There are not many rock bands that have instant recognition across multiple generations of fans and even non- fans. Love them, like them, hate them, you know who KISS is and it’s likely you’ll never forget them. The band rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, sword swallowing and pyrotechnics. A lot of flash that has resulted in Kiss being awarded 24 gold albums to date and a longevity in the music business not often attained. The band has sold over 19 million records in the United States and their worldwide sales exceeded 80 million albums as of 2004.
The original line up of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, percussion and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable foursome and is also the lineup that produced the album that moved KISS from side show to main stage.
As legend has it, Kiss wanted to express the excitement felt at their concerts, with their first live album. Which in retrospect, is no easy feat since KISS is as much about what is seen as is what is heard… alas the days before DVD’s. Still in the mid seventies, live albums were not so much a rarity as a new genre- Frampton, Seger… Released on September 10, 1975, during the Dressed to Kill tour, Alive! achieved Gold status and spawned Kiss's first top 40 single, a live version of "Rock And Roll All Nite."
In recent years the band admitted that additional audience noise had been added to the album, not to deceive fans, but to add more "excitement and realism" to the show. However, if you have to add more audience noise the assumption is that not only is that deception but then is it truly a live album? Regardless, the success of Alive! not only brought KISS the breakthrough they had been seeking, but gave bands to follow a reason to record from the stage.
Let’s rewind and see how KISS Alive! stands up today. Does it still have a pulse?
KISS – Alive! 1975
As a two disc release KISS Alive! is not for the weak or faint of heart. Covering every major song, Alive! does give you the true concert experience in terms of the 16 tracks you would expect to hear in person, and the evidence that when it comes to front men, Stanley is a dictionary entry. However, the concept of a live album is usually two-fold- give a fan the feel of being “there” and demonstrating that the band is as good live as they are in the studio, and perhaps for good measure show some unique spins on songs that you wouldn’t expect.
While Alive! succeeds in being a “souvenir”, it doesn’t move much beyond that paradigm. The songs are played well, there are a few unique turns ( an extended Black Diamond for example), but to claim KISS Alive! as anything more than previously released tracks with screaming fans layered into the backdrop is a bit overzealous.
What KISS Alive! does achieve is to showcase the fact that KISS in a live setting is a perfect match for the music, the makeup and the bedlam that fans have come to expect.
