"Snow Blind" I'm a sucker for funk. I also like chromaticism/tonal ambiguity a lot, so these riffs and changes deliver for me. Consequently, this is one of my favorite tunes on the album. (I don't recall at the moment if it would be my #1 without question, but that's possible. I need to listen to the rest of it again though. It's been a few years since I've heard Ace's album.) Love the laid-back, syncopated groove. The cowbell on 1 and 3 and hi-hat on the and of 2 and 4 are pretty quirky, by the way. Re the verses, I know that there's a practical motivation for it, but the huge spaces they leave in between the chords for the vocals work extremely well. It has a sloppy-but-elegant, powerful-but-restrained vibe. The double-time guitar solo is cool--also that it's relatively extended--even if it stops the funk for a minute. I love the scalar chordal walk-up at the end of the solo (and it also has a little chromatic tag) while Ace wails on the same figure in a 3:2 feel in a non-bass example of a pedal point. Also nicely quirky are the overdubbed drum fills after the solo. I wish folks did more of that sort of thing. People often avoid overdubbing drum parts so blatantly.
Re other comments made above about this, too, I wonder if the solo albums weren't initially conceived as if they'd be marketed/positioned as more "traditional" solo albums, so that there wouldn't be such overt KISS associations with them, with Casablanca backpedaling a bit as the release date grew nearer, deciding that they'd better market them as a "four part KISS album" instead. That created some cognitive dissonance between the musical content of the albums and the way they were marketed.
You know, you're break down of this song was REALLY good. If I get to a point where I cannot continue, I know who to call on. Excellent
Snow Blind - One of the things I've really enjoyed about this discussion is how there are so many differing opinions on these songs. Hearing glowing reviews of songs that I think are just "fine" really does help me see things in a different way. I may not come around fully, but it's good to hear things from different angles. So, that said, I still don't LOVE this song, but it works. I do really like the heavier, sludgier riffs. It's a nice contract with the previous two songs and it shows that Ace can rock in many ways. Good solo, but my favorite part of the song is the echo and how it brings out the "Space...ace....ace...ace". That really makes me smile. 3 for 3, but this is the weakest one so far.
I remember someone associated with the label making those comments about a "perception problem" with regard to the aspect of it never seeming like the albums were selling because there were always piles of them in the stores. I will try and find it. A lot of people were interviewed for the book, but more of the interviews are of the artistic variety as opposed to the business variety. I had never heard the anecdote of one single retailer ordering so many that it pushed Bogart to press more of them. It seems hard to believe that any one retailer would have ordered a million! But I'll see if there is anything there with regard to that. With regards to your last point, Casablanca V.P. Larry Harris says in his interview that he was concerned about the albums. He flat out says he didn't think they were very good. He doesn't single out Gene or Peter though; he makes it sound like they were all poor. But then again, he may have not cared for KISS' music, anyway. The interview is brief so that isn't made clear. But certainly he didn't care for the albums and says he was concerned as soon as he heard them. Whether that reflected the thinking of others at Casablanca isn't clear yet, but obviously he was very high up in the company, so if he was concerned, that certainly supports your theory. However, you get the impression that he would have ordered fewer copies of the albums manufactured, not more, so maybe his account is colored by the ultimate reaction they had in the marketplace.
You get the sense there was a lot of concern about the commercial viability of the whole project, so your theory makes sense. Obviously, once you've sunk a lot of money into the production of four different albums, you want to do everything you can to maximize sales. At the same time, if everyone was so concerned, then why in the heck were millions more pressed when the first millions hadn't sold yet? I imagine some of what I'm reading is folks trying to make themselves look a little better in the aftermath of what happened. Casablanca's finances were dealt a huge blow by the debacle of so many solo albums being returned.
Tons of great comments here, everyone. I'll just say that I'm a fan of Snow Blind and I love Ace's knack for exploring the more psychedelic and gritty spheres - This song sounds desperate, hazy, hung over and icy. The harmonies in the chorus are sharp and piercing, and that guitar synth madness really adds a layer of character. Anton lays down some Baker-esque rhythms against the descending riff and he does a great job of adding color as the song builds. Sweet track!
Sorry it's going slow for you, bro. Seriously. One song a day is all I can manage. I've been doing this for over three months or so and it's become part of my daily routine but it still takes time and thought. I can't go any faster. Some days it seems to me like I'm mailing it in. I'm doing my best.
I think you may have misread what he was saying. He says "NOT" at the end of that first sentence. I took it to mean after slogging through Gene's album, he was hoping the good vibes of Ace's album would last a little while, and not be over so soon! (Then again, I could be wrong, but that's how I read it).
That could be the name of my movie, right there! "Ego, Cocaine and Hype: The Saga Of The KISS Solo Albums". (Get my agent on the phone!)
I always thought Kiss had some influence on the thrashers. I think James had Snowblind in mind at 5:43 of this song.
Curly, I can assure you that James did have a band in mind, but it was for a big chunk of the song, and it's a group that 99.9% of people on Earth and Jendell have never heard of.
Yeah Peter was a prima donna. But as we all know he was the least talented. But he added something important to the chemistry of the band. He's his own worst enemy. These guys went through a lot together. Peter took advantage of that IMHO.
When Peter met Paul and Gene, and saw their determination to make it, he felt he had found a vehicle to make something of himself. And he was right. I imagine Peter's "big band" approach to playing wouldn't have been their first choice, but the irony is, that very element of his playing helped their music stand out from the pack during those early years. They connected with him because he was willing to do anything (wear a dress, wear makeup, whatever) to help the band succeed, and that was more important to them at that point than musical virtuosity. His playing and his voice added a ton to their overall impact in the early days, so he deserves props for what he brought to the table. The unfortunate part is, he also brought a volatile personality to the table, and eventually became a liability. It's only when you learn more about Peter's musical background, and understand the basis for the alliance he had with the other three in the early days, that you realize he could never have existed with those guys over the long haul, once success had been obtained. But when you're in the middle of it all, you can't see that. It's only when you get some distance from the events that it becomes obvious.
To put it plainly, Peter was a fool. I'm sorry but you don't give up that gig at that time for anything. No excuses. He was just an idiot and got himself booted. Dumbarse of the highest order.
I have it narrowed down to two possible groups, and I can't even remember the name of one. One was named Critical Mass, but I'm coming up blank on the other. It may have been a "lifting" of two songs!
Someone sent me a tape of the song a long time ago, and I don't even know where it is anymore. Ahh well...with enough digging, I'm sure it's been discussed somewhere.
Just to go back to Gene's solo album for a second - did anyone notice the elderly gentleman in this clip - and this classic moment was in my neck of the woods, no less: This little clip never circulated for a very long time, but as usual, it only takes one person to break their word, and then it's everywhere...
