KISS – 40-Decades of Decibels

Love or hate them they have been thrilling audiences worldwide now for 40 years. They were once the masters of disguise and rock‘n’roll legends and released an astounding 6 studio albums, 1 compilation, 2 live albums and 4 solo records all in the space of 5 years in the 70s. Then the machine started to break down, they took it too far with the marketing and destroyed the danger and made it as acceptable as Mickey Mouse. Into the 80s the American market for them was soft, however they kept good fortune in other territories. The make-up came off, a heavier sound, a slew of line up changes until finally the fans dreams came true and the make-up went back on. Again they catapulted to fame and fortune, the drama raised its head, a farewell tour and the giant could still not be slayed. Now in 2014 we have the mouth watering re-releases of the original albums on 180gm vinyl and this is where Kiss 40 comes into play – this is your suck it and see platter. Kiss have been accused of being all about image and no musical substance, let us get one thing straight; you do not have a consistently dedicated fanbase if the music you release has no merit. As an introduction to Kiss the choices are somewhat of the beaten track compared to previous comps. For the collectors there is nothing really of note here to get you too excited apart from the Simmons demo of “Reputation” which is a moment in time and an oddity which will force their hand. If you don’t have the boxset the “God of Thunder” demo with Stanley singing is also worth the entry price. The cd showcases all the faces of Kiss the hard rockin 70s, the egos, the romance, the pop and the metallic edge from the 80s/90s. Try not and tap your foot to “Shout it Loud” and bang your head to “Unholy” and warble along with “Reason to Live”. They have utilised some tracks from the alive series of cds which is a nice touch. They never give you too much new but just little tasters to draw you in to go seeking the rest of the meal. The dedicated followers will buy this; the casual fan new and old will buy this and it may just prick the interest of the uninitiated. It is a solid set which gives a fairly extensive overview of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Here is to the next 40 years!

Current Line up

Paul Stanley – Guitar/Vocals
Gene Simmons – Guitar/Vocals
Tommy Thayer – Guitar /Vocals
Eric Singer – Drums

Tracklisting

‘Nothin To Lose’
‘Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll’
‘C’mon and Love Me’
‘Rock And Roll All Nite’ (Live)
‘God Of Thunder’ (Demo)
‘Beth’
‘Hard Luck Woman’
‘Reputation’ (Demo) – Previously Unreleased
‘Christine Sixteen’
‘Shout It Out Loud’ (Live)
‘Strutter ‘78′
‘You Matter To Me’ (Peter Criss)
‘Radioactive’ (Gene Simmons)
‘New York Groove’ (Ace Frehley)
‘Hold Me, Touch Me’ (Paul Stanley)
‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ (Single Edit)
‘Shandi’
‘A World Without Heroes’
‘I Love It Loud’
‘Down On Your Knees’
‘Lick It Up’
‘Heaven’s On Fire’
‘Tears Are Falling’
‘Reason To Live’
‘Let’s Put The X In Sex’
‘Forever’ (Remix)
‘God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II’
‘Unholy’ (Live)
‘Do You Love Me?’ (MTV Unplugged)
‘Room Service’ (Live)
‘Jungle’ (Radio Edit)
‘Psycho Circus’
‘Nothing Can Keep Me From You’
‘Detroit Rock City’ (Live)
‘Deuce’ (Live 2004) – Unreleased commercially
‘Firehouse’ (Live – 1999/2000)
‘Modern Day Delilah’
‘Cold Gin’ (Live 2009) – Unreleased commercially
‘Crazy Crazy Nights’ (Live 2010) – Unreleased commercially
‘Hell or Hallelujah’