KISS
KISS WAS FORMED IN THE EARLY 1970'S BY GENE AND PAUL. BEFORE BEING KNOWN AS KISS, THE BAND WENT UNDER THE NAME OF WICKED LESTER, OF WHICH THEY RECORDED A RECORD FOR CBS RECORDS WHICH NEVER WAS RELEASED. IN 1972 THEY RECRUITED A DRUMMER WHO PLACED AN AD ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE WHICH READ, "DRUMMER WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO MAKE IT." PETER CRISS JOINED WICKED LESTER. ACE FREHLEY JOINS THE GROUP IN LATE 1972 AFTER ANSWERING AN AD IN THE VILLAGE VOICE WHICH READ, "GUITARIST WANTED WITH FLASH AND BALLS". ACE WAS THEIR MAN. GENE AND PAUL ALWAYS HAD A VISION FOR THIS BAND. THEY WANTED TO FORM THE BAND THEY ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE. WITH THE COSTUMES, MAKEUP, AND THEATRICAL PERFORMCES, GENE SIMMONS, PETER CRISS, PAUL STANLEY, AND ACE FREHLEY CAME THE SUPERHEROES PAUL AND GENE ENVISIONED. GENE WAS THE DEMON, PAUL WAS THE STARCHILD, PETER WAS THE CATMAN, AND ACE WAS THE SPACEACE.
IN 1973 AFTER ONE SHOW, BILL AUCOIN SIGNED KISS AND GOT THEM A RECORD DEAL ONE YEAR LATER WITH CASSABLANCA RECORDS. AFTER THREE LACKLUSTER ALBUMS WHERE KISS STRUGGLED TO FIND THERE SOUND, THE RELEASE OF ALIVE! PROVED TO BE THE FOUNDATION FOR THE KISS SOUND. AFTER THE SUCCESS OF ALIVE!, KISS WANTED TO CONTINUE THE SUCCESS WITH THE NEXT STUDIO EFFORT. THEY CALLED FOR THE SERVICES OF BOB EZRIN AND SET OUT TO CREATE THE NEXT KISS ALBUM. THE RELEASE OF "DESTROYER" GAVE THE BAND THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE TO DATE. THE B-SIDE OF "DETROIT ROCK CITY" BECAME A HUGE HIT. "BETH" FEATURING THE VOCALS OF PETER CRISS REACHED #7 ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS AND EARNED THE BAND A PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD. AS A RESULT OF THIS SUCCESS, MARVEL COMICS CREATED A COMIC BOOK FEATURING KISS WHICH INCLUDED THE BAND'S ACTUAL BLOOD IN THE RED INK USED TO PRINT THE COMIC BOOK. THIS WAS CONSIDERED MARKETING GENIUS. KISS HAD ARRIVED.
THE FOURSOME WENT ON TO RELEASE TWO MORE STUDIO ALBUMS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, "ROCK AND ROLL OVER" IN 1976 AND "LOVE GUN" IN 1977. THE BAND REMAINED ACTIVE IN THE LATE '70'S RELEASING "ALIVE II" AND "DOUBLE PLATINUM". IN ANOTHER STROKE OF MARKETING GENIUS, IN OCTOBER OF 1978, KISS RELEASED FOUR SEPARATE SOLO ALBUMS BY EACH MEMBER ON THE SAME DAY. THIS HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BY ANY OTHER BAND BEFORE. THINGS SEEMED TO BE GOING GREAT. WITH THE RELEASE OF "DYNASTY" IN 1979 THE BAND HAD BECOME A PERMANENT FIXYURE IN THE WORLD OF ROCK AND ROLL. THE WHEELS OF THE KISS MACHINE NEARLY CAME OFF IN 1980. PRIOR TO THE RECORDING O "UNMASKED" ORIGINAL MEMBER PETER CRISS DECIDES TO LEAVE THE BAND TO BECOME MORE OF A FAMILY MAN. WAS ANYBODY WITHIN THIS GREAT BAND REPLACEABLE? NO ONE WAS SURE. BROOKLYN-BORN DRUMMER ERIC CARR WAS SELECTED AMONG A GROUP OF MANY DRUMMERS TO REPLACE CRISS. THE MACHINE ROLLED ON. WITH THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT ALBUM "(MUSIC FROM) THE ELDER", ORGINAL GUITARIST ACE FREHLEY DECIDES TO DEPART THE BAND DUE TO LOSS OF VOICE WITHIN KISS. THIS WAS THE SECOND MEMBER TO LEAVE IN A SPAN OF TWO YEARS. EVENTHOUGH HIS FACE APPEARS ON THE COVER "CREATURES OF THE NIGHT", HE DID NOT PLAY ONE NOTE ON THAT ALBUM. ACE WAS REPLACED BY VINNIE VINCENT AND ONCE AGAIN KISS MOVES FORWARD.
IN 1983, FOR THE RELEASE OF "LICK IT UP" KISS DECIDES TO TAKE OFF ITS TRADEMARK MAKEUP AND COSTUMES. THIS WAS MET WITH A MIXED RESPONSE BY THE FANS. TWO YEARS AFTER JOINING KISS, VINNIE VINCENT IS FIRED FROM THE BAND. HE IS REPLACED IN 1984 BY MARK ST. JOHN FOR THE BAND'S "ANIMALIZE" ALBUM. SADLY ENOUGH, ST. JOHN FELL ILL WITH REITER'S SYNDROME AND WAS REPLACED BY BRUCE KULICK IN 1985. THIS INCARNATION OF KISS WOULD RECORD "ASYLUM" IN 1985, "CRAZY NIGHTS",AND "HOT IN THE SHADE". "HOT IN THE SHADE" SINGLE "FOREVER" GAVE KISS ITS BIGGEST HIT SINCE "BETH" IN 1976. AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE HOT IN THE SHADE TOUR ERIC CARR FELL STRICKEN WITH CANCER. TRAGEDY FELL UPON KISS IN 1991 WHEN ERIC CARR LOST HIS BATTLE WITH CANCER IN NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR. ERIC SINGER WOULD STEP INTO THE ROLE OF DRUMMER AND THE BAND RECORDED "REVENGE" IN 1992. THAT TOUR SPAWNED "ALIVE III" IN 1993.
AFTER SEEING THE FANS PUT ON CONVENTIONS FOR YEARS, THE BAND SET OUT TO PUT ON THE ULTIMATE KISS CONVENTIONS. THEY WOULD PLAY UNPLUGGED FOR THE CONVENTION GOERS. THESE EVENTS LEAD TO THE BAND RECORDING A SEGMENT FOR MTV' UNPLUGGED. SOMETHING SPECIAL OCCURRED DURING THESE RECORDINGS. THE BAND REUNITED WITH ACE AND PETER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVENTEEN YEARS FOR A FEW SONGS. WITH THE SUCCESS OF THESE SESSIONS, THE ORIGINAL KISS DECIDES TO REUNITE FOR A REUION TOUR. WITH THIS TOUR KISS BECAME THE TOP TOURING ACT OF THAT YEAR. THEY WOULD RE-ENTER THE STUDIO IN 1998 TO RECORD THE ALBUM "PSYCHO CIRCUS", THE FIRST STUDIO ALBUM FROM THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS SINCE "LOVE GUN". SEEING AS HOW PETER DID NOT PLAY ON "DYNASTY" OR "UNMASKED". ON FEBRUARY 14, 2000, KISS ANNOUNCES THE FAREWELL TOUR. THEY CLAIM THAT THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME THEY WILL EVER TOUR. THUS, WRITING THE FINAL CHAPTER OF KISSTORY.
INFORMATION TAKEN FROM WALL OF SOUND
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