THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: kiss

KISS – Creatures Of The Night

January 3, 2023 /

I’m not the biggest Kiss fan if I’m honest, and I don’t have many of their early albums. I only own Destroyer and the live album, as I always thought they were all flash and very little substance. Take the pyro and make up away and what have you got?

After the failure of The Elder, the band were at a crossroads and struggling. Enter one Vincent Cusano, aka. Vinnie Vincent the man who saved Kiss. I know that is a very unpopular opinion, but that’s the truth as I see it. He gave them a serious kick in the ass, which is what they needed and this album put them on the right path to being even bigger than they were before, and their next album Lick It Up was a classic. Vinnie isn’t even credited as playing guitar on this album, and only gets three song writing credits.

I’m going for one of the Vinnie tunes as my favourite, which is Killer, even though War Machine is a close second. This copy is the half speed master audiophile release, and it sounds very crisp and clear. There is not a lot of tracks taken up from the original recording so this should and does sound great.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KISS – Destroyer

March 9, 2022 /

I’m not the biggest fan of early Kiss, and I only own Alive and Destroyer. I really like the Vinnie Vincent period as he brought that edge to the band, and those albums resurrected the band’s career. This version is the 45th anniversary reissue with an extra disc of demos and it sounds really good. They have gone to town on this one, and if any of the early Kiss albums deserve that treatment, its Destroyer.

Everything about this album screams comic book hero – especially the cover, and the inclusion of the track God Of Thunder which emphasizes the point. The album opens up with Detroit Rock City – one of Kiss’s best tracks and one of my favourites. King Of The Night Time World is next and Paul and Gene’s knack of writing a catchy hook and chorus is very evident here. God Of Thunder is a very weak track and is all about the image. Great Expectations closes out Side 1 and is another very weak track.

Flaming Youth opens up Side 2 and is not a bad tune with a simple Ace solo. A Gene track follows with Sweet Pain and it’s not a bad tune, again with a nice short and to the point Ace solo. One of the big singles from the record was Shout It Out Loud, and it’s a really good track with the big hook and chorus and a superb melody to the main opening riff – you can’t go wrong with this one. The other big track from the record was surprisingly Beth, not a rocker as you would expect but a ballad and sung by Pete Criss. The album closes out with a typical Kiss bubblegum track, Do You Love Me, with the big sing-a-long take line and it feels very much like a Phil Spector produced track.

The other disc is full of demos and different takes, and if you’re a Kiss fan then you will be in heaven. A word of warning, I am on my third copy as the first two were very noisy pressings.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

KISS – Psycho Circus

November 18, 2021 /

This is Kiss’ 18th studio album and the first to feature all original members since Dynasty in ’79, although they only appear on a select few tracks. I can take or leave Kiss, if it wasn’t for the pyro and stage show, then their music is left wanting – I think they definitely clued into that very early in their career.

My favourite Kiss albums are the Vinnie Vincent ones as the material went up a few notches. I do have a love of this record though, and I’m not to sure why. I think it’s because there was no pressure at this point and they could just make the record how they wanted to. I am strangely drawn to the Gene tunes on this one. Within is a great tune and has a great groove and swing to it – I think it’s one of Genes best. You Wanted The Best is a hands in the air stomper that Gene does so well. Ace’s only contribution to writing proceedings is Into The Void, and it is the only one on the whole album that has that old school Kiss.

It’s an enjoyable romp that I play occasionally, but it doesn’t beat the previous albums as to me that’s Kiss in their prime.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KISS – Animalize

August 24, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not being the biggest Kiss fan in the world. I always thought the make up and fireworks just took away from the fact that they wrote very average songs, and it was the image that drove them along. I was told that Creatures Of The Night was to be the first album without make up, but with the title and the image, it was to be put back for one album. The arrival of Vinnie Vincent sure gave them a kick up the ass, but when his weirdness was even too much for Gene and Paul, in came Mark St. John for the recording of this album.

This, and Lick It Up, are my favourite Kiss albums. I think they have the best songs and the best playing. It’s no coincidence that the band brought in outside writers at this point, as they knew they needed that extra shove without the costumes. The big single from the album is Heavens On Fire, and Gene is still as classy as ever with his contribution of Burn Bitch Burn with the immortal line of “Ooh baby I want to put my log in your fireplace”.

Musically, it’s a cut above usual Kiss fodder, and Under The Gun is my go to track. Just to emphasize that it’s all about the cash with these guys, I don’t think they have recorded any new material since 2012 and they are still doing the forever farewell tour.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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