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You mean like four "normal guys just standing and playing" like Zep, The Who, and Black Sabbath? Weren't those shows an event? What you keep describing to me is a Madonna or Britney Spears concert.

If anyone here could go back in time would they choose front row seats at a KISS event over Monterey Pop, Zep at the LA Forum, Sabbath at Montreux , Dylan electric at Newport Jazz?

Those were events. No clown make up and KISS Army membership required.

Some Kiss members were great admirers of Zeppelin (who dressed up quite beyond denim in their prime....my neighbor never wore a dragon suit as far as I know), without the influence of Zep and also The Who there would have been no Kiss.

Kiss outdid many "normal" looking bands of their generation, even headlining bands they used to open for, within a few years.

Comparing Kiss to Britney or Madonna is comparing apples to factory peeled potatoes.

First of all, Kiss were from a time way before auto-tuning made popstars like those ladies possible, they played and sang without a machine to make someone sound like a pitch perfect singer. I actually can't imagine Britney doing a concert without her additional voice correcting software, she would get lynched.

Kiss were one of the first acts to use these gigantic stage set ups, that kind of set ups have now become standard for bands, but by then that was something completely different, they set the standards for how a stadion rock show ought to be.

If I could choose any of these aforementioned show, I would certainly skip Dylan and Sabbath too (even though I love Sabbath a lot, I prefer Ozzy's first solo tours with Randy)

I have seen hundreds of shows in my life, but Kiss concerts were for sure more than "being a member of their fan club", it was entertaining, yet it wasn't a fashion show where the band changes clothes every 2nd song. It was like seeing The Who from the 6th dimension on steroids.

I just wonder, which were the most amazing bands/concerts you actually ever saw, musically-wise as well as action-wise?

Edited by reswati
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To say that Kiss were miserable musicians is absolute bollocks.

I must admit that most songs were heavy metal singalong songs, but many of them are very well crafted ones.

The ones that were no singalong songs like "Beth" and "I still love you" are imo quite overlooked gems.

The Dynasty/Unmasked period did produce some way too slick pieces of music, but The Elder and especially Creatures of the night were really good comeback albums (Eric Carr was one hell of a drummer).

I did have problems with the softer touch of The Elder, but once it did grow on me I regard it as one of their better efforts, it's different but way ahead of it's time.

After that they went too slick in the eighties sense of rock again, too bad.

Kudos to Ace for being one great inspiration for a whole generation of young guys to pick up the guitar.

Not miserable, HORRIBLE - & they are!

"Quite overlooked gems?" Maybe gems found in a poop pile.

I was 10 (in 1982) when I bought my first Led Zeppelin album, so I seen the nonsense of KISS first hand. For me, at age 10, it was always about how great the music sounded, and not the gimmicks. I hated KISS when I was 10, and the hatred I have for that band will always be there, because they do suck ass. Many of my friends in grammar school were preaching about KISS, Van Halen, ACDC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc., etc., but I was always in their ears talking Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Black Sabbath.

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Not miserable, HORRIBLE - & they are!

"Quite overlooked gems?" Maybe gems found in a poop pile.

I was 10 (in 1982) when I bought my first Led Zeppelin album, so I seen the nonsense of KISS first hand. For me, at age 10, it was always about how great the music sounded, and not the gimmicks. I hated KISS when I was 10, and the hatred I have for that band will always be there, because they do suck ass. Many of my friends in grammar school were preaching about KISS, Van Halen, ACDC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc., etc., but I was always in their ears talking Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Black Sabbath.

Lol, you sound like my parents.

Thank your gods you never had to listen to a Venom record....

aww, fuck it

here we go:

Edited by reswati
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But those band didn't start out sucking.

KISS remind me of the Monkies. Not a real organic band. Just made up with the idea of marketing comic books and action figures. And when sales slumped they tried disco and glam.

I think I get it now.

Sorry but ... no you don't.

KISS were a real band that had a vision and worked their asses off. Go on youtube and type in "Kiss 1974" and you will find a great underground band playing like there's no tomorrow... I don't care if they were the best players in the world or not... they were going for it .

They were not a fake band... The comic books and merchandise came after ... when they were already HUGE.

Winterland Ballroom 1/31/1975..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPX2LFlgMdc

Edited by the chase
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Sorry but ... no you don't.

KISS were a real band that had a vision and worked their asses off. Go on youtube and type in "Kiss 1974" and you will find a great underground band playing like there's no tomorrow... I don't care if they were the best players in the world or not... they were going for it .

They were not a fake band... The comic books and merchandise came after ... when they were already HUGE.

Winterland Ballroom 1/31/1975..

Just to be fair I listened to this with my eyes closed. But sorry, I still find it to be mediocre at best. If you open your eyes the theatrics may be memorable, but that can only get you so far.

@Virgil Kane, I can see where you are coming from because with Alice Cooper I grew sneaking my dads sacred albums out to listen to, and I had no idea Alice was doing theatrics, and I still liked what I was hearing.

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but I was always in their ears talking Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Black Sabbath.

Wow, I wish I could limit my likings to only four bands, that would absolutely broaden my horizon!

Now let's listen to yet another version of Purple Haze, since it's different than the 50 ones we heard before, lol.

Let's have another brilliant Townshend guitar solo, uhmmm, I love loud white noise too.

I am still looking for a version of Symptom Of the Universe by Black Sabbath that isn't sung off key by mister Osbourne, maybe you know a Sabbath bootleg where that is the case.

Get some great Jimmy art prints at his website now, they're cheaper by the dozen (saves you a few hundred pounds).

Edited by reswati
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Sorry but ... no you don't.

KISS were a real band that had a vision and worked their asses off. Go on youtube and type in "Kiss 1974" and you will find a great underground band playing like there's no tomorrow... I don't care if they were the best players in the world or not... they were going for it .

They were not a fake band... The comic books and merchandise came after ... when they were already HUGE.

Winterland Ballroom 1/31/1975..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPX2LFlgMdc

Brutal, just brutal!

This will be the final thing I post on this lame band - I want to thank the man upstairs, God himself, for giving me the musical tastes I have. For anyone that likes this crap band, better you than I!

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Just to be fair I listened to this with my eyes closed. But sorry, I still find it to be mediocre at best. If you open your eyes the theatrics may be memorable, but that can only get you so far.

Well that's cool Ace. The only opinion i was trying to change was that KISS was another Monkees manufactured type thing.. They were very real. That footage is rough ...but real.. I have nothing against The Monkees BTW..

Wow, I wish I could limit my likings to only four bands, that would absolutely broaden my horizon!

Brutal, just brutal!

This will be the final thing I post on this lame band - I want to thank the man upstairs, God himself, for giving me the musical tastes I have. For anyone that likes this crap band, better you than I!

I thank the man upstairs for giving me an open mind to like and appreciate aspects of all styles of music from Punk to Classical and everything in between. KISS to me is a warm tie to my Childhood and I make no bones about it.

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Well that's cool Ace. The only opinion i was trying to change was that KISS was another Monkees manufactured type thing.. They were very real. That footage is rough ...but real.. I have nothing against The Monkees BTW..

I thank the man upstairs for giving me an open mind to like and appreciate aspects of all styles of music from Punk to Classical and everything in between. KISS to me is a warm tie to my Childhood and I make no bones about it.

I like the Monkees too. But CSN&Y they are not. When decisions are made about make-up, merchandise deals and getting more pre-teens to pay for concert tickets.... there is a loss of credibility in my opinion. That is my main problem with KISS.

I have open ears to all kinds of music, but not everything in between is credible. Your warm affections for KISS aside, I am certain you can appreciate that?

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I like the Monkees too. But CSN&Y they are not. When decisions are made about make-up, merchandise deals and getting more pre-teens to pay for concert tickets.... there is a loss of credibility in my opinion. That is my main problem with KISS.

I have open ears to all kinds of music, but not everything in between is credible. Your warm affections for KISS aside, I am certain you can appreciate that?

Yuk, liking the Monkees comes close to musical peadophilia in my humble opinion.

Sorry but I can't take you serious anymore.

Edited by reswati
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Yuk, liking the Monkees comes close to musical peadophilia in my humble opinion.

Sorry but I can't take you serious anymore.

I was responding to the Chase. I said I "like" the Monkees, but my point was that they were not to be take as a serious act like CSN&Y. But Neil Diamond did provide them with some hit songs.

I never said I didn't take YOU serious. I don't take KISS seriously. I believe you when you say you think they are a great rock and roll band.

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  • 1 month later...

amen! KISS was the soundtrack to my life from 7th grade all the way through high school and beyond I will always be a fan for eternity. his music saved me when i was going through a very hard time in my life. i just learned that my grandmother on my mom's side had been diagnoised with cancer, lekucmia to be exact. anyway, i was absoulutely devasted and i started listening to Kiss and i was hooked for life and i knew things were going to be okay. their music saved me again when i was 17 and had fractured my right foot by taking out the garbage and had to be rushed to the hospital and had to be put under, i had a long and hard recovery ahead of me, but the more i listened to their music, it made me want to work harder at my recovery time. Their music also helped me when i was having a tough winter trimester of my senior year in high school. i couldn't wait to get out. On sunday march 22nd, 2009, my grandmother lost her vicious fight with cancer. my family and i were absolutely devasted. i spoke at her funeral and promised to remain a shopaholic in her memory. The music of KISS and ace frehley helped me a lot that horrible week. a month later i met my best friend and fellow KISS/frehley sister kelly, she loves ace frehley and KISS just as much as i do. Their music also helped me celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, my graduation from high school in 2008. Their music also helped me when somebody i went to middle and high school with stabbed me in the back one too many times, his name was branden day. he made my life in high school a living hell. one day in july of 2009, i was talking to kelly, and he interruppted my chat with kelly and needless to say, he was a major pain in my a**. he did not come to my grandmother's wake or her funeral, he did not send a sympathy card, flowers, or call me to say he was sorry to hear about the passing of my grandmother. he also wasn't there for me when my dog joxer had to be put to sleep. he basically treated me like dog shit during the last 3 years of my high school career and around the time of my grandmother's passing. i was friends with him from 6th grade to high school graduation. it all started towards the end of my sophmore year of high school, he bothered me with the prom/winter formal talk, and it really annoyed me to no end this prom/winter formal battle went on through my junior and senior year of high school. i poured my heart and soul into that friendship and he didn't pull a single inch of his share during that friendship i was pissed big time and it broke my heart but i knew what i had to do for the sake of my well-being. i kicked that sorry a**hole to the curb and told him if he ever comes near me or my family again, i wil kick his sorry a** . the music of KISS opened my eyes and made me see that i didn't deserve that kind of treatment at all. i deserved so much better. i told him to stay away from me and my family or else. it got to be so bad that i had to change my last name on facebook, myspace, and twitter to frehley. the music of KISS made me want to work a little bit harder, made me all the more wiser, smarter in my choices in my life, toughter, and stronger, made me learned a little bit faster, and made my skin a little bit thicker. like me, KISS had their share of tough times too, but they always managed to come out on top in the end. i love a majority of their songs, but beth and reason to live are my top 2 favorites. if i had to pick a song to dance to, i would pick reason to live because i can relate to the lyrics and it's saying what does not kill you, it will only make you stronger. Thank you KISS for the awesome music and i would not be the fabulous girl that i am today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart


xoxo, your biggest #1 fan for life, jessica

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amen! KISS was the soundtrack to my life from 7th grade all the way through high school and beyond I will always be a fan for eternity. his music saved me when i was going through a very hard time in my life. i just learned that my grandmother on my mom's side had been diagnoised with cancer, lekucmia to be exact. anyway, i was absoulutely devasted and i started listening to Kiss and i was hooked for life and i knew things were going to be okay. their music saved me again when i was 17 and had fractured my right foot by taking out the garbage and had to be rushed to the hospital and had to be put under, i had a long and hard recovery ahead of me, but the more i listened to their music, it made me want to work harder at my recovery time. Their music also helped me when i was having a tough winter trimester of my senior year in high school. i couldn't wait to get out. On sunday march 22nd, 2009, my grandmother lost her vicious fight with cancer. my family and i were absolutely devasted. i spoke at her funeral and promised to remain a shopaholic in her memory. The music of KISS and ace frehley helped me a lot that horrible week. a month later i met my best friend and fellow KISS/frehley sister kelly, she loves ace frehley and KISS just as much as i do. Their music also helped me celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, my graduation from high school in 2008. Their music also helped me when somebody i went to middle and high school with stabbed me in the back one too many times, his name was branden day. he made my life in high school a living hell. one day in july of 2009, i was talking to kelly, and he interruppted my chat with kelly and needless to say, he was a major pain in my a**. he did not come to my grandmother's wake or her funeral, he did not send a sympathy card, flowers, or call me to say he was sorry to hear about the passing of my grandmother. he also wasn't there for me when my dog joxer had to be put to sleep. he basically treated me like dog shit during the last 3 years of my high school career and around the time of my grandmother's passing. i was friends with him from 6th grade to high school graduation. it all started towards the end of my sophmore year of high school, he bothered me with the prom/winter formal talk, and it really annoyed me to no end this prom/winter formal battle went on through my junior and senior year of high school. i poured my heart and soul into that friendship and he didn't pull a single inch of his share during that friendship i was pissed big time and it broke my heart but i knew what i had to do for the sake of my well-being. i kicked that sorry a**hole to the curb and told him if he ever comes near me or my family again, i wil kick his sorry a** . the music of KISS opened my eyes and made me see that i didn't deserve that kind of treatment at all. i deserved so much better. i told him to stay away from me and my family or else. it got to be so bad that i had to change my last name on facebook, myspace, and twitter to frehley. the music of KISS made me want to work a little bit harder, made me all the more wiser, smarter in my choices in my life, toughter, and stronger, made me learned a little bit faster, and made my skin a little bit thicker. like me, KISS had their share of tough times too, but they always managed to come out on top in the end. i love a majority of their songs, but beth and reason to live are my top 2 favorites. if i had to pick a song to dance to, i would pick reason to live because i can relate to the lyrics and it's saying what does not kill you, it will only make you stronger. Thank you KISS for the awesome music and i would not be the fabulous girl that i am today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

xoxo, your biggest #1 fan for life, jessica

Great read Jessica. Some tough stuff..........Stay strong and inspired....Cheers to Ace and KIZZ for keeping you arockinandarollin!........ciao Rich
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I spent the weekend watching the Kissology Volume I DVD set. I was a KISS fan in high school and they fell out of favor with me when I got to college and they started taking their make-up off. I always considered them an average band of average talent.

However, after watching those DVDs and the concerts they put on between 1975 and 1979, my God they were incredible! Great riffs, catchy and fun rock and roll and what a show! I mean, how many people can stand in 6 inch pktaform boots let alone run down a flight of stairs, leap in the air and sing and play guitar in them? I always thought Ace played the more technical guitar riffs and leads, but Paul plays quite a few himself - he's a damn fine guitar player in his own right. And I also thought Gene was there mostly for show, but watching the bass riffs he's playing while singing and doing his posing is amazing. Four VERY talented musicians that never got near the praise they deserved.

Granted they never penned lyrics that were meant to be carved in stone or reflected on philosophically, but much like Van Halen, they were a great rock and roll party band that gave us numerous fun songs to grow up with. And they penned rock songs that still stand the test of time.

I have a whole new respect for the band 34 years after the last time I saw them..............

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Dumb-ass Rock 'N' Roll played by men in tights and make up. And I Love It! (Loud. of course).

You don't need to switch your brain on much, it's well played, at times dodgily produced, rock music. A great front man with a terrible line in stage patter, a nasty brute of a bass player (who plays some great melodic basslines and walking stuff too) who spits fire and drools blood. What's not to love about that? The revolving guitarist and drummer positions have seen some great players, Ace was great for Kiss' sound and Peter's drumming fit in and gave the music a bit of a uniqueness. Special mention of course must go to Eric Carr who was, for me, the best drummer Kiss had. Kiss' ever present fifth member, the stage show, has always been a blast and in recent years has incorporated screen technology to great effect. Yes they're old men and not so agile anymore, yes Paul's voice is going, yes they have band members wearing Ace and Peter's make-up, but who cares? It's Kiss, it's just a pity there's no UK tour announced along with their recent EU date schedule. I'm hoping for a booking for Glasgow's newest arena which opens later this year. But then as my sig sez I hope that from Zeppelin eternally.

Edited by sam.e138
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