KISS
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Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
PAUL STANLEY Ranks His Top 5 KISS Albums, Explains His Choices
In a new interview with Justin Richmond of the Broken Record podcast, Paul Stanley was asked to rank his top five KISS albums. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For different reasons, the first has to be 'Kiss Alive!'. Because 'Kiss Alive!' really captured the essence of the live...
blabbermouth.net
Paul's Top 5 Kiss albums (with comments from him):
1.Alive!
2.Destroyer
3.Sonic Boom
4.Rock And Roll Over
5.Kiss Unplugged
The first two choices are probably a must. The 2009 album is a surprise. A nice choice is the ''Unplugged'' show. He probably chose the first live album as a representative of the first 3 iconic albums - and the band. RARO instead of Love Gun is interesting, while an 80's album like Creatures could have been listed for sure.
Krampus
Invader
Hotter than Hell is an underrated album and was, perhaps ironically given Grunge ended the hair metal trend Kiss rode through the 80s, a proto-Grunge effort but that’s only discernible in hindsight.
Here is my standing opinion about KISS:
Peter Criss, prior to his substance abuse issues and car accident injuries, was a very creative and unique drummer. He was skilled at creating shuffle grooves that are more intricate than they at first sound. He was also the second best vocalist in the band behind Paul. In some ways, I think he was a better vocalist than Paul. I’d agree, however, that his drum solos were too long live. May be a borderline or hysterical personality type given his struggles with volatile emotional behavior and lack of self control.
Gene Simmons: Underrated bassist, slightly overrated vocalist. I really wish the creative thread he started on Hotter than Hell with Goin’ Blind had continued. KISS was almost ahead of its time compared with the 80s Indie and 90s Grunge scenes. Gene and company played it safe with good time rock n roll , however and, aside from those later Melvins and Dinosaur Jr covers of Goin Blind, KISS never really got its recognition as an influence in the 80s Indie scene. Gene’s bass runs, while he’s no Geddy Lee, exhibited a creativity level on par with many of Paul McCartney’s bass lines. While technically the #2 vocalist for the band, his natural singing talent is below Criss’s. His upbringing being sheltered and enmeshed by his single mother may have contributed to his narcissism and sexual addiction as an adult.
Ace Frehley: the band’s most naturally gifted musician. By most accounts, very lazy. May have harbored fear of failure and hid it behind a facade of apathy and humor. His guitar work throughout the 70s was superb, distinct, instinctual, and could have been at home with a more “serious” act like Steely Dan. His songwriting was among the band’s best. His later vocal style added a unique variant to the band’s songs.
Paul Stanley: the band’s workhorse who sweated the musical side through learning theory and approaching music from a more academic angle (at least from Destroyer onward). He’s the main and most talented vocalist in the group and among its most prolific songwriters. His trauma growing up with a physical handicap, with emotionally distant, disengaged parents, probably drove his motivation to succeed and how much he wrapped his personal identity into KISS. I think he’s unfair in his criticism of Peter Criss’s drumming ability although justified in being exasperated by both Criss and Frehley’s unreliable behavior and complaining by the time Love Gun was recorded (yeah, I know Dynasty and, technically, Unmasked were the considered the original lineup at least on the credits).
First 7 Albums ranked by me:
#1 Hotter than Hell, criminally underrated. Despite having a few generic bluesy rock songs as filler, the tracks Goin’ Blind, Parasite, Strange Ways, and Got to Choose stand out as ahead of their era.
#2 KISS. Strutter is the best first track on a first album ever in my opinion. Cold Gin and Deuce are fine, 100,000 years stomps, but Black Diamond is (pun intended) the hidden gem on this album.
#3 Destroyer. Yes, Destroyer is the album most casual listeners associate with KISS. Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, King of the Night Time World, Beth, are all great tracks. With Bob Ezrin’s fingerprints and publishing royalties all over this album, it truly was KISS’s breakthrough as a high production value product.
#4. Dynasty. The first three tracks, I was Made for Lovin’ You, 2000 Man, Sure Know Somethin’, along with X-Ray Eyes, make this probably the second most accessible Kiss album behind Destroyer.
#5 Dressed to Kill. I like it mainly for the song She. Rock n Roll All Nite gets a mention but it’s not one of my personal favorites.
#6. Love Gun. I like the track Love Gun. None of the others are on my repeat playlist.
#7. Rock and Roll Over. Hard Luck Woman is really the only track on this one I listen to.
Here is my standing opinion about KISS:
Peter Criss, prior to his substance abuse issues and car accident injuries, was a very creative and unique drummer. He was skilled at creating shuffle grooves that are more intricate than they at first sound. He was also the second best vocalist in the band behind Paul. In some ways, I think he was a better vocalist than Paul. I’d agree, however, that his drum solos were too long live. May be a borderline or hysterical personality type given his struggles with volatile emotional behavior and lack of self control.
Gene Simmons: Underrated bassist, slightly overrated vocalist. I really wish the creative thread he started on Hotter than Hell with Goin’ Blind had continued. KISS was almost ahead of its time compared with the 80s Indie and 90s Grunge scenes. Gene and company played it safe with good time rock n roll , however and, aside from those later Melvins and Dinosaur Jr covers of Goin Blind, KISS never really got its recognition as an influence in the 80s Indie scene. Gene’s bass runs, while he’s no Geddy Lee, exhibited a creativity level on par with many of Paul McCartney’s bass lines. While technically the #2 vocalist for the band, his natural singing talent is below Criss’s. His upbringing being sheltered and enmeshed by his single mother may have contributed to his narcissism and sexual addiction as an adult.
Ace Frehley: the band’s most naturally gifted musician. By most accounts, very lazy. May have harbored fear of failure and hid it behind a facade of apathy and humor. His guitar work throughout the 70s was superb, distinct, instinctual, and could have been at home with a more “serious” act like Steely Dan. His songwriting was among the band’s best. His later vocal style added a unique variant to the band’s songs.
Paul Stanley: the band’s workhorse who sweated the musical side through learning theory and approaching music from a more academic angle (at least from Destroyer onward). He’s the main and most talented vocalist in the group and among its most prolific songwriters. His trauma growing up with a physical handicap, with emotionally distant, disengaged parents, probably drove his motivation to succeed and how much he wrapped his personal identity into KISS. I think he’s unfair in his criticism of Peter Criss’s drumming ability although justified in being exasperated by both Criss and Frehley’s unreliable behavior and complaining by the time Love Gun was recorded (yeah, I know Dynasty and, technically, Unmasked were the considered the original lineup at least on the credits).
First 7 Albums ranked by me:
#1 Hotter than Hell, criminally underrated. Despite having a few generic bluesy rock songs as filler, the tracks Goin’ Blind, Parasite, Strange Ways, and Got to Choose stand out as ahead of their era.
#2 KISS. Strutter is the best first track on a first album ever in my opinion. Cold Gin and Deuce are fine, 100,000 years stomps, but Black Diamond is (pun intended) the hidden gem on this album.
#3 Destroyer. Yes, Destroyer is the album most casual listeners associate with KISS. Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, King of the Night Time World, Beth, are all great tracks. With Bob Ezrin’s fingerprints and publishing royalties all over this album, it truly was KISS’s breakthrough as a high production value product.
#4. Dynasty. The first three tracks, I was Made for Lovin’ You, 2000 Man, Sure Know Somethin’, along with X-Ray Eyes, make this probably the second most accessible Kiss album behind Destroyer.
#5 Dressed to Kill. I like it mainly for the song She. Rock n Roll All Nite gets a mention but it’s not one of my personal favorites.
#6. Love Gun. I like the track Love Gun. None of the others are on my repeat playlist.
#7. Rock and Roll Over. Hard Luck Woman is really the only track on this one I listen to.
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