A
Brief
To the nonfan, KISS
is the hard rock band who wore black
and white face makeup, flamboyant
costumes, and became famous for their
one of a kind theatrics. Those who know
their music; however, realize that KISS
is much more than what the critics suggest.
The influence of KISS is, and will be,
one of the strongest of any rock and
roll band in history. The massive
appeal of KISS as a touring band also
translated into album sales, as the band
ranks third behind only the Rolling
Stones and the Beatles for consecutive
gold records, with
twenty-three.
KISS was formed
when bassist Gene Simmons and
singer/guitarist Paul Stanley of a
Manhattan-based band called Wicked
Lester recruited drummer Peter Criss
through an ad in Rolling
Stone magazine, and brought in
guitarist Ace Frehley through a
classified ad in the Village
Voice. Simmons
and Stanley had a concept for
the band right from the start, which was
to perform in white makeup, platform
boots, and black and silver costumes.
Each member was to be their own "cartoon
character." Simmons was the Demon,
Stanley the Star Child, Criss the Cat,
and Frehley the Space Man.
In 1973, KISS signed with Casablanca
records. The band struggled with its
first three albums, but 1975's double
live album Alive! was the
breakthrough of what became a 70's
phenomenon. In 1976, KISS released
Destroyer, which included more
than a couple rock and roll
masterpieces, but the album's biggest
hit was its first ballad called "Beth."
The song went to number 7 on the singles
chart, virtually unheard of territory
for a hard rock band, and could rightly
be called the first power ballad. With
the success of "Beth," Marvel Comics
paid the band the ultimate tribute by
publishing a KISS comic
book.
KISS remained extremely
active throughout the 70's, releasing
five more albums, including the
multi-platinum Alive II in 1977
and the greatest hits collection
Double Platinum in 1978. In
October of that year, each band member
simultaneously released a solo album.
Through the release of 1979's
Dynasty, KISS was a permanent
fixture on the road and the band was
still performing in full makeup. By
1980; however, the dynasty had begun to
come apart. Peter Criss left the band
prior to the recording of
Unmasked, and was replaced for
the sessions by future David Letterman
Show drummer Anton Fig. Criss was
replaced permanently by Eric Carr in
1981. Ace Frehley left the band prior
to 1982's Creatures of the Night
to form his own band, Frehley's Comet.
The next year, with the release of
Lick It Up, KISS removed its
costumes and makeup for the first
time.
Vinnie
Vincent, who had
joined prior to Lick It Up, left
two years later, and was replaced by
Mark St. John for 1984's
Animalize. St. John took ill
with Reiter's Syndrome, and in 1985,
Bruce Kulick captured the guitarist role
and held it for a decade. Despite these
adversities, KISS began to regain its
stature and formed a new legion of fans
in the late 80's. "Forever," from the
1989 album Hot in the Shade,
became the band's biggest track since
"Beth." There would be more tragedy in
1991, however. Drummer Eric Carr died
of cancer at the age of 41, casting a
shadow over the band's first album in
three years, Revenge. Carr was
replaced by Eric Singer. A third live
album, Alive III followed in
1993, and its success sparked another
year-long tour.
In 1994, the band
created a KISS fan convention tour, the
centerpiece of which was an intimate
live performance by the band themselves.
For fans, it was the first time they
were given a chance to see KISS play
acoustically; the band even took
requests. As a result of these shows,
KISS performed in a 1995 MTV
Unplugged session, which saw the
band bring back original members Criss
and Frehley for special guest
appearances. The success of the
Unplugged set sparked a massive
KISS reunion tour which saw the band
reapplying the makeup and slipping back
into their costumes. Kulick and Singer
were to be on hold until the reunion
tour concluded, but when the tour was
extended, they left the band in early
1997. In 1998, KISS released the highly
marketed Psycho-Circus album and
began another world tour, which lasted through March,
1999. KISS will begin a final "farewell tour" that
will begin in March, 2000.
