KISS Alive II: A Series of Critics/Fans Reviews

[Bono Nettencourt]

This guy nails it:

I have never liked the production, feels like it’s been made to sound live with all the crowd screaming etc, but the whole things sounds poor, and a flat disappointment it doesn’t come close to other well known live rock albums of the same era, plus it just loses its way mid way through, light and middling songs that shouldn’t be here, and Beth is so overrated as a song, always one to skip.

Live is where I always felt Kiss were at their best, I’ve seen them and loved every over the top minute of it, and do like them as a band, but this album just doesn’t cut it.

https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/kis ... bum-review

[eddie lee roth]

I could never shit on that album. Too many good memories.

[Dyslexicheart]

That's pretty accurate. It's nowhere near Alive! in any way. The best thing about it is Rocket Ride, and Gene and Paul didn't even play on it. Maybe they were at a poker game.

[Fat_Elvis]

I love the version of "Makin' Love" on Alive II.

[Michael Hotts Ghost]

Obviously it was thrown together to keep the train rolling.... the pic of Gene on the front and the glorious inner sleeve pic didnt hurt.

[skatexedge]

This was the first Kiss record I ever got when it came out. Saw the record cover and begged for it. Showed up on my birthday!

It sounded just great to me as I hadn’t really heard the previous records until later.

[DemonFilth2001]

Loved it as a kid. Can’t hate on it.

[Mister Freeze]

There's a lot of reasons to shit on KISS.

Alive II isn't one of them. If you can't have fun listening to it, there's a Gaddafi-level stick up your ass.

[DrumminAway]

I could never shit on that album. Too many good memories.

Same here. First album I bought with my own money.

[HueyRamone]

It's not a patch on Alive 1, but:

The Destroyer songs all sound a lot better sped up and live
Side 4 is good and fun, and the last time Klassic Kiss sounded like Klassic Kiss
The inside cover and Gene photo are legendary

Negatives:
Doesnt feel sequenced like a live show, like the first one did.
Beff
The crowd is not lighting up like a damn christmas tree for "Tomorrow and Tonight", Paul.

[Mister Freeze]

Aside from the disco hit, "Rocket Ride" was the last KISS single to go top 40 until "Forever" came around 12 years later.

Yet it's never on any of their endless greatest hits packages. Wonder why.

[sirthx2]

I'm not a KISS fan by any stretch, but I've always thought of side 1 on this record as one of the greatest sides of any album ever! Parents bought it for me for x-mas assuming I was a fan (totally wasn't) but I dug it. Hearing these songs then going back and hearing the studio shit was night and day with the studio versions being just anemic and awful by comparison. Yeah, yeah, Alive II is also 'studio' but the tempos and arrangements are so much better. The rhythm guitars, pick-slides & mutes on DRC of Alive II compared to the Destroyer version? Fugghettaboudit!

[WolfgangVonPage]

I'm not a KISS fan by any stretch, but I've always thought of side 1 on this record as one of the greatest sides of any album ever! Parents bought it for me for x-mas assuming I was a fan (totally wasn't) but I dug it. Hearing these songs then going back and hearing the studio shit was night and day with the studio versions being just anemic and awful by comparison. Yeah, yeah, Alive II is also 'studio' but the tempos and arrangements are so much better. The rhythm guitars, pick-slides & mutes on DRC of Alive II compared to the Destroyer version? Fugghettaboudit!

For me it's the note/feedback at the start of King of the Night Time World. That still brings a smile to my face.

[Love_Industry]

Aside from the disco hit, "Rocket Ride" was the last KISS single to go top 40 until "Forever" came around 12 years later.

Yet it's never on any of their endless greatest hits packages. Wonder why.

No G+P? But are they on Beth then - Paul on acoustic guitar maybe?

[pieceofme]

Side 4 is easily my favourite side which speaks volumes. Don't really care for the live versions of the songs that appear on this album. Especially God of Thunder which pales in comparison to the Destroyer version. The production does sound off.

I much prefer this from the same era. Sounds way better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjC3lXC6QE

[BernieTaupson]

God of Thunder which pales in comparison to the Destroyer version. The production does sound off.

The Alive2 version is the only listenable one! Destroyer is a hopeless plodding snoozefest!

[Dyslexicheart]

Aside from the disco hit, "Rocket Ride" was the last KISS single to go top 40 until "Forever" came around 12 years later.

Yet it's never on any of their endless greatest hits packages. Wonder why.

No G+P? But are they on Beth then - Paul on acoustic guitar maybe?

The only Kiss member on Beth is Peter. Dick Wagner played to tiny bit of acoustic on the song

[HueyRamone]

I much prefer this from the same era. Sounds way better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjC3lXC6QE

Why is this only 45 min long? Is a bunch of the show missing?

[pieceofme]

I much prefer this from the same era. Sounds way better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjC3lXC6QE

Why is this only 45 min long? Is a bunch of the show missing?

Don't know. I guess so.

[BernieTaupson]

Because that was recorded in Japan on the RARO tour for a potential live album. They decided to scrap it and wait until after Love Gun and make it another double album. Beth on Alive2 is from that show, I think I Want You is from that show. Maybe DRC? Been a while.

[HueyRamone]

Because that was recorded in Japan on the RARO tour for a potential live album. They decided to scrap it and wait until after Love Gun and make it another double album. Beth on Alive2 is from that show, I think I Want You is from that show. Maybe DRC? Been a while.

Yes, i noticed that nothing on there was from lovegun. And that the cover has em in Destroyer/RARO outfits. I assume the set was longer than that, though...?

[BernieTaupson]

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kiss/197 ... 7e4a7.html

[HueyRamone]

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kiss/197 ... 7e4a7.html

Dat makes sense.... thx

[Kerry67]

Not even close to being the album that ALIVE is but man, when this came out I was blown away. KISS was on top of the world and for me it was the greatest time ever. The inner sleeve is insane, the pic of Gene on the cover is unreal...

[Mister Freeze]

Aside from the disco hit, "Rocket Ride" was the last KISS single to go top 40 until "Forever" came around 12 years later.

Yet it's never on any of their endless greatest hits packages. Wonder why.

No G+P? But are they on Beth then - Paul on acoustic guitar maybe?

It's songwriting and royalties. That's why you get boring non-hits like "Hotter Than Hell" and "Got to Choose" (written solely by Paul) on greatest hits packages.

You can argue that "Rocket Ride" didn't turn into a classic or develop much of a legacy (but part of that is because they don't play it up) and other album cuts deserve the attention more. Fine. Then why not "Shock Me" or "Cold Gin" or even "Parasite"? They rarely show up on hits packages too. But using any song written by Ace takes away real estate from one written by Stanley/Simmons.

(Remember this shit when they babble on about putting fans first.)

As for "Beth," that song is too big to ignore. But they love whipping it out live to show "anybody can play Catman, these are characters the fans love"

[Aerosmith87]

I think the first three song run is awesome. Loved it as a kid and tolerate it (look back fondly) as an adult!

[inextrem]

Not very good... I & III are way more enjoyable.

[HueyRamone]

Sorta weird they trimmed 3 live tracks off this, so they could put 5 studio tracks on side 4.

They coulda kept Take me, DYLM, and Hooligan on it, and either recorded 2 more fake live tracks, or just put it out with that amount of songs.
I guess side 4 wasnt there because they didnt have enough live material, but rather they wanted new tunes in the market to help sell it.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Or both... or the "real" live material wasn't that good to begin with.