Revisiting some KISS albums…

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I wanted to give Asylum and Animalize another listen.
These albums are not good
This is when Paul started using his upper register annoyingly.
Generic songs.
The guitar wankfest on Animalize is embarrassing.
Drums are overplayed as well.

Maybe 2 songs per album are listenable

[BernieTaupson]

Good :

I’ve Had Enough
Thrills In The Night

King of the Mountain
Tears Are Falling
Who Wants to be Lonely
Secretly Cruel

Yeah, that’s all that springs to mind. Never liked Heaven’s On Fire. Animalize is the worst KISS album as far as I’m concerned. Well, not counting the scab ones.

[dmbrocker]

They're both pretty good if you simply take them as fun cheesy unmasked-era Kiss hair metal (a certain "log in fireplace" lyric notwithstanding).

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

Asylum is classic KISS with an 80’s tone but the songs and lyrics remind me of 1978.

[SikkiNixx]

Asylum is classic KISS with an 80’s tone but the songs and lyrics remind me of 1978.

Agree.. but for me, I can't not like Kiss.. and when I listen, which is rare, its never a the 80s stuff.. except Crazy Nights, I seem to gravitate to the Bob Ezrin stuff.. How can anyone not like Great Expectations?? The answer is Nobody!!
But when Paul whispers "I saw you cry ", I feel it in my soul

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

All of Gene’s songs are winners … I could see the mid 70’s or 1982 Demon singing all of them.

“Secretly Cruel” and “Anyway You Slice It” would fit right in on Rock n Roll Over minus the 80’s guitar tone and Carr’s drums.

Asylum with RnR Over production is classic KISS … I’ve been saying it for years.

I hate almost everything about Animalize but Paul has atleast 3 gems on there.

[whiteowl yesterday]

i love 'em both.
animalize was my first time really getting in to kiss so i really love that album.

[BernieTaupson]

Asylum with RnR Over production is classic KISS … I’ve been saying it for years.

It’s not though. You’d also need 70s arrangements and for that you need Ace and Peter. Carr and Kulick had no idea what to do with Gene’s songs. Ace and Peter knew exactly what to do with them.

[RaceFan3]

Overall they're both okay-decent, but a little glammy letdown compared to Lick It Up and Creatures that preceded them. Bruce Kulick's work on Asylum, however, is terrific IMHO.

[Bono Nettencourt]

I wanted to give Asylum and Animalize another listen.
These albums are not good
This is when Paul started using his upper register annoyingly.
Generic songs.
The guitar wankfest on Animalize is embarrassing.
Drums are overplayed as well.

Maybe 2 songs per album are listenable

Spot on. Whatever magic they had with LiU left with VV.

[Mister Freeze]

Asylum is classic KISS with an 80’s tone but the songs and lyrics remind me of 1978.

Remember that guy, Double Virgo, doing "Secretly Cruel" in the style of '70s-era KISS?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOxhy42M6s

I can't believe that video is now 15 fucking years old. Everybody loved it. I thought he'd end up doing a whole channel of '80s Kiss songs done that way. But no, one and done.

[Psychobolia.com]

No love for Burn Bitch Burn?!

I love that song, grooves for days

[pieceofme]

Animalize kicks arse and is their most underrated album. Asylum is pretty good as well.

[BernieTaupson]

I can't believe that video is now 15 fucking years old. Everybody loved it. I thought he'd end up doing a whole channel of '80s Kiss songs done that way. But no, one and done. [/size]

He did Killer a while later but it’s not on his channel.

https://youtu.be/MVyBBMLFCfo?si=QeJ4FViw2_QsN_bb

[Vince Neil Eats]

I like 80’s KISS. While Asylum and Animalize aren’t perfect, I feel there are quality songs on them for me to label them “good” albums. The last three great KISS albums (creatures/LIU/Revenge) had one person in common…Vinnie Vincent.

[Wild Obsession]

Overall KISS is my favorite band, but Lick it Up through Hot in the Shade are turds......All 5 albums are a couple really good Paul songs with the rest being forgettable filler, and 99.9% of Gene's songs are total garbage.

Crazy Nights is bottom 2 with Carnival of Holes as far as KISS's weakest albums.

[kanister]

I revisited Dressed to Kill today.

What a perfect rocknroll album it would be if Ladies and Waiting and Two Timer would be replaced with better songs. Or at least those two plodding songs shouldn't be tracks no 2 and 3. If they were hidden to end of A side and middle of B side they might not kill the momentum Room Service creates.

[Wild Obsession]

I revisited Dressed to Kill today.

What a perfect rocknroll album it would be if Ladies and Waiting and Two Timer would be replaced with better songs. Or at least those two plodding songs shouldn't be tracks no 2 and 3. If they were hidden to end of A side and middle of B side they might not kill the momentum Room Service creates.

I agree "Dressed To Kill" is great, I don't mind "Two Timer", but "Ladies in Waiting" is weak.

[Mister Freeze]

I'm listening to the audio book for "Nothing But a Good Time" right now (history of hair metal), which happens to be free on Spotify.

One of my favorite stories so far... Gene Simmons was courting Cinderella before they were signed. He wanted to change their name, produce them, and have them record his shitty songs.

They said "no thanks."

[Love_Industry]

I'm listening to the audio book for "Nothing But a Good Time" right now (history of hair metal), which happens to be free on Spotify.

One of my favorite stories so far... Gene Simmons was courting Cinderella before they were signed. He wanted to change their name, produce them, and have them record his shitty songs.

They said "no thanks."

Cinderella, Virgin, Van Halen, Bag ... I see a pattern here. House of Lords didn't record any Gene songs, did they? Keel and Black'N Blue did but that didn't exactly lead to success. How big would Kiss themselves be if Gene insisted on producing and writing all the songs from the start?
When Gene (and a coked up Ezrin) took control of a project (MFTE) it turned out to be the same type of career killer as when Queensryche gave free reins to DeGarmo for HITNF.... makes you think.

[BernieTaupson]

Don’t forget his other great Simmons Records discoveries Silent Rage and Loz Netto!

[Love_Industry]

Don’t forget his other great Simmons Records discoveries Silent Rage and Loz Netto!

Gene had the good taste not to push his songs or produce Silent Rage and Gypsy Rose. He produced three songs for Silent Rage and that's about it. For the Kisstards out there, SR recorded an Adam Mitchell/Bruce Kulick song for their Simmons Records album.

Had no idea about Loz Netto's background but he was apparently in Sniff'N the Tears and played on their first two albums and had two solo albums out before Gene got hold of him. Same with Bag, as Alex Chuaqui he was in Queen City Kids for three albums and wrote songs for Loverboy.