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Rating: Year 1976, the 4 demonic New Yorkers have three valid albums behind them, gaining notoriety (also thanks to their flashy look) slowly but surely. Many in the audience are realizing they are a valid group, playing great music, and have to change their minds.
This album confirms it: The Knights In The Service of Satan (ahaha) are not just stage animals, shocking with particular tricks and stage effects, but they are a group that has something to say and will continue to do so throughout the '70s. The band contacts the music producer who worked on Alice Cooper's early projects, who will stay with KISS for future projects, and they get to work on this album which, upon release, sold well enough but perhaps did not meet the expectations of Simmons & co. However, later things improved and now the album is in hard rock history.
In short, the singer "Star Child", the bassist "Demon", the guitarist "Space Ace", and the drummer "Catman" give us 9 famous tracks that are now classics of the band: pure, heavy, overwhelming, and gritty hard rock that simply must be sung along to and there’s no way to stay still in front of the wild rhythms the album offers us.
Everything begins with an introduction (atypical for KISS) to be enjoyed: someone is listening to the news on the radio, then they get in the car and the legendary "Rock n' Roll All Nite" (from the previous "Dressed To Kill") comes on the radio and the race begins... the fast and now famous riffs pave the way for Stanley’s incisive voice for one of the best KISS songs: "Detroit Rock City", short but direct guitar licks alternate with the spoken word, melodic and wonderful, the solo is perfect and Criss's drumming accompaniment is effective. The lyrics are carefree but full of grit for a timeless classic that ends with the crash of the introduction's car.
Heavy notes resonate in the air, "King Of The Night Time World" begins, a song with "low" tones but catchy and engaging in its sung parts, which certainly neither adds nor takes away anything from the album, but highlights the musical variety that KISS can offer us, the song dissolves and opens the doors to a child's voice leading us to the mega-track that follows: "God Of Thunder" sung by Gene Simmons, it fully represents the dark side of KISS, the bassist's voice booms heavy, dark, relentless and the repeated and distorted notes seem to drag us into the depths of Hell, typically metal riffs from hell for a diabolical and marvelous track.
A whole different atmosphere for the following track, which seems to bring us back into the light, extremely sweet and catchy makes us forget the tones of the previous songs, but still captures us with its melodic chorus, a significant and cleverly crafted piece of the album that aims to conquer a wider fan base. When the angelic choir ends, we return to the usual grit, classic KISS style track: "Flaming Youth" still melodic and energetic, with a distorted but characteristic solo, gives that touch of class to the record making it complete, followed by "Sweet Pain" also sung by the slithering bassist, perhaps the album's lesser episode, which falls into repetition, but Frehley's guitar is always perfect like Criss's percussion accompaniment.
At this point of the album, it can be said that the band with the kiss has experimented with different sounds not very related to their style and you might think there's nothing interesting or appealing among the last tracks, but you'd be wrong: the album makes a surge and from the weak previous track, we move to a classic: "Shout It Out Loud", short but direct, extremely melodic to capture every kind of audience, but certainly not sappy, an example of genuine and catchy rock to listen to at any moment of the day.
At this point, a delicate transition occurs, leading to the album's "ballad", sweet, romantic, moving, here comes "Beth" where every rocker’s sweet side comes out, you can't remain indifferent to this delicate song perfectly performed by Peter Criss on the microphone, almost feeling the need to hum: "O Beth What Can I Do?"
After the romantic yet cleverly crafted ballad insertion, the album closes with another famous band track: "Do You Love Me", a mix of hard rock and engaging melody interpreted in duet by Paul and Gene on the microphone, a typical '70s track that now seems too old and outdated, but that captures and engages us leaving a bitter taste as we didn’t want the CD to end now, indeed the only flaw might be the reduced overall length of the album.
The overall impression is of a great product, VARIED, that cannot leave you indifferent, the experiments in different genres are very successful, the product never bores, but envelops the listener from start to finish.
You may have hated them, mocked them, considered them just a "passing phenomenon", criticized them for their excessive and exaggerated look but it's official: the history of hard rock also passes through KISS but most importantly you can’t help but let loose and sing along:
"Get up! Everybody's gonna move their feet, get down! Everybody's gonna leave their seat!"
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 God of Thunder (04:15)
You've got something about you
You've got something I need
Daughter of Aphrodite
Hear my words and take heed
I was born on Olympus
To my father a son
I was raised by the demons
Trained to reign as the one
God of thunder and rock and roll
The spell you're under
Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul
I'm the lord of the wastelands
A modern day man of steel
I gather darkness to please me
And I command you to kneel
Before the
God of thunder and rock and roll
The spell you're under
Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul
I am the lord of the wastelands
A modern day man of steel
I gather darkness to please me
And I command thee to kneel
Before the
God of thunder and rock and roll
The spell you're under
Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul
04 Great Expectations (04:21)
You're sittin' in your seat
And then you stand and clutch your breast
Our music drives you wild along with the rest
You watch me singing this song
You see what my mouth can do
And you wish you were the one I was doing it to
And you watch Paul playin' guitar
And you feel what his fingers can do
And you wish you were the one he was doing it to
Well, listen
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
You're dying to be seen
And you wave and call my name
But in the day it seems that I'm a million miles away
You watch Pete beatin' his drum
And you know what his hands can do
And you wish you were the one he was doing it to
Well, listen
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
Then you feels these eyes from the stage
And you see me staring at you
And you hear between the lines, my voice is calling to you
Well, listen
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations, do you want to play the role
You've got great expectations, you'd even sell me your soul
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations, do you want to play the role
You've got great expectations, you'd even sell me your soul
You've got great expectations, as long as you can play the role
You've got great expectations
05 Flaming Youth (03:00)
Whoo yeah
My parents think I'm crazy and they hate the things I do
I'm stupid and I'm lazy, man, if they only knew
How flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth, our flag is flying higher and higher and higher
My uniform is leather, and my power is my age
I'm gettin' it together to break out of my cage
'Cause flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth, our flag is flying higher and higher and higher
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth will set the world on fire
Flaming youth, our flag is flying higher and higher
And higher and higher and higher and higher and higher
06 Sweet Pain (03:20)
Ahh
My leathers fit tight around me
My whip is always beside me
You want the same thing every day
I'll teach you love a different way
You'll learn to love me and my sweet pain
My love will drive you insane
Sweet pain, my love will drive you insane
And pain has got its reason
And if you don't stop your teasin', baby
I'm gonna show you now
You'll get your lovin' anyhow, anyhow
And you'll get to love me and my sweet pain
My love will drive you insane
Ahh, sweet pain, my love will drive you insane
Ahh, you get to love me any way I say
Ahh, you get to love me and my sweet pain
Oh
Pain has got it's reason
You find it pleasin', yes you do, yes you do
And I'm gonna show you now
You'll get to love it anyhow, anyhow and
You'll get to love me and my sweet pain
My love will drive you insane
Ahh, sweet pain, my love will drive you insane
Sweet pain my love will drive you insane
Sweet pain my love will drive you insane
Ahh, sweet pain (sweet pain) my love will drive you insane
Sweet pain (sweet pain) my love will drive you insane
Sweet pain (sweet pain) my love will drive you insane
Sweet pain (sweet pain) my love will drive you insane
07 Shout It Out Loud (02:50)
Well, the night's begun and you want some fun
Do you think you're gonna find it (think you're gonna find it)
You got to treat yourself like number one
Do you need to be reminded (need to be reminded)
It doesn't matter what you do or say
Just forget the things that you've been told
We can't do it any other way
Everybody's got to rock and roll, whoo, oh, oh
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
If you don't feel good, there's a way you could
Don't sit there broken hearted (sit there broken hearted)
Call all your friends in the neighborhood
And get the party started (get the party started)
Don't let 'em tell you that there's too much noise
They're too old to really understand
You'll still get rowdy with the girls and boys
'Cause it's time for you to take a stand, yeah, yeah
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
You've got to have a party
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Turn it up louder
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Everybody shout it now
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Oh yeah
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
Hear it gettin' louder
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
And everybody shout it now
Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud
08 Beth (02:47)
Beth I hear you calling
But I can't come home right now
Me and the boys are playing
but we just can't find the sound
Just a few more hours
And I'll be right home to you
I think I hear them calling
Oh Beth what can I do
Beth what can I do
You say you feel so empty
That our house just ain't our home
I'm always somewhere else
And you're always there alone
Just a few more hours
And I'll be right home to you
I think I hear them calling
Oh Beth what can I do
Beth what can.....I do
Beth I know you're lonely
And I hope you'll be alright
'Cause me and the boys will be playing all night
all night
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Other reviews
By tonycool
‘Detroit Rock City’ chorus: ‘get up, everybody’s gonna move their feet, get down everybody’s gonna leave their seat’ absolutely not idle and not for me, but I like to listen to this music quietly without moving a muscle.
‘Beth’ — so sweet, violins, poetry, piano again, ahh it makes you feel good.
