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Post by kds on Sept 13, 2019 12:20:06 GMT
I think Gene goes way further than Mike Love does. Mike has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, but Gene launches all out attacks on Ace and Peter. Plus, say what you what about Mike and the current Beach Boys touring band, but he never dressed musicians up as Brian, Al, Dennis, or Carl.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 13, 2019 12:25:26 GMT
Plus, say what you what about Mike and the current Beach Boys touring band, but he never dressed musicians up as Brian, Al, Dennis, or Carl. Though I'd pay top dollar to see Foskett trotted out in a green satin jacket, Totten in a white suit, Bonhomme in a bathrobe...
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Post by kds on Sept 13, 2019 12:28:48 GMT
Plus, say what you what about Mike and the current Beach Boys touring band, but he never dressed musicians up as Brian, Al, Dennis, or Carl. Though I'd pay top dollar to see Foskett trotted out in a green satin jacket, Totten in a white suit, Bonhomme in a bathrobe... Jeff would have to grew the beard out too. And I suppose Scott would have to occasionally play the guitar, and do the finger pointy thing when he sings.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 26, 2019 1:00:21 GMT
KISS, Love Gun, 1977
What percentage of people who don’t vote Destroyer would say Love Gun is the band’s best album? It’s definitely found in most everyone’s Top Three. This is one of the first KISS albums I had, and I do rate it at the top of the list. For me, it had what I loved at the time (age 13 or so, anything risque or creepy) and what I love now (pop and rock and roll appeal).
Released in June 1977, this is a 10-song, 32-minute, absolute prototype of a hard rock album that hit #4 and went platinum in the U.S. despite no real hit singles (“Christine Sixteen” hit 25; “Love Gun” peaked at 61).
Whether it is their best album, Love Gun seems to represent the band’s peak. The first three studio albums simply weren’t high quality, professional fare; the next two studio albums sounded really good, but seemed to struggle with the degree of arrangement and production required for a rock band. Love Gun sounds great, and finds the appropriate balance between theatrics and rock.
How many albums can match, much less beat, “I Stole Your Love” as an opener? A classic riff perfect punctuated with the hits of a rhythm section running on all cylinders, with a Paul Stanley lead vocal showing him in top form. And as I drone on and on about, the background vocals! Such a difference maker for the bands that can use them (think Beatles, Queen), and KISS fits in that category.
“Christine Sixteen” follows, a slower, slinky, and—to our modern ears—creepy-as-hell Gene Simmons song. It’s a fabulous foil to the energy of the opener. The orchestrated lead guitars smack of Bob Ezrin’s old touch: did Ace learn something, or did somebody else, uh, help? The piano is a great addition, an example of the higher-concept arrangements of Destroyer being used with more discretion.
Going song to song, it becomes obvious what else makes this a standout album beyond sonics and production. It’s loaded with great songs. “Got Love For Sale” is another classic riff underlying a clever production with tasteful harmonies and acoustic guitars … and a kickass, edge-of-distorted bass! The title track and “Shock Me” make another pair of classic riffs and concert staples.
The latter also surprisingly marks the first Ace Frehley lead vocal on a KISS album. Its addition combined with the sleazy Peter Criss tune “Hooligan” make Love Gun the first KISS album to feature lead vocals by each of the four members of the band.
That classic rock and roll? “Tomorrow and Tonight” wasn’t a single, much less a hit, but for my money it’s one of the band’s classics. Not only is it a classic hook with a dumb-rawk-rebel lyric, but that refrain with its almost Motown feel, complete with piano and female backup singers, is as commercial as they come. And then there’s the actual classic rock and roll, “Then She Kissed Me.” KISS had the brains to just switch the pronouns, not fiddle with the gender roles of the kisser. For the Star Child to sing about the woman who couldn’t resist him? Perfect.
Things changed dramatically for the band soon after this. Another “live” album (with a single studio side that to me ranks alongside or above Love Gun in the band’s canon) preceded a series of bad decisions from which the band never truly recovered. But those, at least in summer 1977, were unthinkable for a band on top of the world.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 26, 2019 1:18:01 GMT
And by the way, there has never been a cooler pre-chorus than the one in Peter Criss's "Hooligan":
I got a '35 Chevy on a '55 frame Can't even spell my name Dropped outa school when I was 22 What can I do to satisfy you?
It's like Mike Love writing lyrics for anti-Mike Love.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 26, 2019 12:55:25 GMT
This album has been in my head overnight and this morning. And I think the secret weapon on classic-era KISS became obvious for me: it is the background vocal parts. Whether call and response, harmonies, or whatever else, they’re really good throughout this album and this era.
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Post by kds on Sept 26, 2019 13:09:53 GMT
I think Love Gun is the last great KISS album to figure the original four.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 26, 2019 13:35:27 GMT
It’s almost the last KISS album, period, to feature the original four! Lots of Anton Fig, Bob Kulick, etc on the final few to nominally use that quartet.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 26, 2019 22:58:20 GMT
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 28, 2019 12:33:14 GMT
I don't own Love Gun, but I'm familiar with some of the songs through Alive II, which features about half of the album. From what I did hear, Love Gun is another KISS klassic. I don't know if you'd call it a formula, but Paul and Gene had a way of giving the fans what they wanted. They stuck to their guns, no pun intended.
I really like the title track, "Christine Sixteen", and Ace's "Shock Me", but my favorite Love Gun song might be "Then She Kissed Me". KISS, especially Paul and Gene, were underrated songsmiths, and they never forgot their roots. They had really good taste, and I think they could've released an album of covers which would've been great. I think if they made a concentrated effort, they also could've been on the radio consistently.
Yes, I guess Love Gun was the end of an era in a way, as far as recording with the original four members, and they went out with a bang - pun intended!
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 28, 2019 13:42:02 GMT
KISS, especially Paul and Gene, were underrated songsmiths, and they never forgot their roots. They had really good taste, and I think they could've released an album of covers which would've been great. I think if they made a concentrated effort, they also could've been on the radio consistently. No question. I think people who never really listened to KISS through this era might be surprised at how accessible and tuneful this music is. Loaded with male-adolescent sex euphemisms, sure. But the music is much more Motown and British Invasion than Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.
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Post by kds on Sept 28, 2019 18:34:27 GMT
KISS, especially Paul and Gene, were underrated songsmiths, and they never forgot their roots. They had really good taste, and I think they could've released an album of covers which would've been great. I think if they made a concentrated effort, they also could've been on the radio consistently. No question. I think people who never really listened to KISS through this era might be surprised at how accessible and tuneful this music is. Loaded with male-adolescent sex euphemisms, sure. But the music is much more Motown and British Invasion than Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. I can't remember if it was Gene or Paul who said he wanted KISS to be like The Beatles, in particular the early Beatles with four guys who all sang lead with different characters, and short hooky rock songs. A lot of music snobs want to want them off due to the makeup or the merch, but in their prime, KISS pretty much succeeded in that Beatle-esque way.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 29, 2019 16:40:00 GMT
The way I look at KISS today is this. They were four guys who got the most out of their talents. They were part "the sum is greater than the parts" and also each member had their individual moments in the sun. They sold a lot of records, made a lot of money, dated and married beautiful women, were somewhat critically acclaimed, lived the rock star life, and for the most part can now retire healthy. Hey, they made it! They made their dreams come true. Of course there are some regrets, but what band that lasted fifty years doesn't have regrets? Ultimately, at this point in their lives and careers, I don't think they have to worry about what others think.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2019 18:54:12 GMT
I can't remember if it was Gene or Paul who said he wanted KISS to be like The Beatles, in particular the early Beatles with four guys who all sang lead with different characters, and short hooky rock songs. A lot of music snobs want to want them off due to the makeup or the merch, but in their prime, KISS pretty much succeeded in that Beatle-esque way. I'm thinking that was Gene. And he definitely seems to have leaned that way in his songs: think about his solo album. Especially this one:
He is also something of a walking jukebox. I watched one of his "vault" appearances, either with Vinnie or Ace as a guest, and he kept pointing out origins of songs, which were almost all British Invasion tunes reworked. And he knew them all from memory off the top of his head.
He's not a great musician by any means, but he is a true rock and roll fan and solid songwriter, especially teamed with other people with similar mentality.
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Post by kds on Sept 30, 2019 0:40:22 GMT
And for all the drama of 21st Century KISS, it seems their legacy, cemented in the 1970s, is also doing pretty well.
I regret that I never got to see the classic lineup in person. I saw the Aerosmith / KISS tour twice in 2003. Unfortunately, each band only played 75 mins each. Peter had briefly returned to the group for that tour, so I got 75% original.
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