This thread has made me look Kiss in the face for the first time in my life. I am... entertained. The songs feel so weak compared to the image, but I have had "Strutter" in my head for a week, so there's something there.

My four year old daughter and I watched a performance of "Black Diamond" and we both loved it. It's kind of charming, their special blend of half-assed and go-for-broke.

So "Cold Gin" is basically "Summertime Blues". I've now listened to 2 songs from the first album ("Strutter" the other). This music is garbage. I feel like I could play the guitar parts, and I can't play guitar.

Heath wrote: Tue Aug 20, 2024 10:40 am The songs feel so weak compared to the image….

I remember hearing them for the first time when I was 7 or 8. I’d heard a lot of talk about them at school and saw pictures. I was bracing myself for something over-the-top. Surely, they made their guitars sound as otherworldly as their faces looked. One day, my mom brought home an eight track copy of Alive II. I popped it in and braced myself. It sounded tame and boring. Pedestrian. My dad’s Jimi Hendrix album was much more menacing and caustic. I played the 8 track again. “King Of the Nighttime World” and “Love Gun” were ok, I guess. The 8 track eventually found its way to the slow/no rotation pile, and I quit showing interest when the kids at school talked about them.

I was crazy about Queen, though. It still amuses me to think of my child self carefully studying “Get Down, Make Love”.

I have the "you had to be there" feeling and since I wasn't they're just crap. I can see a 13 year old kid thinking they were the coolest thing ever, but I just don't see how people many years past that age could actually listen to them - the show, blood and makeup were unable to hide how lame the music was, at least for me.

I have a similar feelings about the hair metal bands, I just don't get it.

Goin' Blind is good. Trudges enough that they can keep up with it, genuinely weird lyrics, good little bass noodles.

They're better than Motley Crue or Black Oak Arkansas, though I'd rather listen to Black Oak.

Some very good stage patter.

Crap.

Stupid, boring band filled with stupid, boring musicians making music for easily fooled (stupid, boring) people. Gene Simmons is the Trump of rock music.

KISS songs have so many cool riffs but to my ears most of their albums are bogged down with filler. Must-haves are Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, and Love Gun; but you can just pick-up Alive II and enjoy a double LP of front-to-back bangers. That tone arm ain't leaving the record until the run-off. Bet.

Speaking of Mötley Crüe "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" is Maggie May 4 while KISS's "Hard Luck Woman" is Maggie May 2 and Stewart's own "You Wear it Well" is Maggie May 3.

In the same way that there are movie franchises based on toys, KISS seems like a musical franchise based on a pinball machine.

That's not historically accurate, but it still feels true.

I'm not looking forward to Gene Simmons's version of "Stormy Weather" for the upcoming Reagan biopic.

rsmurphy wrote: Wed Aug 21, 2024 1:40 pmSpeaking of Mötley Crüe "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" is Maggie May 4 while KISS's "Hard Luck Woman" is Maggie May 2 and Stewart's own "You Wear it Well" is Maggie May 3.

Stunningly accurate take, my guy