Kiss
The Very Best Of Kiss

THE REVIEW

The Kiss. With them, there are no half measures. You either love them or you hate them. You either think they are the most abject degradation of the rock culture paradigms, or you believe they represent the best thing that has happened on earth since the invention of spaghetti!!! Well, I love the Kiss. I've practically grown up with them. Just look at my first photograph, at one year old, where I stick out my tongue excessively... a sign of destiny. But who the heck cares about my destiny?

The band of Eugene Klein and Stanley Eisen (real names of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) is one of the most contested in history. The picky ones, or rather those who don't know a damn thing about music, criticize them for their blatant commercial orientation, alignment with the industry, pharaonic stage designs, provocations... These fools don't understand that the Kiss are the logical consequence of the mythic dimension that shrouds rock stars since this genre came of age in the Sixties (as Gus Cabezas said in his biography on the band). If these people stopped criticizing without knowing and started listening to the Kiss's music, most of them would change their minds... When Gene and Paul recruited Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (Frehley, who was in pretty poor financial condition, turned up for auditions and made a great impression but nobody realized he was there to audition, they thought he was a beggar) they started working on their first LP aptly titled KISS, dating back to 1974, which would be followed by a long series.

This... THE VERY BEST OF KISS, is one of their many collections, from 2002 to be precise, and I recommended it to a friend of mine who was aware of my passion for the band and wanted to get into something rock... (I saved a life, didn't I? Someone who considered Gianluca Grignani the God...). I succeeded in my intent and my friend was truly fascinated... I remember his comment... "I listened to them all... from the first to the last, without skipping...". Ah... when a CD grabs you on the first listen, then it's truly a good piece of work. 21 tracks in total. 75 minutes of pure glam-hard-rock and metal atmosphere with some gems that really leave a mark. The tracks are in chronological order.

It starts off then with "Strutter" and "Deuce" from their first self-titled album mentioned earlier. The first, clear and bright, written by Gene and enhanced by Paul (after all, Paul was, so to speak, the savior of most of the group's songs), the second born from a "little modification" by Gene to the riff of "Bitch" by the Stones. These two tracks are kind of the group's "first famous stones", and were usually used as opening tracks in concerts, warming up the atmosphere pretty well.

Moving on with "Got To Choose" and "Hotter Than Hell" from the group's second album (where the cover showed them drunk – an idea of the photographer – with Criss parading with a girl and Stanley, the worst off, touching her behind) eponymous to the latter. The first very edgy, a work of Paul, and the second, also by Paul, an authentic glam blast with its syncopated rhythm that is very catchy.

Again, with the sensual (coincidentally by Paul) "C'mon And Love Me" which I find really very, very... I don't know how to define it, let's say a song that energizes your entire body. Then there's the masterpiece... the first hit in the band's history, not taken from the original album but from the live ALIVE (considered by many the best live of the 70s)... it's "Rock N Roll All Night" which would become the closing song of all their concerts. This song, the result of a combination between Paul and Gene (showing how together they were a force) arose from the ashes of another song, Drive Me Wild. PERFECT! The right adjective for this song. Even more lively than C'mon And Love Me.

The tracks numbered 7, 8, and 9 are those that confirmed the band's success, with the album following the great Live: DESTROYER. Number 7 is titled "Detroit Rock City" and talks about a sensational car accident in the motor city par excellence. Pure dynamite, insuperable riff and the solo at the end with the two guitars, rhythm of Paul and 6 strings of Ace. The following is "Shout It Out Loud" very similar to the previous one in power and rhythm. They are brilliant songs... a bit ear-splitting but with an equal melody, they have something extra. (Moreover, it's the most used Kiss song by many bands for covers... very beautiful the one by Redd Kross). Number 9 is of a completely different genre but the same pasta in that it sticks in the mind of whoever listens to it from the first listen. It is "Beth", a romantic ballad written and sung by the drummer the "cat" Peter Criss, who had to bend over backward to convince the other three to include it in the album. It was included and it became even more famous than Rock N Roll All Night... the first Kiss song to enter the Top 10.

"I Want You", "Calling Dr. Love", and"Hard Luck Woman" are instead taken from the album ROCK AND ROLL OVER. The first is very curious: it begins with soft notes... and after just ten seconds: THE EXPLOSION... a little more metal and heavy, not very similar to Detroit Rock City and Rock N Roll All Night. The song is signed Stanley. The second follows the style of the previous one although it is by Gene. Hard Luck Woman instead is another ballad written by Paul and necessary for the group to try to repeat the success obtained with Beth. And the success was repeated. The song passed from Paul's pen to Peter's singing. The result is something very beautiful... melodic of course, more rhythmic than Beth thanks to the guitars.

The journey continues with three songs from LOVE GUN (1977). They are: "I Stole Your Love" by Paul, "Christine Sixteen" by Gene, and "Love Gun" again by Paul. The first seems a return to Shout It Out Loud, consistent guitars that almost overlay the singing and make the song very fast. The "Zeppelin-like" solo is an extra gear. The second is lighter and reminiscent of Calling Dr. Love. In it, Gene has fun playing the piano just for the two main notes. And here we are at another great masterpiece. Love Gun is something strong... a "Bomb" indeed... You never get tired of listening to this song. Explosive to the maximum, this is very hard Hard Rock... Ace's six-string at the end is a masterpiece. One of the best on the whole record.

Meanwhile, in '78 the four released a solo CD for each. The best-selling was Gene's but the best was definitely Ace's. Evidence of that is that in this The Best Of there is indeed "New York Groove" track number seventeen, from ACE FREHLEY. The song was a cover of Russ Ballard's tune but much improved (a deep bow to Russ).

And here we are heading towards the end but still in the 70s (probably because the Kiss didn't do much in the 80s, except CREATURES OF THE NIGHT from '82 obviously). "I Was Made For Lovin' You" is something unique in the music of the Kiss. The album from which it is taken, DYNASTY, from '79, was heavily influenced by the wave of dance novelties that was popular in those years... so even the Kiss lent a hand and the result was yet another masterpiece. This single then is fantastic. Written by Stanley along with Vini Poncia, it reflects a parallel reality... like a profound digital vision. A sharp and powerful rock and the musicality, especially thanks to the keyboards, that made the track more dance than rock.

And here we arrive at the three only tracks taken from albums of the 80s. First, there is "I Love It Loud" from CREATURES OF THE NIGHT. The track is very strong. Stadium choirs and kick drums that sound like cannon shots (in fact the album remained famous mainly for the drums... the new guy, Eric Carr, was indeed a promise). "Lick It Up" (which then means 'lick it up') taken from the eponymous album from '83 is similar, but just a little, to the previous one in sounds. The finale is amazing. "Forever" from HOT IN THE SHADE from '89 was a very commercial and saccharine ballad written by Stanley along with a specialist in the field, Michael Bolton, and designed specifically to make little girls sigh. It's one of the most well-known singles by Kiss and one of the most beautiful overall. Probably when the group wrote the set list for this Best Of, Forever was the first to be inserted: indispensable. Besides, the commotion is justifiable. The song is truly stunning.

And here we are at the end. The only track taken from the 90s and the last of this CD is "God Gave Rock And Roll To You II" taken from REVENGE, the album that was the Kiss's “revenge” in '92. In my opinion, their most beautiful album excluding the live ALIVE. The song is an extraordinary symphonic adaptation by Paul and Gene (together with their friend Bob Ezrin and Russ Ballard) of a not very well-known song by the Argent – the band Kiss opened for in their early days. It was included as part of the soundtrack in the film “Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey” with Keanu Reeves. Fantastic lyrics (I recommend the translation) and incredible music. The choirs are truly emotional and all four members participated a little... “Writing this song was like a party for us” Stanley declared “We reunited with old friends and our success was immortalized.” So it's indispensable in this Best Of. It closes the CD excellently.

In conclusion, this THE VERY BEST OF KISS summarizes very well, indeed excellently, the career of the legendary Kiss and truly explains to those critics who consider the band a profound degradation... well, I had already said it... just because they see the singers in makeup, just because they see Gene spitting blood and fire... just because they see Ace making his guitar smoke and then smashing it... just because they see Peter flying with his entire drum set... to all these, I strongly recommend buying this CD to understand who the Kiss really are. And for those who know their songs and are still strongly, stubbornly convinced of what they say... then I tell you you don't like Rock N Roll... because that's what the Kiss are: the KISS ARE ROCK AND ROLL... Uff!!