:20song is A World Without Heroes. They
1:25:22performed it on the Unplugged record and
1:25:24there was even a video.
1:25:25>> Gene cries in it. It's kind of funny.
1:25:27>> This is us being very artsy. This is a
1:25:29beautiful videotape of a wonderful song.
1:25:31>> And then you're going to watch it
1:25:32>> Notice at the end Gene cries and nobody
1:25:34has cried on anything of this sort since
1:25:36that Indian when the kids throw the
1:25:38garbage and the guy sitting on
1:25:39>> Well, you haven't been in the audience.
1:25:41>> It's a slow ballad with some amazing
1:25:42symphonic arrangements done by Michael
1:25:44Kamen. Gene surprisingly sells the pain
1:25:46performance and Paul actually has an
1:25:47amazing guitar solo, very David
1:25:49Gilmour-inspired.
1:25:50>> Where you
1:25:51don't know what you're left
1:25:53of
1:25:54or [music] if something's after you
1:25:58and you don't know [singing] why
1:26:01you don't
1:26:04>> [music]
1:26:09>> As ridiculous as this record is, even
1:26:11with the screwball cheese thrown in and
1:26:13the proggy songwriting seemingly being
1:26:15antithetical to what I like in music,
1:26:16it's just weird at the end of the day
1:26:18and I like weird music. I can totally
1:26:21see why people hate it, but it's such a
1:26:23fun nugget of early 80s dick cheese that
1:26:25I can't help but really enjoy it. I
1:26:27don't know why either. I should probably
1:26:28hate this. The band hated it, too. Ace
1:26:30said he threw the CD out of his car when
1:26:32he first heard it, even though CDs
1:26:33weren't a commercially available product
1:26:35in 1981, but he seems to have softened
1:26:37in time. It's a good record. I don't
1:26:39think it's a bad record. I just think it
1:26:41was the wrong record at the wrong time.
1:26:43forced the band to record some new
1:26:44material for a greatest hits package
1:26:46called Killers. They specified they
1:26:48wanted hard rock songs and not whatever
1:26:49the [ __ ] the other was supposed to be.
1:26:51Ace had no involvement in the new songs
1:26:53and Bob Kulick played lead guitar and
1:26:55those four new songs aren't very good.
1:26:57Besides Now What to Run, they just kind
1:26:58of suck. Not killer at all. But Ace was
1:27:01in a bad way with his addictions and he
1:27:02hated doing the other so much that he
1:27:04basically left. But their label signed
1:27:06Gene, Paul and Ace. So they begged Ace
1:27:08to at least pretend to be in the band
1:27:10for the next record, for promos and
1:27:12stuff, but Ace was having panic attacks
1:27:14and eventually just had to walk away.
1:27:16So, despite Ace being on the album cover
1:27:18and in the videos, in the studio it was
1:27:19just Paul, Gene, Eric and a bunch of
1:27:21session guys, including a guy named
1:27:23Vinnie Cusano, later taking the name of
1:27:25Vinnie Vincent.
1:27:26>> You got to be proud of who you are.
1:27:28We're a heavy metal band and we're real
1:27:29proud of it and that's what we are.
1:27:32>> I lost 10 pounds though, so I'm not that
1:27:34heavy.
1:27:36>> [music]
1:27:41[music]
1:27:46[music]
1:27:53>> Creatures of the Night is my favorite
1:27:55Kiss record. I remember first seeing
1:27:56this record and I just knew I needed to
1:27:58hear it. I had a Kiss Best of
1:28:00compilation as a kid and there was this
1:28:01big collage under the CD itself of all
1:28:03the albums up until that point and the
1:28:05cover from Creatures of the Night had
1:28:06this just aura to it and I couldn't take
1:28:08my eyes off it. I don't really know why
1:28:10either. Maybe it was just because it was
1:28:11blue and that's my favorite color. I
1:28:13don't know, but my dad bought me the CD
1:28:14and when I took it home and put it into
1:28:16the boom box and heard Eric Carr
1:28:17unleashing thunder with his drums,
1:28:20>> [music]
1:28:21>> I knew I found something special. This
1:28:22is unlike any Kiss I'd heard up until
1:28:24that point. It was a monolithic slab of
1:28:26heavy metal. The production was perfect.
1:28:28Guitars were nice and crunchy. There's a
1:28:30lot of reverb to sell the atmosphere,
1:28:32but not too much for anything to get
1:28:33lost in translation. Paul and Gene's
1:28:34vocals were maybe at their peak and
1:28:36those drums, oh those lovely drums.
1:28:38Producer Michael James Jackson and
1:28:40engineer Niki Bolas did some black magic
1:28:43to that kit, man. I don't even know.
1:28:44Including, but not limited to, sending
1:28:46the sound of the drums through an
1:28:48abandoned elevator shaft with
1:28:49microphones at the other end of it to
1:28:51get that natural reverb. It's simply put
1:28:53insane. Also, let's not forget that Eric
1:28:54Carr is maybe the hardest hitting
1:28:55drummer this side of the Mississippi.
1:28:57You can't just engineer what isn't there
1:28:59in the studio. He and his drumsticks had
1:29:01a magic touch. This album alone is why
1:29:03he's my favorite Kiss drummer. I love
1:29:05Peter and Eric Singer has his moments,
1:29:06but what Eric Carr did in this album is
1:29:08simply put untouchable. I Love It Loud
1:29:10was a lead single. It still has an
1:29:12anthemic quality to it with those drums
1:29:14being the focus, but with one of the
1:29:15most simple, yet best hooks they ever
1:29:17had. Couple this with some kick-ass
1:29:19lyrics and it proves that Kiss weren't
1:29:21dead JUST YET.
1:29:23>> [music]
1:29:30[music]
1:29:35>> KISS WERE BASICALLY A TRIO OF GENE, PAUL
1:29:37AND Eric with the best session musicians
1:29:39they could find to fill the shoes of
1:29:40Ace, including Steve Ferris and Robin
1:29:42Ford, but Vinnie Vincent plays on about
1:29:44half the record and co-writes three
1:29:46songs. If anybody's lead guitarist you
1:29:48can point to, it's him. There's a reason
1:29:50why he was chosen to eventually fill out
1:29:51the lead guitar position in Kiss for the
1:29:53following tour and the next record. He's
1:29:55an incredible writer and musician in
1:29:56general. Many say he saved Kiss and I'm
1:29:58not sure if you can thank him alone with
1:30:00Kiss getting back on track, but you
1:30:02can't deny he was a vital piece of the
1:30:04puzzle. Sure, Vinnie's a world-class
1:30:06[ __ ] He's a serial scammer. Where
1:30:08are those box sets, Vinnie? But when he
1:30:09was in Kiss and Paul and Gene were
1:30:10reigning in the want-to-be Yngwie within
1:30:12him, he was the best guitarist they had
1:30:14since Ace. His solos and riffs are
1:30:16amazing and he had a real personality to
1:30:18his playing and writing. The three songs
1:30:19he co-wrote, one being the performance
1:30:21in I Love It Loud, the rocking killer,
1:30:23and the ballad I Still Love You prove
1:30:25this. It's a power ballad with some real
1:30:27power behind it. It's very dark. It's
1:30:29not the kind of power ballad you'd later
1:30:30hear on MTV in the '80s, even the ones
1:30:32done by Kiss. You can tell that Paul
1:30:34bases lyrics around a real breakup he
1:30:36was going through and it's genuine,
1:30:38especially compared to the other power
1:30:39ballads of the '80s that were probably
1:30:41written because of contractual
1:30:42obligations. Also, fun fact that Eric
1:30:44Carr played bass.
1:30:46>> [music]
1:30:53[music]
1:30:58[music]
1:31:05>> I know it's highly ironic for me to be
1:31:06dressed the way I was at the start of
1:31:08this video and how Creatures of the
1:31:09Night is my favorite, but according to
1:31:10Michael James Jackson, Ace did play a
1:31:12little here or there on this record, so
1:31:14take that as you will. Ace has been
1:31:15surprisingly very kind to this record.
1:31:17>> If we wouldn't have done The Elder and
1:31:19would have done Creatures of the Night
1:31:21in place of The Elder, I may not have
1:31:23quit the band.
1:31:24>> There's a song on this album that Kiss
1:31:25fans have speculated is about Ace
1:31:26himself, Rock and Roll Hell. The lyrics
1:31:28do the talking. It's about a rock and
1:31:30roll outlaw and I don't know how else to
1:31:32describe Ace. It was co-written by some
1:31:34outside songwriters, Jim Vallance and a
1:31:36young up-and-comer, Bryan Adams.
1:31:39I'm not kidding. And Ace recorded his
1:31:41own version of it on his Origins Vol. 1
1:31:43covers record in 2016 and his version's
1:31:45not bad either. I wonder if he even
1:31:46knows it's probably about him.
1:31:50>> [music]
1:31:56[music]
1:32:04>> I have two favorite songs on this record
1:32:06and it's the bookends. The opener, the
1:32:08title track Creatures of the Night, the
1:32:09atmosphere is best felt here with Paul's
1:32:11searing vocals and metallic riffs. And
1:32:12the closer, War Machine, has riffs from
1:32:14the bowels of hell. It's super simple
1:32:16but so powerful with a commanding
1:32:18presence at the man's throat most
1:32:19attention. It slithers throughout the
1:32:21song like a snake. It's got this tempo
1:32:23to it that's impeccable. And the solo
1:32:25was slightly wanky but fits the song
1:32:27like a glove. And the slightly frantic
1:32:28solo in front of a simple riff really
1:32:30works. And Gene's performance is
1:32:32menacing in the best possible way. It's
1:32:34funny how Gene went on to act in the
1:32:36'80s and play all these shitty villains
1:32:37when his most villainous performance is
1:32:39in songs like this. Absolute classic and
1:32:41definitely my favorite out of Gene's
1:32:43character songs.
1:32:47>> [music]
1:32:56[music]
1:33:04[music]
1:33:07>> CREATURES OF THE NIGHT IS SIMPLY put a
1:33:09masterpiece. Even less tracks like Saint
1:33:10and Sinner are still great. It's a hot
1:33:12slab of heavy metal that any metalhead
1:33:14worth their salt should have in their
1:33:15collection. This record proved that Kiss
1:33:17weren't just yesterday's shock rock band
1:33:19and I don't trust any Kiss fans who
1:33:21write off everything without the
1:33:22original lineup when records like this
1:33:23exist. Which, let's be honest, totally
1:33:25destroys a lot of the '70s stuff. Sorry,
1:33:29facts don't care about your feelings.
1:33:30But as as awesome as it was, it alone
1:33:32was not enough to save the band. They
1:33:34dug themselves into a pretty big hole
1:33:36with their recent output. At first,
1:33:38sales-wise, it did even worse than The
1:33:39Elder. Their US tour was an unmitigated
1:33:41disaster. The booking agents wanted to
1:33:43put them into larger clubs and smaller
1:33:45theaters to sell them out easier but the
1:33:47band only wants to play arenas and they
1:33:49paid the price.
1:33:50>> Kiss was supposed to play Providence
1:33:52this weekend but not enough tickets
1:33:53[music] sold and the concert was
1:33:55canceled. Creatures of the Night tour
1:33:57was perhaps the most thinly attended
1:34:00since we began.
1:34:01>> I just [snorts] remember
1:34:03going on stage and the curtain would
1:34:05drop and there was nobody out there.
1:34:08And I'd be like this and pointing and
1:34:11there's empty seats.
1:34:13>> We can laugh about it now, but it was
1:34:14not a fun time.
1:34:16>> Paul had a personal anecdote of throwing
1:34:17a guitar picks into the crowd and it
1:34:19landing behind the audience. The concert
1:34:21required Ace to still be in the band, so
1:34:22despite Vinnie for all intents and
1:34:24purposes joined the band as the Ankh
1:34:25Warrior new guitar player. Ace was seen
1:34:28in promotional pictures for the tour and
1:34:29the band would on the day of the shows
1:34:31put out PSAs that Ace was in a car
1:34:32accident or he was sick so he couldn't
1:34:34make the show. So this Vinnie Vincent
1:34:36guy would be playing instead. Of the few
1:34:38who actually bought tickets, I imagine
1:34:39very few of them actually knew that Ace
1:34:41wasn't in the band anymore. Anybody
1:34:42who's actually there back then, feel
1:34:44free to correct me. And it's a bit of a
1:34:45shame because the Creatures tour was
1:34:46fantastic. Eric and Vinnie transformed
1:34:48the band into a well-oiled machine and
1:34:50Eric's drum set was this huge tank which
1:34:52the band would ride and would shoot out
1:34:54fireworks which I just wish I could have
1:34:56seen it. Just like on the Unmasked tour,
1:34:57the band did far better outside the US.
1:35:00They played the biggest shows of their
1:35:01career in South America playing to
1:35:02audiences of over 100,000 people. But
1:35:05the writing was on the wall. They needed
1:35:06a shake-up and they needed it yesterday.
1:35:08They were no longer the band they were
1:35:09in the beginning, so why front? Gene and
1:35:12Paul blamed the downfall almost
1:35:13exclusively on Vinnie and Eric and new
1:35:15makeup. Never mind the fact that the
1:35:16fans loved Eric and once people cooled
1:35:18off about being bamboozled of not seeing
1:35:20Ace live, they also loved Vinnie. If you
1:35:22asked fans in the early 80s why they
1:35:24weren't going to see Kiss or buying
1:35:25their records anymore, they would not
1:35:26tell you because two out of the four
1:35:28guys are wearing different designs of
1:35:29clown makeup.
1:35:30>> This new character, the audiences didn't
1:35:33buy it.
1:35:34>> There's a new guy, is he going to wear
1:35:36Ace's makeup? No, he's going to be
1:35:37wearing the Ankh which Paul came up with
1:35:39and we knew that the fans would be very
1:35:41upset.
1:35:42>> And I hate how dismissive they are like,
1:35:44"Oh, what's next? The chicken boy
1:35:46makeup?" Yeah, sure. Like within all of
1:35:48art and design there's only five or six
1:35:50cool makeup designs. Get bent. It's
1:35:52pretty obvious that this was only
1:35:53something they started to say in
1:35:54hindsight to justify
1:35:57you know. So, they went on MTV and took
1:35:59off the makeup for all to see. And so,
1:36:01the people would know that Totie Fields
1:36:03is right.
1:36:03>> Wouldn't it be funny if under this he
1:36:04was just a nice Jewish boy?
1:36:06>> MTV made a big deal out of this despite
1:36:08not giving a single [ __ ] about the band
1:36:09at all prior. And it turned out to be
1:36:11just the right thing that Kiss needed to
1:36:12make them relevant once again.
1:36:13>> It felt right. I mean, we thought about
1:36:15it for a while, but I mean, we could
1:36:17give you all kinds of great answers, you
1:36:19know, that we went and saw a swami. We
1:36:21did that, too. But, um hey, it just felt
1:36:24like the right time to do it. And I
1:36:26mean, the band feels so strong, and it
1:36:29just felt like
1:36:30do it. The album's great. There's a tour
1:36:32coming up, and there's really no other
1:36:34reason. This is our 18th record, you
1:36:36know, 10 years on. We feel great,
1:36:38and it's just time. It feels very, very
1:36:41comfortable. I hope I mean, I hope it
1:36:43seems that way. I feel fine about it.
1:36:48>> [music]
1:36:54[music]
1:37:01>> Now, Lick It Up is a great album, too.
1:37:03Gene and Paul like to poo-poo this
1:37:05record saying that people were listening
1:37:06to it with their eyes, not their ears.
1:37:08Creatures was the far superior record,
1:37:10and I agree it's better, but
1:37:12not by as much as they claim. This album
1:37:14is a classic metal record, too, in its
1:37:16own right. The only thing I dislike
1:37:17about it is the fact that it doesn't
1:37:18sound quite as good as the previous
1:37:19record. Michael James Jackson returned,
1:37:21but it had a totally different
1:37:22engineering team, so it doesn't have the
1:37:23reverb or that amazing drum sound. But,
1:37:25the drums still sound really good here.
1:37:27A lot of the tone on Creatures was Eric
1:37:29Carr, and he's still here playing as
1:37:30good as ever. Vinnie is more ever
1:37:31present playing on the entire record
1:37:33with the exception of the Exciter solo
1:37:34played by Rick Derringer, and he has a
1:37:36writing credit on every track barring
1:37:38two. And by the by, they're two of the
1:37:39weaker cuts. Vinnie really brought out
1:37:41the best of Vinnie's Kiss despite him
1:37:42being, you know,
1:37:44insane. He co-wrote the title track,
1:37:46which is a huge hit and firmly planted
1:37:48the band back to the spotlight. You may
1:37:49say taking the makeup alone was enough
1:37:51for the band to be back in the
1:37:52mainstream, but without the song, I'm
1:37:54not sure if taking off the makeup alone
1:37:56would have worked. It's super catchy and
1:37:58it kind of played into the makeup coming
1:37:59off with some cool and quite reserved
1:38:01playing from Vinnie, which I'm sure
1:38:02probably killed him on the inside to
1:38:04play that slow, but whatever. At the end
1:38:05of the day, you can't deny the power of
1:38:07a catchy single.
1:38:09>> [music]
1:38:14[music]
1:38:23>> And while I do like the title track,
1:38:25it's actually one of my least favorites.
1:38:26It doesn't really represent the album
1:38:28too well and it doesn't really have much
1:38:29going for it compared to other tracks. A
1:38:31lot of people listen to it and assume
1:38:32the rest of the album sounds like that,
1:38:33but it really doesn't. Despite the more
1:38:35held-back production, this album
1:38:36showcases some of the band's heaviest
1:38:38cuts, like Exciter and Give Me More.
1:38:40They're two blazers from Paul that
1:38:42showcases ever-improving vocal chops.
1:38:44Not For The Innocent is another slow and
1:38:45creepy Gene song in a similar vein to
1:38:47War Machine with tritonal riffs and a
1:38:49gloomy vibe that evokes Sabbath a little
1:38:51bit. And it also shows Gene really going
1:38:53into his higher register and I love how
1:38:54it sounds. I wish he would use that
1:38:56voice more often, though I assume it
1:38:57takes a toll physically. It sounds like
1:38:59it does. But the best Gene song is Young
1:39:01and Wasted. It's a breakneck barn burner
1:39:03that's a little funny cuz Gene doesn't
1:39:04get wasted.
1:39:08And they weren't very young anymore,
1:39:09either. But the riffs in Gene's batshit
1:39:11insane vocal performance take you on a
1:39:12ride that feels like a roller coaster
1:39:14that's about to come off its rails. One
1:39:16of the most underrated Kiss songs.
1:39:21>> [music]
1:39:29[music]
1:39:33>> The second single, All Hell's Breakin'
1:39:35Loose, is one of few Kiss songs
1:39:36co-written by all four members of the
1:39:37band at one time. It has Paul doing this
1:39:39weird quasi rapping in the verses and
1:39:41it's slightly cringeworthy, but it works
1:39:44at the same time. Paul's giving it all
1:39:46his last serve nothing else. Though I
1:39:47always laugh at this line.
1:39:48>> Well, I just looked into my kind of
1:39:50path. I said, "Hey man, I am
1:39:53cool. I am the [music] breeze."
1:39:55>> After Blondie's rapture, I think this is
1:39:56one of the first rock songs to feature
1:39:58rapping. Definitely one of the first to
1:40:00include a riff this heavy if nothing
1:40:01else. Written by Eric Carr funnily
1:40:03enough. Apparently he was pissed off at
1:40:04the time because he wanted it to be more
1:40:06Zeppelin and less Grand Master Flash.
1:40:08But the rapping makes it unique, so I
1:40:10like it. Though I'd be lying if I didn't
1:40:12say that the album kind of blows its
1:40:13load in the first side. Dance all over
1:40:15your face is kind of whatever with some
1:40:16really [ __ ] up lyrics. Fits like a
1:40:18glove is enjoyable enough and it's fun
1:40:20live, which I guess is why they played
1:40:21the song live all throughout the '80s
1:40:23for some reason. And on the eighth day
1:40:24is also fun, but it's cheesier than a
1:40:26margarita pizza with extra mozzarella.
1:40:30>> [music]
1:40:35>> Did Nigel Tufnel write this [ __ ] But A
1:40:37Million to One is on the second side and
1:40:38this would have been the perfect second
1:40:40single in my opinion. I love All Hell's
1:40:42Breakin' Loose, too, but this one would
1:40:43have done way better. It's slightly
1:40:45ballady, but it has this consistent
1:40:46energy to it. You could totally see it
1:40:48in a montage of a Rocky movie. It's
1:40:50about a breakup like I Still Love You. I
1:40:51think it's about the same woman, too.
1:40:53Actress Donna Dixon, who later married
1:40:55Dan Aykroyd. I guess he stole Paul's
1:40:56love. Paul bears it all out emotionally
1:40:59and you can hear it in the performance.
1:41:00And god damn, those vocals are so good.
1:41:02I can't get over it.
1:41:04>> [music]
1:41:11[music]
1:41:19[music]
1:41:23>> Lick It Up is a kick-ass record. Don't
1:41:24let the title track fool you into
1:41:26thinking it's a different kind of album
1:41:28than it really is. It's basically
1:41:29Creatures Part Two. And this is not only
1:41:31the best non-makeup Kiss record, but
1:41:33they haven't made an album as good as
1:41:34Lick It Up since Lick It Up. So that
1:41:36means it's all downhill here, folks.
1:41:38Strap in and strap on. During the Lick
1:41:40It Up tour, Vinnie was not playing ball.
1:41:42He would take his solo for far longer
1:41:44than he should have, leaving Paul, Gene,
1:41:46and Eric sitting at the side of the
1:41:47stage waiting for him to finish with
1:41:48their dicks in their hands. At one
1:41:49point, Paul came out a bit too
1:41:51prematurely for Vinnie to end his solo
1:41:52by screaming, "Vinnie Vincent, lead
1:41:54guitar!" And Vinnie then proceeded to
1:41:56have a screaming match with the frontman
1:41:58of the band Stress Room that got
1:41:59physical, so Eric, Gene, and the road
1:42:01crew had to pry them off each other.
1:42:03God, I wish I could have seen that. They
1:42:04even fired him after the European leg,
1:42:06only to rehire him for the American leg
1:42:08cuz they couldn't find a replacement.
1:42:10It's like a sitcom plot, I love it. But
1:42:11he was eventually fired because not only
1:42:13was he [ __ ] mental, but because he
1:42:15never signed his contract, meaning
1:42:18technically he was never even in the
1:42:20band. And he wanted a bigger slice of
1:42:22the pie than what Gene and Paul were
1:42:23offering. He was replaced by a guy
1:42:25called Mark St. John. Gene and Paul put
1:42:27out that they were looking for a
1:42:27shredder who could use all the at the
1:42:29time modern techniques popular within
1:42:31the '80s, and by God, they got it. But
1:42:33around this time, Gene and
1:42:34>> approached Wendy O. Williams of the band
1:42:36the Plasmatics, who opened for Kiss on
1:42:38the Creatures tour, with an offer to
1:42:40record a new album after the band's
1:42:41contract with Capitol wasn't renewed.
1:42:44And to avoid any issues with their
1:42:45former label, they recorded this album
1:42:47under the name of Wendy O. Williams, and
1:42:49not the Plasmatics. Though most of the
1:42:51musicians on this record is just the
1:42:53other members of the Plasmatics at this
1:42:55time. With the exception of Gene playing
1:42:56bass under the name of Reginald Van
1:42:58Helsing, along with Ace Frehley, Paul
1:43:01Stanley, and Eric Carr all playing on a
1:43:03song each.
1:43:04>> Eric and Vinnie co-writing a track, Paul
1:43:05co-writing another, and with Gene
1:43:07co-writing most tracks and producing it,
1:43:09many call this the lost Kiss album. And
1:43:11it makes sense. Besides Peter Criss,
1:43:13every member of Kiss up until this point
1:43:15is involved in some capacity. The songs
1:43:17I Get My Life and Thief in the Night
1:43:19that would eventually be recorded by
1:43:21Kiss on later releases. Overall, it's a
1:43:23really fun record. Not perfect. You have
1:43:25to have somewhat of a taste for Wendy O.
1:43:27Williams' voice, and as much as I enjoy
1:43:29it, it is definitely not for everybody.
1:43:31Compared to the Plasmatics, it's more in
1:43:32a hard rock direction compared to the
1:43:34metal, punk, and almost hardcore sound
1:43:36of the Plasmatics. Though, there's still
1:43:38some of that to be found due to Wendy's
1:43:40energy. The best way I can describe it
1:43:42is edgier Joan Jett. Well, edgier Joan
1:43:45Jett. It's kind of a shame that no one
1:43:46really talks about this album anymore
1:43:48because it's pretty good if you're into
1:43:49this sort of thing. I quite like the
1:43:51ballad Opus in C Minor 7, original
1:43:53versions of It's My Life and Thief in
1:43:55the Night, Priestess, and the sleazy sex
1:43:58anthem Bump AND GRIND.
1:44:12>> [music]
1:44:15>> GENE SIMMONS WAS NOT ON this planet, not
1:44:18on this Kiss planet. I was physically
1:44:19there. I mean, I certainly did all the
1:44:21tours, but mentally I wasn't there. I
1:44:23mean, for years I looked like a drag
1:44:24queen. I looked like Phyllis Diller's
1:44:26cousin or something. Wearing Joan
1:44:27Crawford kind of Mommy Dearest clothing
1:44:29with bouffant hairdos that went way up
1:44:32here.
1:44:33I mean, I would have looked like little
1:44:34would have looked like something I'd
1:44:35[ __ ] the night before.
1:44:38>> [music]
1:44:46[music]
1:44:51>> If you were worried I was being a bit
1:44:52too kind to 80s Kiss, then uh don't
1:44:55worry because I am not a huge fan of
1:44:57Animalize. It's not an outright bad
1:44:59record, but definitely the weakest
1:45:00mainline record so far. First off,
1:45:02Michael James Jackson went Splitsville
1:45:04and Paul decided to produce this record
1:45:05on his own. And when you lose an outside
1:45:07voice to keep you in check, you get
1:45:08sloppy results. This record is basically
1:45:10Lick It Up, but worse. Gene was starring
1:45:13in a movie and stopped caring about
1:45:14Kiss. By his own admission, he got bored
1:45:16of being in a band. He shot out a
1:45:17handful of demos in the studio super
1:45:19fast, and it sounds like it. His songs
1:45:21on this record are filler in the fourth
1:45:23degree. And Vinnie's replacement, Mark
1:45:24St. John, is just not that great in my
1:45:26opinion. Don't get me wrong, he's a good
1:45:28player, but his tone was [ __ ] his solos
1:45:30are unmemorable and go nowhere, and he
1:45:32just in general couldn't hang. He
1:45:34couldn't play the same solo twice for
1:45:35God's sake. Paul had to sing him solos
1:45:37to play, and he also had to dub in
1:45:38places to fit them better with the
1:45:40songs. And even Eric would come in with
1:45:42the structures of solos. You know it's
1:45:43bad news when the drummer has to help
1:45:45with the guitar solos. Not to say there
1:45:46isn't good tracks. There's some good
1:45:48stuff here. The second single, "Thrills
1:45:49in the Night", has guitar work from Mark
1:45:51St. John that makes one assassinating
1:45:53Vinnie Moorestein. But besides that,
1:45:54it's an anthem rocker that never fails
1:45:56to get you pumping your fist.
1:45:57Unfortunately, this is the start of Paul
1:45:59kind of over singing, but it isn't too
1:46:00bad yet.
1:46:03But I'll be bitching later, don't worry.
1:46:06>> [music]
1:46:13[music]
1:46:20>> I love the scorching opener, "Uh! All in
1:46:22the Golden Circle Fire". "Under the Gun"
1:46:24is a fun quasi speed metal song.
1:46:25"Getaway Can Take" is a decent Zeppelin
1:46:27rip-off, and it's the first time Kiss
1:46:29ever used the word [ __ ] on a record.
1:46:33>> [music]
1:46:34>> All right. But Gene's songs are so
1:46:35lacking. First draft at best. The only
1:46:38reason they're not considerably worse is
1:46:39because Paul worked overtime to get them
1:46:41at least halfway passable. But there's
1:46:43no saving stuff like "Burn [ __ ] Burn"
1:46:45with the laziest hook of their career
1:46:46and lyrics like, "I want to put my log
1:46:48in your fireplace". "Lonely Is the
1:46:50Hunter" and "Murder in High Heels" are
1:46:51notable for having guitar work from
1:46:53future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick since
1:46:55Mark was having issues, let's say. If I
1:46:57had to point out one good Gene song, it
1:46:59would be "While the City Sleeps". It
1:47:01kind of reminds me of "Naked City" from
1:47:02Unmasked. "Heaven's on Fire" was the
1:47:03lead single. It was the biggest hit they
1:47:05had post makeup, and honestly, for good
1:47:07reason. It's got a nice swing to it and
1:47:08a lot of great vocal hooks from Paul,
1:47:10and it ain't exactly reinventing the
1:47:12wheel, but if nothing else, it's a nice
1:47:13set of wheels.
1:47:21>> [music]
1:47:29>> Animalize is very much we have lick it
1:47:32up at home the album. The absence of
1:47:34Michael James Jackson and Vinnie Vincent
1:47:36is felt and the new guitarist was just
1:47:38not a good fit. I can only recommend
1:47:40this whole record if you already heard
1:47:41the two prior records and just want some
1:47:43more Kiss in this general direction, but
1:47:44keep in mind it's more 80s glam rock
1:47:46than heavy metal. Mark St. John was
1:47:48along for the span as he developed a
1:47:49form of arthritis in his hand later
1:47:52diagnosed as Reiter's syndrome. It made
1:47:53his hands blow up and it made it
1:47:55impossible for him to play guitar. So,
1:47:57Bruce Kulick filled in on tour since
1:47:58Mark was only well enough to play I'm
1:48:00not lying two and a half shows. Bruce,
1:48:02like I mentioned, played on a couple
1:48:03songs of this record and he's a little
1:48:04brother of Bob Kulick whom was almost
1:48:07the original Kiss lead guitarist. And
1:48:08after the Animalize tour, Mark was
1:48:10kicked to the curb because of his
1:48:11illness.
1:48:12Sounds bad I say that out loud, but he
1:48:14also just was not a good fit for the
1:48:15band I guess.
1:48:16>> Gene offered
1:48:17offered Mark the chance to play bass on
1:48:19excited
1:48:20after the what
1:48:21And you know, because it was just to
1:48:22make him feel good and because he was
1:48:24fast enough to do the part. He played
1:48:26like a passing note going into a verse
1:48:29coming out of a chord. The note itself
1:48:30may be the correct note that fits, you
1:48:33know, passing through the chord. I said,
1:48:35"But to my ear it sounds like a mistake.
1:48:37People may think it's a mistake."
1:48:39And and quote unquote he goes, "What the
1:48:42[ __ ] would you know? You don't play the
1:48:43junk. You don't know what the [ __ ]
1:48:44you're talking about." I said, "And this
1:48:46is after being in the band for like 3
1:48:48weeks, you know.
1:48:48>> If Mark was easier to deal with and
1:48:50played more consistently, then I doubt
1:48:52that Gene and Paul would have kicked him
1:48:53out as fast they did. And Mark agreed.
1:48:55Bruce took over his spot and stayed with
1:48:56the band for over 10 years. Mark later
1:48:58went on to do a whole lot of nothing. He
1:49:00formed a short-lived band with Peter
1:49:01Criss. He played with David Hasselhoff.
1:49:03And according to rumors, oh no. But Kiss
1:49:06finally have a stable lineup for the
1:49:07first time since the 70s. So, let's see
1:49:10how the next album compares.
1:49:12>> Yes, [music] the Paul Stanley workout
1:49:14tape for dirty minds and clean bodies. I
1:49:17will show you how to get the body you
1:49:19always wanted and the woman it belongs
1:49:21to. Yes, [music] the Paul Stanley
1:49:22exercise tape. Join me, won't you?
1:49:25>> The Paul Stanley workout tape, [music]
1:49:27available where better videos are sold.
1:49:30>> Because a muscle is a terrible [music]
1:49:33thing to waste.
1:49:38>> [music]
1:49:45[music]
1:49:51[music]
1:49:54>> Now you've got your new album out,
1:49:55Asylum. Tell me something about that.
1:49:57>> Well, okay, you may have heard this
1:49:59before, but it's round and it's black
1:50:01and it's got a hole in it.
1:50:02>> Oh, no, I can tell what kind of day this
1:50:03is going to be.
1:50:04>> Yes. [laughter]
1:50:05Yes, it's going to be that kind of day.
1:50:06Asylum is a step up from Animalize, but
1:50:08it doesn't quite reach the heights of
1:50:09Lick It Up. It's still Kiss following
1:50:11the glam trend, which is bizarre when
1:50:13you consider that Kiss helped start the
1:50:14glam trend of the '80s. The
1:50:15transformation from leaders to followers
1:50:17is honestly a little sad. And speaking
1:50:18of sad, look at these costumes. They
1:50:21look like they're thrown up on by the
1:50:22Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Gene
1:50:24looks like the vine. Jesus Christ, I'm
1:50:26not dressing like that guy, sorry. I
1:50:27feel like this record has a richer sound
1:50:28quality to it than Animalize. It was
1:50:30produced by both Paul and Gene this time
1:50:32around, but Gene was still off in
1:50:33Hollywood and made movies like the John
1:50:35Stamos classic Never Too Young to Die,
1:50:37where he plays a gender-bender of a
1:50:38villain.
1:50:39>> Lads, can't you see the greatness in me?
1:50:41I'm female and male, man and woman.
1:50:45>> I'M BETTER THAN YOU ARE.
1:50:46>> GENE, how do you let this happen twice
1:50:47within the span of a year? The singles
1:50:49were all fun. Who Wants to Be Lonely and
1:50:51All Night are great classic hooky pieces
1:50:53of '80s schlocky cheese. Though there's
1:50:54not much that make them Kiss songs. Any
1:50:57band of the day could have recorded them
1:50:58if I'm being honest. With the exception
1:51:00of the big hit Tears Are Falling. It's
1:51:02not too far off other singles in terms
1:51:04of tone and songwriting, but it's a bit
1:51:05more subdued, which lets Paul's vocals
1:51:07shine, letting his personality through.
1:51:09It has a great vibe to it. One of the
1:51:11best Kiss songs of the makeup-less era
1:51:13and one of the best Kiss songs period,
1:51:14honestly. And Bruce immediately showed
1:51:16his power level with that solo of his.
1:51:18It's not very shreddy, he lets the notes
1:51:20breathe, has this crying wailing
1:51:22character to it. Bruce through a lot of
1:51:23his tenure kind of rode the coattails of
1:51:25people like Eddie Van Halen because
1:51:27that's what he was told to do. But Tears
1:51:28Are Falling doesn't sound like Eddie Van
1:51:30Halen or anybody like that. It sounds
1:51:32like Bruce Kulick.
1:51:34>> [music]
1:51:42[music]
1:51:47[music]
1:51:51[singing]
1:51:55>> Most of the album tracks are pretty
1:51:57solid, nothing amazing and none that can
1:51:58even touch Tears Are Falling, but
1:52:00they're enjoyable. King of the Mountain
1:52:01is a fun opener, anyway you slice it is
1:52:03usual Gene flair, but it's fun and after
1:52:05[ __ ] like Burnin' Up the Road I'll take
1:52:07what I can get. Secretly Cruel has a Mr.
1:52:08Speed opening riff with a cool groove.
1:52:11Love's a Deadly Weapon is fun and Trial
1:52:12by Fire is really catchy, probably my
1:52:14favorite of Gene's on this record. But
1:52:16other than the singles, I'm Alive from
1:52:17Paul is my favorite. A fast heavy cut
1:52:19with a great chorus that I love. It was
1:52:21co-written by Bruce and I saw him say in
1:52:22an interview once that Paul isn't really
1:52:24a fan of fast super up-tempo songs,
1:52:26which is a shame because I would much
1:52:27rather take songs like this than all the
1:52:29Zeppelin rip-offs, honestly. Great riffs
1:52:31from Bruce and Eric is on fire.
1:52:39>> [music]
1:52:43[music]
1:52:48>> Asylum is a good album, it just kind of
1:52:50falters. All of the songs are good, but
1:52:51not many of them reach the heights like
1:52:53some of the previous records. And it was
1:52:54on this record where Kiss just became
1:52:56another 80s rock band. They lost a lot
1:52:58of what made them unique, not only
1:53:00image-wise, but music-wise. This is
1:53:02still a decent album and a definite
1:53:03improvement. Bruce was a much better fit
1:53:05for Kiss than Mark ever was, but Asylum
1:53:07didn't do as well as Animalize. It only
1:53:08went gold while the prior record went
1:53:10platinum. But, the band thought they
1:53:11wanted to go back to where they were
1:53:12with The Elders, so they needed a real
1:53:14shake-up with a real producer at the
1:53:16mixing desk.
1:53:16>> By reason of the fact that we're all
1:53:18playing music, you're influenced by
1:53:20what's going on around you. Naturally,
1:53:22everything is is always influenced by
1:53:24what came before it, what's going on
1:53:25currently. Who knows if we have good
1:53:27taste or bad taste, but there's other
1:53:28bands that seem to have the same taste.
1:53:31>> [music]
1:53:43[music]
1:53:45>> For Crazy Nights, they got Ron Nevison
1:53:46to produce behind Heart's synth-heavy
1:53:48comeback records and Ozzy's
1:53:50keyboard-laden The Ultimate Sin. And
1:53:52together with Kiss, they recorded the
1:53:53worst album of either their careers.
1:53:56This is a heinous piece of '80s dick
1:53:57cheese, but not the fun kind of '80s
1:53:59dick cheese. I should probably stop
1:54:00using dick cheese as an adjective. It's
1:54:02not fun like All Hell's Breaking Loose,
1:54:04Heaven's on Fire, or even Who Wants to
1:54:05Be Lonely. The album tracks are tepid at
1:54:07best. It sounds incredibly held back and
1:54:09restrained. The trademark loud guitars
1:54:10that have been a staple of Kiss since
1:54:12day one have been replaced with a Casio
1:54:14that Paul probably fished out of the
1:54:16Pech Merle's dumpster. It makes this
1:54:17record sound like Bon Jovi.
1:54:19And I hate Bon Jovi. Paul said to Bruce
1:54:21that the introduction of keys didn't
1:54:23mean less guitars, but he must have been
1:54:24coping because the guitars can barely
1:54:26even be heard at times. This whole
1:54:28record reeks of desperation and not in a
1:54:30cool way like Alive. It sounds like a
1:54:32bunch of middle-aged rich [ __ ] who
1:54:34want to keep up-to-date with their
1:54:35mortgage payments. I know Kiss have been
1:54:37selling out since day one, but it sounds
1:54:38way more evident here than ever before.
1:54:40On previous albums, there seemed to be
1:54:41excitement to experiment with new ideas,
1:54:43even if the primary motivation was
1:54:45money. One of the singles off this album
1:54:46is Reason to Live, a power ballad. Paul
1:54:48admitted he only wrote it for a chroma
1:54:49radio play. Was it worth it, Paul? Nah,
1:54:52I kind of get it. Maybe it's the
1:54:53childhood nostalgia talking, but I think
1:54:55it's all right. I don't mind the
1:54:56arrangement and Paul kind of pulls back
1:54:57from the over-singing a little bit.
1:54:59Cindy sounds good. Bruce delivers a
1:55:00solid lick here. I guess I like it. Can
1:55:03you believe I've had sex with a woman
1:55:04before? I know, it surprises me, too.
1:55:14>> [music]
1:55:24>> But besides that, I think Gene has the
1:55:26far better songs. And Gene's songs suck,
1:55:28too. Funnily enough, Gene [ __ ] on
1:55:30glorified demos is far more preferable
1:55:31than Paul trying to be Jewish Jon Bon
1:55:33Jovi. Thief in the Night and No No No
1:55:35have decent hooks and riffs, and the
1:55:37synths aren't as ever-present. And I
1:55:38should clarify, I don't hate synths. I
1:55:40mean, I did a Depeche Mode
1:55:41retrospective, for God's sake. They're a
1:55:42tool to be used well or to be used
1:55:44poorly. And Kiss
1:55:47>> [music]
1:55:49>> I think they accidentally hit themselves
1:55:50in the head with a hammer. Hell, I even
1:55:51like those cheesy synth-heavy heart
1:55:53songs. And I love The Ultimate Sin, but
1:55:55when garbage like My Way is blasting
1:55:56through my speakers with Paul's most
1:55:58irritating vocal performance yet,
1:56:04and that's what [ __ ] like this existing.
1:56:07Paul said he was doing it to see if he
1:56:09could sing high. And Paul, just because
1:56:10you can doesn't mean you should. So,
1:56:12that's Crazy Nights. It [ __ ] sucks.
1:56:14An awful attempt at radio rock that
1:56:16makes Journey sound like Morbid Angel.
1:56:18And it may have gone platinum, the title
1:56:19track may have been a hit, but
1:56:21was it worth it? I don't know. If you
1:56:23like AOR, then maybe give this one a
1:56:25shot, but I'd stay away if I were you.
1:56:27After Crazy Nights, their list of
1:56:28greatest hits compilation, Smashes,
1:56:30Thrashes, and Hits. A lot of the tracks
1:56:32were remixed, and I hate pretty much all
1:56:34of them, with the exception of Love Gun,
1:56:35cuz they took out the vocals during
1:56:36Ace's guitar solo, which I think is
1:56:38actually kind of cool. But I Love It
1:56:39Loud has been totally neutered. The
1:56:40drums have been [ __ ] ruined.
1:56:42>> [music]
1:56:47>> What did Eric do to deserve this? And
1:56:49speaking of Eric getting [ __ ] on, Paul
1:56:50and Gene made him sing Beth.
1:56:55>> Call me.
1:56:55>> [music]
1:56:57>> Baby, what can I do?
1:56:59>> Man, [ __ ] you guys. His vocal
1:57:01performance is fine in and of itself.
1:57:03Eric has a good singing voice and I like
1:57:05the way he sang songs like Black Diamond
1:57:06and Young and Wasted, but making him
1:57:08sing Beth just represents how controlled
1:57:10he was within Kiss. Paul has said that
1:57:11Eric had hang-ups about not being the
1:57:13original member of the band, which I
1:57:14agree, it's silly, it doesn't matter.
1:57:16But could you guys at least be
1:57:17empathetic? Must you have made him sing
1:57:19this song that the original drummer made
1:57:20famous and is synonymous with? Can you
1:57:22imagine how that would have made him
1:57:23feel? He even called Peter to apologize
1:57:26and Peter just told him to do it, suck
1:57:27it up, and hang in there. Eric also
1:57:29wants to play on Paul's solo tour in the
1:57:31late '80s and Paul said no because
1:57:33otherwise it would have been half of
1:57:34Kiss, which I guess is fair, but who
1:57:36cares? Just let him play, it's only a
1:57:38solo tour. Paul and Gene then both
1:57:39refused to let Eric play on the song
1:57:41Breakout from Ace's first solo album out
1:57:43of Kiss, fairly comments which he
1:57:44originally co-wrote with Ace during the
1:57:46Elder sessions. Nice one, guys. The
1:57:48cover of Beth in and of itself isn't
1:57:49insulting. What is insulting is what the
1:57:51song represents to how Eric Carr was
1:57:53treated and we're not done yet,
1:57:54unfortunately. On a brighter note,
1:57:56they've included two new songs on
1:57:57Smashes, Trashes, and Hits and they're
1:57:59both so bad they're good. If you told me
1:58:01this is a collaboration between the
1:58:02Spinal Tap cast and Andrew Dice Clay, I
1:58:04would have believed you. Like other Kiss
1:58:06classics like Bang Bang You from Crazy
1:58:09Nights, they're songs about sex. As you
1:58:11can tell by titles such as Let's Put the
1:58:13X in Sex and You Make Me Rock Hard.
1:58:15They're about as subtle as a prostate
1:58:16exam. The lyrics are so stupid and
1:58:18insipid and instrumentals aren't really
1:58:20much to write home about. A lot of
1:58:22keyboards and minimal guitar. Paul
1:58:23doesn't even play guitar in either
1:58:24video. So we get to see his push for
1:58:26attempt at dancing without one and god,
1:58:28this man is just lost without a guitar
1:58:30in his hands. His actual songs, they're
1:58:31[ __ ] atrocious, as bad as [ __ ] from
1:58:33Crazy Nights, but Come On, You Make Me
1:58:35Rock Hard, I can't bring myself to hate
1:58:37it, it's too fun. It honestly feels like
1:58:39Spinal Tap songs to me and I love Spinal
1:58:41Tap. Hopefully the band can find their
1:58:42way again after such a misfire that
1:58:44Crazy Nights was. I really hope they
1:58:45don't overcorrect and release an overly
1:58:47long album with glorified demos that
1:58:49sound like off-cuts from the Gene
1:58:50Simmons vault.
1:58:52That would be awful.
1:58:54>> People say, "When are you going to put
1:58:55the makeup on?" So, we put it back on,
1:58:57okay? Now it's on. Now nobody's going to
1:58:58say, "When are you going to put the
1:58:59makeup on?" What we wanted to kind of
1:59:01make a point of, basically, that this
1:59:03band is the old band, is the new band.
1:59:06Kiss has always been Kiss. I mean, even
1:59:08though it changes and evolves, it's very
1:59:10much what it once was. And when I put
1:59:13the makeup on, nothing changed. It is
1:59:151975. It's also 1985. It's also 1990,
1:59:201995. Time is
1:59:22It's all the same.
1:59:25>> [music]
1:59:31[music]
1:59:36[music]
1:59:40>> You ever wonder if it's all worth it?
1:59:41Kiss had a pretty good run, all things
1:59:43considered, for a little over 10 years.
1:59:44It's by no means perfect, but there's a
1:59:46lot of good music. Too bad none of it is
1:59:47on Hot in the Shade. As I was not so
1:59:49subtly referring to before, Hot in the
1:59:51Shade is made up of mostly slightly
1:59:53cleaned-up demos to bring back some grit
1:59:55into their sound after Crazy Nights and
1:59:57to save some money. And while I
1:59:58appreciate the attempt, it's a gross
2:00:00overcorrection. Kiss are a band who
2:00:02needs at least a little bit of polish,
2:00:03especially at this stage in their
2:00:05career. But these songs are so barren,
2:00:07boring, and there's 15 of them. Who was
2:00:09asking for a Kiss album to be this long?
2:00:11It's nearly an hour, and I would have a
2:00:13hard time to condense it down to a
2:00:14decent four-song EP. At least Crazy
2:00:16Nights had more to be stimulated by, but
2:00:18this album is just
2:00:19nothing. Flat zero. They didn't even try
2:00:22here. The singles are at least a little
2:00:24bit more memorable, I guess, but Rise to
2:00:26It is bland. It's only notable for its
2:00:28video that features Paul and Gene in
2:00:29makeup for the first time in years, even
2:00:31if their outfits are mismatched. Hide
2:00:32Your Heart is okay, I guess. But again,
2:00:34the only notable thing about the song is
2:00:36outside of the song. Ace recorded a
2:00:38version of it on his album Trouble
2:00:39Walkin' that came out a little earlier,
2:00:41funnily enough. Ace was offered the song
2:00:42prior somehow. It's really bizarre. And
2:00:44honestly, I I Ace's version. But even
2:00:46then, the song is hardly a winner. It's
2:00:48saying something when the best song of
2:00:49this album is the power ballad
2:00:51co-written by Michael [ __ ] Bolton.
2:00:53Again, I hesitate to call it great, but
2:00:54it's got a pretty hook, and Paul's vocal
2:00:55performance is nice, and Bruce has a
2:00:57really cool acoustic guitar solo.
2:01:00>> [music]
2:01:01[singing]
2:01:06[singing]
2:01:09[music]
2:01:16[music]
2:01:17>> Gene and Paul are also producing this
2:01:19thing, but again, I don't think Gene
2:01:20gave much of a [ __ ] He was far too busy
2:01:22producing other bands like Black 'n
2:01:23Blue, whose guitarist Tommy Thayer would
2:01:25co-write some of the slightly more
2:01:27tolerable songs on here, and
2:01:29unfortunately also comes back into the
2:01:30picture later on. But Gene and Paul's
2:01:31production does this album no favors at
2:01:33all. They even used drum machines on a
2:01:35few songs here. How dare you carve out a
2:01:36duty, you guys? A lot of songs in here
2:01:38are contenders for the worst ever Kiss
2:01:40songs list. Read My Body is an awful
2:01:41rewrite of Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar
2:01:43on Me, a song I already don't like at
2:01:45the best of times. Cadillac Dreams is
2:01:47lame as hell, and Bruce even let Gene
2:01:48know. Love Gun is a slap in the face,
2:01:50Silverspoon, Throw a [ __ ] Dart. But
2:01:52speaking of Eric Carr, he got to sing an
2:01:54original song for once. Finally, it's
2:01:56been almost 10 years. Little Caesar
2:01:57shows off his personality pretty well.
2:01:59Eric also played bass on it, and Bruce
2:02:01played all the guitars, so there's no
2:02:02Gene or Paul anywhere here. It's by no
2:02:04means a classic, and it's a song you can
2:02:05tell would have been far better if they
2:02:06didn't just use the demo. But if you
2:02:08want to have a decent song off this
2:02:09record,
2:02:10you don't have many choices.
2:02:13>> [music]
2:02:20[music]
2:02:25[music]
2:02:29>> Hide the Shade is just a little
2:02:31pathetic, I won't lie. This may as well
2:02:32be a demos outtakes compilation, but at
2:02:34least those types of releases from other
2:02:36bands occasionally have good songs.
2:02:37There's more songs in here that I can
2:02:38stomach as compared to Crazy Nights, but
2:02:40at least they sound like they tried on
2:02:42that last album, but here
2:02:44no bueno. And it would unfortunately be
2:02:46Eric Carr's last full outing with the
2:02:47band. In early 1991, after the Hot in
2:02:50the Shade tour,
2:02:51which credit where it's due was pretty
2:02:52damn great,
2:02:54Eric was diagnosed with cancer of the
2:02:55heart. By November of the same year, he
2:02:57suffered a brain hemorrhage and passed
2:02:58away a few days later.
2:03:00He was 41 years old. The last couple of
2:03:02years of Eric's life, unfortunately, was
2:03:04kind of tough for him, even before his
2:03:05diagnosis. Eddie Trunk, a close friend
2:03:07of Eric's, said that during the Hot in
2:03:08the Shade tour, him and Paul were not
2:03:10speaking to each other at all. They cut
2:03:12his drum solo from the first leg before
2:03:13it was thankfully re-added, and he was
2:03:15asking Eddie to keep his eyes open for a
2:03:17new gig in a different band.
2:03:18>> He would call me and ask me about bands
2:03:21looking for drummers.
2:03:22>> Mhm.
2:03:23>> I'll never forget one time he called me
2:03:25say, "I heard Whitesnake is looking for
2:03:26a drummer. Can you kick the tires for me
2:03:28and find out?" There was a lot
2:03:31of weirdness
2:03:32>> Mhm.
2:03:33>> between him
2:03:34and his family and the Kiss camp. There
2:03:37was stories about what happened to his
2:03:39health coverage. There was a lot of
2:03:42really distasteful, hard-to-believe
2:03:44allegations thrown around at that time.
2:03:47>> They didn't exactly fire him, but they
2:03:49tried to get him to resign. You know,
2:03:51they were pressuring him while he was
2:03:55on his deathbed to resign. I don't want
2:03:57to speak for them, but I think they
2:03:59realized they could have done things
2:04:01better and differently.
2:04:03And it was a tough time. Everybody was
2:04:05under pressure. Nobody new exactly what
2:04:07was going to happen. They were coming
2:04:09from a business perspective. I was
2:04:11coming from,
2:04:13you know, the perspective of somebody
2:04:14that was his girlfriend and that was at
2:04:16at every doctor's appointment. I was in
2:04:17the hospital bed with him.
2:04:18>> He told his days in Kiss were numbered.
2:04:20Not long after Eric's diagnosis, Kiss
2:04:22were asked to record a new single for
2:04:23the soundtrack of Bill & Ted's Bogus
2:04:25Journey. Eric desperately wants to play
2:04:27drums on the track, but Gene and Paul
2:04:28opted to instead use Eric Singer, whom
2:04:30Paul had played with during his solo
2:04:31tour. This hurt Eric deeply, but it hurt
2:04:33even more when they asked Eric to play
2:04:35drums on the next record, which was
2:04:36going to be produced by Bob Ezrin. Gene
2:04:38and Paul insisted that this was only
2:04:39temporary and then as soon as he got
2:04:41better, there'd be space for him. But
2:04:42put yourself in Eric's shoes. You're
2:04:44diagnosed with an incredibly rare and
2:04:46deadly form of cancer. And while you're
2:04:48wasting away and suffering through
2:04:49chemo, your supposed friends are
2:04:51recording a new album without you. I'd
2:04:53feel like I was cut off, too. If Def
2:04:55Leppard can stand by their drummer for 4
2:04:56years after his [ __ ] arm was cut off,
2:04:59then Kiss have no excuse. But I will
2:05:01give credit where it's due. In Paul's
2:05:02insufferable memoir, he owned up to how
2:05:04badly Eric was treated during his last
2:05:06days in Kiss. Though I thought I had
2:05:08made the best choices at the time, I
2:05:10began to realize I'd been wrong. We had
2:05:12cut Eric off in perhaps the worst way by
2:05:15denying him what mattered to him most,
2:05:17his place in Kiss. That had been lost on
2:05:20me while we continued to do everything
2:05:21we thought was important, everything we
2:05:23thought we could and should do. It was
2:05:26wrong to keep Eric from the thing he
2:05:27loved most, what for him was a lifeline,
2:05:30Kiss. And I should have seen that since
2:05:32the band functioned the same way for me
2:05:34and I wasn't even sick.
2:05:36I should have known.
2:05:37>> And I shouldn't make it all about the
2:05:38drama. Eric was one in a million. He was
2:05:41the glue that held Kiss together in the
2:05:42'80s. That Sean the arm that they
2:05:44received is why they recorded some of
2:05:45their best material and my personal
2:05:47favorite Kiss record. His drum solos
2:05:49were fantastic, very entertaining and
2:05:51very musical. And this is coming from
2:05:52someone who usually doesn't like drum
2:05:54solos. He played since to make it sound
2:05:56like a whole band. It was really cool. I
2:05:58never met him. Hell, he died 8 years
2:06:00before I was even born. But by all
2:06:02accounts, he was an absolute sweetheart
2:06:04of a guy. Always making time for fans
2:06:06wherever he could. And on at least one
2:06:07occasion, flew out on his own dime
2:06:09across the country to a Kiss convention
2:06:10to celebrate the band and the fans. His
2:06:13humor was vital, always cracking jokes
2:06:15and making everyone in the room laugh.
2:06:16He was just a good guy to have around by
2:06:17the accounts of everyone who knew him.
2:06:19He was a real salt of the earth type of
2:06:20guy and the world, let alone Kiss, is
2:06:22just not as good without him. Peter
2:06:24Criss may be the original and Eric
2:06:26Singer may be a slightly better drummer
2:06:27technically and they deserve respect,
2:06:29too. But neither of them could bring the
2:06:30thunder quite like Eric did. Rest in
2:06:33peace, bud. You're my favorite KISS
2:06:34drummer.
2:06:36We miss you.
2:06:36>> When Eric joined the band, he brought
2:06:38back the energy we had in the beginning.
2:06:40He literally renewed our faith in
2:06:42ourselves.
2:06:42>> Eric really loved his fans and there's
2:06:44nothing he wouldn't do for them. They
2:06:46would send them incredible gifts like
2:06:47this drum kit a fan made from scratch.
2:06:49Even though he was a great musician,
2:06:51what I miss most about him was his sense
2:06:53of humor. He made me laugh harder than
2:06:55anyone else.
2:06:56>> When Eric died, the band lost the force
2:06:58that kicked him in the ass for a lot
2:07:00>> of years.
2:07:01>> As a drummer, he was definitely one of a
2:07:03kind.
2:07:04>> He came from a background of singing in
2:07:05top 40 bands, so he had this uncanny
2:07:08ability to sound like the people he was
2:07:09imitating. He didn't always sound like
2:07:11them, but he always thought he did. We
2:07:13called him Manny Voices. Half the time
2:07:15we didn't know the words to the song.
2:07:16The other half the time maybe we didn't
2:07:18know the music, but we sang, we had a
2:07:20great time, and one thing while Eric was
2:07:22in the band, the four of us laughed so
2:07:24much sometimes it hurt.
2:07:27>> We're always going to miss him.
2:07:29>> But the story isn't over yet. In 1992,
2:07:31KISS released an album dedicated to the
2:07:32memory of Eric Carr. Bring on Revenge.
2:07:35>> I think everybody in the band had a
2:07:36sense without really sitting down and
2:07:38planning it that this was going to be
2:07:40one for us and not one for the record
2:07:42company or radio or to try to figure out
2:07:44what was cool, was hip or not.
2:07:46Christians get it. They have a saying,
2:07:48"Born again." This feels like born again
2:07:50KISS.
2:07:50>> We were kind of like off base. All of
2:07:53sudden we looked at each other and you
2:07:54know, kind of went,
2:07:56"Hey, let's get back. Let's get back in
2:07:59this game."
2:08:00>> [music]
2:08:15>> Now, if I haven't already pissed off the
2:08:17KISS stards before, then I will here.
2:08:20Revenge is not that good of a record,
2:08:22guys. I swear the only reason they get
2:08:24so much love is the two records that
2:08:26came previous [ __ ] making it look so
2:08:28good in comparison. Bob Ezrin is back
2:08:30and the sound is fantastic. Eric Carr's
2:08:32replacement, Eric Singer, is a great
2:08:33drummer and stylistically they brought
2:08:35it back to basics. There was less hair
2:08:37or glam posturing and they were simply
2:08:39being Kiss. But song writing wise this
2:08:41album's a dwarf among midgets. It's not
2:08:43the best non-makeup Kiss record. Lick It
2:08:45Up is far better and it's not even
2:08:46close. [ __ ] I don't even think this is
2:08:48the best record of Bruce Kulick. I think
2:08:49Asylum is much more solid despite the
2:08:51radioactive jizz they were covered with.
2:08:53I can see there's a lot to like here and
2:08:55they're incredibly as a band. And this
2:08:57album is one of few examples of Kiss
2:08:58doing something for themselves other
2:09:00than the money. They weren't trying to
2:09:01appeal to any specific trend. They were
2:09:03just being Kiss. And the lead single
2:09:04Unholy is a Kiss classic, maybe the last
2:09:07Kiss classic. It's Gene singing for the
2:09:09first time on a single since I Love It
2:09:11Loud on Creatures and was finally done
2:09:13trying to be a movie star, the next Rick
2:09:15Rubin. And it's not just a Gene song but
2:09:17a demon song, starker than anything they
2:09:19did in makeup with the use of tritones,
2:09:22atmosphere, and even some dissonance.
2:09:23It's a foreboding song that's
2:09:25terrifying. I thought it was incredibly
2:09:27scary as a child and still fits Gene
2:09:29even without makeup with that punishing
2:09:31riff and its aggression and the pinch
2:09:32harmonics. I always get a bit of a
2:09:34Pantera vibe from it. It's a great
2:09:35example of what Bob Ezrin can get out of
2:09:37this band. And look, he co-wrote this
2:09:39song. Hmm, maybe that's why it's the
2:09:41best song off the record.
2:09:44>> [music]
2:09:54[music]
2:09:59[screaming]
2:10:02>> It's too bad that after the lead single
2:10:03and opening track the album pretty much
2:10:05immediately falters and never quite gets
2:10:07back up on the horse. Take It Off is an
2:10:09incredibly try-hard stripper anthem that
2:10:11I can imagine being played in the
2:10:12background of a strip scene in a one of
2:10:13Rob Zombie's shitty movies. Spit is a
2:10:15hot mess with its awful scat singing,
2:10:17god awful structure, and it has an awful
2:10:19inclusion of the Star-Spangled Banner
2:10:21which seems silly because it's a song
2:10:23about loving big girls with a lot of
2:10:25cushion for the pushing. But when they
2:10:26got strippers for the tour to dance
2:10:27during Take It Off, would you look at
2:10:29that? There's only conventionally
2:10:30attractive skinny girls. Cowards. Domino
2:10:33is a piss-poor attempt at aping ZZ Top,
2:10:34and Billy Gibbons will probably
2:10:35assassinate Gene if he ever heard this.
2:10:37Now, I'd probably assassinate him for
2:10:38being a [ __ ] creep. And every time I
2:10:40look at you is such a sappy, saccharine
2:10:42ballad that just puts me to sleep. It's
2:10:44[ __ ] anemic, and as someone with an
2:10:46iron deficiency, that's saying
2:10:47something. How do you not only write a
2:10:48power ballad with no power, but in 1992,
2:10:51no less? By this point, rock radio and
2:10:53the record-buying public had no use for
2:10:55schlock like this. On a somewhat
2:10:56positive note, God Gave Rock and Roll to
2:10:58You is an okay enough song. It's a cover
2:11:00by the band Argent with some rewritten
2:11:02lyrics by Paul, Gene, and Bob Ezrin.
2:11:03They recorded it before the album almost
2:11:05to test drive Bob Ezrin as producer
2:11:07after The Elder. And at this point, Eric
2:11:08Carr was still alive, and despite being
2:11:10too ill to actually play drums, he did
2:11:12sing in the acapella section.
2:11:16>> [music]
2:11:18[singing]
2:11:19>> And he was in the video, and despite the
2:11:21fact he was miming Eric Singer's parts,
2:11:23and he was so weak and frail at this
2:11:24point, and he lost all his hair, he had
2:11:26to wear a wig, he still played his
2:11:27absolute heart out. And for that alone,
2:11:29I have to give the song at least a
2:11:31little bit of props. It's incredibly
2:11:32cheesy, but not in an insulting way. And
2:11:34it's a decent enough bon voyage for one
2:11:36of the best guys to ever pick up a pair
2:11:37of sticks.
2:11:40>> [music]
2:11:48[music]
2:11:51>> Besides that, I dig Hard Luck Woman a
2:11:53lot. It's the best Paul song off this
2:11:55record, and look here. Yeah, Vinnie
2:11:57randomly linked up with the band during
2:11:58this era after the Vinnie Vincent
2:12:00invasion got invaded, but they soon
2:12:01enough remembered, "Oh, yeah, Vinnie
2:12:03Vincent is [ __ ] crazy." So, they
2:12:05kicked him to the curb, but he still
2:12:06wrote the best songs on this thing.
2:12:08Sorry. Tough Love and Now Shout Now are
2:12:10okay. Paralyzed has an amazing intro,
2:12:12but falls apart not so long after, and I
2:12:14just want to say maybe the dumbest song
2:12:15of all time, but I still kind of like
2:12:17it. And it ends with Carr Jam 1981, an
2:12:20unreleased jam session from the other
2:12:21sessions that features Eric going ape
2:12:23[ __ ] It originally featured Ace, but
2:12:25Bruce Kulick overdubbed him because God
2:12:27forbid Paul and Gene give anybody else
2:12:29money when they can keep it all in one
2:12:30room. It's incredibly lame, but at the
2:12:32same time Eric Carr and Bruce were
2:12:33incredibly tight and good friends. So,
2:12:35for that reason alone, I can't be too
2:12:37mad. Then again again, it's not really a
2:12:38song. Ace eventually took this jam and
2:12:40used it for the song Breakout and it
2:12:42[ __ ] rules. I'd much rather listen to
2:12:43that version any day. Even if Eric
2:12:45didn't play on it. Yeah, Revenge is just
2:12:47pretty underwhelming in my opinion. It
2:12:49all goes downhill after Unholy and
2:12:50despite some cool cuts here or there, it
2:12:52just never probably gets back on its
2:12:53feet. I'm honestly a little mystified as
2:12:55to why this album has such adulation
2:12:57within Kiss circles. Kiss stars are
2:12:59pretty easy to please, I guess. I mean,
2:13:00hell, you're watching, aren't you? And I
2:13:01say this is a Kiss star. You can smell
2:13:03it around. But it didn't sell very well.
2:13:05It barely squeaked out a gold
2:13:06certification and the tour didn't do so
2:13:08well, either. So, it may be time to
2:13:10panic. But hey, it's been long enough.
2:13:11The band are moving to a bold new
2:13:13direction, so why not another
2:13:14installment into the Alive series of
2:13:16records?
2:13:17>> The setlist finally reached that
2:13:18maturity or something with the band that
2:13:20really kind of caught caught up to what
2:13:22we were about. And it was definitely the
2:13:24time to record. I couldn't imagine doing
2:13:25this anytime during the '80s.
2:13:28>> [music]
2:13:34[music]
2:13:39[music]
2:13:42>> Alive III is incredibly mediocre. In
2:13:44every way Alive I and II succeed, this
2:13:46one falls flat. My biggest [ __ ] is the
2:13:48track listing, honestly. You may be
2:13:49thinking, how can they not play songs
2:13:50like Deuce or Shock City live? Well, in
2:13:52Alive II, they set a precedent of not
2:13:54repeating songs. There's no songs in
2:13:56Alive I that have been in Alive II
2:13:58because one, it would be redundant, and
2:13:59two, why not give newer songs time to
2:14:01shine? And that was the mindset after
2:14:03only three new studio records since
2:14:04Alive I. Since Alive II, we've had 10
2:14:06new studio records. Granted, they're not
2:14:08all quite as classic, arguably, but they
2:14:10had their fair share of hits during that
2:14:11time, did they not? Many of which, like
2:14:13Tears Are Falling and Crazy Nights, are
2:14:14bizarrely absent. But they made sure to
2:14:16include not only songs like Watching
2:14:17You, which were already on previous
2:14:18Alive, but the [ __ ] Star Spangled
2:14:20Banner again. Also, this does not feel
2:14:22very cohesive. The first two Alives
2:14:24flowed very well together, despite how
2:14:25much [ __ ] Eddie Kramer did in the mix
2:14:27stitching [ __ ] together. But unless
2:14:28you're listening for it, you never
2:14:29notice.
2:14:31For the most part. But you definitely
2:14:32feel it here. The crowd noises sound
2:14:34super unnatural. They fade in and out
2:14:36way too suddenly. The stage raps don't
2:14:37blend in with the songs themselves. Just
2:14:39listen to Paul's stage rap prior to
2:14:40Heaven's on Fire and how it goes into
2:14:42the actual song.
2:14:43>> Song's got a beginning where YOU GO,
2:14:44"OH, YEAH!
2:14:46I KNOW THAT ONE!"
2:14:51>> YOU CAN CLEARLY TELL THEY WEREN'T
2:14:52RECORDED AT THE SAME TIME. They don't
2:14:54sound alike. It just doesn't feel like
2:14:55I'm listening to a KISS show. It feels
2:14:57like I'm listening to a collection of
2:14:58KISS songs played live. Bruce claims
2:15:00that of all the Alive records up to this
2:15:01point, Alive III had the least fixes in
2:15:03post, but it does not sound like it. It
2:15:05sounds even more fake. I don't really
2:15:06get it because Eddie Kramer was back
2:15:08producing and mixing, but there's also
2:15:09some called G-G-Garth?
2:15:12>> I like to play.
2:15:14>> And he's credited for mixing and all
2:15:16these mixing engineers and Paul and Gene
2:15:17are co-producers. So, if I had to blame
2:15:19anyone, I guess I know who. Also, this
2:15:21may come across as a bit mean, so let me
2:15:22preface this by saying I have nothing
2:15:24against Eric Singer. I mean, sometimes
2:15:25he seems like a bit of a prick.
2:15:26>> If you went to a Raiders game, you
2:15:28wouldn't wear the other team's uniform.
2:15:30>> But he's undeniably a really great
2:15:31drummer. I'd be a fool to say he wasn't.
2:15:33He's played on a lot of records I love
2:15:35outside of KISS, but he's a goddamn
2:15:36human drum machine on this record. He
2:15:38attacks the songs so clinically with no
2:15:39real groove or feel. I'm sure it's fine
2:15:41enough if you saw this tour live, but on
2:15:43a live record where you're focusing on
2:15:44the performance, it's so off-putting.
2:15:46The older songs have totally been
2:15:47neutered. He royally [ __ ] up the
2:15:49Detroit Rock City's iconic shuffle
2:15:51instead giving it this boring heavy
2:15:52metal double bass.
2:15:56>> [music]
2:16:01>> He doesn't even attempt the also iconic
2:16:03Rock and Roll All Nite drum intro. And
2:16:05the drum roll at the end of Due sounds
2:16:06like [ __ ] ultra quantized MIDI. I've
2:16:08seen people say he later criticized his
2:16:10performance on Alive III himself, saying
2:16:12he should have played the songs more
2:16:13faithfully. Now, I can't find a source
2:16:14for this, but I definitely believe it.
2:16:16>> We're going to do uh something
2:16:18special. We got some members of the
2:16:20family here tonight.
2:16:22>> [cheering]
2:16:24>> And we're not talking about mom and dad.
2:16:27We're talking about Peter Criss and Ace
2:16:28Frehley.
2:16:32>> [music]
2:16:40[music]
2:16:45>> Around this time the band noticed these
2:16:47Kiss conventions and decided to cash in
2:16:48themselves with their own conventions
2:16:50that they could monetize. Cool. I get
2:16:52it's [ __ ] but apparently it's a really
2:16:53cool time if you went. Peter Criss even
2:16:54showed up in one of them and sang a few
2:16:56songs during an unplugged set. And they
2:16:57were later offered to appear on MTV's
2:16:59Unplugged, but only if they appeared
2:17:00with Ace and Peter. And remember,
2:17:02Revenge fell well below expectations, so
2:17:04they kind of had to. But just to show
2:17:05I'm not such a hater, I love the
2:17:07Unplugged record so much. The band were
2:17:09on fire long before Ace and Peter came
2:17:10on for a few songs at the end. The
2:17:12setlist was eclectic and fantastic for a
2:17:14pick of both classics and deep cuts like
2:17:16"Coming Home", "See You Tonight" from
2:17:17Gene's solo album, and even "World
2:17:19Without Heroes" from The Elder. Sure,
2:17:20Domino sucks and Paul was trying way too
2:17:22hard with the Christina Aguilera [ __ ]
2:17:24but I still love this way more than
2:17:26Alive III, that's for sure. The band was
2:17:27super tight with the harmonies and
2:17:29acoustic arrangements, and Bruce really
2:17:31killed it shredding like he did on
2:17:32acoustic, which is not easy. But it
2:17:34obviously opened the floodgates for the
2:17:35reunion, and it would be a cloud that
2:17:37hung over the band as they recorded
2:17:38their next record, which they only
2:17:40released for 2 years. It didn't come out
2:17:41until it got leaked and bootlegged to
2:17:43death, so it was released with very
2:17:44little fanfare during the thick of the
2:17:45reunion tour, so bring on Carnival of
2:17:47Souls, The Final Sessions, the Kiss
2:17:50grunge album, the crunch album, if you
2:17:52will.
2:17:53>> Gene was very attracted to the dark kind
2:17:55of edgy stuff. He didn't like the
2:17:56flannel shirts and you look like you
2:17:58work at the gas station. But, he heard
2:18:01Radiohead's "Creep". I'm a creep.
2:18:03Oh, that yeah, that kills me. And then
2:18:05he would hear that the angst and the
2:18:07strength of a Nirvana song that just
2:18:11knew how to connect with people. And the
2:18:13next thing you know, I'm tuning down a
2:18:15little. I'm listening to Alice in Chains
2:18:17and I'm going, "Wow, there's some cool
2:18:18riffs here. Let me see what I can come
2:18:20up with." So, the band was kind of
2:18:22confused. Well, let's make a darker and
2:18:25meaner Kiss album.
2:18:30>> [music]
2:18:35[music]
2:18:42>> Rain down on me.
2:18:44>> Now, Carnival of Souls is kind of the
2:18:46lost Kiss record. There were no videos,
2:18:48none of the songs have ever been played
2:18:49live by the band at any point, and it is
2:18:51maybe the laziest album cover of all
2:18:52time. I never heard of this album till
2:18:54well into my teenage years, despite
2:18:56being a Kiss nerd the second I dropped
2:18:57out the birth canal. I remember one time
2:18:59seeing the CD at a store and looked at
2:19:00the back, saw no songs I recognized, and
2:19:02put it back because it was way too
2:19:03expensive. It's maybe the most
2:19:05diametrically opposed Kiss album to the
2:19:06band's general ethos. The band was
2:19:08always about having fun, living your
2:19:10life to the fullest, but this album was
2:19:11very influenced by the alt-rock and
2:19:12grunge scenes coming out of the early
2:19:14'90s. This record is very dark. If it
2:19:16wasn't for Gene and Paul's voices, I
2:19:17would have never guessed this was the
2:19:18Kiss record. Say what you want about the
2:19:20elder, it was different from the band's
2:19:21usual sound, but it was never this
2:19:23outright depressing. And a lot of people
2:19:24hate this album, especially Paul
2:19:26Stanley. He said in 2001, "I never
2:19:28believed the world needed a second
2:19:30Soundgarden, Metallica, or Alice in
2:19:31Chains." Now, Paul, that may be true,
2:19:33but the world also didn't need a
2:19:34fourth-rate David Lee Roth in the '80s.
2:19:36>> Well, I should actually say there's a
2:19:37lot of girls who feel like they want to
2:19:39take Eric home and mother him.
2:19:44Well, I'll tell you something, he may
2:19:45look like a little boy, but he's built
2:19:48like a man.
2:19:50>> But, believe it or not, I don't hate
2:19:52this album. I've always had a taste for
2:19:54bands like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, The
2:19:56Melvins, and L7, and I'm not one of
2:19:58those metal guys who hate grunge. I like
2:20:00both. And despite Paul's resistance to
2:20:02making this album,
2:20:03apparently, producer Toby Wright said he
2:20:05was more than on board during the
2:20:06recording sessions. A lot of the best
2:20:07cuts off this thing are his. Master and
2:20:09Slave has a killer riff and groove.
2:20:11Gene, for the first time in years, lets
2:20:12out a rip on bass in the verses, and the
2:20:14chorus has this foreboding crawl that's
2:20:16so menacing. I love it.
2:20:18>> [music]
2:20:26[music]
2:20:32>> I also really dig Hate. It's a great
2:20:33faster cut that opens the record strong,
2:20:35and Eric Singer really kills it here.
2:20:36Jungle is a vibe and a half. It never
2:20:38goes away. It's pretty much a doom
2:20:39metal. And Rain is pure Alice in Chains
2:20:41worship with its dour harmonies and slow
2:20:43dirge of a riff. And that makes sense
2:20:45because the producer of this record,
2:20:46Toby Wright, had recently done the
2:20:48Tripod and Unplugged record for that
2:20:49band. During this time, Gene was really
2:20:51into the new alternative bands of the
2:20:52day. Apparently, he was trying to sell
2:20:54Paul on doing a record like this, saying
2:20:55he wants to be like Billy Corgan. And
2:20:57now, I like the Smashing Pumpkins, don't
2:20:58get me wrong, but Gene wants to be Billy
2:21:00Corgan
2:21:01is objectively hilarious. Everything
2:21:03about that is just really funny. He
2:21:04joined bands like the Melvins and Red
2:21:06Cross on stage. And there's this
2:21:07somewhat cursed picture of Gene from
2:21:09around this time with Steve McDonald of
2:21:10Red Cross, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth,
2:21:12Mike Watt from the Minutemen, and Kira
2:21:14Roessler from Black Flag. God, I would
2:21:16love to be a fly on the wall during
2:21:18whenever this picture was taken.
2:21:21Must have been such a weird mix of
2:21:22energy. And when Kiss curated their own
2:21:24tribute record, which was
2:21:25>> kind of weird, honestly.
2:21:26>> Which was basically a tribute to
2:21:27themselves cuz they were curating it.
2:21:30It's like inviting people to their own
2:21:31surprise birthday party.
2:21:33>> Most of the bands picked were heavier
2:21:34alternative bands, like Garth Brooks. I
2:21:37imagine he felt more comfortable with
2:21:38the trends of the '90s and the trends of
2:21:39the '80s, where Paul felt like a fish
2:21:41out of the water in the '90s, but he fit
2:21:42right in the '80s. Gene has this weird
2:21:44song called Seduction of the Innocent
2:21:45with some vaguely Egyptian-styled riffs.
2:21:47Song takes its name from a book written
2:21:49by a psychiatrist named Fredric Wertham
2:21:51that basically said that every possible
2:21:52problem you could think of was caused by
2:21:54comic books somehow. But this song is
2:21:55about a priest who's
2:21:57probably not a good Christian. And this
2:21:58was around the time those sex scandals
2:22:00about priests came out. The lyrics seem
2:22:01to be about the duality of these kinds
2:22:03of people who preach peace, love, and
2:22:04understanding, but behind closed doors
2:22:06be actual monsters. And the hook is
2:22:08weird and trippy even for this album's
2:22:10standards.
2:22:14>> [music]
2:22:19[music]
2:22:25>> And as much as I like a lot of these
2:22:26tracks, this album isn't as solid as it
2:22:28could be. There's a lot of filler and a
2:22:30lot of the songs just sound unfinished.
2:22:32It's a very top-heavy album for the most
2:22:34part. And I originally thought this is
2:22:35because Paul and Gene were busy playing
2:22:36the reunion, but according to Toby
2:22:38Wrights, that stuff didn't come up until
2:22:39the mixing process. So, I have no idea.
2:22:42But thankfully, the other guys pulled
2:22:43their weight. Eric Singer was more than
2:22:45solid, and Bruce Kulick wrote nine
2:22:46songs, plays bass on five songs, plays
2:22:48all the guitars on six tracks, and even
2:22:50sang the lead vocals on the ending
2:22:52track, I Walk Alone. A fitting track
2:22:54given that this would be his last album
2:22:55with the band, and it's not amazing,
2:22:57honestly. Bruce is not a great singer,
2:22:59and he doesn't make up for it with
2:23:00attitude and style like Ace can, but it
2:23:02fits. His voice is pretty monotone, but
2:23:04the guitar work and arrangements and
2:23:05weird [music] backward effects and
2:23:06stuff, I think help it a lot. It's
2:23:08decent enough song for Bruce to bookend
2:23:10his time with the band. A very valuable
2:23:11piece of Kiss history. [music]
2:23:18>> [music]
2:23:23[music]
2:23:29>> Overall, Carnival of Souls is pretty
2:23:31good, honestly. By no means great.
2:23:33There's a lot of duds, but I think the
2:23:34highlights make this record at least
2:23:35worth checking out. Sure, you can argue
2:23:37that this isn't a Kiss album with its
2:23:38doom and gloom, but at least it's a hard
2:23:40rocking album, which is more than you
2:23:41can say for stuff like Crazy Nights. The
2:23:43album is just kind of a victim of how it
2:23:44was released. I mean, hell, it was
2:23:46leaked. I've heard some rumors that Eric
2:23:47Singer leaked it himself because he was
2:23:49bitter about the reunion. Either that or
2:23:50his friend did it. I don't know. It's
2:23:52weird. Keep in mind this is pure
2:23:53speculation. I have no proof of this.
2:23:55And by time it was released, it was
2:23:57released quietly with this boring
2:23:58artwork just so the record buying public
2:24:00didn't think that this was the coveted
2:24:01reunion record that they were waiting
2:24:03for. Like a big sign that said, "Don't
2:24:05buy me." It's a shame because there's
2:24:06mock-ups of what the artwork was
2:24:07supposed to be and even though it's
2:24:09painfully '90s, it's at least
2:24:11something. This album looks like an odds
2:24:12and ends release, not a proper studio
2:24:14album. And the few Kiss nerds that
2:24:15actually bought it [ __ ] hated it
2:24:18because it sounds so out of left field.
2:24:19But it's not bad, just different. Well,
2:24:22there's songs on this album that aren't
2:24:23exactly winners. I don't think any are
2:24:25outright bad. And it's been a while
2:24:27since we've had a Kiss record with no
2:24:28bad tracks, so I'll take it. But this
2:24:29was the end of the makeup-less era of
2:24:31the band. And given some of their late
2:24:32'80s output, I'm glad that this
2:24:34bookending album is as decent as it is.
2:24:36Of course, in 1996, Peter Criss and Ace
2:24:38Frehley came roaring back into the band.
2:24:40They announced their comeback at the
2:24:41Grammys with Tupac Shakur, which is
2:24:43another bizarre image. And with Hootie
2:24:45and the Blowfish, this is a cursed blunt
2:24:46rotation. They went on on a massive
2:24:48reunion tour in the biggest venues on
2:24:49the planet, selling them out within
2:24:51minutes. It was a perfect storm of a
2:24:52love for Kiss, '70s nostalgia, and
2:24:54general extravagance. It was one of the
2:24:56biggest tours of the decade and it put
2:24:58Kiss back on top after losing a lot of
2:24:59steam in the early '90s. To help pull
2:25:01this off, they brought in a new manager
2:25:02after Bill Aucoin left in the early
2:25:04'80s. Gene and Paul basically managed
2:25:05the band themselves after that. So, they
2:25:07brought in Doc McGhee and I [ __ ] hate
2:25:08this toupee-wearing, Ozempic-taking
2:25:10rectal wart. I can't say that C-word
2:25:12anymore and I can't afford another one
2:25:13of these videos being demonetized, but I
2:25:15want to say it so goddamn bad for this
2:25:16guy. He's like a black hole of charisma.
2:25:18Listening to him talk makes me
2:25:19uncomfortable. He represents everything
2:25:21I hate about corporate America. He comes
2:25:23across as a slimy freak who'll [ __ ] you
2:25:25over as soon as he gets a chance if he
2:25:26feels like he can get ahead. I hate his
2:25:27voice. I hate his face. I hate his
2:25:28[ __ ] wig. Dude, you're bald. We all
2:25:30know you're bald. Stop trying to fool
2:25:32us. And Ace and Peter may have been back
2:25:34in the band, but not as equals. They're
2:25:36not calling any shots and they're not
2:25:37getting the same paychecks. They are
2:25:39employees, not partners. And this is a
2:25:41big thing with bands. It sucks, but it's
2:25:43business, but I don't know. I just can't
2:25:44let that go really. It just seems like
2:25:46piss-poor justification. Gene and Paul
2:25:48talked about how, "Oh, we never left the
2:25:50band. We kept it going. We wouldn't be
2:25:52able to do this tour if we went away."
2:25:53I'm sorry, Paul, but songs like "Cold
2:25:54Gin" and "Let It Go" and "Fire" while
2:25:56they may be hits, didn't affect the
2:25:57ticket sales of the reunion tour. You
2:25:59want to know how I know this? You didn't
2:26:01play anything released post Love Gun. It
2:26:03was nostalgia. Besides, doesn't absence
2:26:05make the heart grow fonder? If you just
2:26:07want more money and power, just [ __ ]
2:26:08say that. Be honest. Morally, I think
2:26:10it's [ __ ] up because everyone is doing
2:26:12the same amount of work on stage. So, I
2:26:13don't think it's far-fetched to say
2:26:15everyone should get the same money. But,
2:26:16whatever. There's a reason I'm not a
2:26:18gazillionaire. Feel free to call me a
2:26:19dirty commie in the comments. And
2:26:20hearing Gene and Paul talk about it is
2:26:22pretty funny because they knew it was
2:26:23going to be hard to try and work with
2:26:25Peter and Ace again, but they did it for
2:26:27the cash. They were not doing that
2:26:28great. Regardless of my opinion, Revenge
2:26:30was a return to form. A lot of people
2:26:32liked it, but it did not sell that well,
2:26:34and the tour suffered. So, how well do
2:26:35you think a Kiss grunge album released
2:26:37in the mid-90s would have turned out?
2:26:38Especially after the taste they gave
2:26:40everyone of our reunion tour with that
2:26:41unplugged record. By the mid-90s,
2:26:4320-year cycle worked its magic and 70s
2:26:45nostalgia was in and in a big way. No
2:26:47one besides weirdos like me wanted to
2:26:48hear Kiss try their hand at grunge. And
2:26:50I wasn't even born by that point.
2:26:52Carnival of Souls, if released, probably
2:26:53would have done worse than The Elder.
2:26:54They needed Peter and Ace back to make
2:26:56those big bucks and save the band. And
2:26:58they knew it. I'm sure they were both
2:26:59massive pains in the ass. I certainly
2:27:01wouldn't want to be in a band with Peter
2:27:02Criss circa 1996 either. But, both those
2:27:04guys put asses in seats. But, the
2:27:06reunion seemed to be pretty great for
2:27:07everyone who saw it. Peter and Ace
2:27:08needed a bit of help cuz they hadn't
2:27:10toured like Paul and Gene did during the
2:27:11time they both left. Tommy Thayer
2:27:13actually helped both of them with
2:27:14remembering what exactly they did back
2:27:15in the day, and I obviously wasn't
2:27:16there, but from what I've seen of the
2:27:17performances and the Donington 1996
2:27:19soundboard, seems fine. Ace sounds good,
2:27:22but Peter started using these awful drum
2:27:23triggers, and he was definitely not the
2:27:25man he once was. Not awful, and I don't
2:27:27know if the triggers were mixed in with
2:27:29real drum sounds or what or anything
2:27:31like that. I wasn't as tech. I imagine
2:27:33it's similar to playing an electronic
2:27:34kit. But, even if you play an electronic
2:27:36kit, you still got to play decently to
2:27:38sound good. So, don't use the fact that
2:27:39he used triggers to totally write off
2:27:41his performances. Tension-wise, at first
2:27:43it was actually okay. They got along
2:27:45well enough, and Peter and Ace behaved.
2:27:48Then they decided to release a new
2:27:49album.
2:27:51That [snorts] was fun while it lasted.
2:27:52>> I was really excited. I was like, "Wow,
2:27:54we're going to finally do a studio
2:27:55[music] album together as a band." All
2:27:57of a sudden, they're like, "You're going
2:27:58to do what we tell you to do. You know,
2:28:00we're going to put our songs on it.
2:28:01We'll pay you for the record, and we'll
2:28:03say you played on it, but we don't want
2:28:05you to tell the world you didn't play on
2:28:06it."
2:28:07I couldn't live with that.
2:28:08>> Psycho Circus, I had very limited
2:28:10involvement. You know, I wasn't invited
2:28:11to the studio. You know, the when you
2:28:13hear Paul and Gene talk about it, it's
2:28:14like I didn't show up or, you know, the
2:28:17reason I'm not on any of the songs
2:28:19because I wasn't asked to be on them.
2:28:22>> [music]
2:28:30[music]
2:28:38>> This is the Force Awakens of Kiss
2:28:40albums. Psycho Circus was an album I
2:28:41remember liking a bunch as a kid, and
2:28:43it's one that I continued to defend as I
2:28:45got older, saying things like, "Sure,
2:28:47it's not a real reunion album, but it's
2:28:48still pretty good." But age brings
2:28:50wisdom, and yeah, this record is mid at
2:28:53best. This was supposed to be a proper
2:28:55Kiss reunion. They're going to get Bob
2:28:56Ezrin back in the producer's chair with
2:28:58all four original members.
2:29:00Yeah, about that. Bob Ezrin was busy,
2:29:02and in his place was Bruce Fairbairn,
2:29:04mainly known for his production for Bon
2:29:05Jovi, Poison, and other classic rock
2:29:08bands' later records that mostly sold
2:29:09quite well despite most of them being
2:29:11pretty [ __ ] I hate this production so
2:29:13much. It's so glossy and polished, and
2:29:15sure, that might be okay if you're
2:29:16producing track like Poison, but keep it
2:29:18away from Kiss. If Bob Ezrin was busy,
2:29:20why not Eddie Kramer? His production
2:29:22with the band has been far more solid
2:29:23anyway, in my opinion at least. Did we
2:29:25really need to get the guy behind
2:29:26Slippery When Wet? And famously, this is
2:29:28not a reunion album. Kevin Valentine
2:29:30plays most of the drums, and he doesn't
2:29:32play anything like Peter. Tommy Thayer
2:29:34plays most of the guitar, as well as
2:29:35Bruce Kulick on a couple of tracks, and
2:29:37Paul and Gene have changed stories as to
2:29:39why this is like this. They said they
2:29:41were trying to renegotiate contracts,
2:29:42they never bothered showing up, and them
2:29:44not being good enough by either their
2:29:46standards or Bruce Fairbairn's. Whereas
2:29:48Peter and Ace have both said that they
2:29:49were simply just not invited, actually
2:29:51paid almost a million each to not play
2:29:53on the record. And I believe Peter and
2:29:55Ace, honestly. Changing your story is
2:29:56never a sign of truthfulness, and I
2:29:58don't believe that they're unable to
2:29:59play in the studio. You can cheat a lot
2:30:01in the studio. So, even if they were as
2:30:02bad as they claimed, it's not as if it
2:30:03can't be fixed. Peter and Ace were fine
2:30:05enough playing the songs alive. Maybe
2:30:07not amazing, but it was possible.
2:30:08There's only one song where every member
2:30:10plays on it. That's Ace's own, Into the
2:30:12Void. It was rewritten a bit in the
2:30:13studio, and Paul and Gene claimed they
2:30:15both had to help a lot in the
2:30:16arrangements, but Karl Cochran, the
2:30:18song's co-writer, calls [ __ ] And it
2:30:20hardly shocked me, but it's such a
2:30:21breath of fresh air. It's a just a
2:30:23straight-up hard rock song with all four
2:30:24original guys who started the span in
2:30:26the '70s. I love Peter's kind of shitty
2:30:28drumming, Ace's solo, and the objective
2:30:30performance, and just the overall
2:30:31chemistry. Ace even remixed the song
2:30:33himself to give it a more raw and lively
2:30:35feel. Maybe it's just the Ace shilling
2:30:37me, but it's definitely the best song of
2:30:38the album.
2:30:43>> [music]
2:30:51[music]
2:30:56>> But the album is full of songs that
2:30:57hardly even feel like Kiss. Even
2:30:58discounting the lack of virtual members.
2:31:00Razor Glasses is an awful attempt at a
2:31:02motivational congratulatory rock song,
2:31:05and it irritates me. We Are One is an
2:31:06awful ballad that is as sappy saccharine
2:31:08as it is dishonest. For a guy that likes
2:31:10to tell it like it is, Gene wrote some
2:31:12Kumbaya type [ __ ] here. Like, "Yeah, we
2:31:14are one." While you're feuding and
2:31:16excluding band members from recording
2:31:17sessions. Sure. You might say it's about
2:31:19the Kiss Army, but Kiss fans are
2:31:21fractured to all hell. There's Gene and
2:31:22Paul guys, Ace and Peter guys, downright
2:31:24shills, and we all [ __ ] hate each
2:31:26other. It's civil war, and it's been
2:31:28this way since the early 2000s. I don't
2:31:30like Kiss fans. I am not [ __ ] one of
2:31:31you. I hate every last one of you.
2:31:34That includes you, too, Kevin. We are
2:31:36not one. We're 6,473
2:31:38at best. And how could I not mention the
2:31:40worst Kiss song of all time? Worse than
2:31:42Read My Body, worse than My Way, worse
2:31:44than Cadillac Dreams, worse than
2:31:45anything from Peter Soul discography,
2:31:47you name it. I Finally Found My Way to
2:31:48You is a heinous rehash of Beth written
2:31:50by Paul without anything what made Beth
2:31:52endearing. It's so calculated. They're
2:31:54trying so hard to make lightning strike
2:31:56twice. But if anything, this makes Beth
2:31:57seem worse in comparison. The
2:31:59instrumental sounds like stock easy
2:32:00listening tripe. Peter didn't even give
2:32:02a single [ __ ] with his performance. When
2:32:04Paul's vocals come in, it makes me want
2:32:06to commit a [ __ ] hate crime.
2:32:08>> [music and singing]
2:32:11>> Bob Ezrin,
2:32:13how dare you? I expect this [ __ ] from
2:32:15Paul,
2:32:16but not you, Bob. I'm not mad. I'm just
2:32:18disappointed. Besides Into the Void, I
2:32:20guess I like the title track. It's a
2:32:22song that's still played live on later
2:32:23tours, and for good reason. Within is a
2:32:25Carnival of Souls offcut, and it goddamn
2:32:26sounds like it. But it's a cool vibe,
2:32:28and Gene's performance is admirable.
2:32:29Dreamin' is an okay rocker that got them
2:32:31sued by Alice Cooper for being too close
2:32:32to I'm Eighteen, and uh
2:32:46>> [music and singing]
2:32:59[music]
2:33:06>> Yeah, but my second favorite track is
2:33:08Journey of a Thousand Years. It's really
2:33:09bizarre, dense, epic, and not Kiss at
2:33:11all. Honestly, it somewhat reminds me of
2:33:13The Elder, and maybe that's why I dig
2:33:15it. There's a lot of strings, acoustic
2:33:16guitar, and it has a really great vocal
2:33:18from Gene hitting some of his highest
2:33:19notes ever. I also love the reprise of
2:33:21the title track solo, just such great
2:33:23scale. It sounds huge. This is honestly
2:33:26kind of a great forgotten Kiss song.
2:33:28>> [music]
2:33:33[music]
2:33:39[music]
2:33:45[music]
2:33:48>> Yeah, Psycho Circus is only barely a
2:33:50Kiss album, but it doesn't even sound
2:33:52like Kiss. Sure, you could say the same
2:33:53for a lot of Kiss records, but this
2:33:55album was marketed as the return of the
2:33:56classic Kiss lineup, and they gave us
2:33:58this horse [ __ ]
2:34:02It's honestly a little insulting. Paul
2:34:03says that the new material that they
2:34:05could write could never compare to the
2:34:06classic albums in hearts of fans, and
2:34:08that's true, but bands like Aerosmith
2:34:09were getting the biggest hits of their
2:34:10career at the time. Sure, those songs
2:34:12also don't sound like classic Aerosmith,
2:34:13but people still liked it. It's a lame
2:34:15excuse, Paul, and you know it. This
2:34:17album just isn't that good. Don't piss
2:34:18on me and claim it's raining, Paul. This
2:34:20is hardly Love Gun. And that's not
2:34:21nostalgia talking. Remember, I'm a
2:34:23younger fan. This album is 1 year older
2:34:26than me. I heard it a lot as a kid. I
2:34:28used to like it way more. There's a song
2:34:29called It's My Life released on the box
2:34:31set. It was recorded during this album's
2:34:32sessions, and again, it's way better
2:34:33than most actual songs on this album.
2:34:35It's a cheesy but fun celeb of rock that
2:34:37screams Kiss in terms of subject matter.
2:34:39It's about living your life and being
2:34:40yourself no matter what. It's really
2:34:41wholesome, and I kind of love it. Ace
2:34:43even shares lead vocals with Gene on
2:34:44this song with the space man singing the
2:34:45last verse after a great solo, which I
2:34:47don't know if it was really him or not,
2:34:49but still a good solo regardless. It's a
2:34:51fun song that maybe could have done well
2:34:52for them if released as a single.
2:34:57>> [music]
2:35:06[music]
2:35:09>> But yeah, the most interesting thing
2:35:10about this record is the fact they got
2:35:11ICP so upset. What the [ __ ] was up with
2:35:13that, by the way? In 1999, a movie
2:35:15called The Twerk City was released.
2:35:17Obviously with a little bit of a Kiss
2:35:18theme with that title. It's about four
2:35:19dropkicks who go on an adventure to see
2:35:21Kiss live at Cobo Hall in Detroit 1977.
2:35:24And honestly, I [ __ ] love it. It's a
2:35:25great coming of age flick and you don't
2:35:27need to be a Kiss fan to like it. But
2:35:28being one definitely enriches the
2:35:29experience. But even if you hate the
2:35:31band, I think most can still enjoy this
2:35:32for what it is. It's a fun,
2:35:34light-hearted coming of age comedy with
2:35:35some slightly random Sam Raimi / Coen
2:35:38brothers heightened reality thrown in
2:35:39there for good measure. They did not
2:35:40need to go this hard with the camera
2:35:42movements and editing. That's for sure.
2:35:43It's the only movie I can think of that
2:35:45has a guitar riff jump scare.
2:35:52The cast is super stacked with Edward
2:35:53Furlong as Hawk, Giuseppe Andrews as
2:35:55Lex, Sam Huntington as Jam, and James
2:35:58DeBello as Trip. And I hate to say it,
2:35:59but I was definitely an amalgamation of
2:36:01all these idiots in high school. They
2:36:03seem like actual friend groups I've had.
2:36:04While exaggerated, they seem like real
2:36:06friends with a history. Also, people
2:36:07like Natasha Lyonne and Lin Shaye are
2:36:09great in their supporting roles.
2:36:10>> And besides, those jeans are so tight, I
2:36:12can see your penis.
2:36:14>> It gets so bizarrely outrageous and
2:36:15logic is often left by the wayside. I
2:36:17like when Lex is being chased, he causes
2:36:19a big pileup and just turns up above all
2:36:21of them for no reason. Or when Trip
2:36:22accidentally eats a joint and destroys
2:36:24the girls' bathroom.
2:36:26>> Get the [ __ ] [screaming] out of here,
2:36:27man.
2:36:28>> Sorry.
2:36:28>> It's like a live-action cartoon. I
2:36:30goddamn love it. It often screams the
2:36:31fact, "Hey, we're in the '70s." a lot.
2:36:34The intro is total member berries for
2:36:35the entire decade, but they definitely
2:36:37play into it. Like when the teacher's
2:36:38reading a newspaper that just has a
2:36:39headline about the Jonestown massacre.
2:36:41Like everything in the movie is
2:36:43amplified and over the top on purpose.
2:36:44Like Kiss are themselves. There's a lot
2:36:46of classic lines.
2:36:47>> I want to talk, Lex. Your mom's a
2:36:49[ __ ] dyke.
2:36:50>> Just because she's a female
2:36:51gynecologist, that doesn't mean she's a
2:36:53lesbian. And even if she was, it's my
2:36:55mom didn't give birth to me while she
2:36:57was on LSD.
2:36:58>> Shrooms.
2:36:59>> Anyone up for an animal?
2:37:00>> I see a Cheyenne in the tampon, [ __ ]
2:37:02The next period. [music]
2:37:03>> It's a teenage girl walking along the
2:37:05side of the highway.
2:37:06I mean, they they they make scary movies
2:37:08that start out like that.
2:37:11>> Hey, but but they make porno movies that
2:37:13start out like that, too, MAN.
2:37:15>> I JUST LOST [screaming] MY VIRGINITY IN
2:37:17A CONFESSIONAL BOOTH.
2:37:19LORD HAVE MERCY.
2:37:22>> THE SOUNDTRACK IS PRETTY GREAT ALL
2:37:23THROUGHOUT. It's got a pretty good
2:37:24selection of '70s classics, some cool
2:37:26covers like The Donnas doing Strutter
2:37:28and Pantera doing Cat Scratch Fever.
2:37:30Granted, Marilyn Manson's Highway to
2:37:31Hell is pretty awful, but oh, well. And
2:37:34there's an awful new Kiss song written
2:37:35by Diane Warren called Nothing Can Keep
2:37:37Me From You, obviously trying to
2:37:38piggyback on I Don't Want to Miss a
2:37:39Thing. If the songs didn't share a
2:37:40writer, I would encourage someone to
2:37:42sue. And as much as I don't like I Don't
2:37:43Want to Miss a Thing, it at least works
2:37:45with a Michael Bay blockbuster, but for
2:37:47a coming-of-age comedy that takes cues
2:37:49from Raising Arizona,
2:37:51are you [ __ ] kidding me? The song is
2:37:52awful for a lot of the same reasons the
2:37:54Aerosmith song is, but the blatant
2:37:56recycling makes it considerably worse.
2:37:58Besides that, it can get pretty
2:37:59formulaic. There's a lot of tropes all
2:38:00throughout, and there were definitely
2:38:01more homophobic slurs than I remembered
2:38:03as a kid.
2:38:05>> No.
2:38:07Not the fact.
2:38:08>> And the auto gets badly blown out of
2:38:10points.
2:38:10>> Brilliant strip. Sheer [ __ ]
2:38:12brilliance. Why don't you give Albert
2:38:14Einstein here the [ __ ] Nobel Prize?
2:38:17>> I didn't know anyone noticed that. What
2:38:18the [ __ ] Also, we get a genie, Your
2:38:20Wife Is Very Hot. It's definitely an
2:38:21underrated classic. It didn't do that
2:38:23hot, to put it lightly. It got pretty
2:38:25mixed reviews, and everyone for a long
2:38:26thought it was going to kill his career.
2:38:28>> They sent me a copy that I watched at
2:38:30home, and I was alone,
2:38:32and I put it on,
2:38:33and I made it about halfway through, and
2:38:35I'm like, this is it.
2:38:37My [ __ ] career is over. I was like,
2:38:39oh, dude, this is horrible. This is
2:38:40awful.
2:38:41>> Don't worry, buddy. Kiss isn't going to
2:38:42kill your career.
2:38:43You did a pretty good job of that
2:38:44yourself. How do you do movies like Pet
2:38:46Sematary 2 and inject heroin in your
2:38:48dick on a daily basis and think a silly
2:38:49comedy is going to kill your career? But
2:38:51has attained a cult classic status in
2:38:53recent years. And I would recommend it
2:38:54to anyone who's a fan of stuff like
2:38:56this. We need to go back to the '70s
2:38:57aesthetic for movies and shows, man. The
2:38:59'80s stuff has been everywhere since W.
2:39:01Throw us a bone here. After this, in
2:39:022000, the band decides to call it quits
2:39:04and go on their first farewell tour,
2:39:06mainly because they're all [ __ ]
2:39:07miserable.
2:39:08>> We decided to do a farewell tour with
2:39:10Ace and Peter because we couldn't depend
2:39:12on each other. It became drudgery and
2:39:14ugly.
2:39:15>> Peter was an ass to everyone.
2:39:16>> Get out of here, man.
2:39:18>> Ace was out of his head and he got super
2:39:19mad at Gene for cutting his daughter out
2:39:21of Detroit City cuz apparently she had a
2:39:22cameo or a small part or some [ __ ] like
2:39:24that. And Paul and Gene were just trying
2:39:26to get through it. They likened it to
2:39:27putting an animal out of its misery.
2:39:29I've seen the last Kiss pro-shot show
2:39:31and it seems fine. Though they might
2:39:33have messed with it in post. But in
2:39:34general, the shows are pretty rough.
2:39:35Peter didn't even make it to the end of
2:39:37the tour. Eric Singer filled in for
2:39:38dates in Australia and Japan in the
2:39:39Catman makeup. We'll come back to this
2:39:41later. But it was honestly much better
2:39:43musically with him since Peter skills
2:39:44declined so much by then. And Eric
2:39:46actually knows how to hold a pair of
2:39:48drumsticks. But of course, the farewell
2:39:49tour wasn't the farewell of the band.
2:39:52That would make too much sense. Paul
2:39:53talks about a guy coming up to him at a
2:39:55mechanic or something saying, "Hey man,
2:39:57when's your next tour?" And that's what
2:39:59gave him the green light to go ahead and
2:40:00keep going, which is stupid as all hell
2:40:02if it's even true. The band with Eric
2:40:03and Ace played at the 2002 Winter
2:40:05Olympics, which is Ace's last time with
2:40:06the band.
2:40:07>> I swore I wouldn't tour anymore with
2:40:09them and they said, "We'll do the
2:40:11farewell tour and I swear to you, Ace,
2:40:14that will be it." Gene swore to me on
2:40:16his mother. Then he
2:40:18calls me up and says, "We're going to do
2:40:19another tour." I go, "You may be doing a
2:40:22tour. You can put Tommy Thayer in
2:40:24makeup. I don't give a
2:40:26>> Tommy Thayer was brought in as the
2:40:27Spaceman.
2:40:29Then Peter came back for Alive IV, Kiss
2:40:31Symphony. God, this is a mess.
2:40:33>> How hard is it to get the band back
2:40:34together for for [laughter] any kind of
2:40:36gig?
2:40:38>> And before I get people commenting, yes,
2:40:40I know about the Millennium concert
2:40:41recorded in
2:40:42>> Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
2:40:43>> It was supposed to be Alive IV, but it
2:40:45was shelved for years and not released
2:40:46until 2006 in the Kiss Alive box set.
2:40:49And it was shelved for good reason. It's
2:40:50not very good. It's not awful either,
2:40:52but it's so redundant. Most of these
2:40:53songs were on prior Alives and they were
2:40:55done much better there. [ __ ] I probably
2:40:57like Alive III more than this. At least
2:40:58Alive III had more reason to exist. I
2:41:00can at least see an argument as to why
2:41:01you'd want to listen to those songs over
2:41:03the originals, even if I vehemently
2:41:04disagree. But these are pretty much the
2:41:06same
2:41:07but worse. I don't like how the drums
2:41:09sound. The mix can be weird and just
2:41:10lacks a certain quality that Alive album
2:41:12should have. All the previous Alives
2:41:14were recorded over multiple nights, so
2:41:15they could pick the best performances of
2:41:16each song. But when you have One Night,
2:41:18you're kind of screwed. I don't believe
2:41:20Eddie Kramer was involved, and it shows.
2:41:21It's just so lackluster, not worth your
2:41:23time at all. Anyway, onto the Alive 4
2:41:26that actually exists.
2:41:27>> People don't really know what to expect.
2:41:29We just want to let you know that you're
2:41:31going to get everything that Kiss is
2:41:32known for. There's going to be enough
2:41:34firepower on that stage, well, it's more
2:41:36than most third world countries have.
2:41:38That's number one. Number two is the
2:41:40symphony orchestra is going to be
2:41:42completely miked, and all of them are
2:41:44going to be in Kiss war paint. The
2:41:45entire 60-piece Melbourne Symphony
2:41:47Orchestra.
2:41:48>> And only an orchestra like the Melbourne
2:41:50Symphony Orchestra would do it because,
2:41:52I mean, we've we've been approached to
2:41:53do this before, but, you know, the idea
2:41:55of working with an orchestra where
2:41:56you're twisting their arms to do this.
2:41:58These people are as crazy as we are, but
2:42:00they're amazing musicians.
2:42:03>> [music]
2:42:08[music]
2:42:16>> What a [ __ ] waste. Fun fact, this
2:42:17show was recorded in Melbourne,
2:42:18Australia, where I live. Don't ask about
2:42:20the accent, we'll be here all day. And
2:42:22my dad and older sister actually went to
2:42:23the show. I didn't because I was only 3
2:42:25years old, and I'm still kind of pissed
2:42:26about it. One of my earliest memories
2:42:28was looking out my front door, knowing I
2:42:30was missing out on seeing Kiss. Yes, I
2:42:32was a Kiss freak even at that age. But
2:42:33listening to it and watching the DVD
2:42:35now, I realize I wasn't missing out on
2:42:37much. Now, I don't mind some classical,
2:42:39but it's almost never good when mixed
2:42:40with rock and metal. I swear, the idiots
2:42:42who say, "Classical is just heavy metal
2:42:44without electricity." These people have
2:42:45no clue about composition. If anything,
2:42:47classical is jazz without electricity.
2:42:49I'm sorry to sound pretentious, but it's
2:42:50true. And if anything, it's on brand.
2:42:52The band were pretentious about it
2:42:53themselves.
2:42:54>> It's something that only we in our
2:42:56insanity would even attempt.
2:42:58>> It's something that that's never been
2:42:59done before.
2:43:00>> Never done before? Scorpions did it in
2:43:022000. Metallica did it in 1989. Yngwie
2:43:05Malmsteen did it in 1997. Deep Purple
2:43:07did it in 1969,
2:43:09before Kiss was even formed. You guys
2:43:12aren't doing anything new. In fact, it
2:43:13probably worked better for those other
2:43:14bands. A lot of Metallica was heavily
2:43:16inspired by classical, so when you
2:43:18listen to songs like Call of Cthulhu and
2:43:19S&M, it kind of works. Mixing classical
2:43:21with the rock music is kind of Yngwie's
2:43:23whole schtick. But Kiss? They're a band
2:43:25of many talents, but whoever listened to
2:43:27a song like Do You Love Me and said,
2:43:28"You know what the song needs? A [ __ ]
2:43:30tuba."
2:43:32>> [music]
2:43:33>> Nothing against the arrangements done by
2:43:34David Campbell. I'm sure he did the best
2:43:36he could, but these songs simply weren't
2:43:38built for such an expansive troop of
2:43:39musicians. While there were some
2:43:40strengths to be found in Destroyer, Bob
2:43:42Ezrin knew not to go too overboard
2:43:44because when you do, the songs become
2:43:45too busy and muddled. Half the time I
2:43:48have a hard time hearing the guitar.
2:43:49There's quite literally too many cooks
2:43:50in the kitchen. And they even played
2:43:52that heinous piece of [ __ ] Great
2:43:53Expectations with a children's choir and
2:43:55all. And seeing kids' presence while
2:43:56Gene is singing these lyrics repulses
2:43:58me.
2:44:00>> [music]
2:44:02>> Hey, Simmons, leave the kids alone.
2:44:06There's three segments to Alive IV. The
2:44:08first is usual Kiss fare, four guys,
2:44:10bass, drums, two guitars. The second set
2:44:12is acoustic with the symphony, and the
2:44:14third is the longest act with the band
2:44:16back on electric instruments and the
2:44:17symphony and the whole nine yards. I
2:44:19understand having an unplugged section
2:44:20for ballads and such, but why is there
2:44:21six songs and no orchestra? Isn't that
2:44:23the whole gimmick? That's the only thing
2:44:25this release has going for it. Why would
2:44:26you make such a big stink over the
2:44:27symphony only to not include it for a
2:44:29big chunk of the show? Metallica had it
2:44:31the whole time. What's your guys'
2:44:32excuse? You think the unplugged section
2:44:34would be better, and it is. With less
2:44:35going on, it gives these songs more room
2:44:37to breathe. Beth on here is pretty good,
2:44:39no complaints. The other ones are fine
2:44:40enough, but I'm sorry, this is going to
2:44:42sound super nerdy, but I need to get
2:44:43this off my chest. I hate the guitar
2:44:45tone. On MTV Unplugged, their acoustics
2:44:47were set up with mics to capture the raw
2:44:49sound of the acoustic instruments, but
2:44:51here, they're instead plugged into
2:44:52acoustic electrics, into an amp, and
2:44:54using the piezo pickups under the bridge
2:44:56of the guitars. And maybe you don't
2:44:58care, or you like the sound of piezo
2:44:59guitar pickups, but I want to hear the
2:45:01wood and the air coming out of an
2:45:02acoustic guitar, not a shitty DI signal.
2:45:05I understand it's more work, but could
2:45:06you guys not have paid someone to set up
2:45:08some microphones in front of two guitars
2:45:09and a bass? Was that a bridge too far?
2:45:11If you're going to half-ass it, then
2:45:12don't even bother. This is probably the
2:45:14dorkiest rant I've ever gone on. I
2:45:15apologize.
2:45:17No, that's a lie, I don't. The lineup is
2:45:18weird on this album. They brought back
2:45:20Peter Criss, but Tommy Thayer was on
2:45:21guitar. I obviously wish Ace was there,
2:45:23but it wouldn't make that much of a
2:45:25difference, I'll be real. I don't need
2:45:26to hear an orchestral rendition of Shock
2:45:28Me. It's just odd to see Peter and Tommy
2:45:29with the band, but fake Frehley does
2:45:31fine enough, I guess. This funnily
2:45:32enough was because the promoters of the
2:45:33symphony show and or the Aerosmith
2:45:35co-headline show that followed wanted at
2:45:38least three out of four original
2:45:39members, so Gene and Paul buckled, and
2:45:41they tried to get Ace, but he said no
2:45:42because he took the farewell tour
2:45:44seriously. So, they got Peter, which is
2:45:45funny considering how much Gene and Paul
2:45:47both hate him.
2:45:48>> Peter was not what you'd call an
2:45:49intellectual. He wasn't qualified to
2:45:51make musical decisions. For all intents
2:45:54and purposes, he might have been
2:45:55tone-deaf.
2:45:56>> I love what they say, "Oh, the farewell
2:45:57tour could just be farewell to Peter and
2:45:59Ace." Only to get Peter back and keep
2:46:00the gravy train going. What a bunch of
2:46:02hypocrites. Speaking of hypocritical
2:46:04behavior, during the press conference
2:46:05for the symphony, there was only Peter,
2:46:07Paul, and Gene. Tommy wasn't even there.
2:46:08Of course, the first thing they're asked
2:46:10about was Ace. They make it seem like
2:46:11Ace might actually be there, despite Ace
2:46:13already saying no by this point.
2:46:14>> Where's Ace?
2:46:16>> Oh my god.
2:46:18>> Ace, come on, man. It's all right.
2:46:20>> Ace isn't here. We're hoping he'll be
2:46:22with us at this spectacular concert.
2:46:24>> Just to milk the fans even more. Giving
2:46:26them hope that Ace might actually be
2:46:27there, so they buy tickets. That's some
2:46:28scumbag [ __ ] I don't care what you say.
2:46:31And while on tour, Paul praised Peter by
2:46:32saying, "Peter Criss is playing better
2:46:34than he's had in years. Whatever he
2:46:35needed to sort out and put in
2:46:36perspective, he's done." And in his
2:46:38book, Sex Money Kiss, Gene says, "He has
2:46:40trained and worked hard, and the results
2:46:42speak for themselves. He's never sounded
2:46:43better, drumming and singing. The fans
2:46:45are thrilled, and so is the band." And
2:46:47honestly, yeah, Peter stepped up his
2:46:49game from what I can tell. He was
2:46:50hitting harder and carried the swing of
2:46:51those songs quite frankly much better.
2:46:53Keep in mind, I'm not a drummer. I can
2:46:54barely play guitar. So, take my opinion
2:46:56with a grain of salt. So, though you
2:46:57should probably take Gene and Paul's
2:46:58opinions with a grains of salt, too,
2:46:59since after the Aerosmith tour, Peter
2:47:01was kicked to the curb to make way for
2:47:02Eric Singer and his makeup. And
2:47:04Tweedledee and Tweedledum gave the same
2:47:06reasons for getting rid of him, mainly
2:47:07him being a diva, which I 100% believe,
2:47:09and poor playing, which I don't. And
2:47:11honestly, I don't blame him for not
2:47:12wanting to be Gene and Paul's lackey.
2:47:14That guy has been there since the
2:47:15beginning and deserves the respect that
2:47:17it entails. Sure, he wasn't in the band
2:47:18for 15 years, but not playing on records
2:47:20like Hot in the Shade doesn't exactly
2:47:22hurt his credibility. During that
2:47:23Aerosmith tour, Tommy Thayer was being
2:47:25paid more than Peter Criss. What else
2:47:27more can I say? Being subservient may be
2:47:29good enough for Eric Singer, but it
2:47:31ain't good enough for the real Catman,
2:47:32that's for sure. And speaking of the
2:47:33copycat, and by extension the fake
2:47:35Frehley, I should probably discuss that
2:47:37now. As you can tell, I'm totally
2:47:39[ __ ] against Cat piss. I think it's a
2:47:40farce. Not because I'm against anyone
2:47:42who wasn't the original lineup. My
2:47:44favorite record is Creatures of the
2:47:45Night. No Ace, nor Peter to be found.
2:47:47And it's not because I hate Tommy and
2:47:48Eric. They're good musicians. Tommy
2:47:50seems like a stand-up guy and Eric runs
2:47:51his mouth a little, but whatever, I'll
2:47:53let it slide. And they've done great
2:47:54work outside of Kiss. Eric has played on
2:47:56some great records with Alice Cooper.
2:47:57The industrial Brutal Planet is by far
2:47:59my favorite of them. And he was in a
2:48:00band called Badlands with Jake E. Lee
2:48:02and Ray Gillen in the late '80s that
2:48:03ruled. He only played on their debut
2:48:05album, but that album is fantastic. The
2:48:07album's a classic and Eric Singer's
2:48:08drums are a big reason why. And Tommy
2:48:10Thayer was in a band called Black 'n
2:48:11Blue in the '80s. And while they were
2:48:13far from amazing, their debut album I
2:48:15think it's a solid piece of hard rock
2:48:16and some glammy fist-pumping affair.
2:48:18Hold on to 18, Wicked [ __ ] Show Me the
2:48:20Nights, and Chains Around Heaven are all
2:48:21worth your time if you're a fan of
2:48:23catchy hard rock. Which, if you're this
2:48:24far into a Kiss documentary, I imagine
2:48:26you are. And Tommy's guitar work is
2:48:27superb. He was clearly influenced by
2:48:29Ace. I mean, his main guitar throughout
2:48:30that band's tenure was a Les Paul, and
2:48:32you can hear it in his playing, but he
2:48:33had his own style. And it was a shame we
2:48:35never really heard much of that in Kiss.
2:48:36So, yeah, I like Tommy and Eric. I like
2:48:38them so much I wish they could be their
2:48:40own people within this band.
2:48:41>> No matter who you aspire to be,
2:48:43>> [music]
2:48:43>> you're never going to be better at being
2:48:45them than they are. So, you got to be
2:48:47the best you.
2:48:48>> [ __ ] Tommy plays Ace's licks note for
2:48:50note. At least Bruce gave those songs
2:48:51his own twist. Even when Tommy plays
2:48:53solos for Bruce's era, he makes them
2:48:54sound as if Ace Frehley's playing them.
2:48:57>> [music]
2:49:10[music]
2:49:14>> And Eric's drums were severely
2:49:15kneecapped. Sure, I didn't like how he
2:49:17played older Kiss songs, but it was
2:49:18unique. It was his own twist on the
2:49:20material, and he should be allowed to do
2:49:21that. I love when Gene and Paul try to
2:49:23defend this [ __ ] They're like, "Oh,
2:49:24what was next after the fox? The dog
2:49:25boy?" First off, Eric Carr and Vinnie
2:49:27Vincent's makeup designs were cool as
2:49:28[ __ ] and they fit the guys wearing
2:49:30them. Meanwhile, Tommy and Eric just
2:49:31look weird because those designs were
2:49:33designed with Ace and Peter's face
2:49:34specifically. So, it just looks wrong on
2:49:36them. Sure, the fox and the ankh were
2:49:38nowhere near as iconic, but those
2:49:39designs weren't even around for that
2:49:41long, keep in mind. You guys compare
2:49:42Kiss characters to superheroes all the
2:49:44time.
2:49:45>> How many Batman have there been? And for
2:49:47somebody to say, "Well, you're
2:49:47musicians, you're not superheroes."
2:49:49>> [music]
2:49:50>> Guess what? We're as much superheroes as
2:49:52those guys are.
2:49:53>> And they're sure [ __ ] more than four
2:49:54superheroes people like. Back in the
2:49:56day, I doubt many people said, "Oh,
2:49:57yeah, my favorite member of Kiss is the
2:49:59Starchild." No, they said Paul Stanley,
2:50:01Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter
2:50:03Criss. Okay, I doubt many people said
2:50:04Peter, but still. If you look at old
2:50:06toys of the band, like the ones from the
2:50:07'70s or even the McFarlane stuff from
2:50:09the '90s, they don't say the demon, they
2:50:11say Gene Simmons. Look at the old
2:50:13commercials.
2:50:14>> With makeup diagrams so you can look
2:50:15like Gene, look like Paul, look like
2:50:18Peter, or look like Ace.
2:50:19>> Sure, now they say the names of the
2:50:21characters, but only after they started
2:50:22doing this [ __ ] Look at the records.
2:50:24They were never credited as the
2:50:25characters. The Catman wasn't credited
2:50:27for drums. Peter was. Look at the solo
2:50:29albums. I'm not saying they never used
2:50:30the characters' names. I know they did,
2:50:32but only really in stuff like comic
2:50:33books. They weren't anonymous like the
2:50:35Residents. The identities of each guy
2:50:37was the character. If you asked Diamond
2:50:38Darrell who was tattooed on his chest,
2:50:40he wouldn't tell you the Spaceman. He
2:50:42would say Ace [ __ ] Frehley. I didn't
2:50:44start playing guitar because of the
2:50:46Spaceman. I started playing guitar
2:50:47because of Ace [ __ ] Frehley. And Paul
2:50:50and Gene tried to defend it by saying,
2:50:51"Oh, we're replaceable, too." Oh,
2:50:53[ __ ] I doubt even the biggest KISS
2:50:55shills would pay big money to see a
2:50:56version of KISS with the longest serving
2:50:57member as Eric Singer. Paul would sooner
2:50:59die than let someone else become the
2:51:01Starchild. And that turned out to be a
2:51:02true prediction. Hell, during the
2:51:04farewell tour Gene and Paul said [ __ ]
2:51:05like this.
2:51:06>> Without Ace and Peter,
2:51:07>> [music]
2:51:07>> anybody else wearing the makeup was
2:51:09diluted.
2:51:10>> In hindsight, the makeup really belonged
2:51:12to the original lineup in the sense that
2:51:14we created it and it should only be worn
2:51:16by us.
2:51:17>> If any Paul and Gene shills are still
2:51:18watching, then I'm sorry, but this is
2:51:20classic.
2:51:21>> Having somebody don the outfit of his
2:51:23predecessor really isn't that
2:51:25calculated.
2:51:26>> We didn't feel honest or comfortable
2:51:28with the makeup anymore because in in
2:51:30hindsight, the makeup really belonged to
2:51:32the original lineup.
2:51:33>> They say whatever they need to fit their
2:51:35current agenda. They seem to have no
2:51:36core values they can't exploit in the
2:51:38name of money and milking you shills
2:51:39dry. Now, let me say, you're allowed to
2:51:41still like the final lineup. You're
2:51:42allowed to simply not care about it
2:51:44being half a tribute act. That's up to
2:51:46you. There's a difference between being
2:51:47a fan and being a shill. You guys aren't
2:51:48being paid by Gene and Paul. There's no
2:51:50need to defend their honor or pretend
2:51:51they're perfect angels who've done no
2:51:52wrong. I'll call out Ace and Peter.
2:51:54Peter bitched so much about being back
2:51:55in the band for the reunion tour, but
2:51:57not only did he come back, but he was
2:51:58pissed when his contract wasn't renewed.
2:52:00That's hypocritical as [ __ ] Ace Frehley
2:52:02talks a whole lot of [ __ ] and for a
2:52:03while was pathetically trying to get
2:52:04back into KISS. And his last handful of
2:52:06solo records have also sucked ass. And
2:52:08Peter never had a good solo to begin
2:52:09with. I'm not a shill. I'm just
2:52:11realistic. Anyways, KISS went on for
2:52:13another few years. Both Gene and Paul
2:52:15released solo albums that both sucked
2:52:16ass. Although swearing off ever making a
2:52:18new KISS album,
2:52:20>> I think what we were aiming for with
2:52:21Sonic Boom was to make a classic album.
2:52:25Now, some people tend to think that
2:52:27classic and retro are interchangeable
2:52:29words. The last thing we wanted to make
2:52:31was a retro album. The last thing we
2:52:33wanted was an album that could be
2:52:35confused with something we did 35 years
2:52:37ago. What we wanted to capture was the
2:52:40spirit and vitality and the urgency and
2:52:43immediacy of the band today.
2:52:46>> [music]
2:52:54[music]
2:53:01>> I remember when this album came out, I
2:53:02was like 10 years old. I remember
2:53:03flipping through CDs at the library and
2:53:05I saw this album and I had no idea it
2:53:07came out. I wasn't exactly keeping up
2:53:09with Classic Rock magazine month by
2:53:10month back then. But I read through
2:53:12enough of those magazines to know that
2:53:13they said they'll never do a new studio
2:53:14record. So I was shocked and immediately
2:53:16told my mother I needed it. I went home,
2:53:17I listened to it and as a young Kiss
2:53:19[ __ ] I liked it. Not as much as the
2:53:20classics, but I did enjoy it. But much
2:53:21like with Psycho Circus, age brings
2:53:23wisdom because this album [ __ ] sucks.
2:53:26This is such a perversion of 70s Kiss.
2:53:27When Alice Cooper went back to hard rock
2:53:29after decades of chasing trends, he did
2:53:30it much better than this. Nursery rhyme
2:53:32simple melodies, lyrics that are too
2:53:34dumb and basics for even Steel Panther,
2:53:35such glossy and shiny production that
2:53:37makes Unmasked look like Hotter than
2:53:38Hell. Paul always talks about rock and
2:53:40roll having some piss and vinegar, but
2:53:41this is produced like an Avril Lavigne
2:53:43record. The guitars have no bite, I can
2:53:44hardly hear the bass and when I can, it
2:53:46sounds like D.I. And the vocals, Jesus
2:53:48Christ, Paul really started to
2:53:49deteriorate here. Apparently he got some
2:53:51surgery on his throats and he didn't
2:53:52wait long enough to let his voice
2:53:53recover before going out on tour and
2:53:56>> [music]
2:54:00[screaming]
2:54:02>> woof. His voice breaks all time and not
2:54:05in a cool way.
2:54:06>> [music]
2:54:12>> And there's even some pretty obvious
2:54:13pitch correction.
2:54:15>> [music]
2:54:17>> I know the Kiss cult as well as many
2:54:18boomers who love classic rock love to
2:54:20bash on modern bands and pop artists for
2:54:21having no talent and that they need
2:54:23auto-tune. Well, your god uses those
2:54:25same programs that Justin Bieber, Ariana
2:54:27Grande, you name it uses. So maybe next
2:54:30time don't act so high and mighty about
2:54:31not liking Chappell Roan or Sabrina
2:54:33Carpenter. Gene still sounds pretty good
2:54:35though. I'm An Animal is a good track
2:54:36with some good riffs that are very
2:54:37Sabbath-inspired. And it's cool to hear
2:54:39Gene sing a new Demon song.
2:54:42>> [music]
2:54:47[music]
2:54:52>> Tommy's solos are all Ace rip-offs. It's
2:54:54not even subtle. He's jacking his style
2:54:56so hard.
2:55:02And it's got to be Paul and Gene telling
2:55:03Tommy to do this. He never sounded
2:55:05exactly like Ace in Black and Blue. He
2:55:07even sings a song called When Lightning
2:55:08Strikes.
2:55:09Does that remind you of anything? It's
2:55:10actually one of the better songs,
2:55:11surprisingly enough. Good job, Tommy.
2:55:13Never Enough is a rip-off of Poison's
2:55:15Nothin' But a Good Time.
2:55:18>> [music]
2:55:25[music]
2:55:28>> Stand is one of the lamest songs I've
2:55:29ever heard in my life. It reminds me of
2:55:31that Nickelback song If Everyone Cared.
2:55:33Only Stand is actually a little worse
2:55:34because at least that Nickelback song
2:55:35seemed to be about something. It's
2:55:37cheese, but not in a good way. It's a
2:55:38stale mozzarella found in a packet of
2:55:40Lunchables. Danger Us, Yes I Know,
2:55:42Nobody's Perfect, Hot and Cold, and
2:55:44Russian Roulette are all dumber than any
2:55:46Spinal Tap song I've ever heard. And
2:55:48also less interesting to listen to at
2:55:49the same time. Best track is either
2:55:50Mandy Delilah, the opener and lead
2:55:52single. It's decent enough romp, not a
2:55:54bit generic. And Say Yeah is an okay
2:55:56mid-tempo song with some classic Kiss
2:55:58energy and a good hook. It's not
2:55:59amazing, but I'll take what I can get.
2:56:00Honestly,
2:56:02top three worst Kiss albums, at least.
2:56:03Hot in the Shade might have had more
2:56:05shitty songs, but I liked more songs
2:56:07from that record than this one. If you
2:56:08have me looking back on Hot in the Shade
2:56:09like,
2:56:10>> Ah, I treated you too harshly.
2:56:12>> Then you should immediately abort
2:56:13mission because you have supremely
2:56:15[ __ ] up. I love how they tried to
2:56:16promote this album like, "Oh yeah,
2:56:17Paul's producing it himself." Well, it
2:56:19sounds like [ __ ] so good job, Paul.
2:56:20"Oh, no outside songwriters, no ballads.
2:56:23Well, maybe an outside songwriter or a
2:56:24ballad would be good for you guys.
2:56:26Desmond Child wouldn't let [ __ ] like
2:56:27stand stand. Not to mention Destroyer is
2:56:29considered by many as the Kiss album.
2:56:31And look at that, we have both outside
2:56:33songwriters and [ __ ] ballads. I don't
2:56:35care if this album was recorded on tape.
2:56:36I just wish you recorded good songs. So
2:56:38after 19 studio albums, four live
2:56:40records, two movies, and god knows how
2:56:42much drama, we are finally at the final
2:56:44studio Kiss album. At least in the year
2:56:46of our lord 2012.
2:56:49Monster.
2:56:49>> When you're in the studio making an
2:56:51album and you're [music] looking at a
2:56:52computer screen instead of at a bunch of
2:56:54guys playing music, you're making a
2:56:56science experiment. What we did
2:56:58>> [music]
2:56:58>> is we played in a room together, we
2:57:00wrote the songs together, we did it on
2:57:02analog tape, the way all the greats that
2:57:04we loved made their music. Whether it
2:57:07was Motown, you listen to the
2:57:08Temptations doing Can't Get Next to You,
2:57:11you listen to the Four Tops, you listen
2:57:13to James Brown. It was music of passion.
2:57:15It wasn't music where everything was
2:57:17perfect, but that's what makes real rock
2:57:20and roll. So that's what we were going
2:57:21for.
2:57:28>> [music]
2:57:33[music and screaming]
2:57:38>> ANOTHER RECORD WE CAN ACTUALLY TALK
2:57:40ABOUT IT COMING OUT.
2:57:42I don't really remember, guys. I was
2:57:43like 12. Come on, guys. I was just
2:57:44starting high school and getting into
2:57:46punk rock. I had enough on my plate. But
2:57:47my dad was keeping up with all that
2:57:49stuff and he bought me the CD for that
2:57:50year's Christmas and I absolutely hated
2:57:52it. Which looking back it's funny that
2:57:54that's the difference three years can
2:57:55make in a young kid's life. A kid hears
2:57:56the Ramones and the Misfits once and
2:57:58it's all over for any other kind of
2:57:59music. Despite the reverence I still had
2:58:00for the classic albums, I never went
2:58:02back to this record until years later
2:58:03when I discovered Ralph Viera's Kiss
2:58:05reviews and he really praised this album
2:58:07despite hating Scab Kiss and Sonic Boom
2:58:09like I did. So I gave it another chance
2:58:10and I'm not sure if I see the vision
2:58:12like you do, Ralph, but it's a decent
2:58:14record. Compared to Sonic Boom, it's
2:58:15undeniably better in almost every single
2:58:16way. The songwriting is tighter and
2:58:18nowhere near generic. The sound is
2:58:19looser and not as sterile, and Tommy
2:58:21isn't ripping off Ace
2:58:23as much. His solos are much more
2:58:24reminiscent of the black and blue days,
2:58:26and the song he sings may be called out
2:58:27of this world. I know. I know, but
2:58:30it's actually a pretty good rock song.
2:58:31In fact, it's one of few Kiss songs to
2:58:33not be co-written by Paul or Gene. This
2:58:35is all Tommy. Guys, let him cook. The
2:58:38hooks and riffs of "Similar Shock" may
2:58:39but it's got its own vibe. Tommy doesn't
2:58:41have Ace's swagger, but he's got
2:58:42charisma of his own. Got an awesome
2:58:44pre-chorus, catchy melodies, a good
2:58:45helping of cheese, and a kick-ass solo.
2:58:47Seriously, Tommy, release a solo album.
2:58:49I'll give it a listen.
2:58:52>> [music]
2:58:58[music]
2:59:04[music and singing]
2:59:06>> It's too bad not many other songs match
2:59:07Tommy's "Freak". Eric Singer's awful
2:59:09"Love of Rock and Roll" is pretty awful
2:59:11in every way "Out of This World" is
2:59:12endearing. This song was irritating.
2:59:14Eric may be a decent singer, but he does
2:59:16not have the sauce. "Take Me Down Below"
2:59:17is a sex romp, and I do not need to hear
2:59:19the exploits of boomers who need to
2:59:21[ __ ]
2:59:25>> [music]
2:59:25>> And "Eat Your Heart Out" makes me
2:59:26[ __ ] retch.
2:59:30But there's other good songs. "Back to
2:59:31the Stone Age" is by far the best Gene
2:59:33song with one of his best screams of all
2:59:35time. Just [ __ ] listen to it.
2:59:40"Last Chance" is a pretty good barn
2:59:41burner for a closer. There's a lot of
2:59:43energy in this track for a bunch of
2:59:44geriatrics. The only major bad thing is
2:59:46Paul's voice. In a few years removed
2:59:48from Sonic Boom, it's somehow gotten so
2:59:49much worse. It's just absolutely
2:59:51shredded beyond repair.
2:59:54>> [music]
2:59:59>> This is where we meet the Paul Stanley
3:00:01we know and
3:00:02know today.
3:00:06But he does have one standout on this
3:00:07album, barring his voice. "Freak". It's
3:00:10a mid-tempo song with great hooks,
3:00:11lyrics, and God, actually having songs
3:00:13about stuff sounds great after Sonic
3:00:15Boom. It's about the Kiss Army, but it's
3:00:17also about being weird and being true to
3:00:19yourself. I'm a proud freak, and I don't
3:00:21trust anyone who isn't. I mean, look at
3:00:22me. I am no stranger to being stared at
3:00:25while out and about on the streets. But
3:00:26if that's the price I got to pay for
3:00:27being myself, then I don't give a [ __ ]
3:00:29I spent enough of my life being bullied
3:00:31and belittled for how I look and how I
3:00:32am. You can take my nail polish and
3:00:34eyeliner from my cold, dead hands. It
3:00:36really resonates with me, and it's
3:00:37probably as close to a Kiss classic as
3:00:39they can get to nowadays.
3:00:43>> [music]
3:00:50[music]
3:01:00>> But also, Love Gun sort of drags and
3:01:02doesn't quite hit. Hell or Hallelujah is
3:01:04not bad. It has all the pieces to be a
3:01:05great Kiss song, but I'm just not sure
3:01:07they're is. There's nothing behind the
3:01:09eyes, you know what I mean? I at least
3:01:10like half of the album, but it's the
3:01:11rest of it runs the gamut from mid to
3:01:13oh, Jesus Christ. And for a band as
3:01:15inconsistent as Kiss, it's probably as
3:01:17good as one could expect for a band like
3:01:19this to end off their career with. It's
3:01:20not a bad record at all. Honestly, I
3:01:22think I was maybe too harsh on it in my
3:01:24Kiss vs. the Best years ago. But yeah,
3:01:26that's about all there is to the Kiss
3:01:27story besides all the drama. Trust me,
3:01:29I've read all the original guys' books
3:01:30at one point or another, and they're all
3:01:31divas. They were finally inducted to the
3:01:33Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and
3:01:35Paul and Gene refused to perform live
3:01:36with Ace and Peter live even for a
3:01:38one-off. But don't forget, guys, they
3:01:40said they'd do anything for the fans.
3:01:41Though Bruce Kulick says Paul and Gene
3:01:43would have done it, but that the Hall of
3:01:44Fame were too strict with the rules,
3:01:46whatever that means. Only the original
3:01:48four were inducted, which is lame, but
3:01:49it's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
3:01:51Being lame is their whole schtick. But
3:01:52some cool things happened with Ace's
3:01:53solo output. First, Paul appeared on his
3:01:55first covers album, Origins, Vol. 1,
3:01:57with a cover of Fire and Water by Free.
3:01:59Ace Frehley, Boston. How you doing,
3:02:01buddy?
3:02:02>> I'm great. And how long's it been?
3:02:04>> So many years.
3:02:05>> Think we got it?
3:02:06>> We still got it.
3:02:07>> Let's do it.
3:02:07>> I thought actually sounded pretty good.
3:02:09He's singing in a much lower register
3:02:10than he does in Kiss songs and it
3:02:11doesn't sound bad at all. Though there's
3:02:13a few moments that are a little suspect,
3:02:15but it's not enough to deter my
3:02:16enjoyment. It's a great version of a
3:02:17great song. Ace's solo is fantastic and
3:02:20he can still bring it when he wants to.
3:02:21Both Paul and Ace pay tribute to both
3:02:23Paul Rodgers and Paul Kossoff while
3:02:25giving it their own identity. Some
3:02:26thought it might have led to an actual
3:02:27reunion, but I was never that naive. So
3:02:30I just enjoyed seeing those two guys
3:02:31share a stage again.
3:02:33>> [music]
3:02:40[music]
3:02:52>> Gene then co-wrote a couple songs and
3:02:53played bass on a track on Ace's solo
3:02:55album Spaceman. Ace even appeared on one
3:02:57of the Kiss cruises and actually played
3:02:58with the band acoustically. It was good
3:03:00to see them put the past behind them.
3:03:02Oh, never mind. The band announced their
3:03:03second farewell tour in 2019, the End of
3:03:06the Road tour, and I just didn't care. I
3:03:08already saw them live once 2008 at the
3:03:10Melbourne Grand Prix and once on their
3:03:12tour with Mötley Crüe in 2013 at Marvel
3:03:14Stadium. And that show was honestly a
3:03:15little sad. The place was cut into less
3:03:17than a quarter and even then it wasn't
3:03:18packed. The show itself was fine, I
3:03:20guess, but that was really all I needed
3:03:21to see of live Kiss. Once you see Kiss
3:03:23live once, you don't really need to see
3:03:25them again. The setlist will always be
3:03:27pretty much the same. They're more than
3:03:28likely not going to throw out any deep
3:03:30cuts. The drums will always go up in the
3:03:31air. Paul will always fly into the
3:03:33audience and Gene will always spit fire
3:03:34and blood. I later saw Ace live open for
3:03:36Alice Cooper and I was happy enough with
3:03:38that. I already wasn't going to go see
3:03:39them on their last tour, but then I saw
3:03:41allegations of Paul lip-syncing his live
3:03:43vocals.
3:03:47Yeah, it's pretty hard to defend.
3:03:50>> [music]
3:03:54>> There's a lot of clips you can find
3:03:55online of dubbing his vocals flying out
3:03:57of Paul's voice when he's not even at
3:03:58the microphone and it's pretty
3:04:00disappointing. I saw a lot of cope from
3:04:02the Kiss Defense Squad. Sebastian Bach
3:04:03even got mad at me on Twitter, so that
3:04:05was fun. I obviously understand having
3:04:06some things on backing tracks. Like if
3:04:08one song has keyboards, I think most
3:04:09people would understand having that
3:04:10played from a tape and not bringing a
3:04:12keyboardist on stage to play one song.
3:04:14But the live vocals is a bridge too far.
3:04:16>> We're big proponents [music] of tape.
3:04:19Not on stage like a lot of other people.
3:04:25>> And for a band who has prided themselves
3:04:26for the kind of shows they put on, it's
3:04:28a sad state of affairs.
3:04:29>> When it came to [music] them musically,
3:04:31Gene and I looked at each other and
3:04:32said, "We'll kill them."
3:04:38>> [music]
3:04:39>> He's just plain sweating.
3:04:40>> I remember a few years ago Gene himself
3:04:42went on a huge tirade against bands who
3:04:43lip-sync on stage.
3:04:45>> [music]
3:04:49>> Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I
3:04:51remember my sister saying she wanted to
3:04:52go see them, and when I told her that
3:04:54Paul's been lip-syncing, she then had no
3:04:56interest. I told her that if she wanted
3:04:57to go, then I'll buy a ticket, too, but
3:04:59she wasn't having it, so I didn't see
3:05:01the last tour, and I don't really mind,
3:05:03honestly. There are other bands who I
3:05:04love who I still have yet to see, so I'm
3:05:06not going to lose sleep over not seeing
3:05:07Kiss a third time. They even teased
3:05:09having older members of the band join
3:05:11them on stage, likely just to drive up
3:05:12ticket sales, but there was no way they
3:05:14were going to get Peter and Ace on stage
3:05:16with them. How do I know this? Because
3:05:17Bruce Kulick was never even asked. If
3:05:19Bruce is never asked, the guy who's
3:05:21always in their corner and was always a
3:05:23nice guy to hang out with and was always
3:05:25pleasant to them, what chance do Peter,
3:05:27Ace, or God forbid Vinnie Vincent have?
3:05:28They have a better shot at getting Mark
3:05:29St. John on stage.
3:05:31And he's dead.
3:05:33And a pedophile. Besides that, Paul
3:05:34released another solo record with his
3:05:36band, the Soul Station or the Schlong
3:05:38Station, as I call them. As one could
3:05:39assume, it's covers of classic R&B and
3:05:41soul songs that Paul grew up on. And
3:05:43much like the Fire and Water cover, Paul
3:05:44sounds pretty good. Again, it's in lower
3:05:46registers, but it shows that despite
3:05:48losing so much of his voice, he still
3:05:49has a decent range when not belting out
3:05:51Kiss songs. His voice isn't completely
3:05:53shot.
3:05:55It just mostly is.
3:05:57And the album he put out called Now and
3:05:58Then, I find to be quite enjoyable. He
3:06:00has a great band, and despite some
3:06:02studio [ __ ] they obviously used on
3:06:03his voice, Paul's in decent form for a
3:06:05guy old enough to be my grandpapa.
3:06:09>> [singing]
3:06:10[music]
3:06:15[music]
3:06:19[singing]
3:06:22>> KISS performed their last ever gig at
3:06:24Madison Square Garden in late 2023, and
3:06:27it was kind of rough, I can't lie. If
3:06:29Paul wasn't lip-syncing anymore, I think
3:06:30he should have because he sounded worse
3:06:32than ever.
3:06:37His voice wasn't just shot, it's been
3:06:38hit with an RPG. It's eviscerated.
3:06:40There's nothing left.
3:06:43>> [music]
3:06:44>> He can't even do a stage raps anymore,
3:06:45MAN. IT'S UH
3:06:49HELL, EVEN THE BAND THEMSELVES SOUNDED
3:06:51KIND OF SLOPPY. It just wasn't good by
3:06:53any metric. The setlist also sucked
3:06:55[ __ ] It was just another KISS show. No
3:06:57surprises, no nothing. Even Bruce
3:06:59Kulick, who's the most diplomatic guy
3:07:01I've ever seen, wasn't too kind. And
3:07:03he's right. How do you not even mention
3:07:05not only him, but Eric Carr, Ace and
3:07:07Peter? Pitiful. And then the KISS
3:07:09avatars, you know, I'll say I'm
3:07:10surprised, but I'm really not. But at
3:07:12least the band were finally over.
3:07:14Oh, wait. Hey guys. I hate to make this
3:07:16video any longer, but this is filmed
3:07:18about 2 months ago. And October 16th, we
3:07:21lost the one and only Ace Frehley. He
3:07:23had a nasty fall, which left him in a
3:07:25coma for 2 weeks until his family
3:07:27decided to finally let him pass on. He
3:07:29was surrounded by friends, family, and
3:07:31the love as he went into the cosmos.
3:07:33He'll be remembered for decades to come
3:07:34as a pioneering legend who pushed the
3:07:36guitar forward. He's singularly
3:07:38responsible for more people picking
3:07:39[music] up the guitar than maybe anyone
3:07:41else. I mean, look at me. Look at what I
3:07:43surround myself with. I've had a KISS
3:07:45poster adorn my wall in so many of my
3:07:47videos over the years. And that is all
3:07:49thanks to Ace and that little band he
3:07:51formed with Peter, Paul, and Gene. I
3:07:54won't go on any further as I've said my
3:07:56piece of them in this video, all of
3:07:58which was filmed and a lot of it was
3:07:59edited before he passed. [music] So,
3:08:01I'll let James from a couple months back
3:08:03play us out. Safe travels, space Ace.
3:08:05We miss y'all already.
3:08:14But, that's Kiss. Through five decades,
3:08:16they were an absolute juggernaut. They
3:08:18were my first favorite band and they
3:08:19will always mean so much to me. Despite
3:08:21all the [ __ ] I've talked, despite me not
3:08:23going to the last tour, despite
3:08:24everything, I sit down and listen to
3:08:26records like Alive, Hotter Than Hell,
3:08:28the debut, Rock and Roll Over, Dynasty,
3:08:31Creatures, you name it. I'm still that
3:08:33little [ __ ] watching Kiss on VHS, either
3:08:36glued to the screen or rocking out with
3:08:38my little [ __ ] tennis racket. They're
3:08:39what made me want to play music and play
3:08:41guitar, play bass, sing. They were the
3:08:43springboard for me turning out the way I
3:08:44am.
3:08:47You can blame them, I guess. I don't
3:08:48know what my life would be like without
3:08:50them. Those classic records are in my
3:08:52DNA at this point. I'm not kidding, if
3:08:53it wasn't for Kiss, I don't know if I
3:08:55would even make videos like this. They
3:08:56were the first domino for me, man. So,
3:08:58this is for Kiss, the band that
3:09:00influenced me more than anybody else.
3:09:02They're responsible for the way my life
3:09:03has gone.
3:09:05Those bastards. For a long time in my
3:09:07youth, Kiss were the only band that
3:09:09mattered. And to an extent, in a weird
3:09:11way, that's still kind of true. I'm glad
3:09:12to put all this time and effort into a
3:09:14video like this, which is mostly a
3:09:15tribute, despite my bitching. I wouldn't
3:09:18[ __ ] this much about a band that I
3:09:19didn't deeply care for. So, this is for
3:09:21Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, Bruce
3:09:23Kulick, Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer, Eric
3:09:25Carr, and of course, the original four.
3:09:28Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons,
3:09:30and Paul Stanley. You guys have changed
3:09:32my life in more ways than you'll ever
3:09:34know.
3:09:35So, thank you and good night.
3:09:40Take it easy, party people. There was a
3:09:41time where an audience thought that they
3:09:44were lucky to be at at concert and they
3:09:46were lucky that you would play for
3:09:47[music] them. And we got on stage and
3:09:50said, "We are lucky that you are here."
3:09:53>> We're the probably the luckiest sons of
3:09:56[ __ ] who ever walked the face of the
3:09:57planet and probably don't deserve
3:09:59anywhere near the kind of loyalty that
3:10:00we get from our fans, but KISS fans
3:10:03started calling themselves the KISS
3:10:04Army. It's beyond songs or beyond a rock
3:10:07and roll band. Some other social thing
3:10:09has happened because of that.
3:10:10>> It's everything you could ever want and
3:10:13anything you ever thought that rock and
3:10:16roll could be and beyond is what KISS is
3:10:20because KISS isn't a moment and KISS
3:10:22isn't a fad and it's not this year's
3:10:24trend. It is a life
3:10:27and it not only takes in the four of us,
3:10:31but our family is millions and it's
3:10:34around the world and
3:10:38it's something that sometimes just
3:10:39leaves me speechless. There's nothing
3:10:41that comes close to it.
3:10:42>> Turn around.
3:10:44Look, it's rock
3:10:45>> and roll.

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