Kiss

Kiss formed in New York in 1973, while bassist Gene Simmons and guitarist Paul Stanley left their band ( Wicked Lester ) to concentrate on the formation of a new band, with the idea of pushing the sound and visual aspect even further than glam bands in vogue at the time, New York Dolls, Brats, Alice Cooper ...
They then recruited Peter Criss, drummer with the advantage of having already been in studio with his previous band Chelsea. Another Bronx guitarist will join them, this is Ace Frehley, a lunatic character who presents himself at the auditions with a red tennis and the other orange. His guitar game quickly brought everyone together and the band began to build a solid repertoire, which they presented in their first concerts in New York clubs. They stand out from other bands in the New York scene thanks to their outrageous costumes and black and white makeup, which allows everyone to live a character on stage (the demonic Gene Simmons, star Paul Stanley, feline Peter Criss and space Ace Frehley)... Until recording a demo of 5 tracks with the help of an engineer who worked with Hendrix and many others, Eddie Kramer.
Their first demo turned into a first album of 10 tracks when they were signed on the Casablanca label by Neil Bogart. It will follow a big tour in the first part of artists like Johnny Winter , Ted Nugent ,... But not the expected success. Two other albums will follow, Hotter Than Hell (1974) and Dressed To Kill (1975), magnificent hard rock albums that will struggle to sell themselves. Nevertheless, Kiss , who now shoots in the lead, fills the rooms and receives wherever he spends a wonderful welcome, hence the idea of releasing a live album. Alive! released in 1975, album of the last chance for the band and its record company. It's all very well since he has had a crazy success, a platinum album is awarded to them at a concert in Detroit, which is the stronghold of the band's fans. This album contains a first hit, the live version of their flagship song Rock'n'roll all night.
Success will only grow until the late 1970s. Destroyer (1976), produced by Bob Ezrin ( Pink Floyd ), is double-platinum since its release, most fans of the band consider it their best album. It includes the hit Beth, and other songs still played live today, Shout it out Loud, God of thunder, Detroit rock city ... A classic, but for the best rest to come. In 1976 it was born Rock-N-Roll Over, a real return to the sources since it was produced by Eddie Kramer, a long-time friend. A resolutely rockier production, a more crunched sound, faster rhythms, Kiss fine tuned his formula that allowed him to release his masterpiece, Lova Gun, in 1977. That at all good in this album, which also sees Ace Frehley singing for the first time (while all members of the band sing) with Shock Me. It is the album to possess absolutely in order to know and understand Kiss .
However, small tensions are beginning to arise within the band, and the band members decide to take a little rest, each focusing on a solo album. They were all released on the same day, September 1978. Their quality is however very uneven, it goes from the very good with the albums of Ace and Peter to the very bad with the album of Gene, passing through Paul's unsurprising. This solo attempt will end up dissolving the band internally, the tensions are obvious, and despite the success of the 1979 album Dynasty which contains the hit disco-rock I was made for lovin'you (phenomenal success at the time) nothing goes anymore within the band. Ace and Peter are threatening to leave the ship.
Finally, Peter executed his threats in 1980, just after the release of the album Unmasked, in which he did not participate. It is immediately replaced by Eric Carr, a drummer with a heavy and powerful style.
The problems did not stop there since Ace Frehley, an alcoholic and still drunk, had a car accident shortly after recording the least sold album of the band's entire career, Music From The Elder (1981). He left the band after the release of a new album, in which he participated only on the cover, Creatures Of The Night (1982), which marked the return to a big rock'n'roll sound.
The heart is gone and the two remaining original members, Paul and Gene, accompanied by Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent, decide to abandon their famous makeup. It's even or double, and finally it's a big commercial hit to boost album sales, with Lick It Up in 1983 winning a big hit. Here we go again for stadium tours.
But the 1980s are a very difficult course for the band, which makes a bad cotton with the "hair metal" and hard rock FM aspect that it gives itself: after the departure of guitarist Vinnie Vincent to the benefit of young Bruce Kulick, the albums follow each other and his all worse than the others, from Animalize in 1984 to Crazy Nights in 1987. It took until 1989 for a new album, Hot In The Shade in 1989, to find the band at a drinking level. They get a new tube with their beautiful Forever ballad.
In 1991, Eric Carr died of cancer. The band was shot down, but decided to go back after a new album recorded with a new drummer, Eric Singer, in 1992, Revenge . This is the most heavy album in the band's history, which splits the grunge wave and doom metal of the moment. This is a half-success, the band no longer attracts the public as much as in its 1970s golden age.
In 1995 the impossible happened: the four original members agreed to replay together, during the famous MTV'unplugged' show. During 4 historical songs, Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene play in front of an enthusiastic audience... It won't take long for a mega-turn of reformation to start! In 1996, the band triumphed with a tour of the American stadiums given at closed windows, and soon took on the Europe of assault, as well as Japan and Australia, countries that had always been loyal to it.
After almost two years on the road, the band returned with a new studio album in 1998, Psycho Circus . It is not the magic of the albums of the 1970s, but it allows the band to remake a big tour until 2000. The band, tired, decided to announce his retirement, yes but not before a last tour, "The Farewell Tour" thus started in March 2000 in the United States, and posted records worth it to be the first US tour in 2000. The last three tours are one of the most profitable tours in recent years, alongside the Rolling Stones.
After an appearance at the 2002 Seattle Olympic Games, the tour is still not officially stopped, and everyone is asking questions. Finally, Ace Frehley decided he was tired of it and abandoned the band, which took the opportunity to announce a return with the Melbourne concert alongside a symphony orchestra in February 2003. The new guitarist is Tommy Thayer, playing in Frehley's costume and makeup.
This symphonic concert is a success. Very logically, since they seem to have gotten rid of the disturbing element, the band members decide to shoot again in the United States, with another rock pillar, Aerosmith. The "World Dominion Tour", which started in August 2003, is already a spectacular success, and is already among the top 10 of this year. In 2005, the French band Dax Riders took over the title I was made for loving you and became the anthem of the pub for Coca-Cola France. The Kiss phenomenon is therefore not out of breath since dates were announced again for this summer 2006 in the land of the Rising Sun...