Anything Else Forum

Anything Else Forum

Offtopicland. Remember: no politics, religion, or hot-button social issues.

Sunday Metal Shop - KISS

0 HS
John Cooper's lucky pig's picture
August 9, 2015 at 3:01pm
37 Comments

You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world…

Inspired thousands of crappy drawings on book covers

One of the most influential bands in the history of rock and roll, KISS formed from the ashes of a band called Wicked Lester in New York City in 1973. The original lineup was comprised of Chaim Witz (Gene Simmons) on bass, Stanley Bert Eisen (Paul Stanley) on rhythm guitar, Paul Frehley (Ace Frehley) on lead guitar and George Peter John Criscoula (Peter Criss) on drums. The group set out to be the “heavy Beatles” and ended up becoming the biggest band on the planet in the mid-70s.

Applying lessons learned from the failure of Wicked Lester, KISS took a business-like approach to their band. Strict rehearsal schedules and a focus on a cohesive visual brand led to well-received live shows. Their distinctive logo and signature face paint made them instantly recognizable and separated them from their peers.

Success wasn’t instantaneous, however, and the band released three albums in 1974 and early 1975, “KISS”, “Hotter Than Hell” and “Dressed To Kill”, none of which cracked the top 30 on the album chart. The band’s label, Casablanca Records, was facing bankruptcy and KISS needed a hit record. That came in September of 1975 with the release of the double-live album, “Alive!”. On this album KISS was able to recreate the magic of their live shows and it resonated with the fans. “Alive!” reached #9 on the chart and was KISS’ first gold album. They were finally on their way.

Cheesy? Yes. Awesome nonetheless? Most definitely.

The band followed with 10 consecutive gold albums through the release of “Unmasked” in 1980. This time was wildly successful for the band but that success came at a price. By 1982 KISS had lost Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, who were replaced by Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent. The release of “Creatures of the Night” in 1982 saw KISS with a much heavier sound and that album notched them another gold album.

KISS would eventually drop the makeup (but not their schtick) and go through multiple lineup changes over the next 30 years. Vinnie Vincent was replaced by Mark St. John who was replaced by Bruce Kulick who was replaced by Tommy Thayer. The death of Eric Carr brought Cleveland native Eric Singer into the band.  The original lineup reunited for MTV’s Unplugged series which led to a massive reunion tour and the release of “Psycho Circus”, the first album to feature all four original members since 1979’s “Dynasty” album. “Psycho Circus” debuted at #3 which was the highest charting position for a KISS album until the release of “Sonic Boom” in 2009.

The legacy of KISS is not complete in looking at only their own success. They built on their own influences of the Beatles, Eddie Cochran, Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, New York Dolls and subsequently influenced a veritable Who’s Who of rock and metal acts. KISS often helped launch the careers of up and coming bands by taking them out on tour. Among the bands that opened for KISS over the years are Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, ACDC, Guns n Roses, Motley Crue, Rage Against The Machine, Rammstein, Anthrax, Skid Row, Alice in Chains,  Bon Jovi, Bob Seger, John Cougar, Rush, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Scorpions, Styx, Sammy Hagar, Night Ranger, Great White, Queensryche, Krokus, Dokken, WASP, Smashing Pumpkins and The Plasmatics.

The list of artists that have been directly influenced by KISS is even longer and includes, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Scott Ian and Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Questlove (The Roots), Phil Anselmo, Dime and Vinnie Paul (Pantera), Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Rob Zombie, Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Buzz Osbourne (The Melvins), Marty Freidman (Megadeth), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Nirvana, J. Macsis (Dinosaur Jr.), Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor, Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam), Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), The Replacements, Bob Mould (Husker Du), Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), Maynard Keenan (Tool), Daft Punk, Adam Horovitz (Beastie Boys).

K-I-S-S...O-H-I_O

 

This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Eleven Warriors unless otherwise noted.

View 37 Comments