2. Creatures Of The Night (1982): Presaged by the four songs from Kiss Killers, this was the return to form after a period of upheaval and misdirection. The album is still in some ways transitional, as Ace appears on the cover (and even in one of the promotional videos for the album, “I Love It Loud”) but doesn’t play a note on the actual album, but this is where that energy that fueled “Lick It Up” really began. Vincent Cusano (“Vinnie Vincent”) co-wrote three songs and played lead guitar on six of the nine songs. Paul is pushing the envelope a little, starting to sing in that higher, more whine-y register (which as I noted, is not my favorite) but songs like “Keep Me Comin’” and “Danger” are very good, and exemplify the best of Kiss at that point. Having said that, the Gene songs carry the day for me. Every single one of them is solid for me, and I think of all the members, Gene responds most to the infusion of new blood. He may not be the best musician in Kiss, but he is the most versatile by a long shot, and he seems to have great (not good, GREAT) songs across the spectrum of the catalogue. Whether it’s the early, gritty “New York” albums – “Deuce”, the mid-period “disco” records – “Naked City”, “X-Ray Eyes”, the subsequent, non-makeup “L.A.” records – any of the deeper tracks off “Animalize”, the grunge record – “Childhood’s End?”, the “rebirth” record – “Unholy”, or the “reunion” records – “Russian Roullette”, Gene seems to always have something that is on message and that delivers. Paul may be the brains of Kiss, but Gene is the heart and soul, in my opinion. This record has survived the test of time for me as few after the “original six” have, and I think the band agrees; “I Love It Loud” is a setlist staple, and songs like “War Machine”, “I Still Love You” and the title track still get played live regularly. I still listen to this often, and it’s especially good in the car. The cover is one of my three favorites.
Trivia: Who did Gene meet for the first time during the recording of “I Love It Loud”? What famous actress is the subject of Paul’s song “I Still Love You”?
1. Hotter Than Hell (1974): Always a favorite, but for various reasons, when I went back and listened, this album grabbed me in a way that was actually a little shocking, even to me. Unlike the first album, which was more of a “hey look at US!” statement, this was darker, and had an air of urgent desperation borne from months on the road with little impact. That first side, from “Got To Choose” all the way through one of my favorite Kiss songs (and favorite song on the album) “Let Me Go, Rock and Roll” is for me the standard by which all others are measured. This, for me, is an album of bests. Certainly, it’s Peter’s best performance (as a whole), and I can only wish there were more moments on later albums like his borderline-out-of-control performances on “Let Me Go…” and the outro of “Watchin’ You”. It is, in my opinion, Ace’s best album as well; “Parasite” is probably my favorite of Ace’s Kiss songs (though “Cold Gin” is close), but his soloing on this record is uniformly excellent, and his work on the opener, “Parasite”, “Hotter Than Hell” (the OUTRO!!!), “Let Me Go…” (with the SRV-like slides) and “Strangeways” are all noticeable and noteworthy. I’ve always been fascinated by “Goin’ Blind” (I can remember thinking “this is WEIRD, but loving it nonetheless), and my lame-o 12-year-old brain thought Paul was a bad-ass among bad-asses for having the chance to bang a married chick. Side two is still strong, particularly “Strangeways”, and as usual I love the Gene songs, “All The Way” and “Watchin’ You”. By the way, anyone who questions Kiss as a band – particularly as a live band – you HAVE to check out the video of the show at the Winterland in San Francisco, in January of 1975. It is INCENDIARY – it really has to be seen to be believed - and shows just how good a band they could be. Speaking of images, this is also by far my favorite album cover; it’s the first appearance of the “chikara” symbol, which later played a more prominent role in the band’s imagery, ending up on Eric Carr’s bass drum for a while, and the photo shoot itself is the stuff of legend at this point (though a lot of it is fiction).
Trivia: What are the two “mistakes” on the front cover?
Topic: KISS Discography - My Life As a Kiss Fan (Read 62542 times)
