Theatrical performances, bright make-up, crazy atmosphere on the stage - all this is the legendary band Kiss. Over a long career, the musicians have released more than 20 worthy albums.
The musicians managed to form the most powerful commercial combination that helped them stand out from the competition - bombastic hard rock and ballads are the basis for the pop metal style of the 1980s.
For rock and roll, the Kiss team, according to authoritative music critics, ceased to exist, but it gave rise to a generation of caring, and sometimes “guided” fans.
On stage, the musicians often used pyrotechnic effects, as well as dry ice fog, in the design of their hymns. The show that took place on stage made the hearts of the fans beat harder. Often during concerts there was a real worship of their idols.
How it all began?
In the early 1970s, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, two members of the New York band Wicked Lester, met drummer Peter Chris through an ad.
The trio was driven by one goal - they wanted to create an original team. At the end of 1972, another member joined the original line-up - guitarist Ace Frehley.
The biographical book Kiss & Tel says that the guitarist conquered Gene, Peter and Paul not only with his virtuoso playing of a musical instrument, but also with his style. He came to the casting in boots of different colors.
The musicians began to work hard to create an original image: Simmons became the Demon, Criss became the Cat, Frehley became the Cosmic Ace (Alien), and Stanley became the Starchild. A little later, when Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent joined the team, they began to make up as the Fox and the Ankh Warrior.
The musicians of the new group always performed in makeup. They departed from this condition only in 1983-1995. In addition, you could see the musicians without makeup in one of the top Unholy video clips.
The group repeatedly broke up and reunited, which only increased interest in the soloists. Initially, the musicians chose the target audience for themselves - teenagers. But now the Kiss tracks are listened to by the elderly with pleasure. After all, everyone tends to age. Age does not spare anyone - neither musicians nor fans.
According to rumors, the band's name is an acronym for Knights In Satan's Service ("Knights in the service of Satan") or an abbreviation for Keep it simple, stupid. But it soon became clear that not one of the rumors was confirmed by the soloists. The group has consistently dismissed the speculation of fans and journalists.
Debut performance by Kiss
The new band Kiss first appeared on the scene on January 30, 1973. The musicians performed at the Popcorn Club in Queens. Their performance was watched by 3 spectators. In the same year, the guys recorded a demo compilation, which consisted of 5 tracks. Producer Eddie Kramer helped young musicians to record the collection.
Kiss' first tour began a year later. It took place in Edmonton at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. In the same year, the musicians expanded their discography with their debut album, which was warmly received by the public.
The genre of the band's tracks is a synthesis of glam and hard rock with the addition of pop and disco. In their first interviews, the musicians repeatedly mentioned that they want everyone who attends their concert to forget about life and family problems. Each performance of the musicians is a powerful adrenaline rush.
To achieve the goal, the members of the Kiss group showed a wonderful show on stage: they spat blood (a special pigmented substance), spewed fire, broke musical instruments and flew up without stopping playing. Now it becomes clear why one of the band's most popular albums is called Psycho Circus ("Crazy Circus").
Debut live album release
In the mid-1970s, the band released their first live album, called Alive!. The album was soon certified platinum and also became the first Kiss release to hit the top 40 singles with a live version of Rock and Roll All Nite.
A year later, the band's discography was replenished with a new album, Destroyer. The main feature of the disc is the use of various sound effects (the sound of an orchestra, the boys' choir, elevator drums, etc.). This is one of the highest quality albums in the Kiss discography.
In the late 1970s, the group proved to be incredibly productive. The musicians released 4 compilations, including the multi-platinum Alive II in 1977 and the Double Platinum hits collection in 1978.
In 1978, each of the musicians made an incredible gift for fans in the form of solo albums. After releasing the Dynasty album in 1979, Kiss toured extensively without changing their own image style.
The arrival of new musicians
In the early 1980s, the mood within the team began to noticeably deteriorate. Peter Criss left the band before the release of the Unmasked compilation. Soon the drummer Anton Fig came (the musician's playing can be heard on Frehley's solo album).
Only in 1981 did the musicians manage to find a permanent musician. It was Eric Carr. A year later, the talented guitarist Frehley left the band. This event hindered the release of the Creatures of the Night compilation. It soon became known that Frehley had assembled a new Frehley's Comet team. The repertoire of Kiss after this event suffered noticeably.
In 1983, the band's discography was replenished with the album Lick It Up. And here something happened that the fans did not expect - the Kiss group for the first time abandoned makeup. Whether it was a good idea is for the musicians to judge. But the image of the team "washed away" along with the makeup.
New musician Vinnie Vincent, who became part of the band during the recording of Lick It Up, left the band after a few years. He was replaced by the talented Mark St. John. He participated in the recording of the compilation Animalize, which was released in 1984.
Everything was going well until it turned out that St. John was seriously ill. The musician was diagnosed with Reiter's syndrome. In 1985, John was replaced by Bruce Kulick. For 10 years, Bruce has pleased fans with an excellent game.
Forever album release
In 1989, the musicians presented one of the most powerful albums in their discography, Forever. The musical composition Hot in the Shade was the band's most significant achievement.
In 1991, it became known that Eric Carr was suffering from oncology. The musician died at 41. This tragedy is described in the collection Revenge, which was released in 1994. Eric Carr was replaced by Eric Singer. The aforementioned compilation marked the band's return to hard rock and went gold.
In 1993, the musicians presented their third live album, which was called Alive III. The release of the collection was accompanied by a large tour. By this time, the Kiss group had gained an army of fans and popular love.
In 1994, the group's discography was replenished with the album Kiss My Ass. The collection included appendixes of compositions by Lenny Kravitz and Garth Brooks. The new collection was favorably received by fans and music critics.
And then the musicians created an organization that dealt with the fans of the group. The collective has created an institution so that the "fans" have the opportunity to communicate and contact with their idols during concerts or after them.
As a result of performances in the mid-1990s, an advertising program was created on MTV (Unplugged) (implemented on CD in March 1996), where those who stood at the origins of the band from the moment of its birth, Criss and Frehley, were invited as guests.
The musicians presented the album Carnival of Souls in the same 1996. But with the success of the Unplugged album, the plans of the soloists changed dramatically. In the same year, it became known that the "golden line-up" (Simmons, Stanley, Frehley and Criss) would again perform together.
However, a year later, it turned out that Singer and Kulik amicably left the team when the reunion ended, and now there is one line-up left. Four musicians on high platforms, with bright make-up and in original clothes, returned to the stage again to shock, delight with high-quality music and shock.
Kiss band now
In 2018, the musicians announced that a farewell tour of Kiss would take place in a year. The team performed with the farewell program "The End of the Road". The final show of the farewell tour will take place in July 2021 in New York.
In 2020, the rock band became a guest of the Canadian analogue of the Minute of Glory show. The latest news from the life of the cult group can be seen on their official social media pages.
