People who think the reunion would have been just as big in '90 as it was in '96 just aren't remembering the timeline of events clearly enough. Which is not to say it wouldn't have been a success, but that it wouldn't have been the unqualified blockbuster that it was in '96. By the time of KISS' reunion, there were several bands making a living by recreating the makeup version of KISS (including Tommy Thayer's band; was it Cold Gin?). Circa 90-91, I believe there were a couple of KISS tribute bands, but it wasn't the cottage industry it became a few years later. Why? The ongoing phenomena of younger bands citing KISS as a major influence, the KISS My Ass tribute album, the Convention Tour (with traveling KISS museum), and MTV Unplugged. And probably a few other things I'm forgetting at the moment. It was a gradual process that gained momentum as time went on. Would a reunion in makeup have been successful 5 years earlier? Yes, it would have. Would it have been the blockbuster that the Alive/Worldwide Tour was, which circled the globe twice, to unprecedented demand? Not a chance. The hunger for nostalgia was far greater in '96, due to several factors, including changing tastes in music, and the desirability for a 70's throwback of the kind KISS could deliver.
Let's be honest - for most people, music sucked a lot worse in 1996, compared to 1991. So you're absolutely right, there's no way Alive Worldwide would have made the same kinds of cash.
Carnival Of Souls : It's no secret I'm a huge fan of this and Revenge. Still feel CoS has the best lyrics and most mature lyrics in the whole of the KISS catalogue. It's a shame, at least for me, cause everything that comes after is almost all swill. PC was a huge let down. I thought it would be a R&RO2 or at least CoTN2. COS was the last hurrah. Or HURRAH (almost want to break into War Child dance the... oh) anyways I'd rather stay at the Carnival than go to the Circus! PaxAmoLux
I'm with you, but I'm also looking forward to taking a fresh look at PC, as I haven't listened to it in a while. And knowing your love of old-school KISS, I'm guessing that between Sonic Boom and Monster, that we can at least get you one album's worth of decent material out of those two records! (Here's hoping!). I'm thinking you're going to get a kick out of some of KISS' nods to other artists on Monster.
I just want to say thanks to all of you. I really had no intention making it this far and I wouldn't have had it not been for the honest, funny, and insightful conversation here. Don't know why I throw his in now, but it's been a fun ride together with all of you.
I love seeing your name and avatar pop up, so thank you for sticking it out with us, and giving all of this material a listen!
Thanks brother! You always make me look at the brighter possibilities! @bartels76 Ty for the trip down Memory Lane loved that show! @dadonred Ty for that tribute to your brothers. I do hope you stay not just til the end, but for the after party too. There's gonna be food , open bar, several KISS tribute bands including BLACK DIAMOND an all girl group from Ohio! Should be fun! Pax y'all
Speaking of which, if anyone has not seen the documentary "KISS Loves You" you should check it out... Kiss Loves You - Wikipedia
I'm with you! I listened once, maybe twice when it came out and never again. That's the only tour I missed. It just wasn't...... Christ I can't even find the words..... appetizing? I probably couldn't have said at the time " that's not Ace & Peter" but I did know it wasn't the same. That vibe wasn't there for me. I'm hoping time and maturity (old age) will give me a new perspective on it. Gee am I becoming an optimist or something? Peace
It seems to me that if you're big on CoS and (to a slightly lesser extent) Revenge you should enjoy Within, Dreamin' and Journey of 1000 Years from Psycho Circus. I'm also interested to see if anyone likes I Finally Found My Way, 'cause that song is one of the worst ballads ever put to tape. Spoiler Alert!!
In the Mirror - This is a cool song by Paul, not necessarily the best on the album but still pretty solid... Can't say anything negative about it. 7.5/10
I don't remember "Dreamin" being a stand-out track, so as I said, I look forward to revisiting this one! (Agreed on the other two)
I'm going to roll the dice and guess you're on team Gene with these three tracks. But you don't have to tell me if you want to wait.
When Psycho Circus came out I was living in Seattle and there was a Blockbuster music store right near my apartment. I don't know how many of these Blockbuster places there were. They obviously had more than the one but I can't really remember ever seeing another one. But anyway, this Blockbuster music store had listening stations where you could check out any CD in the store. Just bring it up there and they unwrap it and you can check it out. So when Psycho Circus came out I wasn't necessarily expecting much, but I was intrigued enough by the idea of the original lineup making a record that I wanted to check it out. So I went over to Blockbuster, brought the CD up to the guy, sat down and listened and...well I left without the CD. I can't remember if it occurred to me that is wasn't really the full band. Probably not. But I sure do remember thinking wow this is...not good.
I Walk Alone - I think this is an excellent closer to Carnival Of Souls and a fitting farewell for Bruce. While his vocals may not be all that great, he does pull if off and manage to provide a confident performance. Gotta love those lyrics too! The distinctive guitar work is basically the summation of his efforts throughout the album... Bruce does fly here. The 'freakout' bit in the middle is a lot of fun and that monster riff at the end rocks! And then when Gene joins in with "Cause I know deep inside of me/There's a place but it's not plain to see/Where I belong, where no one else can be/And I'm searchin' for myself again/And here I'm all alone and when/I close my eyes, and no one else can see", I'm on my feet! What a great, uplifting moment that is! And that solo... Wow! Reminds me of Brian May at the end of The Show Must Go On... In short, there's an engaging sense of adventure to this song and I really like that. 8.5/10
Paul is in there, too, even though Gene's voice is more prominent. And actually, Paul pops up earlier in the tune, supporting Bruce at certain moments. But yeah, this is a great tune, and it's nice to see it resonating with others here!
A bit too late for the party and I wouldn't even comment on I walk alone since there's nothing to comment on here. But In the Mirror is Paul's best tune on the record and the mellow part is incredibly cool. Love the "station to station" line, being a big fan of the certain album. Hate 3/10 Rain 5/10 Master & Slave 5/10 Childhood’s End 10/10 I Will Be There 7/10 Jungle 4/10 In My Head 5/10 It Never Goes Away 7/10 Seduction Of The Innocent 6/10 I Confess 9/10 In The Mirror 10/10 I Walk Alone 3/10
KISS 10/10 Hotter than Hell 8/10 Dressed to Kill 7/10 Destroyer 9/10 Rock'n'Roll Over 9/10 Lover Gun 9/10 Alive II studio side 8/10 Dynasty 8/10 Unmasked 10/10 Music from the Elder 11/10 Killers new tracks 8/10 Creatures of the Night 5/10 Lick it Up 6/10 Animalize 3/10 Asylum 2/10 Crazy Nights 2/10 Smashes, Trashes and Hits new tracks 0/10 Hot in the Shade 5/10 Revenge 6/10 Carnival of Souls 6/10 SOLO Paul Stanley 8/10 Ace Frehley 9/10 Gene Simmons 9/10 Peter Criss 9/10 Out of Control 9/10 Let me Rock you 7/10 Ace Frehley's Comet 4/10 Second Sighting 2/10 Troubl Walking 5/10 Criss Cat N1 5/10
The reissues are garbage. Compressed digital sound with boosted bass on horrible noisy pressings. US originals slaughter them like cockroaches without any mercy. Comparing US originals vs the new KISS reissues was my first eye-opening experience regarding the horrors of new vinyl.
