KISS
Alive II

THE REVIEW

Love them or hate them, the Kiss have embodied a way of understanding rock, especially overseas, characterized by packed arenas, special effects, and songs as simple as they are effective.

“Alive II” hits stores in October 1977, just four months after their latest studio effort, “Love Gun”, and as the title suggests, it is the direct successor to the excellent “Alive!” from two years prior. To understand how Kiss had become a money-making machine, just take a quick glance at their discography of the time: eight LPs in just three years, something quite unusual even for that era. Originally, a new live album was planned to be released already after 1976's “Rock And Roll Over”: concerts were recorded, everything was ready, but in the end, the project was shelved, unconvinced by the final quality of the tapes. Naturally, the bootleg “The Lost Alive II” has been circulating for years, embodying what could have been and never was, a true treasure for collectors and die-hard fans; everyone else can “make do” with the album we all know.

The vinyl’s tracklist wisely features only material released after 1975, to avoid repeating tracks already seen on the original “Alive”. “Detroit Rock City”, a true anthem, opens side A in the best possible way, also thanks to a sound that highlights their power, often too subdued in the studio, while “King Of The Night Time World” combines energy and melody, and listening to it today seems to almost anticipate the disco turn of the late Seventies with “Dynasty”. “Ladies Room” and “Makin' Love” are relatively simple, harking back to the golden age of rock’n’roll but without leaving much of an impression; “Love Gun”, on the other hand, a proto-metal track enriched by a great solo, explains why there are so many Kiss patches on so many metalheads' jackets. The songs sung by Gene Simmons’ raucous voice have never matched those performed by Stanley, and they don’t seem to add much to what's been said so far, while “Shock Me” is a real surprise, finally with Space Ace on the mic. The track is memorable and seems to anticipate the great success of his solo debut the following year, all garnished with a great solo from the Spaceman. “Hard Luck Woman” is another battle horse, “the most beautiful song Rod Stewart never sang,” as someone called it, a testament to the significant weight Ace Frehley and Peter Criss had in the group’s economy.

The second part of the record continues, stringing together another series of hits: “I Stole Your Love” and “I Want You” are powerful and engaging, “Beth” seems written to be accompanied by lighter flames, and “God Of Thunder”, here in a decidedly faster and convincing version than the one appearing on “Destroyer”, is unembellished heavy metal. With “Shout It Out Loud” we're at the farewells, with the audience in a frenzy. The concert is over, but there's one more side, featuring unreleased studio tracks: expecting mere fillers from these kinds of operations would be reasonable, but instead, the tracks are solid and it's surprising they have been literally forgotten even by their own authors. “All American Man” would have worked wonderfully live, while “Rockin' In The USA”, with Demon Simmons at the mic, is a carefree and danceable rock'n'roll track. “Rocket Ride” is another forgotten gem: Ace plays virtually every instrument except the drums, and the track, listened to in hindsight, seems to anticipate the sound of his solo career, clear evidence that Frehley had his mind set elsewhere. “Any Way You Want It”, a tribute to the Dave Clark Five, sees the Americans once again handling what they do best, namely good old rock'n'roll. Sales success would have been resounding, but “Alive II” would nonetheless have put the word “end” on the golden period of the four.

The “Kiss toy” had run its course, and something was beginning to crack: setting aside the criticism of the album for its obvious tweaks, it should be noted that Frehley showed up very little in the studio, forcing the others to quickly enlist session musician Bob Kulick, who played on much of side D. To defuse an already sky-high tension, Casablanca Records played the solo albums card, so each member could take a “vacation” from Kiss, but the feeling that they were at their last resort was evident. The Americans' downward trajectory was now at the gates, and to return to levels worthy of their name, they would have to wait for the Eighties, with a completely different sound, look, and lineup. A decidedly different story.

Kiss:

• Paul Stanley, vocals and guitar
• Gene Simmons, vocals and bass
• Ace Frehley, vocals and guitar
• Peter Criss, vocals and drums

“Alive II”:

Vinyl 1:

1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. Ladies Room
4. Makin' Love
5. Love Gun
6. Calling Dr. Love
7. Christine Sixteen
8. Shock Me
9. Hard Luck Woman
10. Tomorrow And Tonight

Vinyl 2:

1. I Stole Your Love
2. Beth
3. God Of Thunder
4. I Want You
5. Shout It Out Loud
6. All American Man
7. Rockin' In The USA
8. Larger Than Life
9. Rocket Ride
10. Any Way You Want It