Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll - My Ultimate Kiss "Fantasy DVD Set"

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by If I Can Dream_23, Aug 6, 2016.

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  1. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    Thank you very much. It's nice to know that the band / these fantasy discs are as fun for people to read, see and remember as it is compiling them together.
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2016
  2. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    I've really been enjoying this. Keep up the good work!
    :righton:
     
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  3. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    Thank you very much.
     
  4. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    ....and a new release appears - KISS the debut album re-mixed, remastered, re-sequenced with a new cover - KISS has decided to re-visit its past and "fix things". "It's the sound and the tracks we really wanted for our debut and it's the image we wanted to portray however we listened to the wrong people the first time around and the end result was not what we truly wanted, this is our gut and this is KISS". Paul Simmons ;)

    KISS - KISS

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    Track listing

    Side-A
    1- Deuce
    2- Watchin' You
    3- Cold Gin
    4- FireHouse
    5- She

    Side-B
    1- Strutter
    2- Nothin' To Lose
    3- Love Her All I Can
    4- 100,000 Years
    5- Black Diamond

    First Single: Deuce - B-Side: Let Me Know (unreleased) and Black Diamond (Kramer Demo Version)
    Second Single: Strutter - B-Side: Watchin' You (Kramer Demo Version) + Deuce - Live
     
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  5. SizzleVonSizzleton

    SizzleVonSizzleton The Last Yeti

    I LOVE that song. I get that it probably only got onto Dressed To Kill because they were forced to come up with so much material in such a short amount of time so they had to go backwards to get songs. But damn it would have fit in perfectly on Hotter Than Hell, better fit than it would have been on the debut. But at least it got released, such a gem.
     
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  6. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident


    That is a very strong track listing for the debut. The only thing is, would they want to sequence it with 3 straight Gene lead vocals right out of the gate?
     
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  7. FunkyNut

    FunkyNut Forum Resident

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    Chicagoland
    Notice Peter's the only one who's not worried about height matters (shoes).
     
  8. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Well you can't play drums with huge platforms on, so maybe that was before a gig.
     
  9. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    I think Paul would not like this at all but since this is my 5 minute exercise into rebuilding their career too bad. :D
     
  10. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
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    TV Commercial for the release of "Hotter Than Hell" (Oct 22, 1974) on Casablanca Records & Tapes 1:00



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    Stan Cornyn: Casablanca had so far not proven to be a success. In 1974, record after record was put out and nothing was a big hit. Bogart came to believe that Warner Brothers was not putting enough promotion and focus on Casablanca's releases. Neil was an upbeat and loyal man and he was not going to let Warner promote their other acts while Kiss died. So Neil severed ties with Warner. A new day for Casablanca dawned and a deluxe set of offices were set up on Sunset Boulevard.

    Gene Simmons: We were making about $85 a week at that point. We were deeply in debt but all we knew was that we were having the time of our lives.

    Joyce Bogart: Neil was one of a kind and liked groups that were one of a kind. There was a gong in the office of one of the Casablanca promotion offices and every time we got a record added to radio by Kiss, or any other act, he'd ring the gong. And everyone in the entire office would know that we'd gotten another radio station to play Kiss. There was an enormous amount of enthusiasm running through the office.

    Gary Major: From a promotional standpoint, Neil put his money where his mouth was. When a record company is trying to establish an artist they pull out all the stops, and Casablanca was relentless in their quest to make Kiss successful.

    Gene Simmons: Casablanca wasn't paying royalties on time because they didn't have enough money. Neil, bless him, kept borrowing money from all sorts of people just to stay afloat. The truth is, if we were on another label, we would have never gotten out of the gate to run the race. Casablanca didn't care. They believed.

    Larry Harris: Even though Kiss was not selling a ton records then, Casablanca believed they would eventually break. When they performed the audience would go crazy. The first album had sold 100,000 copies under Warner, which wasn't terrible. Hotter Than Hell did a little better, seeking upwards of 150,000 copies, which in those days wasn't too bad. So we all felt that the strength of their live show would eventually catapult them.

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    CONTINUED...
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2016
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  11. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
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    The demons of rock. Burnin' cross country with fire and thundah!
     
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  12. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    You gotta love that narration!

    It's one of my favorite Kiss promo commercials. And one of my favorite albums! :)

    Of course, they all are favorite albums but... :)
     
  13. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    THE ACT THAT MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED...

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    Joyce Bogart: Bill and the band were very adamant about Kiss not being photographed without makeup. It was a way to build mystique around the band.

    Fritz Postlethwaite: Unlike other stars, Kiss couldn't show their faces. This was a unique situation. There is not another star I can think of that could not be seen in public. Whether we were having lunch in a corner restaurant, walking through an airport, or trying to get into a movie theatre, we had to be on constant alert. We were all on the lookout for photographers.

    Gene Simmons: During an interview in Alberta, Canada, I said, "Listen, all you girls come on over an meet us, we're staying at the Holiday Inn". The promoter had set us up with a room. I remember walking in and was struck by one of the girls who had green and yellow hair. I still don't know her name. We spent the night together. I thought it was the most romantic thing you could do - wake up with a girl whose name you never even learned. That's true romance.

    Jeff Franklin: Kiss's shows were so exciting that it made it difficult for other acts to follow. They were blowing every other band off the stage and as a result it was murder securing shows for them with bigger name acts.

    Paul Stanley: We were backstage at a show and at some point Jeff said, "We really can't get you any gigs. There is nobody who will play with you. Can you guys not be so good live?" And my jaw just dropped.

    Gene Simmons: Imagine our bewilderment when we are backstage and we heard these words: "Can you guys not be so good live?" Bill, to his credit, said, "Look, you guys just go out there and kick ass and don't worry about a thing. We will find a way to get through this."

    Kiss at Winterland, CA 1/31/75 (Got To Choose) 4:08



    Kiss at Winterland, CA 1/31/75 (Black Diamond) 7:12

    Kiss Winterland Concert Black Diamond ยป


    CONTINUED...
     
  14. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
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    1975 - A New Year...

    Joyce Bogart: Neil had already sunk a lot of money into Kiss. He pulled the band off tour once again to make a third record and took matters into his own hands. There was definitely some friction over Neil producing "Dressed To Kill" but he knew what would work on radio and what an audience would like. He wanted to get them on radio.

    Paul Stanley: In the beginning, we were releasing an album about every six months. We certainly viewed that as a plan until we succeeded. Our idea was, if you aren't too fond of one album, how about this one? We wrote the songs for "Dressed To Kill" predominately in the studio. Gene and I would get up in the morning and write something and go from there.

    Gene Simmons: "Dressed To Kill" is certainly the record where we flew by the seat of our pants. On the first two records we were more or less trying to capture a stage sound. Neil came in and said, 'Look, I have a point of view on how to help you guys get the sound you want and I need to be there."

    Ace Frehley: Neil let us do what we felt like doing and basically added his guidance and two cents here and there. There was a lot of energy on that record.

    Bill Aucoin: Neil produced "Dressed To Kill" to also save money. We had made a decision that the best way to keep Kiss records in stores was to have a new one coming out every six months.

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    CONTINUED...
     
  15. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Paul Stanley: I love "Room Service". We were living on the road at that point. The sight of a hotel was our most common encounter. I was in my element getting room service in any way, shape or form it came.

    Gene Simmons: "Two Timer" came very fast and very natural. It was written on guitar and was from a demo I made in Minnesota.

    Paul Stanley: "Rock Bottom" is an interesting song because it's really two different things. Ace wrote the intro and I wrote the song. Every once in awhile I write a song that turns out to be in the key of A. "Hotter Than Hell" was one and so was "Rock Bottom". They are all songs I based off the likes of "All Right Now" by Free.

    Ace Frehley: I had an instrumental thing I was working on and Paul liked it. He said, "That might make a really good intro to a song I'm working on". So we linked them up, tried it, liked it, and recorded it.

    Paul Stanley: "C'mon And Love Me" is essentially autobiographical. It was just the lifestyle I was living and it was me just spitting out a song. I really liked it, still do, the verses, the choruses, the whole thing. It's the first time I played lead on a Kiss song.

    Gene Simmons: "She" went back a few years. It was written with Stephen Coronel at a time when we were just sitting around writing songs. I also wrote the basic track for "See You Tonite" around that time.

    Paul Stanley: "Love Her All I Can" is a favorite and goes back to the Wicked Lester days. It was inspired by the Who and Nazz.

    Paul Stanley: "Rock And Roll All Nite" was written when we were out in L.A. at the Continental Hyatt House. I wrote the choruses and Gene wrote the verses. We brought all our friends into the studio to sing background on it. It's a track that the audience could connect to because that's what made it what it is. It became like a rallying cry - this is who I am, this is what I believe in.

    Gene Simmons: Neil was looking for what he called an anthem at that time. There were no anthems then, as we know them today. He said, "Write something that says something about how you feel. What is your philosophy?" We thought that was an interesting notion because we always liked writing about how we feel and most importantly who we are. It came very fast. Paul walked in and said, "Listen to what I have... (Sings 'I wanna rock and roll all nite'...). That immediately hooked me because of course it's "I" not "we". We were always thinking along the lines of a one notion can change the world kind of thing. I took my verses, attached them to Paul's choruses, and you got a song.

    Bob Gruen: I was working for "Creem" and they came up with the idea of a Kiss photo novella, which was a comic book type story in photographs. In the story, Kiss starts off as mild-mannered reporters in their secret identity makeup wearing suits and ties. Kiss becomes outraged that mediocrity was so widespread and they decide to save the world with rock and roll. They go into a phone booth, pull off the suits and emerge as "Kiss". While we were shooting, I had Kiss stop for some group photos at the southwest corner of 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue dressed in the suits. They liked it so much they came up with the title "Dressed To Kill" and ended up using it on their new album. I think it's a great image. It always strikes people as very comical. It was extremely rare to see Kiss in anything but their stage costumes, so this humanized them in a way. We even did a bunch of pictures with them in the recording studio with the suits on, as if that were their day to day look.

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    CONTINUED...
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2016
  16. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    DRESSED TO KILL (March 19, 1975)

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    "Room Service" by Kiss, from their new album, Dressed To Kill, available on Casablanca Records & Tapes 3:00



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  17. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    No offense to the OP intended but gimme the Kissology boxsets any day.
     
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  18. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    I still gave you a like vote. After all, I can respect your view and realize this obsessive fascination I have for the band is not shared by everyone.

    I adore the Kissology sets myself and have used much of the material from them in making this set. My goal is to simply expand on them even further. After all, too much Kiss is never a bad thing in my book. :)
     
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  19. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    :edthumbs:
     
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  20. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    Carol Ross: Kiss was the first client I worked with from a public relations standpoint. During a creative staff meeting, I showed pictures of Kiss and everyone went into shock. I explained to the staff that this was not a gimmick - this was an imaginative concept. I had to lay out a campaign to help promote Kiss because at that time no one had taken them seriously. I was even more determined. I said to myself, "I'm gonna show these guys because one day they'll be calling begging for an interview and I'm gonna be choosey (laughs). And indeed it happened. Kiss were press-savvy from the beginning and of course once they made it big, everyone tried to take credit for it. I must say that while all of them were aware of how to handle the press, Gene was the one the press gravitated to. Gene had it all, charisma, lightheartedness, the humor, depth and intellect.

    Nancy Sain: By this time, Casablanca had people all over the country calling in to request Kiss. I'd take my Top 40 people out to a dinner, then to a Kiss concert. They'd complain, "No, no, no. I hate Kiss". And I would say, "But your audience doesn't".

    Paul Stanley: Our problem was never with the people. They were there to support us and champion us. Our problem was always with those who wished we'd go away. The intellectual crowd and critics who thought that they could spoon-feed the music they loved onto an unwilling audience".

    Larry Harris: There was a lot to resistance to Kiss back then solely due to the makeup. I was constantly hearing stuff like, "We can't play a band that looks like that."

    Paul Stanley: Radio was slow to embrace us but the people were, in enormous quantities. I knew it was just a matter of time. Regardless of what album sales were, the people supporting us kept increasing markedly and I felt the build happening.

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    Paul Stanley: Around the time of the "Midnight Special" show, Gibson started giving me guitars to use and it became a relationship noted on the back of our albums. The thing I remember most about the "Midnight Special" show was that the stage was slippery and I remember being very conscious as to not slip. I figured there would be nothing more ridiculous than seeing a guy in makeup with eight inch heels wiping out on television.

    Kiss performs on NBC's "Midnight Special" 4/1/75 (Deuce, She, Black Diamond) 16:25



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  21. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    I've watched that Midnight Special performance many times but I never noticed before now that they'd covered all the logos on their gear.

    No Marshall, Pearl or Ampeg logos allowed. The only word that can be seen on the whole stage is KISS.
     
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  22. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    Keep up the good work! There are a few photos here I've never seen before. Also never saw that HOTTER THAN HELL trade ad before.

    Thanks.
     
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  23. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    Yeah, that's an interesting observation. No Gibson logos either and this is when the band had just started their relationship with them and Pearl drums on the back of their albums! Of course, the style and shapes of the guitars themselves probably easily identified them as Gibsons.
     
  24. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    Thanks for reading!

    Yeah, I think that Hotter Than Hell ad can be found in a few color variations. Much like the above Dressed To Kill one.
     
  25. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
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    Another side note in regards to the awesome and spectacular "Midnight Special" show above..."C'mon And Love Me" was also performed but it did not air.
     
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