ABlairican Pie's Record Retrospective: KISS!!!!

[ABlairican Pie]

"YOU WANTED THE BEST AND YOU GOT THE BEST!! THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD--KISS!!!!" "

And I can hear it now: Okay, ABlairican Pie, you did retrospectives on more respectable bands such as Rush, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne, but what is the deal with a retrospective on a band so universally reviled as KISS? Why not do a retrospective on a more respected band such as Dream Theater?

Because KISS went on nearly fifty years ago to fulfill the American Dream of rock and roll. For better or for worse, their music was the canon of Middle America rock and roll fans, something which captured the spirit of rock and roll in the mid-part of the 70's. While much has been made about the alleged "farewell tour" by the band as of late, it is worth taking a look at the band which defied all expectations to in fact become "the hottest band in the land".

Their story is not one which people would expect. It is actually quite surprising. Here is their story through albums, as only ABlairican Pie can tell it. Let us begin.

[ABlairican Pie]

In the beginning, there was no KISS. Surprise, suprise. It is hard to pinpoint where the nucleus of the band began, but a definite point began in the wastelands of Haifa, in the newly formed nation of Israel, where, in 1949, Chaim Witz was born to a Holocaust survivor mother who had emigrated to the promised Holy Land in the hopes of creating a better life for herself and her only son. As the young Chaim grew, he had to sustain himself and his mother by enduring meager jobs such as peddling fruits and other wares. His father was absent and later out of the picture following a series of infidelities.

At an early age young Chaim was informed that he and his mother were bound for a flight to New York City where family members would take them in. Chaim, who barely spoke a word of English, was amazed by this dazzling new world of opportunity. Over the next few years he became fluent in the way of these Americans.

It happened one night in February 1964, when The Beatles appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', Chaim was marginally impressed at first with the performance. But when his mother entered and sneered at The Beatles' show, this sparked a deep impression in Chaim's ypung mind: If your mother hates it, this made it all so much better! At this moment, the future Gene Simmons found immense inspiration in the music of The Beatles, and to that end, he sought to play bass like his new idol, Paul McCartney. He joined bands, now aware that his newfound musical foray would attract girls!

Young Chaim, soon named Gene Klein, posing with his Hofner bass similar to that of his hero Paul McCartney:

[ABlairican Pie]

The second part of the equation was the young man known as Stanley Eisen. Ever since his youth, he had been heckled by his parents, also Jewish emigres who had fled Nazified Europe, as to his abilities. He was instilled with the idea that he would never amount to much, as the idea of encouraging him was "detrimental" to his "character building". So the young Eisen sought to prove his parents wrong, which instilled in him a rebellious streak which carried into his counter-cultural activities. It also did not help him that he suffered from a deformed ear, for which he was taunted by his classmates. He was partially deaf, but this did not deter him from indulging in his love for music.

Young Eisen grew in his love for the British Invasion groups as The Beatles, but was revulsed by the lack of musicality of psychedelic bands of the late 60's, who were more involved in producing surreal light shows against mediocre music. The bearded "hippie" musicians turned him off as well, though he thought of himself in a way as a kindred spirit himself of the counterculture.

"Hippie" Stanley Eisen:

[ABlairican Pie]

When Stanley Eisen and Gene Klein met for the first time to discuss a musical partnership, Eisen was initially put off by Gene's arrogance. But as they traded musical ideas together, they realized that they both clicked with a sort of vision as to what they wanted to do. They formed a band called Rainbow before they renamed it Wicked Lester, which recorded one album which went nowhere. The album was a standard rock/pop offering which included folk rock elements as well. But when things were not taking off for the band, as the record label refused to promote the album, Stanley and Klein broke up the band in 1972 and planned to reform a new group after a series of auditions for drummer and lead guitarist.

Wicked Lester:

[ABlairican Pie]

During this time, Stanley Eisen, dissatisfied with his name, decided to change it to something more rock and roll-sounding: He decided to call himself Paul Stanley, as Paul was more connected to British singers as Paul McCartney of The Beatles and Paul Rodgers of Free (who later fronted Bad Company). Stanley drove taxi cabs to make ends meet, often dropping Elvis fans off at Madison Square Garden. He often wondered if he himself would ever make an appearance at MSG.

Gene Klein, who had earlier renamed himself Gene Simmons after rockabilly artist Jumpin' Gene Simmons, attended a Jewish temple where he became very knowledgeable in the Old Testament. He became a public school teacher and sold comic books as part of his non-musical pursuits.

Stanley and Simmons searched for drummers in the local magazines when one ad caught their eye: A drummer with experience would "do anything to make it" as part of a band. The pair auditioned the drummer, named George Peter John Criscuola, who had played in a short-lived band Chelsea, which had released one album for Decca Records in 1970 before he formed a band called Lips with former members of his previous band. Stanley and Simmons phoned Criss while the drummer attended a party and arranged a meeting. Once they liked what Peter offered, the ability to sing as well as drumming skills, they hired him once they shortened his name simply to Peter Criss.

Young Peter Criss in his Chelsea days:

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During the fall of 1972, the band, which was only a trio, played harder edged music than that of Wicked Lester. The band played a showcase set for Epic Records in the hopes of landing a record deal. But there was one element that the band needed: A lead guitarist. In January 1973, the band auditioned guitarists when one New York musician, wearing different colored sneakers, one red and the other orange, stepped in with his guitar and amp. He proceeded to play loud, interrupting others auditioning, which prompted Stanley and Simmons to order him to stop and wait his turn. But when his turn came up, the guitarist astounded both Stanley and Simmons with his "flashy" style of playing. They hired Paul "Ace" Frehley as their fourth member, so named by classmates for his ability to "ace" getting dates at school. Now that the lineup was complete, it was time to define what this group would do to stand out from every other band out there.

Ace Frehley, in earlier years:

[JamesG]

I’m a huge KISS fan so I look forwards to this retrospective. Regarding the first post, what do you mean by “universally reviled”?

They have a HUGE worldwide fan base, though there are many disagreements on which era or lineup was the best.

[1960'sTVfan]

The makeup gimmick that KISS used was a stroke of genius from a marketing perspective, it gave them attention, made them unique and set them apart from other bands. Without the makeup gimmick they're just an average rock band.

There's one KISS album that I really like which is Rock And Roll Over, released in late 1976. Every song on that album is good, it's their most consistent album, no weak tracks on it.

Paul Stanley is the band's best songwriter, most KISS songs that have the melodic hooks and sound like chart hits are usually written by Paul Stanley.

When the four band members each released solo albums in 1978, Paul Stanley's album is by far my favorite. Nine amazing songs filled with melodic hooks, it's an outstanding album. Ace Frehley's album is second best, two tracks are on the weaker side but overall it's a strong album. Gene Simmons album is third best and the Peter Criss album is the weakest of the four.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by JamesG

I’m a huge KISS fan so I look forwards to this retrospective. Regarding the first post, what do you mean by “universally reviled”?

They have a HUGE worldwide fan base, though there are many disagreements on which era or lineup was the best.

Even pre-teen kids loved KISS back in the 70s. Maybe their parents were initially taken back by the look.

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally Posted by JamesG

I’m a huge KISS fan so I look forwards to this retrospective. Regarding the first post, what do you mean by “universally reviled”?

They have a HUGE worldwide fan base, though there are many disagreements on which era or lineup was the best.

I mean "universally reviled" certainly not from my perspective, as a junior high fan in 1977, I felt they were the most radical idea of a band ever! But "musical purists" thought the idea of four guys in makeup and using special effects was a cheap "gimmick" to distract from their true musical abilities (or "lack thereof").
But it's interesting how by mid-decade in the 70's there was a growing simplicity in music, where spectacle and showmanship were not necessarily bad things, and in fact highlighted good qualities about a band. Let's face it, one of the most convoluted albums in 1974 was 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' by Yes, a bloated album based on Hindu writings that paled in comparison to the basic message of "Strutter!!"

Not that I was against Yes by any means, but what do you do to appeal to a 14-year old mind in rock and roll?

[ABlairican Pie]

So they weren't "universally reviled". Just despised by too many who had taken music way too seriously in the mid-70's. By people who thought Bread was the greatest thing since...sliced bread.

[ABlairican Pie]

So once the quartet had gathered together, the search was on to find their identities which would stand out from the rest of the bands dominating the New York club scene. And there were a number of top acts with potential.

At first the band began to imitate such glam bands as the New York Dolls by wearing dresses and adopting an "androgynous" look that was popular at the time. But the band reaiized they were not about to become a New York Dolls clone band. Gene Simmons resented the idea that, considering his height at 6 feet, wearing a dress was akin to a football quarterback resembling dressing like one's sister. It just didn't work.

The band struggled to come up with a name in addition to their onstage personae. They tossed around names while driving around, such as Crimson Harpoon, Jews In Space, and other not-so-subtle names, including an expletive. Since Peter Criss had been in a band since Chelsea named Lips, Paul Stanley said, "Why don't we just call the band KISS?"

According to Gene Simmons, a still fell over the entire car. They had found their name.

After a concert by Alice Cooper, the band thought, what a great idea it would be to have "four Alice Coopers", complete with makeup to reflect four distinct personalities?

KISS as an early trio:

KISS forms their makeup identities in 1973:

[ABlairican Pie]

Since Gene Simmons was a fan of comic books and horror movies, he became the Demon. His outstretched tongue was certainly a factor in his persona.

The idea for the members of KISS to adopt distinct personae was based on the British Invasion bands such as The Beatles who were known by certain traits, such as John being "the smart Beatle", Paul being "the cute Beatle", George being "the quiet Beatle", and Ringo, well, just being Ringo. KISS were something else entirely.

Gene Simmons, 1973, in early makeup:

[ABlairican Pie]

Paul Stanley became the "Starchild", meaning he wanted to become a star, most likely to escape the drudgery of his childhood where he was told often that he would never amount to much by his parentts. In his working environment, he drove people to Madison Square Garden to see Elvis. The idea that he himself would one day headline concerts at the MSG was far from him, but this persona was close to his heart.

Paul Stanley's persona with makeup took many forms, including a "Lone Ranger" design to even a double-star design:

In late 1973, Paul Stanley settled on the makeup design for which would make him famous:

[ABlairican Pie]

Peter Criss took his persona from an alley cat he saw around the rehearsal space. He identified with the cat's independence, its aloofness and need for pleasure. So he became the Catman: