KISS: The Songs 1974-2012

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by GodShifter, Feb 7, 2017.

  1. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I was thinking a bit about Unmasked this morning while exercising and listening to it on my headphones.

    I can remember when this album came out. I didn't even bother to buy it because even though it was just one year removed from my crazed fandom when Dynasty had been released, I was starting to move onto other bands like many others here. I think Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell really had me looking at KISS and thinking, "hm, maybe I'm not into these guys so much anymore". My friend had bought Unmasked so I didn't even bother to purchase it myself. I remember I went across the street to listen to it and I was really just kind of "meh" about the whole thing. Being that I was kind of naive at the time (I was 13 I think) I thought that the album was truly going to reveal what the band looked like (maybe a poster inside the album or something). But, no, just kind of a ruse and I was disappointed with that. I was disappointed with the comic book album cover as well. It just didn't look like a serious record to me at all; kind of jokey. The music from this album never hit me at all. I can totally relate to what @Exile On My Street was saying about "Is That You?" not sounding like KISS. It didn't to me back then for sure. It seemed weird. Then we get to the next song and I'm like " uhhhh ". But we'll look at that next.

    I'll share some more of my thoughts on Unmasked as we go on, but I thought I'd just add my .02 cents about my feelings of the album when it came out.
     
  2. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA


    SHANDI 1980 (Stanley, Poncia) 3:33

    “Shandi” is a curious KISS tune because, in essence, it’s really not a KISS tune other than it appears on the album Unmasked. Outside of Paul Stanley playing all the guitars and vocals for the song, not one other member of the band performs on it. Paul’s guitar tech for the Dynasty tour, Tom Harper, was assigned by producer, Vini Poncia, to learn the song and perform it in studio because Simmons was absent. Anton Fig’s bandmate, Holly Knight, from Spider was brought in to play keyboards and, of course, Fig played drums.

    Paul states that the origins of the idea of the song came from playing a 12 string guitar and he was looking to write something similar in feel to Bruce Springsteen’s “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”. Unfortunately, according to Paul, once Poncia got ahold of the song he changed up the arrangements and with his slick production effectively “neutered” the song from Stanley’s original vision. Poncia even came up with the title for the song. Despite Paul’s objections to Poncia’s changing the character of the song with his production decisions the fact remains Paul and the band still allowed it to be released. So, obviously, Paul thought it was good enough to be released and would be a hit; delusions of grandeur.

    The song was not a hit in the US despite it being promoted as a song “that you’d hear on the beach all summer; it’s a song you can’t help but sing along to!” and “it’s unlike any KISS you’ve ever heard!” While the last part is certainly the case, the former statements turned out to be not true at all. Despite, it’s failure in the US market it was a successful single in Australia, New Zealand, and Norway (of all places) where it reached the top ten in all three countries. The song did well in Germany and Holland as well reaching the top 40 there.

    I’m not sure I really want to comment on the song myself as I really don’t like it at all. To me, it sounds like a bad Hall & Oates song meets Olivia Newton-John. It does feature a great vocal from Paul but beyond that I just cannot fathom that KISS thought this was a good idea to release something like this. Not since Paul’s “Hold Me Touch Me” has there been a song by Paul that departed so far from the blueprint of the what KISS did (Peter and Gene’s albums notwithstanding). I mean Paul is in many ways the architect of the band’s sound and he does something like this? I’m just kind of floored with the angle the band took with “Shandi”.

    The band has played this live over the years (amazingly enough) and there’s a version from the Sydney show in 1980 that I’ll link. I’ll also link the official video for song (which features Peter Criss due to contractional reasons). It would be the last time he would play with the band for a period of many years. Apparently after the video shoot he was left in the dressing room and started crying (according to his book). The video is ridiculous as the band vamps to a completely out of character tune. Gene, as usual, looks ridiculous trying to look menacing while playing a goofy Andy Gibb like number. Ace looks flat out uncomfortable. It's a disaster.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2017
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  3. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA


    "Shandi" performed live in Sydney, Australia 1980
     
  4. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA


    The official video released by Casablanca Records 1980.
     
  5. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA


    From KISS Symphony: Alive IV.
     
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  6. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans

    There are people out there who named their daughters Shandi. And I couldn't agree more with the high levels of discomfort above. :agree:
     
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  7. ejluther

    ejluther Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newtown, CT
    It may not be "simple" but it is undeniable that P&G put far more emphasis on commercial success as a barometer of quality than anything else - they say they don't even want to record new music now because they can't sell it in large numbers, even though they certainly could afford to do so. And there's nothing wrong about that but it doesn't suggest they do it (new music) for the fun and joy of it, and that attitude does unavoidably color their feelings and impressions about their albums. In his defense, Paul has mellowed and will now say The Elder is a good album, but a bad KISS album. But if it had been a big success, I just think he'd be singing a different tune and certainly own it as a KISS album more and call it "interesting" or evidence that KISS can do "anything" etc. And, again, there's nothing wrong with that. As for being just as critical of platinum stuff, I'm sure you're right but no real examples spring to mind that equal the disdain of calling an entire album "crappy" in retrospect, but nothing would surprise me about these guys! ;)
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2017
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  8. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    SHANDI

    When I saw this track listed on the back cover at age 8, I misread it as "Sushi." There had been a magazine article somewhere where Paul said he liked sushi, so I was like, Wow, he wrote a whole song about his favorite food! :eek:

    When I heard it, I immediately thought it sounded like a very 70s pop song along the lines of England Dan's "Really Love To See You Tonight." Although KISS had done songs like "Beth" and "Sure Know Something," this was definitely a bridge too far. Now, listening to it from an adult perspective, it seems a well-crafted pop song. I can see why it would make the metal heads bail more than ever before!
     
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  9. ejluther

    ejluther Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newtown, CT
    This magazine ad with its "strings around the fingers" motif to remember "Unmasked is a great album!!" (with two exclamation points) always makes me laugh...don't forget!

    [​IMG]
     
  10. dave9199

    dave9199 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    The last shot of the Shandi video always cracked me up. I get the premise but it looks so silly. I never noticed this song until I bought the cd in 2001. For whatever reason I noticed it and it has become a favorite of mine. It sounds like a popper version of Hold Me Touch Me (I'll rewrite this song as Shandi). I'm not a big fan of Hold Me but I can hear a similarity of style between that and Shandi. I love the roto-tom run towards the end with the hi-hat hits in it.
     
  11. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I never saw this or knew it existed until it featured on the KISSOLOGY 2 DVD. The graininess of the footage makes it look older than some of their '70s stuff. At the end, when you see a closeup of Gene putting on that spider bracelet and the "$" signs around his boots--apparently he really did dress like that out of makeup at the time.

    Also remember the anecdote about how after filming was over, Peter sat down alone in the dressing room and cried. He brought a lot of it on himself, of course.
     
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  12. Exile On My Street

    Exile On My Street Senior Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Shandi

    I can be a sucker for these types of ballads, I admit. Every time I hear this song I want to start singing Barry Manilow's Mandy and I'm not entirely convinced it's simply because the names/titles rhyme, maybe there is something musical my ears are picking up that's similar but my lack of musical knowledge just doesn't know what it is? Or maybe I'm just nuts. :confused:

    So this is Paul's tribute to Springsteen, eh? Oh wait, that's right, it was an epic tune until Poncia got his hands on it and then everything went haywire. Poor Paul and KISS, they had nothing to do with the direction this series of albums took, at all. :help:

    Nonsense!!

    As I was saying earlier, I do like these sorts of songs but no, not this one. I don't want to be too harsh but Jesus Beavis, KISS prancing around in full battle gear trying to sound so soft and cuddly and endearing doesn't work for me. Beth did for some reason, maybe because it was just Peter singing that one to a background tape. Paul can hold a note, I'll give him that but this one is just too saccharine and sweet, almost cutesy in a Shaun Cassidy sort of way.

    And the video is painful to watch. Ace looks, as @GodShifter pointed out, terribly out of sorts. I would imagine this song did little to ease his need to be drunk in every promo clip promoting this album. Gene is still trying to look scary but he just doesn't anymore, at least not singing this song.

    This isn't KISS, this is desperation and even my 10 year old mind knew it then and all of this time later, it's difficult for me to defend this song.

    I don't dislike it because it's a ballad, I am somebody who was just listening to a Firefall CD. I dislike it because it's an over the top sugary sweet, bad song.
     
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  13. ejluther

    ejluther Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newtown, CT
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  14. Sandinista

    Sandinista Forum Resident

    Shandi

    I can see how people flipped out when they heard this - really no relation to KISS as we've known them - nothing rock and roll about this song.

    Free? Humble Pie?? Led Zep??? Later, dudes.

    Hello, Hall & Oates!

    Thing is, these days I'm cool with Hall & Oates. And I'm cool with Shandi. Shimmery, acoustic flavored pop/soft-rock, strong melody lines.

    Maybe they were desperate or whatever but, imo, even if you HATE this song I would argue that it's not becuase they play it terribly - quite the contrary - it's a good performance and Paul can pull this off - and again (I know I'm beating a dead horse a little bit) but what I hear on this song is a lot more engaging to my ear than most of his solo album.
     
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  15. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    UNMASKED

    I like this album so much more than DYNASTY.

    IS THAT YOU?


    "Cat's drooling on the barstool", IMO, is not a jab at Peter. We all know it's *uss*.

    This song is wayyyyy better than anything off of DYNASTY. Catchy lyrics, catchy riffs which Dynasty is sorely lacking.

    SHANDI

    While I'm not a fan of a rock band doing ballads, if it's a mid-tempo one and and the lyrics and guitars flow, I'm a fan.

    This one flows, but it's also kind of cheesy. Still, better than 7 songs off of Dynasty.
     
  16. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Shandi - pure sweet tooth action happening here, I was kind of surprised they didn't play this on MTV Unplugged. Anyhow it reminds me a little bit of Beth, it's totally out of left field however it suits Paul's voice way better than Hold Me Touch Me so I give it 4/5 as a one shot, no way I could handle an album full of these type of songs.
     
  17. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    Shandi

    As I mentioned in the IWMFLY review, for years I just HATED that one, Sure Know Something and Shandi for years and years. When I came around to Shandi about 6-7 years ago it hit me like a ton of bricks just how awesome this song is. The specific part of the song that made me stop and reassess it is the change that happens on the "I know you can tell me goodnight" part. That change is still one of the coolest songwriting bits in the whole KISS catalog. I absolutely love this song and I play it a LOT. I love the guitar playing here, great tone. Paul's vocal is incredible. I love the "oooo's" on the chorus. Everything about this song is just fantastic, what a perfect pop song.

    Is there actually a person named "Shandi"? I've never heard of anyone with that name, although my best friend tried to name his dog Shandi...until his wife nixed the idea.

    In reading the other reviews after writing mine, a lot of you are mentioning the video. Yeah, they look utterly ridiculous and totally out of place singing this song. Listening and watching at the same time, yeah, I see how you'd hate it. I did, for years. Listening to the song on its own merit, without the horrific visuals, is what put me in the camp of loving this song. In doing the songs from Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder (can't wait to get to their outfits from that time!) it was proof that they really needed to take the makeup off. The stupid cartoon cover of Unmasked should've been the time when they really did take the makeup off...somewhere in the layout anyway. The music no longer called for 4 kubuki comic book heroes. Another thing I'll say about the album cover, it's a bad move to have someone on the front of your album say, "they stink". That just gave everyone even more ammunition for hating the band and panning their music.
     
  18. Exile On My Street

    Exile On My Street Senior Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Man, after seeing some truly great (IMO) KISS songs get trashed on here, to see this outpouring of love for Unmasked has me feeling like I just landed in this thread from another planet. :eek:

    This is one of KISS' most maligned records and I seem...no, I am in the minority in not enjoying this record so far.

    Who woulda thunk it? You guys continue to amaze me. :agree:
     
  19. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Shandi
    What an awesome poppy song, I love the laid back guitar work, love Paul's vocals on here, such a beutiful melody, oh that little synth line at the middle section, an amazing song, this is the playing the Garden on a scale of one to ten. Also I wanted to post Joe Walshs tune Tomorrow
     
  20. Sandinista

    Sandinista Forum Resident


    If it was easy being us, everyone would do it.

    :biglaugh:
     
  21. 24voltsdc

    24voltsdc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
  22. 24voltsdc

    24voltsdc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    I feel exactly as you do. It's like Paul turned more sissy than usual. And like I stated in an earlier post- there's Paul again blaming someone else for his poor choices. I love a lot of Paul's work but this record and the rest of the 80's stuff just makes me cringe sometimes. Although I do like a lot of COTN. But there again most of it was written by outsiders.
    Shandi 1/10
     
  23. 24voltsdc

    24voltsdc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    Oh man that's bad.
     
  24. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Good thing MTV wasn't around yet....I don't remember ever seeing any of their promo videos until years later when they started surfacing on those KISSVision bootleg VHS'.
     
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  25. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I remember reading a review saying it was a major paradox how KISS, perhaps the most "visual" of bands, couldn't get arrested on MTV in the early '80s. And crappy videos couldn't be to blame...there were a LOT of crappy videos around that MTV played all the time.
     

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