Kiss
Kiss Gold (2 CD)

THE REVIEW

In 2005, "Kiss Gold" was released, a two-disc compilation by Kiss, a New York quartet with hard rock roots formed in 1973. Kiss experienced a period of success from '75 to '79 and a period of great crisis until '82. With this review, I commit to retracing the early part of Kiss's career, presenting this collection by grouping the various songs together, according to the albums they came from. The CD includes their greatest hits from '74 to '82.

The line-up consisted of two guitarists, namely Paul Stanley on rhythm guitar and Ace Frehley on lead guitar, a bassist Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss on drums. Regarding vocals, all four members of the quartet were able to sing in one of the many songs of this group, even though the two main singers, as well as the founders of the group, were Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Now let’s move on to the description of the compilation, which I will try to do as concisely as possible, given the length of the anthology, which includes no less than forty songs, and thus to prevent boredom from settling in the minds of the Debaser readers.

CD1

The first five songs are part of the band's first work: "Kiss" from 1974. They present a very similar style made of a slow rhythm, and the guitars operate through non-heavy and aggressive riffs: examples of what I have said are "Strutter", "Nothin' To Lose", "Firehouse", "Deuce", and "Black Diamond". Good work from Kiss, which bodes well for the following albums.

From "Hotter Than Hell" of 1974, "Got To Chose", "Parasite", and the title track "Hotter Than Hell" were taken. The three songs elicited three different states of mind: the first, "Got To Choose", was catchy to me. "Parasite" is at higher levels, given its metal riff, due to its rhythm and very fast solo. "Hotter Than Hell" disappointed me, given the singer's voice clashing quite a bit in the chorus. But let's talk about the following songs: taken from "Dressed To Kill" are "C'Mon And Love Me", "She", and "Anything For My Baby". Only "She" is noteworthy for its imposing riff.

So we arrive at "Alive!", a live album where "Rock Bottom" was taken, which features an opening with a keyboard, and after about a minute, you hear the singer's voice opening the song where there is great work from Peter Criss on drums. At almost two minutes, an overwhelming solo begins, perfectly executed by Ace Frehley, which gives the song a positive note. "Cold Gin" starts with guitar distortion and then the drummer's attack follows. It is in this song that the drums play an important role. Indeed, there is an alternation of played parts to parts where it is possible to hear only the accompaniment rhythm of this instrument. Followed by two other live tracks, "Rock And Roll All Nite", a very nice and catchy song, and "Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll". The second named is notable for the spread of solos, where I heard some significant tempo changes. These are the last two tracks taken from "Alive!".

"Detroit Rock City", is the 16th track of the CD, one of Kiss’s greatest masterpieces. This piece has a fast and thoughtful rhythm and a good solo in the middle part of the song. It represents the crowning achievement of the cooperation of all the members of the band: great work by Ace Frehley on guitar, Peter Criss keeping a good drum rhythm, Paul Stanley's skill in vocals and rhythm guitar, and Gene Simmons on bass. I want to talk a lot about this song and even examine the lyrics, which talk about a boy who, in Detroit, has to attend a Kiss concert but unfortunately never will, given his death in a car accident. The song ends with the skidding of the fan’s car which connects to the beginning of "King Of The Night Time World" a good song, like the one that follows "Shout It Out Loud". But after listening to so many hard rock songs, it is time to relax with a ballad with a keyboard, also with a brief part of wind instruments. "Do You Love Me" is the last song of the first CD of this collection. Again, great work from the drummer, but within this track, you can hear a hint of bell sounds. These last examined tracks are from "Destroyer", good work from Kiss, released in March 1976.

CD2

Now let's examine the second CD of this maxi-collection. The first tracks are part of "Rock N' Roll Over", an album from 1976. "I Want You" begins with an acoustic arpeggio, and Stanley's faint voice; followed by an initial distortion that starts the song, overall a good piece. It is immediately followed by "Calling Dr. Love": on the drums, Peter Criss, with the Charleston, does a good job, although the solos are very good, so also great work by Ace Frehley. "Hard Luck Woman" is a nearly all-acoustic piece, very beautiful and relaxing, even if slow, but still different from the other songs considered from the same album.

Next, "I Stole Your Love" was chosen from "Love Gun", another good work by Kiss, and features a fast yet precise riff in Rock N' Roll style, with a solo, also very demanding and catchy. And now I prepare to analyze another important Kiss piece: "Love Gun": the title track of the album from which it was taken. Impressive and majestic riff, Peter Criss, always active on drums, who with a very precise accompaniment rhythm follows the guitarist's riff. The solo is also very beautiful, and in this song, it is performed in the background of the singer's voice during the chorus. Let's move on to "Christine Sixteen", a song that begins with the sound of the keyboard, which is present in almost every part of the song, accompanying the riff. However, this is a lesser piece compared to the one I examined earlier. The last song taken from "Love Gun" is "Shock Me", a song with very calm and quiet tones, with good drum accompaniment.

"Makin' Love" and "God Of Thunder" are from "AliveII". In both, the riffs are powerful, with a difference in Stanley's voice, which is more pushed and pulled in the first, while much darker in the second. Paul Stanley's song "Tonight You Belong To Me" has a nice riff and a solo, really very beautiful: "New York Groove" and "Don’t You Let Me Down" mostly include acoustic sounds rather than distorted ones. "Radioactive" by Gene Simmons is the only one that can hold a candle to Stanley’s, although it is very similar. These four songs were the singles from each band member recorded before the album "Dynasty".

Indeed, "Dynasty" includes a great Kiss hit: "I Was Made For Loving You", a very famous song that nevertheless departs from the hard rock tone that distinguishes Kiss to approach Rock-Pop. However, it is very beautiful and catchy in the solo. "Sure Know Something" is also a very famous piece, and also slow, but here the bass does great work, especially in the verse. A good job, therefore, by Gene Simmons. "Shandi" and "Talk To Me" are very similar to each other and, like the aforementioned "I Was Made For Loving You", they have a more "pop" sound than usual. They are part of "Unmasked", released in May 1980.

The only track taken from (Music From) The Elders is "A World Without Heroes", a ballad, initially on keyboard and then you hear Frehley's solo. However, this song didn’t convince me much. "Nowhere To Run" and "I'm A Legend Tonight" are the last songs I examine: they are part of "Killers" and return to having a riff closer to hard rock tones, with good solos in full Kiss style.

Having to make a comparison between the two CDs, the first is definitely better because it includes better songs, among which "Detroit Rock City" and "Strutter", "Rock And Roll All Nite", "Parasite" and many others, while from the second, noteworthy are only the songs taken from "Love Gun", another historic album by the New York quartet, not forgetting the great success of "I Was Made For Loving You".

In conclusion: overall a good collection that summarizes a good part of Kiss's career, including very important songs, indelible in the history of hard rock, and destined to leave an indelible mark on the future of music in the same genre.