ENTER THE ROCK'N'ROLL CIRCUS (Kiss in general)

Member Name: Eat This

Product:	Kiss in general
Date:	16/02/01 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Timeless music

Disadvantages: Commerciality

KISS.

In recent times this name rather stands for commerciality than for good music.

But KISS had been fore-runners and co-founders of the whole Hard Rock-scene. Almost revolutionary was the idea to mask their true identity behind the masks, which had been derived of Japanese Kabuki-theatres, where also mainly black and white was used to paint the faces. Legions of paparazzi made their living with shaky snap-shots of the allegedly real and unmasked KISS for years.

What was also new to the whole scene was their stage-show, for the first time with pyros, raisers and other gimmicks that made up the furious performance (you almost could talk about a choreography). And then there was the music. Loud, wild, unruly (of course for then). The face-paints have been adopted by the Black Metal-scene (but I still regard the original as the best) and also single elements of the stage-show (pyros, raisers) were often copied.

That not all albums could keep the same high standard, isn't surprising with 19 regular albums (live- and best-of-albums not included). But they never released a really bad album. Even the much-calumniated "Music From The Elder" was good (although they, of course, went off the usual path).

Continuous line-up-changes brought in new blood and a fresh wind into the band around the masterminds Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Besides Eric Carr (drums), Mark St.John (guitars) and Vinnie Vincent (guitars), there also were Eric Singer (drums) and Bruce Kulick (guitars). The (in my opinion) best line-up apart from the classical (Paul Stanley (git, vox), Gene Simmons (bass, vox), Ace Frehley (git, vox) und Peter Criss (drums, vox)) was the "Revenge"-line-up with Bruce Kulick on the lead guitar and Eric Singer on drums.

Unfortunately the two mainmen (guess who :-) suddenly lost the music in their dreams of commerciality. Beginning with KISS-lunch-boxes, KISS-pinball-machines, KISS-bikes, the obl
igatory bed-linens, inflatable chairs in quadruple design (each one depicting one band-member) up to the KISS-condom-boxer-shorts (you know, those shorts with sewn in condom-pockets for each weekday and the Extra-Gene Simmons pocket), KISS-toilet paper and KISS-leather-jackets worth 1.000 (!) bucks, you could find anything, not to forget the collectible figures.

Despite this attack on our wallets, I still am a loyal fan of the band, because the music still is timeless and brilliant. I just hope that they won't miss the right point for a worthy farewell, I would hate to see them compete with SPINAL TAP...

So: You wanted the best, you got the best - KISS.

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