KISS Rocks Vegas(2016)

New Release……

First of all I have teamed up with Fellow Rocker Blogger Mikey Ladano and we did a Double Shot of KISS Rocks Vegas! Two spins on it …..click the link below for some fine writing….

https://mikeladano.com

Silly Demon and Silly Starchild and more importantly Silly Deke’s! Why you ask? Thanks for asking and I will tell you all why right now!

So when  KISS as they always do in the Hype Department  were plugging their latest release KISS Rocks Vegas  I scoffed at it!  Seriously though another album with the Same OL Same OL?!

We all know by now that Kiss Live albums are  fixed and stitched up in the studio than sent out to the shops where Deke’s will split with his hard-earned cash and drop yet another dollar sum into Gene and Paul’s Bank Of Zillion’s! (Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are on the payroll so they aren’t gonna make any trouble whatsoever!)

So with that here comes KISS Rocks Vegas and  well Shocker! It wasn’t available on the music(audio) side of iTunes? Whut? Yeah of course I checked. I’m basically a 48-year-old KISS CrackHead. Whatever Gene and Paul stuff in the KISS pipe I will inhale the Kiss Smoke and do as they say!

I had to put on my thinking cap as to how I was gonna get the audio side only. Do I actually go to a store and buy the DVD and CD combo package for $24.99? GAH! I would watch the video maybe once. I just want audio!

I went to the movie side of iTunes and there it was the actual Kiss Rocks Vegas for $9.99 SD OR $12.99 HD. I figure I could buy the live video as the tracks are separated into chapters and its like having the audio ( as well the video is playing )but its on my iPod so I’m not watching the video as I’m on my bike or walking. Plus the thought of Old Man Stanley shaking his arse doesn’t do it for me…Audio it is…..

Speaking of Stanley love how he always disses The Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in the press but yet on the Vegas clip he tells the crowd “That they’re looking at a band in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame” Haha.. You gotta love those Stanley raps between the song’s “Let’s Get Started!” Too give Paul his due he keeps the yapping to a bare minimum and I’m good with it..

I took yet another hit off the KISS PIPE! I pushed click and bought the damn thing!

‘Kiss Rocks Vegas’ Track Listing:
1. “Detroit Rock City”
2. “Creatures of the Night”
3. “Psycho Circus”
4. “Parasite”
5. “War Machine”
6. “Tears are Falling”
7. “Deuce”
8. “Lick it Up”
9. “I Love it Loud”
10. “Hell or Hallelujah”
11. “God of Thunder”
12. “Do You Love Me?”
13. “Love Gun”
14. “Black Diamond”
15. “Shout it Out Loud”
16. “Rock and Roll All Night

Yeah Kinda the same ol same ol as I said! (Detroit Rock City/Deuce/Love Gun/Black Diamond/Rock N Roll All Night)

Of course Kiss opens with Detroit Rock City and were off. It’s a good version but I still like the version from Alive 2  better as  the Alive 2 version of Detroit Rock City was live or not is open for debate but that was when KISS was flying on all cylinders(1977). Something to do with it being my first ever purchase live album when I was 11 also has something to do with it.

Second track Creatures Of The Night kicks ass and it’s so good the tempo Stanleys voice seems like it’s in good shape a little wear and tear but man KISS is on fire here. Cool Drum action by Singer.

Psycho Circus/Parasite/War Machine and especially Tears Are Falling are played at  a top-notch level. Well……. by Kiss’ standards of top-notch! Tommy Thayer plays some decent licks throughout the show! Dude has his shit together and it shows. Thayer of course keeps the Ace sounding solos sounding like Ace but before everyone goes nutso remember  there are more than a few KISS studio tracks out there that everyone thought it was Ace but it really wasn’t! (Hired Guns to play like Ace,get paid and  to keep your mouth shut)

I Love It Loud/Lick It Up(with a snippet  The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled tossed in for good measure)/God Of Thunder ( played at a slower lumbering pace which suits it fine is exceptional! )are also performed well. It’s hard to say if KISS actually fixed this thing up or left it alone. I’m tending to think they did not monkey round too much in the studio as at times Stanley’s voice drops a bit while Simmons sounds a little strained at times making it sound like an warts n all live album! Actually the production has a little rawness/bit of an edge to it! That is unheard of on KISS live albums!

To be totally honest I can’t really listen to yet another live version of Rock N Roll All Night of course I know the deal that IT has to be played but for a fan like myself who’s been listening to KISS for almost 40 years!( Holeeeeee Sheeeeeit) I just don’t want to hear it ..

Thank Goodness Gene and Paul didn’t put Singer doing Beth on the live version I mean I see if you buy the deluxe Rocks Vegas on the acoustic portion which is an added bonus( I didn’t get it so I can’t comment on the performance in case you’re wondering) Beth is done acoustically which come on guys Beth is Peter Criss’ track. (KISS did the same move back in 1988 when they got Eric Carr(RIP) to sing Beth on the Smashes/Thrashes/Hits compilation which was a total cheap shot towards the X drummer. Poor Carr man he had too or else….) Now I see on this latest 2016 tour Singer is out in front singing Beth…..

I must add that Simmons plays some real decent bass licks on this release (check out his Bass riffing on Hell Or Hallelujah )as people are more enamoured in the fact that Gene spits blood/firebreathes but the OL Demon Buzzard steps up here man….Give him his due!

KISS Rocks Vegas is a good buy. As for the Fan boy in me when I see tunes like WarMachine/Creatures Of The Night/Parasite/God Of Thunder and Tears Are Falling added I will take a KISS hit and Exhale!

 

 

 

Badlands(1989)

What do you get when you mix Ozzy guitar heroics  with some Zeppelin like based riff rock? Ya get Badlands.

The Guitars are handled by Jake E Lee. Lead Vocals are by Ray Gillen. Bass is handled by Greg Chaisson and Eric Singer is the Drum Dude!

Badlands kicked to the curb the Hairspray Antics Of Poison as they  could play and they fused a sound that was its own. They came together at a time that perhaps wasn’t as ready for them as should have been. It happens!

 

The song’s speak for themselves! Opener Hard Wire leads the Charge with Jake playing super charged rock riffs while Ray(RIP)  has the vocals to deliver. They had a sound that would be similar more to the 70’s than the late 80’s! Bombastic Rock I say!

The rest of the tracks are just straight ahead Blitzes of Hard Blues Rock(Streets Cry Freedom and Winter’s  Call are awesome)making  Badlands  a band that people should talk about.

Before the release of the next album Voodoo Highway (1991)drummer Eric Singer got a call from Ki$$ and it was adios amigos as was Badlands after an onstage meltdown between Lee and Gillen shortly after.

Bummer….

KISS/Revenge

This Review is for those fine folks from http://www.kissnews.net  that have been posting my Kiss reviews (good and bad) on there site!

Thanks so much…….

May 1992 Kiss comes storming back with Revenge! And for myself storming would be the word as even though I was still buying  all there releases there studio output In the 80s was questionable! Don’t believe me well check out my 3/4’s Filler Kiss Week where I tossed three Kiss albums under the bus Unmasked/Asylum and Hot In The Shade!

Now don’t think for a sec I’m a scorned ex jilted Kiss fan! Nope now for the duds  in the 80s there were some real awesome albums(Creatures Of The Night) not bad (Animalize) and some that have gotten better over time (Lick It Up). If you cruise around the site you will find some Kiss albums reviewed with more to follow!

Who know’s  what I was thinking when Kiss unleashed Revenge. I guess I just viewed it as another new Kiss album as there were already like 100 or so Studio,Live,Greatest Hits comps..haha….out there….

I was certainly surprised when Kiss along with producer Bob Ezrin stepped up and slammed one out of the  ballpark!

So Starchild,Demon,Kulick and Singer create what I would have to say is close to one of there best studio outputs ever!

Plus give props to the cover a slick looking were taking no shit kinda cover! Metallic silver menacing wall slapped with a big bad ass looking bolts with a Kiss painted black logo over it! Heavy …….

God Gave Rock N Roll To You….I Gave Tons Of Cash To Kiss!

UNHOLY-Holy Heck! Kiss 1992 sounds leaner,meaner and with the guitars doing some weird kinda backward maskimg thingy for a few seconds comes some big power chords courtesy of Stanley and Bruce Kulick! Eric Singers bass drums sound huge like cannons peeling off and could it be….say what? Simmons begins the album with his own song and it’s not a Stanley track as well it’s heavvvvy devvvvvvy! Gene sings like  he has gone overboard and is about to be committed to the looney tank and man I’m digging it and I still do all these years later! The Kiss sonics here and on this album are produced so good take a bow Mr Ezrin! Crank the video posted!

TAKE IT OFF- you didn’t think you were gonna get two Gene Tracks off the bat did Ya? Nope here’s Paulie Stanley with a real good song musically but lyrically its a throwback to 1988! You know the lyrics they go something like this ” mind is getting dirty around 11:30 Uh huh! Shake your hips yada yada toss your panties Uh huh Blah blah!” I mean yeah ok even back when Revenge came out I was 24 Kiss was just all turning 40! This song lyrically bores the tar out of me! Like I said great music,cool use of percussion and good solo but dumbo corny lyrics that shoulda stayed in the 80s!

TOUGH LOVE-now were talking Mr Stanley! A way better tune lyrically than Take It Off (haha) love the sleazy heaviness of the guitars kinda grungey but not overcooked to the point of the ‘Sound’ at the time! Love the beginning of this track were the band and especially Singer take control! The verses are real good,chorus is real good and Kulick is rocking the crap Outta his guitar! So you don’t think that I’m bullshittin ya’s crank the video posted ….

SPIT-Sleazy Simmons pulls off some real cool Spinal Tapisms  lyrically in this tune! The lyrics are goofy but it’s catchy! Singer ploughs some double bass drumming and Kulick plays a  bit of the Star Spangled Banner in his solo  and hand it to  Gene he steals Stanley’s thunder in the hokey writings of rock when thee Demon sings ‘You don’t mean Spit to Meeeeeeee!” Ha! What’s even funnier is Stanley knows this as he takes over the pre chorus vocally like Strachild is saying ‘Gene let me be a part of your 80s leftover lyric rock schlop!’

GOD GAVE ROCK N ROLL TO YOU-I heard this song a year earlier when Kiss recorded this track for the Bill And Ted Soundtrack! It’s a good song no doubt a cover tune (Argent) no less but Gene/ Paul/Bruce /Singer and late great Kiss drummer Eric Carr who  provides  the backing vocals for this song pull off this mid tempo steamer of a track! I like how the song break down almost acapella style and than ramps back up! Of course Paulie goes into his “believe in Rock n Roll” lingo and that’s ok as its May of 1992 and some bands are being kind of mopey/bummed out/strung out and hey thats  there deal and more power to em! But for me in ok with Preacher Paul ranting on for a few seconds(just a few seconds though)

DOMINO-Ahh The Demon totally steps up! This Is a great fuckin track! Love the beginning with just Kulick and Singer and Gene when he tells “you my story!” This song is possibly at any given time when someone brings up Revenge a fav Demon tune! My pal Rockin Roberts digs this tune immensely and the only Kiss he owns is a double Greatest Hits comp but it has Domino on it!  So there Ya be! Gene man totally steps up and the rest of the guys play it perfect! It’s not over done. Gene himself restrains himself and sings a chill vocal almost a throwback to his singing on theeeeeeee fabulous Creatures Of The Night release ten years earlier(1982) Kulick does a real cool solo and yeah it’s all here folks! I posted the actual video of this track(ignore the Stoopid YouTube commercial leading in) but yeah this has to be one of the best Kiss concept vids ever in my opinon. Love that the Ol Buzzard Simmons is just cruising around in a car and the other three dudes are locked up in a jam shack! There’s quick shots of Starchild playing the Demons bass..

HEART OF CHROME-good Stanley track. It’s seems he and Gene pushed each other hard on writing good hard rock material for Revenge! Great Kulick solo and drums by Singer…

THOU SHALT NOT-another stand up Simmons rocker! Great tune and Kiss 92 is firing on all 4 cylinders. Simmons knows his deal on this record and its writing rockers,good ones at that and is Simmons strongest record with material since 1982!

EVERYTIME I LOOK AT YOU-yeah ok but this song is right out of place on this album! Revenge is a big ass rock record. Look at the cover and the songs are heavy and boom this appears? Stanley goes down wimp ville and spews out this track. Hey if you like it God Bless Ya ! Not my deal man. Stanley If he had too should have written a tune like Million To One from Lick It Up! That’s the kinda track that would have worked on here!

PARALYZED-Simmons kicks the sappy Everytime I Look At You track to the curb and ramps it back up with Paralyzed! A heavy mid tempo kinda tune! Thanks Gene for picking up Stanleys lack of judgment and booting some good ol hard Rock up everyone’s ass! Singer and his drums move this song along folks..no bull …..just hard rock!

I JUST WANNA-Stanley writes a catchy heavy rock Track that kinda jingles around in the upper registers in my noggin after I listen to it….I just wanna forget yoooooooou! This is Starchilds kinda tune. I like the song the lyrics albeit kinda funny but that’s ok cause as I stated earlier there were a lot of serious rock acts out there and hey I’m a casualty from the 80s and thanks to Stanley he tosses me a life line with this song! Of course with Stanley and Simmoms tossing me a lifeline would come with a fee! Kulick lays down some decent soloing and the middle part breaks down acapella style and they pull it off….

CARR JAM 1981-Cool tribute to Eric Carr who passed away in November 1991. Carr Jam is a track that Kulick adds guitar to to pay homage for there fallen bandmember! Carr was a fantastic drummer!

IN CONCLUSION- Kiss storm back after the Blah Hot In the Shade from 1989 and just about  put out what I would consider the ultimate Kiss album it would be if Stanley hadn’t plopped that mush ….

Actually  Vinnie Vincent has a bunch of co writes on this album and I think it gave Kiss that extra boost(not that they would admit it) but when I say it’s there best album since Creature Of The Night and that Lick It Up has grown on me over the years! Whose paws were all over the playing  and writing of those two records? Yeppers Vinnie was…..

Food For Thought….