The KISS Thread

[D]

Oh please keep your Kiss hating out of this

I guess AC/DC are the Walmart of Rock as well

Kiss are awesome and I cannot wait for this CD.

[gilld1]

Well, if ACDC sold coffins, golf balls, toliet paper, socks and all the other shit that Kiss has their name on then yes, they will be Walmartish too.

Kiss deserves nothing but contempt for the way they treat Ace.

[D]

Ace was a junkie and a druggie and he quit Kiss back in 1981 or so. Kiss are unique. They can sell stuff and get away with it.

[Malcolm]

KISS leader blames media for flap

TORONTO - Kiss frontman Gene Simmons insists - strongly - that his fans in Oshawa, Ont., weren't being snubbed or overlooked when the band charted its upcoming North American tour.

The band had no intentions of going back on its agreement to give Oshawa a special show, to reward the city's fans for winning a contest on the official Kiss website.

Kiss had a surprise in mind for Oshawa all along, but the media crashed the party and ruined the idea, Simmons said Wednesday during a testy interview with The Canadian Press.

"I'm really pissed off at the media for creating this nonsense," a sharp-tongued Simmons said.

"Now the story's going to come out as a kind of, 'Gene is complaining about the media' (story) - you're God damn right I am."

Earlier this year, Kiss asked fans to go to their website and vote for their hometown to be included in the band's next big tour, with the promise of a concert for the leading vote-getter.
   

Oshawa finished first among all cities, but when the dates for the "Kiss Alive 35" tour were announced this week, the city was left off the list, without explanation.

When asked to respond to the apparent snub, the band's management said the city was skipped for logistical reasons but promised Oshawa would get something special in the future.

Fans and politicians in Oshawa were outraged that they were skipped over, and the backlash eventually forced the band to announce it would play a show in the city after all on Oct. 7.

A concert, and a special event to launch the release of the band's new album, had been planned all along, but the media ruined the surprise for Oshawa by prematurely forcing the band to make the announcement, Simmons said.

The band clearly hinted that Oshawa would get its rightful due, he added, and suggested members of the media acted like petulant children by insisting to know all the details right away.

"We'll tell you when we're ready, not when you're ready, that's not how you do things," Simmons said.

"You have a birthday coming up and you want to know, 'What's my birthday present?' (No), settle down, take a pill, relax. We'll let you know what it is - not when you want. It's show business."

He said the media didn't seek out reaction from Kiss before running their stories about an apparent Oshawa snub, although messages left by The Canadian Press with the band's management on Tuesday were not returned.

Many Kiss fans in Oshawa were up in arms over the lack of an announced date in their hometown but Simmons said they too should have trusted the band wouldn't let them down.

"Respectfully, the fans aren't qualified to understand how things are done ... (they) don't know how things work," he said.

"Since we're playing Toronto right down the street from Oshawa (the two cities are about a 45-minute drive apart on Highway 401) we didn't want Toronto to compete with Oshawa."

Oshawa Mayor John Gray was diplomatic in suggesting that the media coverage of the band's apparent no-show in the city was fair, but he's also just satisfied with the happy ending.

"The Kiss organization is fulfilling their commitments, the media recognized that Oshawa was a victim - and they performed their role quite responsibly - and I think at the end of the day it's a win for everyone," he said.

"I think (Kiss) applied logic to it and said, 'Look, we better find a way to do this concert' and I think that's exactly what they're doing."

Simmons assured Oshawa's Kiss fans that far from being disrespected, they're in for something special.

"Because of who and what Oshawa is - which is near and dear to our hearts because (they) won the No. 1 spot above and beyond New York, L.A., Toronto, Vancouver - we wanted to do a huge campaign and literally premiere 'Sonic Boom,' our new album, Oct. 7 in Oshawa," he said.

"(Oshawa) will get the full high-octane, high-energy show ... this is going to be a two-and-a-half hour sweat-filled show, huge fireworks displays, the biggest screen you ever saw, brand new outfits, and almost every song that we can physically play during that time."

London, Ont., Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary and Vancouver have also been scheduled for concert dates on this tour, and Simmons hinted, begrudgingly, that other Canadian cities may be included on a second leg.

"We're coming back and playing again and yes, there'll be another leg," he said.

"But not when you want us to talk about it, it's when we want to talk about it."

[Malcolm]

KISS' official web site, KissOnline.com, has been updated with the following message:

"The KISS Army has spoken! By overwhelming fan demand, KISS has just added a second special KISS Alive 35 concert at Detroit Rock City's legendary concert venue, Cobo Arena. Following the incredible response to the previously announced show on Friday, September 25, in which tickets sold out at a feverish rate, a second KISS date has been added on Saturday, September 26.

"The legendary venue, a Motor City institution that is slated for closure, has hosted KISS concerts on numerous occasions, not the least of which was the series of shows that were recorded to become the KISS 'Alive!' album. The band will come full circle to reprise that classic recording at these September shows, this time returning with brand new staging, costumes, pyro and more.

[Malcolm]

As they celebrate 35 years of rockin', KISS today announced the dates of the KISS Alive 35 North American tour. The tour kicks off with a rapidly selling, special multiple-show engagement in Detroit beginning September 25, where KISS will be playing the classic album that started it all: "Alive!" The tour leg will then hit more than 40 additional cities before concluding in December.

This incredible show will feature a new stage set, pyro effects that only the "hottest band in the world" could deliver, and all-new costumes. Fans will be treated to a two-and-a-half-hour set of some of rock's greatest hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Detroit Rock City", "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" and "Shout It Out Loud", as well as songs from the band's new album "Sonic Boom". BUCKCHERRY will be main support on all of the KISS Alive 35 North American dates.

Said Gene Simmons, "For 35 years, KISS raised the bar for what a rock concert should really be. This year is no different ? all new, all killer... all KISS! The master's class in rock is in session! KISS rules. Oh yeah!"

"Bigger IS better!" said Paul Stanley. "'Sonic Boom' is our future and KISS 'Alive!' is our proud past. On this tour you get KISS 'Alive!' plus a slew of other classics and soon to be classics. New stage, new battle gear and a pyro arsenal that will again show everyone that there is only one KISS!"

After completing their biggest tour ever of South America, selling out stadiums once again in Europe, and leaving fans clamoring for more in Australia, KISS is excited to give North America its due. KISS Alive 35 North America marks the first leg of the world's first fan-routed tour ? more than 10,000 individual cities across Canada and the U.S. mounted their own unique campaigns to bring KISS to their towns. The fans have spoken, the votes have been tabulated, and the waiting is over as KISS unveils the first markets.

KISS Alive 35 North American tour dates:

Sep. 25 - Detroit, MI - Cobo Arena
Sep. 26 - Detroit, MI - Cobo Arena
Sep. 28 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
Sep. 29 - London, ONT - John Labatt Centre
Oct. 01 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
Oct. 02 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
Oct. 03 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Oct. 05 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Oct. 09 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
Oct. 10 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Oct. 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
Oct. 13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Oct. 16 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum
Oct. 17 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center
Oct. 19 - Pensacola, FL - Civic Center
Oct. 21 - Tampa, FL - St Pete Times Forum
Oct. 22 - Sunrise, FL - Bankatlantic Center
Oct. 24 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC
Oct. 26 - Atlanta, GA - Phillips Arena
Oct. 28 - Nashville, TN - Sommet Center
Oct. 29 - Little Rock, AR - Verizon Arena
Nov. 06 - Chicago, IL - United Center
Nov. 07 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
Nov. 09 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Nov. 10 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
Nov. 12 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
Nov. 14 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place
Nov. 15 - Seattle, WA - Keyarena
Nov. 17 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
Nov. 20 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
Nov. 21 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
Nov. 24 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
Nov. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
Nov. 27 - San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
Nov. 28 - Las Vegas, NV - [To Be Determined]
Dec. 01 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.Com Arena
Dec. 02 - El Paso, TX - Utep
Dec. 04 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
Dec. 05 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Dec. 06 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center

"Modern Day Delilah", a brand new song from KISS, is available for streaming in its entirety below (courtesy of KissOnline.com). The track comes off KISS' first new studio album in over a decade, called "Sonic Boom", which will be released on October 6 exclusively at Wal-Mart properties. The collection, which costs only $12, will also feature the band's re-recordings of their greatest hits which was previously available as a Japanese import, and a 2009 concert featuring current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cover for "Sonic Boom" is by veteran artist Michael Doret, who created the cover for the band's 1976 album "Rock And Roll Over".

"We tried to do a KISS album, and it was an ill-fated attempt because there was no real band," guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley told RollingStone.com. "For a band to make a great album, it has to share a common purpose, and we didn't have it."

He continued, "Things happen when they're ready. We couldn't have made this album without Eric and Tommy. I've known Eric now for 20 years. He's been in and out of the band, and the best times are when he's in."

Bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has raised expectation on the album ? which was produced by Paul Stanley ? by saying in online postings, calling "Sonic Boom" "the best new record we've done since 'Destroyer'. It is 'Rock And Roll Over' meets 'Love Gun'... If you're a fan of our stuff from about 1977, you'll feel right at home."

"The great thing about these tunes is that we can reproduce them live. Just four guys," Simmons told RollingStone.com. "We don't have to prove anything to anybody. All the nay-sayers who didn't understand it, we walk on their graves in our 8-inch platform heels. If you want to say rebirth or born again, you're goddamn right. There's a sense of pride here. When you get up onstage with these guys, you look over and you go, 'Wow, I'm in KISS.'"

[D]

HOLY SHIT

I will be in Atlanta the 26th of Oct! FUCK YEAH

[Malcolm]

HOLY SHIT

I will be in Atlanta the 26th of Oct! FUCK YEAH

Sounds sick eh? lol...Kiss knows the right way to do it lol...Hopefully tickets arent too too expensive, 150 for kiss is as much as id pay for a decent seat...and I hope Pauls voice holds up, Deciding whether im gonna go to Toronto to see them or Oshawa...cant wait though

[D]

Cool thing about Atlanta is, in Philips Arena, every seat is a good seat. I've been at the top for basketball and hockey games and u still can see very well.

[Malcolm]

Cool interview with Ace from the other day

ACE FREHLEY On 'Psycho Circus': 'I Had To Really Struggle Just To Get One Song On That Record'

Joe Matera of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: [Your new solo] album ["Anomaly" has a] release date of September 15 [which] also coincides with the third anniversary of you being sober. It must certainly make a huge difference to how you now feel personally and professionally?

Frehley: Yeah, the mornings are really nice now without the hangovers. When I was younger, I always thought I needed that junk in order to perform and to be creative, but now when I look back, I realize I am a lot more creative and more focus without it. That is one of the fallacies that a lot of musicians feel that they need something to depend on like a crutch. But once you get past that, and realize it mentally, you are much better off without it.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Did the drinking problem first come about as a result of the pressures you felt from being in such a successful rock group as KISS?

Frehley: The touring schedule with KISS was really so hectic back then and so I needed something to help take the edge off the day. Well, at least I thought I did. When I toured last year I was completely sober, and it was a joy. When you start drinking young and you depend on it, your brain tells you, you need it to relax, you need it to do this or that, you need it to perform, yet it's really just your brain telling you this fallacy. But it is still your life.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: How did the approach you used making this record compare to the way you made your previous recordings?

Frehley: This is the first album that I made totally digitally. And I really had to get a crash course in Pro Tools in order to keep up with everybody who worked with me on it. So I took some lessons from some Pro Tools teachers and some good engineers and I also picked up a lot of stuff over the last two years. And I'm at the point now where I can do whatever I need to do with Pro Tools when I'm by myself in my studio. But I don't want to do that really because, like I said, I like having an objective ear and somebody to bounce ideas off.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Because Pro Tools gives you so much at your disposal, do you find it less satisfying than when you worked with analog technology?

Frehley: The possibilities it gives you in editing is unbelievable. And it is really a godsend because I remember the days when we used to do guitar solos and we had to cut the tape to edit. While Marti [Frederiksen] and Anthony [Focx] were mixing the songs, I was in my hotel room cutting and pasting sound bites on "Outer Space" and "Genghis Khan". The flexibility of cut-and-paste and moving things around is so easy in Pro Tools, it is, like, effortless.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Gene [Simmons] has stated in numerous interviews over the years that you didn't actually play on some KISS tracks and that the band actually brought in studio players at times to play and record some of your guitar parts?

Frehley: I'm sure it happened because I remember as early back as the "Destroyer" album, I had come in and done a solo for "Sweet Pain" but when I later listened back to the final mix of the album, there was somebody else [Dick Wagner] playing the solo on the song. It was stuff like that where they would switch my solos without telling me, which probably led me to eventually leave the group.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Another album that proved to be an unsatisfying affair for you was "Psycho Circus".

Frehley: I had to really struggle just to get one song on that record. Even half way through that album, they had accepted the song but then it was rejected and I had to fight tooth and nail just to get that one song on there. And I had submitted three songs. But there was always a lot of competition between Gene and Paul [Stanley], him and myself and Peter [Criss].

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Are you still good friends with any of the KISS guys?

Frehley: I'm friends with all of them. I don't have any animosity ? personally. We had some great times together years ago and they decided to take a different path and I decided to take a different path, so let bygones be bygones.

[King Axl]

I have a love/hate relationship with KISS.

Yes, they should be in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, but of all the KISS records I bought over the years, there's only a handful that were better than average. Most of their albums downright sucked.

Unfortunately for the fans, KISS has always been about marketing an image, and not about making quality music. These are, in my opinion, the five best KISS albums, and I think others would be hard-pressed to disagree:

1)Destroyer
2)Revenge
3)Love Gun
4)Rock and Roll Over
5)Psycho Circus

I saw them on their "Farewell Tour" in 2000, and they were pretty lousy. Ted Nugent opened for them, and he blew them away. Luckily, I got the tickets for free- the local audio/video store, Tweeter (which is now out of business), was giving away hundreds of tickets the day before the show, presumably because actual ticket sales were poor.

I think the new song, "Modern Day Delilah", has a good solo from Tommy Thayer, but is otherwise forgettable. Paul Stanley's lyrics are as stupid as ever. No wonder Ace left on multiple occasions--he was their best songwriter.

[IzzyDutch]

The Paul Stanley solo album from 2006 sucked... they need Ace to write some really great songs again

That said though I really liked Psycho Circus

[D]

U list the top 5 studio albums and don't have their debut album Kiss on it?

Deuce,Strutter,Black Diamond, Cold Gin just to name some off that record?

Top 10 Kiss "studio" albums IMO

1.Destroyer
2.Kiss
3.Revenge
4.Love Gun
5.Lick It Up
6.Rock and Roll over
7.Creatures of the night
8.Asylum
9.Crazy Nights
10.Dynasty


Lick It Up is also a damn good album

[Mudkicker]

U list the top 5 studio albums and don't have their debut album Kiss on it?

Deuce,Strutter,Black Diamond, Cold Gin just to name some off that record?

Top 10 Kiss "studio" albums IMO

1.Destroyer
2.Kiss
3.Revenge
4.Love Gun
5.Lick It Up
6.Rock and Roll over
7.Creatures of the night
8.Asylum
9.Crazy Nights
10.Dynasty


Lick It Up is also a damn good album

you give someone shit for not having 'KISS' on their top 5 when you don't have arguably their two best albums in 'Dressed To Kill' and 'Hotter Than Hell' on a fucking top 10. The fact that you have lick it up over rock n' roll over and crazy nights even on a top 10 list makes me think you've never listened to KISS.

[w.axl.rose]

when do tickets go on sale for staples? i dont see it listed on ticketmaster, and ive never seen kiss live so i would love to check them out.

[D]

Dressed to Kill is a shitty album outside of Rock and Roll All Nite,cmon and love and She
Hotter Than Hell does have some really good songs on it


Still though, not having their debut album is far worse than any albums I listed after 5.

Crazy Nights is one of those guilty pleasure kind of albums but it still is good.

I am a way bigger Kiss fan than anybody on this forum I guarantee u that.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

when do tickets go on sale for staples? i dont see it listed on ticketmaster, and ive never seen kiss live so i would love to check them out.

Are you going to go see Ace?

[w.axl.rose]

really Garry.....

should i say, are you going to see kid rock, the next time you say you want to see gnr ?   

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

I don't know what that means, maybe my question should have been clearer.

Will you be seeing Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist of KISS, at the Viper Room on Sunset Blvd next week?

[w.axl.rose]

u know what it means 

and fix your msn already