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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 8:59:05 GMT -5
Okay you don't suck, but you need to understand the childhood fascination that ultimately led to these four arseholes being commercially in charge of the music world for about 3-4 years in the 70's.
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Post by phil on Apr 15, 2006 9:03:01 GMT -5
Did you get some platform shoes at some point during those 3-4 years in the 70's ... ?
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Post by phil on Apr 15, 2006 9:07:14 GMT -5
But seriously ... How much milleage do you really think
those guys would have made within the music world
if not for the gimmicks, costumes and make-up ... ??
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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 9:11:02 GMT -5
You're spot on Phil. But here are some scattered thoughts on why it still doesn't matter. I'm a grown up now listening to mostly grown up high brow type art music, but none of us ever wanted that from Kiss.
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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 9:11:20 GMT -5
Saturday morning cartoons, riding Green Machines, eating Lucky Charms, playing with Star Wars action figures and listening to Kiss are all sort of part of the same phenomenon. It's what you did if you were like 6 years old in 1977.
Everyone would line up to go into school with their Kiss lunch boxes. On Halloween you would get to paint your face like your favorite (Ace Frehley). What bands do kids dress up like for Halloween now.
So it was a shit load of fun. Just like their music. You can see however, why these guys set themselves up to be whipping boys for anyone who was making or listening to to music that didn't carry a side show. The choice was made early on for Kiss that everything would be about spectacle. A double edged sword for the band, but a lot of great entertainment value for a lot of 6 year old kids.
Do you outgrow Kiss? Absolutely. You don't outgrow the silly little memories though. Making a guitar and plugging a yarn chord into the lazy boy so you could rock out properly to "Shout It Out Loud". Why do you think Weezer, Buck 65, and Sloan all sing about Kiss? Because they grew up having so much fun with them.
I didn't even know they were pigs until I grew up and understood what their lyrics were about. Imagine a mom hearing her 6 year old son in front of his lttle record player singing "She wants me all the time to inject her".
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Post by Ayinger on Apr 15, 2006 10:01:18 GMT -5
But seriously ... How much milleage do you really think those guys would have made within the music world if not for the gimmicks, costumes and make-up ... ?? Have to give them credit though -- for what I know, esp. in Gene Simmons. He came about to look at the band not as much as in Craft but as a money making Enterprise. cha-CHING! |
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Post by phil on Apr 15, 2006 10:23:05 GMT -5
Riley ~ You've made me realize there was no such thing as Rock 'n' Roll music
when I was a six y/o kid growing up in "La belle province" ...
We did listen to Félix Leclerc and a bunch of French singer/writers ...
Classical music ... That's it !!
Until that fateful night of February 1964 watching the Ed Sullivan Show ...
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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 15:34:46 GMT -5
Actually Phil, I was also doing some thinking about our community here and there really wouldn't be that many people who fall into that Kiss Army demographic. As diverse an age bracket as we have, the majority seem to be in their 20's or 40's around here. I know JLLM is my age, but he's not bright enough to have been listening to Kiss in the 70's. There would be more I'm sure, so far as those of us who were in our formative years when Kiss were peaking, but for the most part I think I'm coming at this from a relative minority. So there's the generational gap you're highlighting and the coincidental fan gap. Basically, I'm out on my own here trying to sell the not so obvious high points to virtually everyone except Mantis.  Don't get me wrong. I don't listen to Kiss everyday and think they're on par with Radiohead. It's more the dynamic. Obviously millions of kids bought into the Kiss experience, just probably not too many on this board. |
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Post by Galactus on Apr 15, 2006 15:42:22 GMT -5
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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 15:45:26 GMT -5
priceless
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Post by rockysigman on Apr 15, 2006 16:03:30 GMT -5
KISS seem to be dispicable human beings, although that certainly doesn't matter musically. On a musical level, I find them to be often catchy, but mostly uninteresting. However, I think the fact that their Unplugged was my first real exposure to them has a big impact on that view. I think they are probably one of those bands that you had to experience the first time around.
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Post by Galactus on Apr 15, 2006 16:12:13 GMT -5
Yeah, Unplugged is real bad start. Sorry.
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Post by riley on Apr 15, 2006 16:18:15 GMT -5
Alive I and Alive II aren't bad places to start actually, but I don't think many people can go back once they get the "Kiss is shit" bug in their head. If a person did they really could stop after the first 6 studio albums and those two live discs.
The solos they put out are novel, but not good. Dynasty has a couple cool songs. Same with Unmasked. The Elder is nonsense. Creatures of The Night is pretty good I guess, but anything after that is indisputable garbage. That of course covers all the no makeup crap. Huge catalogue narrowed down to 6or 8 albums in 20 seconds. Not bad.
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Apr 15, 2006 20:44:58 GMT -5
I get the KISS thing & I'm not even 25 yet, plus am a girl. My brothers (8 & 10 years older than me) were OBSESSED with them. They have 3 sons between them now & are eagerly hoping one of their wives to pop out another boy, so they can form their own miniature KISS tribute band (then again, they also talk about having another 8 sons between them so they can start the world's first soccer team with the one surname...)
Sean had the KISS fever growing up, too (he turned 29 this year) & my ex (now 30) was a KISS Army member & follows them around the country when they tour (surprisingly, thats not one of the reasons we broke up) - so I guess its men in that 29-35 age bracket who remain most affected.
I love KISS because they're fun. Its party music & they're total rock stars. Sure, those guys are dirty pigs, but if I were a dude in a band you think I wouldn't be trying to sex up 3000 women & wearing platform shoes? Of course I would. James Bond was a dirty pig. The international espionage version of KISS.
People who hate KISS don't suck, they just can't accept their own lack of coolness.
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Post by Ayinger on Apr 15, 2006 20:53:22 GMT -5
HEY! The Elder gave at least a cool tune (IMO) with "A World Without Heroes" and I recall was very much sought after being avail. here in the States as an import for so long of a time. Ha, at least the guys were trying to stab at something a lil' beyond their reach perhaps! If I recall "I" wasn't too bad of a tune off of that as well.
You knew the band was struggling around then anyhow with bringing in outside writers as well as players to fill in for a drugged-out Ace who all but DIDN'T play on Creatures Of The Night even tho' he was pictured on the cover.
Hey, I was right there in my formative RockNRoll years when Kiss appeared on the scene...dug the first album totally, was on board with its followup, but then as I remember turned a cold shoulder to them with Dressed To Kill....my biggest buddy stuck with 'em but I moved on to Blue Oyster Cult.
Like I posted earlier, I look back on them now with a deal of fondness and knowledge of what the sounds were like at the time they first broke out. Certain songs I still get a good kick out of hearing and can tie back to 'the day' --- and yeah, what I've heard them do recently doesn't carry that same thrill but I think there were a few gems there to be had in the 80's..."I've Had Enough", "Heaven's On Fire", "I Still Love You", hell even "Tears Are Falling" was catchy enough...fuck, I'll even give you that "I Was Made For Loving You" was a cool rip for the disco dance floor! But then you're talkin' to a guy who found some scant worth in the Crazy Nights album which I heavily spun on college radio, plus thought that Carnival Of Souls had some good heavy shit on it.......
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