Kiss

“Kiss?” I hear you ask. Yes, Kiss: those guys in make-up, high heels, and flamboyant outfits. Last year (I think I’ve already reported) my friend Sander got me volume one of the Kissology DVD set (covering the years 1974-77). You all know songs such as “Rock and Roll All Nite (and party every day),” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You,” and “Christine Sixteen” ... otherwise you’ve been living under a rock on Mars with your ears closed. Kiss were perhaps my first real musical love. At least I don’t remember being so moved by music, so excited about it, the way I was with Kiss. For me it began with “Sure Know Something” ... and from there my friends and I bought as many of the earlier albums as we could find until the three of us together had most if not all. But even for a fan like me watching umpteen versions of “Firehouse,” “Cold Gin” or “Black Diamond” gets tedious. So, I’ve been checking out a few songs at a time. Looking back, I find it hilarious that people could actually believe these guys were neo-nazis because of the lightning flashes in the SS of their logo... Look at their song titles, man, “Makin’ Love,” “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “I Want You,” “Hotter Than Hell,” “C’mon and Love Me,” I mean, really, what do you think these songs are about? The holocaust? Seriously. My favorites are still “Detroit Rock City,” “Cold Gin,” “Parasite,” “Shock Me” (in which guitarist Ace Frehley sets his guitar on smoke while soloing) and “God of Thunder” (in which Gene Simmons breathes fire and spits blood).

For me the larger-than-life characters were part and parcel of the appeal: the spaced-out Space Ace axe man, the starry-eyed Starchild singer of romances, the Demon of sin with his devilish tongue, the wild Catman behind the drum set; there was something in each of them that struck a chord. I was mesmerized by the enormously elaborate sets and brilliant pyrotechnics. Perhaps most of Kiss’ songs aren’t technically complex, but neither are most songs in the Beatles’ catalogue, to name just one obvious example. The strength of many songs lies in their anthemic quality (if that’s not a term it now is), their arena rock aspirations (even in the early days), and thus exactly in their relatively (yet deceptively) simple, uncomplicated structures and arrangements. Listen closely, though, and Ace Frehley’s licks and leads, his riffs and solos are full of melody and pathos! And of course, just like Chuck Berry hit a nerve with every teenager, Kiss sing about sex and love and rock and roll. As a teenager, who wouldn’t wanna rock and roll all nite and party every day?