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Post by Kapitan on Oct 11, 2019 21:52:23 GMT
Peter Criss (KISS), Peter Criss (1978)
There are second fiddles and third wheels throughout the history of rock and roll who contributed just enough to make fans and critics wonder whether there was a star (or at least a legitimate frontman) toiling in relative obscurity as his bandmates hogged the spotlight. George Harrison, Dave Davies, Carl and Dennis Wilson. With a handful of credits mostly buried beneath those of primary songwriters Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, one could wonder whether Peter Criss and Ace Frehley of KISS were in such a position. The best thing that can be said about Peter Criss is that it laid to rest any such concerns. Criss turns in a workmanlike, wholly unremarkable album for his contribution to the 1978 solo albums (all four released on the same day, September 18, as part of the band’s promotion machine). The album was produced by Vini Poncia, who also handled those duties for the next proper KISS album, 1979’s Dynasty. It was the lowest charting (#43) of the four solo albums. The highlight, “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” says it all … in that it’s a cover of a song Bobby Lewis took to #1 in 1961. Thirty-three years on this earth including a decade as a musician, and that’s the best you can get onto your debut solo album? It’s a more soulful and rollicking tune than was typical of KISS, who tended toward straight riff-rock or rock and roll, but rarely into anything with what you’d consider a groove. Another handful of the songs here are leftovers from Criss’s pre-KISS group, another hint that this wasn’t a Harrison situation with someone stockpiling material. Several of the tunes are lesser versions of “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” such as the opener, “I’m Gonna Love You,” “Hooked on Rock and Roll,” and “Rock Me, Baby.” Sadly, the lattermost is not the blues classic done by everyone from B.B. King and Muddy Waters to Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter, but rather a bland stab at R ’n’ B from KISS collaborator Sean Delaney, who has a few co-writes here as well as on Simmons’s solo album, as well as Frehley’s “Rocket Ride”and a handful of Stanley songs. Others are third-rate ‘70s easy listening schlock, such as “You Matter to Me” and “Don’t You Let Me Down.” (Those two songs were inexplicably the album’s two singles. Neither charted.) Of the balladry, “Kiss the Girl Goodbye” may be the best. It has multiple acoustic guitars, surprisingly sweet vocals (including falsetto) and some surprising melodic twists. It’s probably Criss doing a Beatles ballad. The apparent attempt to recapture the spirit of “Beth” is the closer, Delaney’s “I Can’t Stop the Rain.” It is overwrought and, suffice to say, not the equal of Criss’s 1976 success. It’s not all terrible, mind you. It’s just not good. It is the sort of thing you’d expect when you ask for a full album’s worth of material from someone with the ability to land a song or two on each KISS album.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 11, 2019 23:16:00 GMT
Sometimes you have to get the taste out of your mouth, so...
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 11, 2019 23:16:22 GMT
Ace Frehley (KISS), Ace Frehley (1978)There are second fiddles and third wheels throughout the history of rock and roll who contributed just enough to make fans and critics wonder whether there was a star (or at least a legitimate frontman) toiling in relative obscurity as his bandmates hogged the spotlight. George Harrison, Dave Davies, Carl and Dennis Wilson. With a handful of credits mostly buried beneath those of primary songwriters Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, one could wonder whether Peter Criss and Ace Frehley of KISS were in such a position. With Ace Frehley … well, a lot of KISS fans think Frehley is among those top-notch artists who deserved a bigger role, who was unfairly held down. And Ace Frehley—the best-selling and most critically acclaimed of the four KISS solo albums released on September 18, 1978—seems to have increased his prominence within the band. After roughly one song plus maybe a co-write per album, he suddenly had three apiece on Dynasty and Unmasked before more or less fading out of KISS’s catalogue, if not their fans’ imaginations. “Rip It Out” couldn’t have helped but live up to, or even exceed, fans’ expectations at the time. It’s a driving rocker that became a staple of Ace’s live sets as a solo artist, showing off all of his tendencies. It’s basic, but catchy, with much of the appeal in the riff as opposed to the melodic hooks of the Stanley-Simmons duo. (If they were second-rate Beatles, Ace was second-rate Who.) His solo is more pentatonic flash than virtuosity of theoretical expression. And that whole section is introduced by a wholly unbelievable, but oh-so-Ace, “I hope you suffuh” (which is this man’s approximation of that Long Island accent). It’s one of the four or five first-rate songs on the album, which are three or four more than his bandmates came up with. Among the other rockers, “Speeding Back to My Baby” might be the best, a power-chorded shuffle with female background singers in the chorus and a searing lead guitar tone to introduce the solo. Another underrated gem is the power pop gem “What’s On Your Mind,” a melodic minor masterpiece, the perfect blend between Frehley’s riffs and singalong refrains. “Wiped-Out” is a Frehleyesque cross between “Wipeout” and his earlier KISS song “Parasite,” with a new, somewhat druggy refrain. Sadly, “druggy” is the word that describes the worst of this album. Songs like that chorus, “Ozone,” “Snow Blind,” and “I’m In Need of Love” are uneven and, frankly, exhausted-sounding (and exhausting … or at least tiresome). They lack the energy, the propulsion, and the direction of the best songs. Then there’s “New York Groove.” By all accounts, Frehley had no interest in covering this Russ Ballard song recorded a few years earlier by the British glam band Hello—especially as a disco song. Of course, not only did he record a cover version, but he completely owned it: the song remains among his best known and is associated with Frehley far more than it ever was with Hello. It reached #13 in the US, the highest-charting song from any of the four solo albums. The album, too, bested his bandmates’ by hitting #26 and going platinum in the US. Frehley, joined by future Frehley’s Comet bandmate (and David Letterman band drummer) Anton Fig and producer Eddie Kramer (who was at the boards for Love Gun and Rock and Roll Over).
This might have been Frehley's shining moment in KISS, which is ironic considering it was outside of KISS and without the involvement of anyone in the band. And while it got him a bigger role for a couple of years, it also quite possibly increased his ego and bad behavior as well as Simmons's and Stanley's resentment of him as they continued to soberly carry the workload. And while this album showed Frehley's talent, he also proved over the next decades that he wasn't capable of carrying a solo career. And so he might have been better off being the underused talent being held in check by his more prominent bandmates.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2019 12:04:15 GMT
The highlight, “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” says it all … in that it’s a cover of a song Bobby Lewis took to #1 in 1961. That's the first track I ever heard from any of the KISS solo albums. Judging solely by this song, your description of "workmanlike" and "not all terrible" sounds about right. But, you know, Peter doesn't sound too bad here and I can actually hear "Tossin' And Turnin'" fitting in with 1978 AM or FM radio.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2019 13:49:54 GMT
Then there’s “New York Groove.”...It reached #13 in the US, the highest-charting song from any of the four solo albums. The album, too, bested his bandmates’ by hitting #26 and going platinum in the US.
The power of the hit single.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 14:28:12 GMT
The highlight, “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” says it all … in that it’s a cover of a song Bobby Lewis took to #1 in 1961. That's the first track I ever heard from any of the KISS solo albums. Judging solely by this song, your description of "workmanlike" and "not all terrible" sounds about right. But, you know, Peter doesn't sound too bad here and I can actually hear "Tossin' And Turnin'" fitting in with 1978 AM or FM radio. You mean you heard it at the time? Or you somehow managed not to hear any of the others until now?
Anyway, yes, I agree: it's not bad at all. I'd love it as an album track. (Stay tuned for my KISS solo albums' "album" once I get through the write-ups.)
By the way, note to all: Rather than embedding Youtube clips the normal way, I'm putting them in as hyperlinks on the songs' names. Depending on your settings, it might not be super obvious, visually. But some of the songs on the Frehley album--Rip it Out, Speedin Back..., NY Groove, etc.--are linked so you can (and should!) check them out. I'll probably proceed that way. Let me know if they don't stand out enough and I'll start underlining them, too, or something like that.
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Post by B.E. on Oct 12, 2019 14:38:06 GMT
The concept of releasing coordinated solo albums without undermining the group is really, really cool. Imagine if the Beatles in 69/70 or the Beach Boys in 77/78 had come up with such an idea!
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2019 14:41:54 GMT
That's the first track I ever heard from any of the KISS solo albums. Judging solely by this song, your description of "workmanlike" and "not all terrible" sounds about right. But, you know, Peter doesn't sound too bad here and I can actually hear "Tossin' And Turnin'" fitting in with 1978 AM or FM radio. You mean you heard it at the time? Or you somehow managed not to hear any of the others until now?
The "Tossin' And Turnin'" YouTube video you posted yesterday was the first time I ever heard a KISS solo album track. I just never sought them out.
So, that makes four covers - "Any Way You Want It", "Then She Kissed Me", "Tossin' And Turnin'", and "Back In The New York Groove" (kind of). Are there any others?
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 15:07:33 GMT
A few more come to mind.
"Kissin Time" (Bobby Rydell)
"When You Wish Upon a Star" (Jiminy Cricket)
"2,000 Man" (Rolling Stones)
"Rock And Roll Hell" (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
"God Gave Rock and Roll To You" (Argent)
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 15:10:38 GMT
The "Tossin' And Turnin'" YouTube video you posted yesterday was the first time I ever heard a KISS solo album track. I just never sought them out. Also, I'm excited about that: it means my KISS solo albums' comp might have some value. You're going to hear (if you so choose) a pretty solid KISS album out of those four ... and you won't have to wade through the trash.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2019 15:35:38 GMT
A few more come to mind.
"Kissin Time" (Bobby Rydell)
"When You Wish Upon a Star" (Jiminy Cricket)
"2,000 Man" (Rolling Stones)
"Rock And Roll Hell" (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
"God Gave Rock and Roll To You" (Argent) KISS - Got You Covered
Side 1 1. Kissin' Time 2. Back In The New York Groove 3. Tossin' And Turnin' 4. Any Way You Want It 5. Then She Kissed Me
Side 2 1. 2000 Man 2. ? 3. Rock And Roll Hell 4. God Gave Rock And Roll To You 5. When You Wish Upon A Star
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 17:06:37 GMT
Gene Simmons (KISS), Gene Simmons (1978)Put yourself into the mind of Gene Simmons in 1978. (Don’t worry, you can shower after. Use plenty of soap.) As each member of the band put together his debut solo album, is there any doubt that Simmons strove to outdo the others? To do everything bigger and better? Well, Gene Simmons is bigger, at 11 songs and 38 minutes. And it’s certainly the most ambitious of the four. Strings, horns, soul-and-gospel tinged background singers, Beatlesque background singers, sound effects, and even a Walt Disney moment. Simmons was making a statement about the scope of his musicality. Simmons’s ambition as co-producer (with frequent KISS-collaborator of the era Sean Delaney) shows in the personnel. Guitarists included Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), and Elliott Randall (Steely Dan, Carl Wilson, Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon); the primary drummer was Allan Schwartzberg (James Brown, John Lennon, Diana Ross, Barry Manilow, Alice Cooper, Barbara Streisand); the primary bassist was Neil Jason (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel); pianist Eric Troyer (John Lennon, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Meat Loaf); and background vocalists included Cher, Bob Seger, Katy Sagal, Donna Summer, and Janis Ian; and strings were done by members of the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics.
Suffice to say, it doesn’t seem Simmons held back on budget… The casual fan could be forgiven for not expecting the heavy Beatles influence, especially and predictably in the background vocals performed by Mitch Weissman and Joe Pecorino (“Paul” and “John” in the contemporaneous Broadway revue “Beatlemania”). But songs like “See You Tonite” and “Mr. Make Believe” in particular bear hallmarks of the Fab Four in melody, harmony, and arrangements. While some of the songs are pretty, they’re also slight. The Beatlesque numbers in particular seem to have one idea, which is about one idea short of a really good song. But they’re enjoyable for what they are, and they include some of Simmons’s better, softer singing. “Radioactive” leads off the album and was its lone single (peaking at #47 in the US). It sums up the album to some extent: a full minute of spooky sound effects, orchestral flourishes, and creepy church Latin chants preface the rollicking mid-tempo rocker that, were it not for the soulful background singers, would have fit perfectly as a standout on a KISS song of the era with its catchy two-part harmony vocal throughout. In other words, Simmons threw in the kitchen sink … but the song is no better for his efforts. There’s an updated version of “See You In Your Dreams” (the original having just been released a couple years earlier on Rock and Roll Over). This one is among the harder songs on the album and brings in the female background singers who grace much of this album (and, albeit different singers, a surprising amount of all the KISS solo albums). Probably most disappointing is the prominence of the character of Gene Simmons in the lyrics, which are exactly the sort of sex-obsessed, arguably misogynist lyrics you’d expect. For someone so willing to spread out musically, it would have been nice to hear him do the same lyrically. Even clever double entendres would have been nice, but instead we get the likes of “tunnel of love / tunnel of love / let me visit your tunnel of love;” “she knows how I feel / she knows that it’s real / she wants it all the time;” and probably worst, “I’m living in sin / at the Holiday Inn.” This for an entire album. The lone (non-self) cover is the closer, the somewhat surprising “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Simmons plays it straight, with an arrangement straight out of a Disney movie. While it is often mocked as a serious misstep, it might be the most sincere moment on the album: Simmons has spoken of how he learned it as a young Israeli boy before he could fluently speak English and always understood the song’s message of optimism. In that light, it is very much understandable as an inspiration for this immigrant success story. The album isn’t quite such a success story, though, for all of its creator’s ambitions. It did chart higher than its three competitors (#22 in the US) and went platinum, although with lower sales than Ace Frehley’s offering. Was the demon chastened by the experience? Perhaps: he eschewed any such detours (such as Paul Stanley’s disco forays) on the band’s next album, Dynasty, sticking instead to hard rock. For its overreach, however, Gene Simmons has some truly great moments. It is a solid album and not far behind Frehley’s among the four. But a cost-benefit analysis would consider that, with all of the energy spent on its creation, something of a failure.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 17:30:39 GMT
Paul Stanley (KISS), Paul Stanley (1978)The last (alphabetically speaking) of the four simultaneous solo albums from KISS, Paul Stanley’s is the hardest to figure out. Peter Criss and Ace Frehley each came to the project with a lot to prove; Criss fizzled while Frehley shone. Gene Simmons seems to have embraced the freedom (and, naturally, the spotlight) and was basically successful. But what about the Star Child? The guy who already was writing and singing lead on roughly half of KISS’s songs as it was? How would he approach the project? Well, more or less like a late ‘70s KISS record, unfortunately. “Tonight You Belong to Me” is certainly the worst opener of the four albums’ first tracks, and it sets the tone for the experience. After a soft, acoustic-and-falsetto introduction, it’s a plodder that’s neither here nor there … it’s just there. More interesting are the rockers: the classic rock and roll of “Move On,” the straight-ahead rock of “It’s Alright” and “Love In Chains,” and especially the hooky power pop of the album’s highlight, “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me.” It’s the lattermost that would have made a far superior leadoff track (and single). It has the stuff of a KISS classic; it’s easy to imagine Simmons singing the pre-chorus and the pair harmonizing on the chorus. Among the ballads, the standout is the admittedly cheesy—seriously, this is Velveeta melted all over a Broadway musical—single, “Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We’re Apart).” It’s a showpiece for the softer side of Stanley’s wildly underrated voice. Like Simmons, Stanley produced his solo album (with engineer Jeff Glixman co-producing a handful of tracks). Unlike the others, he also wrote the entirety of his album: there are no covers and not many co-writes here. While the musicians he used were no slouches—Bob Kulick on guitars, Carmine Appice and Richie Fontana on drums—this was a relatively scaled-back affair in stark contrast to the glitzy product his KISS co-leader released. The results were mixed. Paul Stanley went platinum and reached #40 in the US and “Hold Me, Touch Me…” hit #46 on the US singles chart. But it failed to generate much of a reputation, possibly because it comes across as a mediocre KISS album … and one that lacks any other voices. While it isn’t the worst of the bunch, it is the most disappointing considering Stanley’s talent as a singer and songwriter—especially in hindsight, knowing his affection for Motown as well as classic rock and roll. It could have been so much more than just a collection of the lightweight KISSish songs that it is.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2019 19:33:35 GMT
That's some good writing, Kapitan. By reading your reviews, I think I get a picture of how each solo album sounds and how they might come across to a KISS fan. To B.E.'s point, it WAS a good idea to give each member a chance to "spread their wings" so to speak, or at a minimum get a few ideas off their chests. However, keeping in mind Kapitan's original point about "second fiddles", while I haven't heard these solo albums, KISS is probably another group - in a long line - where the sum is greater than the parts, or something like that.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2019 20:26:22 GMT
However, keeping in mind Kapitan's original point about "second fiddles", while I haven't heard these solo albums, KISS is probably another group - in a long line - where the sum is greater than the parts, or something like that. I recommend you check out my comp album in that thread!
Also, here is a good article I came across today that discusses these albums as being the beginning of the end for the band, while also giving a little mini-review of each of the four. (Funny how sometimes their favorite and least favorite songs are literally inverse of mine! But generally we're on the same page, this writer and I.)
And here's another one.
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