I don't really have a first rock album. I guess it's kind of "whatever my folks first played when they brought me home from the hospital as a baby." It's not even clear to me what the first album that I bought was, because I was spoiled and my mom would regularly buy albums on my suggestion/request going back as far as I can remember. It would just be a distinction of the first album I bought with what was "my own money" . . . but I'm not sure what the answer to that is. I do know that the first album that I have no doubt about buying with my own money, and not just allowance money, but money made from working (though part of it was working at my dad's shop) was Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.
Like many of you, I'm a big fan of Mr. Speed. It's another Paul Stanley home run. There is a lot of positive vibration in his songs on RARO. This one feels poppy, bouncy, rocking and swift to my ears. Put my name in the 'Love It' column. I'm also in total agreement with the T. Rex, Faces, Stones reference points you guys are mentioning.
Big time T Rex influence. Kiss were basically a boogie based rock band. T Rex was a little more diverse but their rock side was very boogie based. I agree about Paul Stanley.
Come clean RRB! What was your first rock album? My earliest music memories are from Eagles Hits vol. 1 on 8 track. We (my bro and I)had Heart, Eagles, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Crusaders, Waylon playing in our house. Then my brother and I got RARO that my Mom brought home from a garage sale. After that, KISS ruled our universe. (Until Zep came along in our early teens- but we won't talk about that). Edit: we also had Doors first lp, big brother -cheap thrills, Cream, Hendrix and Yes in the mix. We were lucky kids that our Dad had these lying around for us to play.
Baby doncha know you can , cryyy-ee yiiieee yahiiiiiiiiiii... great Beatley stuff there! Good jam, that Mr Speed.
I'd firmly put RNRO in the top 5 best KISS discs, so don't sweat it. Not sure if I mentioned it earler, but my best bud who is NOT a KISS fan, loves RNRO.
Mr. Speed - always liked this one a LOT and always will, it's 100% Starchild even if Delaney wrote most of it?? - great tune. 5/5 What's shocking to me is they never played this one live until very late in their career, some half ass versions played Unplugged on the Convention tour and then on one of the Kruises.
Can't say I agree with you here, I think Love Gun has a few better songs (2) but the lows are far more frequent and reach garbage level. This is another case where mgmt. screwed up by pushing these guys too hard, pumping out 20 songs a year for guys with little theoretical background is asking for trouble. Given the chance and hindsight being what it is I would've managed KISS in a different manner but hey what's done is done. Oh yeah and HITS? the stink off that record is way worse than anything they put out in the 70's, talk about banking the advance money and running back to Beverly Hills.....
I think about this often, how much material these guys were pumping out in such a short span of time. And while no two people would ever agree on which ten songs to choose, a record combining the best of RaRO with LG would be a pretty excellent record indeed. Even for 4 guys, pumping out two records a year of top shelf stuff is a difficult task so when assessing songs, I do cut them a little leeway there. But still, LG was the first album where the cracks really began showing. More on that later this week.
Yeah but if you survey 500 fans the cream rises to the top. I have my re-worked 70's KISS CD-R catalog and a best of those two albums is a solid 5 star + affair. Take the 12 best keep it under 42 minutes in length - stellar. I know what's making it off RnR Over I Want You - Take Me - Calling (DP Version) - Mr.Speed - Hard Luck - Makin'L. The leftovers become potential b-sides for 45's, no doubt this would help sales.
Yeah, but now I want to know! I wasn't really that "young" when I got into rock music. I listened to the radio a lot and bought some 45's here and there (I recorded a lot of stuff off the radio onto my tape recorder and would listen to that over and over) but it wasn't until I was 11 and asked for LG for my birthday because I had heard "Christeen Sixteen" so much on the radio. So LG was officially my first rock album. I went crazy after that!
I know there's one Q&A session during the '95 convention where a guy flat out asked Paul why "Mr. Speed" was never a single! Paul seemed a little embarrassed.
The first record I ever bought was the 45 of Underwater by The Frogmen in 1961. The first album I bought was Walk, Don't Run by The Ventures also in 1961. They are long gone unfortunately. I loved Surf Music even after the Beatles but not as much.
So is the song a day still working for everyone? I think, at this point, I've done at least 40 songs in a row without missing a day. I intend to keep it up even though I'll be traveling later this week. If there are people that want me to slow down I will, but I like keeping this pace. It keeps me disciplined.
Here's the thing - RNR Over is consistent to a fault, but Love Gun is just a more exciting album. If it had nothing but I Stole Your Love and the title track, it'd be a top 3 KISS album, but it has so much more. Have Love Will Travel is one of the best songs ever by anyone combining acoustic and electric guitars. The whole album just works. Just so no one gets the wrong impression that there's anything about RNR Over that is not awesome - there isn't.
"Have Love Will Travel" is not on LG. Do you mean "Got Love for Sale"? Edit: yes, of course you do. As a young kid I always thought the lyric was "High, low in trouble" (yes, I'm stupid)
That's the one. I tend to call songs by what's repeated in the chorus, sometimes to hilarious effect.
I think there's some kind of back story to this song and no one's talking. Interesting unplugged cover version.
I wouldn't worry about it, don't over-think it. My first KISS album was ALIVE II. As a kid I would sit there and look at the gatefold and the booklet as I listened to that record, it was magical. These days there's questions over how it's a bit touched up and who actually played what etc, etc ....... but I don't care at all about that. When I play it, I get the same rush as I did when I first bought it. It's still a kick-ass live album for me. It's how the music makes you feel. If you can get that from a record still, treasure it. If RARO connects man, don't fight it .......'cause you won't win !
This pace is great for me. Every day I'm thinking about tomorrow's song, it's damn near getting out of hand. Thanks for all the work.
I'm cool, your discipline is our discipline ( does that even make sense ? ). Although I've dropped the ball a couple of times and had to catch up, a song a day keeps it fresh. But if you need to throw an extra day in here or there later in the week, go for it.