The Toy Box: Kiss

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Retro Spins: Kiss Hot In The Shade

Kiss entered the CD era of music, a period stuffed full of over bloated albums for no other reason than to take advantage of the formats length capacity, with their longest album released up to that time, the fifty-eight minute thirty-nine second, Hot In The Shade. Despite its length, cost savings were the name of the game, which resulted in Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons opting to use overdub methods on their previously recorded demo tracks, versus re-recording them.

Please with Eric Carr's rendition of the Peter Criss penned Beth on their previously released greatest hits album, the band also allowed the drummer to take on the vocals of the song, Little Caesar. It would be his only other lead vocal opportunity.

With the release of Hot In The Shade, Kiss ushered in their highest charting non-make-up era hit, Forever. The tune was a powerful rock ballad penned by both Stanley and Michael Bolton. By April 1990, it would peak at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Future bandmate, Tommy Thayer, would also contribute in writing tracks for the album.

Continuing to embrace the MTV era, Kiss released three music videos for the album. These included, Forever, Rise To It, and Hide Your Heart. Forever would go on to be voted number one on the show, Dial MTV, and reach number forty-seven on MTV's top 100 videos for 1990.

Despite these receptions, at the time, Hot In The Shade would be the first Kiss album since 1982's Creatures Of The Night to not reach platinum status, stalling at gold. Sales of their albums have since fluctuated, with some eventually reaching platinum status. However, despite this, one thing is for sure. Overall, sales for Kiss was on a steady decline. While some of their future albums managed to reach gold status, the majority didn't receive any sales accreditations.

Okay, I can still work with this. I'm not too keen on the overall running time of the album, but it sounds like the record has potential. So, let's dive in.

Things kick off with the heavy tongue in check, Rise To It. Not only was the song not very good from its heavy innuendoes, but for some reason midway through the guitar solo, the lead guitar seems to get softer and softer, as if improperly mixed.

Fortunately, things did pick up from there, and I found some good tunes to add to my shuffle list. These included, Betrayed, Hide Your Heart, Forever, King Of Hearts, You Love Me To Hate You, and Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell. However, I couldn't help this nagging feeling in my head.

Between 1987 and 1989, several big names were working with Desmond Child. These included Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and so on. Under his tutelage, they were churning out massive hits, and decade defining records. However, this wasn't the same case with Kiss, who also worked with him. It's both odd and disappointing at the same time.

Overall, Hot In The Shade was decent, but it carries on the tradition of Kiss, which frankly is consistent mediocrity. It's neither a ceremonious bookend to the 80's, nor a noteworthy footnote in their storied career. It still leaves me asking the question, "How did Kiss get so popular?"

There's so much more history within the period of 1990 through today, and to go into would be a massive undertaking. With that said, there are definitely key points worth noting, such as the unfortunate and untimely death of Eric Carr in 1991, the reuniting of all four original members for the 1996 MTV Unplugged episode, the long awaited reunion tour of said classic members between 1996 and 1997, which also included the bands return to make-up. Then there was the departure of Frehley and Criss again, the hiring of Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, a farewell concert, and eventual selling of the entire Kiss legacy to Pophouse Entertainment Group in 2024. Mind you, all of this is just the very tip of the iceberg.

In hindsight, it amazes me that between 1974 and 1989 that Kiss released thirteen studio albums, seventeen if you count the four solo efforts under the bands banner. Yet between 1992 and 2012, they only released five more records before embarking on their over extended farewell tour which ended in 2023. Despite retiring, and selling their legacy, believe it or not, Kiss continue to make appearances and perform shows.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 21, 1989

Retro Spins: Kiss - Crazy Nights

As recording began for what would become Kiss's 1987 released Crazy Nights, one note of contention still needed to be resolved. That would be how Stanley felt about his co-founder, Gene Simmon's lack of commitment in pursuit of other interests.

"Look," he said. "You're off doing all these other things while still reaping the benefits of this band, and I'm getting screwed. It's not fair for me to put in this kind of time, while somebody else who is supposed to be my partner, is not." Simmons would simply reply, "That's fair."

Not for nothing, Simmon's temporary absences, and limited contributions, gave space to Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick to step forward as writers on some tracks. Stanley would also continue to write with Desmond Child, Diane Warren and Adam Mitchell, among others.

Wanting to find commercial success, Kiss felt it was important to depart from self producing, such as they had with their previous two albums, and bring in someone to help them. They found that in Producer Rob Nevison. Nevison had previously worked with the likes of Heart and Ozzy Osborne, but this type of resume also meant he wasn't immediately available to the band. Things did ultimately work out with the Producer coming onboard, and guiding Kiss through what would become Crazy Nights.

It all opens with the title track, which is a solid starting point. Unlike previously albums which would have seen Simmons and Stanley alternating vocals, track two and three delivered yet another Stanley led vocal, I'll Fight Hell To Hold You, and Bang Bang You. The first of the two is pretty okay, but I admit I don't understand why it would fade out during a ripping guitar solo. As for the latter, that's a hard pass. I don't need a song with Stanley belting he's going to bang bang you (me) with his love gun.

Simmons finally takes the vocals for the fast paced No, No, No., and then again for Hell Or High Water. Both are okay. Nothing to write home about, but also not bad.

From there, I honestly only paid partial attention the album, and this was mainly because, much like prior Kiss efforts, things just feel into generic hard rock territory. Basically, not a lot of hits to really draw me in. Towards the tail end, I did enjoy Turn On The Night, but things wrapped up relatively uneventful.

As 1988 rolled around, Kiss focused their efforts on the double platinum selling compilation album, Smashes, Thrashes, & Hits. The catch to its release was that it wasn't just a gathering of prior hits. Instead, the album contained two new tracks, and thirteen all new remixed versions of classics. The most noteworthy is the complete re-recording of the Peter Criss hit, Beth, which now features Eric Carr on lead vocals (his first for the band). The album received the accolade as Kiss's best selling album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking record sales in 1991.

With that all said and done, I have one final Kiss album to make my way through, 1989's Hot In The Shade. I'll jump into that tomorrow, and from there, who knows where I'll go.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 20, 1984

Retro Spins: Kiss - Asylum

1985's Asylum would be Kiss's thirteen studio album, but would it be unlucky, as the number is often associated with? Or would this continue the upward trend of the band?

Honestly, there's not many details given on the recording process of the album, with exception of noting the new lineup of Gen Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr. As I noted in yesterday's post for 1984's Animalize, this was the lineup which would finish out the decade.

Instead, information seems to be focused on the album cover itself. It's noted that the lips of each person are colored to mirror the colors of the 1978 Kiss solo efforts, red for Simmons, purple for Stanley, blue for Kulick (replacing Ace Frehley) and green for Carr (replacing Peter Criss). Additionally, the placement of the band members themselves mirror 1979's Dynasty, with Kulick and Carr again in place of the folks they replaced.

Tears Are Falling was the only track to be released as a single. However, in total there were three music videos produced, which aired on MTV frequently. These were the aforementioned tune, along with Who Wants To Be Lonely, and Uh! All Night. Despite only one single, Asylum would go gold before the end of '85.

Asylum starts with a killer drum intro from Eric Carr, and from there, takes off like a bolt of lightning. King Of The Mountain is a satisfying hard rock song, which sets a solid tone for the album. This level of energy does keep up. However, it also quickly falls into obscurity.

While there are standout tracks for me, the opener noted above, along with Who Wants To Be Lonely, I'm Alive, and Tears Are Falling, overall, Asylum just falls under generic hard rock. Nothing really stands out as a radio friendly powerhouse that would have kept Kiss relevant at this point.

Candidly, that's always been my biggest problem with them. They've been around for decades, yet they really don't have all that many hits to show for it. If you're not a major Kiss fan, or like me needed every single one of their albums in your collection (for whatever reason that was - I still can't figure it out), then this one would be easy to pass on.

After completing the tour for Asylum, Gene would once again depart to pursue further acting gigs, and produce other musicians, forcing Kiss to take a hiatus. However, this remained a point of contention for Stanley, who would eventually confront his partner during the recording sessions for 1987's Crazy Nights. We'll get into that tiff next time.

As for the band as a whole, this lineup would remain in place until the unfortunate and untimely death of Eric Carr in 1991. Bruce Kulick would stick around a bit longer, but depart in 1996 when the original lineup reunited.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 19, 1985

Retro Spins: Kiss - Animalize

Kiss was at a crossroad in 1984. Their previous album, Lick It Up, reached platinum, and public interest seemed to be leaning back towards the band. However, founding member, Gene Simmons, didn't appear too interested in this. Rather than jump headlong into a new album, he instead redirected his focus on acting, and producing other bands.

Meanwhile, Paul Stanley was left picking up the pieces, trying to salvage the band. He would later say, "I felt abandoned when it came time to make Animalize. After informing me without any warning or discussion that he wouldn't be around for the album, Gene went into a studio and crapped out some demos as fast as he could. Then he was off to do a movie." This left Stanley responsible for songwriting, production and direction of the new album. However, if there's one thing his 1978 solo Kiss effort proved, it was that he didn't necessarily need the other members to make a Kiss record.

With guitarist Vinnie Vincent out, Stanley not only needed a replacement for the strings, but lost a songwriting collaborator. While Mark St. John would fill the slot of guitarist, he clashed with his new bandmates, leading to both Stanley and Simmons warning him to check his attitude. The two also chastised him for his inconsistent guitar playing, stating he was, "just puking notes," and as a result could never play the same thing twice. Eventually, Bruce Kulick was brought in to finish recording tracks for the album. However, St. John would remain with the band until during tour rehearsals he was diagnosed with reactive arthritis which sidelined him. Kulick was once again brought in, replacing him full time.

With the aid of MTV, who pushed the Desmond Child co-penned single, Heaven's on Fire frequently in rotation, Animalize would go platinum. It would also be their biggest selling release for the decade, helping to recapture some of their earlier glory in tour attendance. Kiss was on track for a resurgence, but would it last?

Before we can find out, we first need to stop and hear 1984's Animalize, and by the time you read that prior sentence, I'll have done just that.

Despite being a platinum seller, personally, I find the album to be forgettable. It feels phoned in, and this in turn mirrors what Stanley was quoted as saying above. It didn't seem like anyone really cared about what was going on the record, with Gene Simmon's contributed songs being some of the most bland I've ever heard from him. Whereas in prior albums I was more so a fan of his songs, this time I leaned more towards Stanely's.

With that said, there weren't many stand out tunes for me on this one. I've Had Enough (Into The Fire), and Heaven's On Fire were all I really took away from it.

Overall, I think my biggest hang up with Animalize is that it doesn't sound like a Kiss album. There were moments where it feels more like a Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, or Def Leppard album. Basically, Kiss were trying to be anything other than Kiss. Intent to mimic what everyone else was doing at the time, vs. standing on their own merit. It doesn't work.

There was, however, some good that came from all of this. The lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Carr and Kulick turned out to be the most stable since the original, and for the rest of the 1980s continued to churn out gold and platinum selling albums, including the popular compilation, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988).

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 18, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 18, 1986

Retro Spins: Kiss - Lick It Up

Wow, this post was not timed this way. I never would have expected that when I wrote this one several months ago that it would go live the day after that original guitarist Ace Frehley had passed away. Terrible news. R.I.P., Spaceman.

From 1982 to 1983, the new lineup of Kiss became Gene Simmons (the Demon), Paul Stanley (the Starchild), Eric Carr (the Fox) and Vinnie Vincent (the Wiz). However, Vincent would come, go, come, and then go again, being brought in for the Creatures Of The Night album, fired after the tour, reinstated when a new guitarist couldn't be found on such short notice for the Lick It Up recordings, and then fired again (or quit, depending on who you ask) after the European tour for Lick It Up.

Though Paul and Gene don't seem to be able to admit it, Vincent clearly brought some form of new life to Kiss with his inclusion. He not only ushered in a harder rock sound, but contributed to a lot of the writing. For 1983's Lick It Up, he's credited on eight of the ten tracks. He was replaced in 1984 by Mark St. John.

Prior to its release, Kiss made the biggest change to their personas by removing their makeup for an appearance on MTV. They then embarked on a supporting tour of the album, marking the first time since 1973 that they performed without makeup. Though Lick It Up would become their first gold album in three years (eventually going platinum), attendance at their shows was sparse. Kiss simply wasn't able to capture the essence of their 70's heydays.

A change also came for the label the band were on. While they began their storied career on the Casablanca label, by the early 80's the company was financially floundering. Polygram, who owned both Casablanca and Mercury, opted to close down the fledgling label, and move all its artists to Mercury. This included not only Kiss, but The Village People, Van Morrison, Scorpions, Rush, John Mellencamp, Tears for Fears, Bon Jovi, and Def Leopard. Lick It Up would be Kiss's first release on this new label, and continue through 1998's Psycho Circus.

As I played through their 1984 offering, I immediately picked up on the high energy of their previous album, Creatures Of The Night. Like I said, Vinnie Vincent clearly brought something to the table when he joined the band. I use that term relatively, of course, as he was never offered full membership.

Lick features a lot of thunderous drumming, and loud guitar work, which makes it stand out in a year heavily influenced by snyth pop and new wave music. I dare say straight up rock and roll was a rare thing in 1983.

Gene and Paul continue their trend of alternating who is singing lead, and this brings with it a nice variety of gravelly and smooth sounds, depending of course on who is singing. I will say that Gene's tracks definitely stand out as the better, but overall it's a good mix. Though it's good as a whole, stand outs for me were Exciter, Not For The Innocent, Lick It Up, Young And Wasted, All Hell's Breakin' Loose, And On The 8th Day, and A Million To One.

As for the band itself, by 1984, Kiss was down two founding members, had a brand new (unknown) guitarist, and were failing to draw the crowds they once had. Things only seemed to get worse when Simmons dedicated more and more of his time to acting, and pursued producing of other bands.

We have the benefit of hindsight to know now that this wasn't the end of the band. However, back then, the pendulum could have easily swung either way.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 17, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
October 17, 1987

Retro Spins: Kiss - Music From The Elder

"Oh boy." - Sam Beckett

Following the missteps of Unmasked (1980), declining sales, and waning interest, Kiss, and their creative manager felt the band needed to return to its hard rock roots. However, in doing so, they also collectively felt that simply doing that wouldn't provide a big enough impact to reinvigorate fans. Producer Bob Ezrin, co-producer of Pink Floyd's The Wall, was brought in to bring together an epic production.

Based on a concept from Gene Simmons, Music From The Elder was conceived as a soundtrack to a movie which didn't exist. To add an additional layer of over the top, Michael Kamen, St. Robert's Choir, and the American Symphony Orchestra were brought in to provide an additional layer. At the time, all work was created in secrecy, with only the producer, and Kiss being involved. The album would also be the first for new drummer, but not a formal Kiss member, Eric Carr.

When Music From The Elder was unveiled to their management and record label, all parties were confused, and resented the work submitted. Business manager Howard Marks was so upset that he demanded his companies name be removed from the liner notes. Fan reaction upon its release was equally critical.

If that weren't enough, Ace Frehley was so perturbed with the band at this point that he would quit after recording the album. He felt Kiss should have stuck to their initial promise, and returned with a straight forward rock album. Worst of all, every time he voiced this, or suggested changes, he would promptly be outvoted 2 to 1 by Stanley and Simmons, leaving him feeling like his opinion no longer mattered.

That's a whole lot to take in just on one album. Is Music From The Elder really that bad? Is it the worst Kiss album ever produced? An ill fated attempt at grasping for too much, and delivering too little? Or is it a hidden gem that people simply didn't understand?

Perhaps it's a bit of all of that.

Music From The Elder is unique. It has that hard rocking Kiss sound that one would expect, but also features a concept story woven in, that perhaps its greatest downfall is that people simply didn't understand. But, isn't that how it usually goes, particularly with concept albums? I mean, do people really understand the story being told? A lot of critics hated The Who's Tommy when it was first released. Look at it now. It's considered a classic.

The point being, the album isn't the dumpster fire which critics, their management, and label initially thought it was. At least, not from my perspective. What I will say is that it also isn't particularly memorable, or hit friendly. Of the twelve tracks, I only remember Dark Light, and A World Without Heroes.

I think the problem boils down to this; Elders is the album (some of the members of) Kiss wanted to make, but not the album fans, their label, and managers wanted. It kind of reminds me of The Phantom Menace. Word of mouth spreads, "Oh, a new X is coming out!" X would of course equate to movie, album, etc. From there, expectations get built up, people's own speculation create false narratives, and when it's all said and done, the end result can't please everyone.

Music From The Elder isn't a bad album, it's just unique. That uniqueness is either its greatest strength, or its worse adversary, depending on who you ask. Does it have radio friendly top twenty hits? No, but I also don't think it's supposed to. It wasn't designed, in essence to be individual songs, but a story told from start to finish across forty-three minutes. Perhaps in this regard it also suffers from not having the visual aspect that other concept albums have been granted to accompany it.

It would be like taking Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2, from Pink Floyd, and playing it separately. Yes, you have a stand alone track that's good in its own right, but it's a very small piece of a much larger puzzle, that must be heard as a whole with prior and following tracks to truly fit into place. Approach Music From The Elder like this, and perhaps naysayers may come away with a better appreciation.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 3, 1982

Retro Spins: Kiss - Unmasked

I'm no Kiss aficionado, and won't profess to have the inside scoop on the band's storied career. I know bits and pieces of it from what I've heard over the years, but couldn't do any sort of deep dive. As such, I'll try to keep things limited in terms of what I profess here about the band's history, all while utilizing Wikipedia for (what are hopefully) facts about the specific album in question.

I've listened to a handful of Kiss albums, but have yet to really make a dent in their entire discography, which I own. Over these next few days, I'm going to focus on their 80's era, barring those I've already listened to and posted a Retro Spin for. First up would be 1980's Unmasked.

It's no mystery that the band has had its troubles with members Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, which ultimately led to both members departures. I mention this because while Criss is noted in the liner notes on the album, he apparently was not involved with any of the recording process. His participation in the Unmasked tour, and appearance in the music video for Shandi would apparently also be his last before being fired.

As for the album, things started out pretty bleak in my listening session. Openers Is That You? and Shandi were pretty boring, at best. Then came Talk To Me.

Oh, Ace Frehley, how you always upstage Paul and Gene with your minimal tracks they allow you to contribute to. He's the only band member that seems to provide consistency in solid music. It's as if the other two knew this, and intentionally kept him in the background, lest they be upstaged, which they are, every time.

There were decent tracks on the album, as a whole, but nothing really that I would call memorable, beyond Frehley's contributions, Talk To Me, Two Sides Of The Coin, and Torpedo Girl, as well as Gene Simmons' Naked City. Everything else is just kind of blah. It's as if the hard rockers hailed as the greatest rock band, forgot how to play rock. Instead, they were coming off an ill advised disco era of Dynasty, into a new wave pop era, and didn't know how to adjust to that.

Critics alike panned the album, and even Gene Simmons bluntly stated it's, "A sh***y album." So, at least I'm not alone in my assessment. He would elaborate by saying he had taken his, "Eye off the ball and started to trust producers." I suppose that means he let others dictate how Kiss should make music, resulting in a very poor sounding final product.

I mean, it is what it is. You can't cry in your mascara all day long. Instead, we'll just move onto their next album tomorrow.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 2, 1983

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 2, 1988

Retro Spins: Kiss - Creatures Of The Night

Let's go back to the days of BMG Music Club. The early to mid 90's. Somewhere between 1993 to 1995. I was a young lad, paying no attention to school. Interested in anything but learning. This is how I fonud myself in vo-tech. Faced with a decision that I was either going to flunk out of high school or take a vocational class, my parents opted for the latter. It was around this time that I found out that a jobless teenager could sign up for a CD club, receiving multiple CD's for a penny, and then ultiamtely never pay for them because...how could? I was broke!

What I also found out about this time was that one could also sign up friends and family members, and recieve even more CD's for a penny. This is where the bus ride to vo-tech got rather interesting. I must have signed up half the bus in one day. In doing so, I was able to select so many CD's that it encompassed the entire catalog of Kiss to date, as well as several other albums.

While albums trickled in at first, this didn't last long. Either BMG felt I was somehow scamming them with the multiple sign ups they recieved in the span of a few days, or they got tired of me paying. Regardless, the albums stopped coming before I was able to complete the collection of Kiss albums. What I do remember recieving, though there could have been more, were the four solo albums, as well as Alive III.

Knowing absolutely nothing about the band, other then they were four guys who favored really cool makeup, I opted to start with Alive III. My ears were immediately greeted by thundering drums and thrashing guitars, or as the song was known, Creatures Of The Night. Oh, wow! This was awesome! Then came the rest of the album, and I lost interest. However, that opening song stayed in my head, and I would frequently throw the disc in to hear it again and again.

Other than that, Kiss stayed relatively out of my mind until 1998's Psycho Circus. Again, it would be the open track of the album which would resonate in a big way, with the remainder of the album flopping for me. Again the band went on the back burner, with me only returning for one song here and there.

Fast forward with me now to 2017. I'm in the midst of building a vast CD collection, and I decide that I'm going to grab some of the hits from Kiss. This starts off reasonably. I grab their 1974 self titled debut, 1975's Dressed To Kill, 1976's Destroyer, 1977's Love Gun, 1982's Creatures Of The Night, and 1992's Revenge. Things are fine for the longest time. I have the hits I know, and I'm happy.

May of 2019 rolls around, and I'm at a local used CD shop. I'm doing some perusing, grabbing some titles, and I come to the Kiss section. I decide, why not. Let me grab a few more. I pick up 1975's Dressed To Kill, 1977's Love Gun, 1979's Dynasty, and 2009's Sonic Boom in May. This time, Love Gun is the original(ish) pressing, whereas all of the above original purchases were the remastered editions.

This is where things go South. Suddenly, I remember how much I despise remastered music. I don't want the remastered editions. Enter September 2019. I go on a massive buying spree. I not only repurchase the albums I initally bought, but then decide that I must have every Kiss album ever made. Within weeks, I own everything from 1974 through 2012.

And that, my friends, is how I ended up with the entire Kiss catalog. Now there's another problem. When the heck am I going to get time to listen to all of these? Well, I've hit a few on Retro Spins. After that long winded introduction above, today, it's time for one more.

Creatures Of The Night showcases Ace Frehley on the cover, and credits him in the liner notes. However, it would later be found that he wasn't actually invovled with the album. Rather, lead guitarist, and fellow track writer, Vinnie Vincent was the man thrashing on the strings. It's sad in a way, because the album deliver's a hard rock fest that I think was ultimately lacking to begin with, and led to Frehley originally leaving.

When it was released on CD in 1985, Kiss opted to change the original cover (above) to the much less interersting group photo (below).

In general, this sucks because the original "blue" cover is actually my favorite Kiss cover of all time.

Despite the loss of Frehley, Creatures delivers in a big way. Had this been the album that introudced me to Kiss, my history, or lack there of, may have been very different. It's a solid entry from start to finish, with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons alternating vocals from track to track...well, until the last two, which Simmons sings back to back.

I dig this album in a big way, and I wish this painted the full portrait of what Kiss was. Of coure, that would both be boring and unreasonable. Bands do ebb and flow, evolving over time and experimenting with sounds. I suppose, if using Queen as reference, that's how you go from A Night At The Opera to Hot Space, and bow out with Innuendo. It's innevitable that bands change over time.

Still, I'm happy to say that right there in 1982, we got an itteration of Kiss that was all about hard rock, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 30, 1983

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 30, 1988

Retro Spins: Kiss - Hot In The Shade

Even if you don't listen to Kiss, you probably don't need a history lesson on founding members, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss. Despite numerous iterations of alternating band members, the group have been rocking the air waves since their 1974 debut album though 2012's Monster. Though they set out on a farewell tour in 2019 that wrapped up in 2022, who knows. They may be back.

Kiss was never really my thing. While I knew, and wanted a handful of their studio albums, and purchased these between 2017 and 2019, something happened in September of that latter year where I got it in my head that I was going to buy them all. This started with me replacing my remastered copies with original pressings, and then fanned out to encompass everything else.

Since then, I have slowly, but surly, been making my way through their discography. Though I'll eventually check them all off, it's a task that is still in its infancy stages. This post marks only my third Retro Spin. Basically, I've just started. So let's get this going with today's listening session of 1989's Hot In The Shade.

Hot In The Shade is Kiss's final entry into the 80's, and features the lineup of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick. The album is notable for featuring the song, Forever, the band's highest charting tune since 1976's Beth. That statement right there should put into perspective just how unique their overall popularity was. Kiss was not a band known for releasing "major hits".

It intrigued me to discover that the above noted, Forever, was actually written by Paul Stanley and Michael Bolton. It got all the more interesting for me to see that both Desmond Child, and Holly Knight (of Spider), co-wrote with Stanley, Hide Your Heart, which was originally given to Bonnie Tyler for the album of the same title that she released in 1987.

The album delivers a solid experience, showcasing the band's ability to straight up rock. Though my exposure to Kiss has been limited, what I've personally come to discover is that there are a lot of hidden gems packed into their records. Of the fifteen which encompass Hot In The Shade, I grabbed seven. That's not a bad ratio.

Best of all, this definitely leaves me pumped to keep going down my path of Kiss albums. I'm liking what I'm hearing, and I want to hear more. With three down, that leaves twenty-one studio albums to go, which includes the groups 1978 solo ventures under the Kiss banner. But, that's not happening today, so until then, thanks for stopping by The Toy Box!

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Just Doodling: Kissing Time

Got bored. Drew picture.

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Retro Spins: Kiss - Asylum

I have a feeling there are going to be quite a few Kiss Retro Spins to come...Mainly because I amassed the band's entire discography seemingly overnight. Mind you, I know very little about the group or their material beyond the limited hits on the radio I heard.

I do remember my first attempt to get into them. It was back int he days of those BMG / Columbia House music clubs. I signed up everyone on the bus to Vo-Tech one day and then went to work on selecting the four CD's I would receive for free as a result. While a handful of discs trickled in, the majority of them never came.

To this day I don't know what happened. I don't know if this was a result of those folks not paying for their orders or if the club I submitted the stack of memberships to in one day thought it was a scam. As if one person couldn't possibly get ten people to sign up in one day. Oh well. No big deal.

While I've listened to a few of the 70's released albums, I thought for my first Retro Spin endeavour, I'd jump into the middle of the 80's with 1985's Asylum.

What hooked me from the start was that straight up vicious drum intro from Eric Carr on Kings Of The Mountain. The song as a whole was pretty awesome. It set the tone for what I hoped would be a powerhouse album.

Unfortunately, while the tempo of the album kept up, the songs weren't has catchy. That was until track five, I'm Alive. I don't know why, but I swear I've heard this one before. I thought perhaps from a movie, but a Google search didn't turn anything up.

Once again, the tempo kept kicking up dust as tracks continued to shred. However, once again things started to sink into the realm of just okay. If nothing else, I was gaining an appreciation for Kiss's ability to straight up rock. They were no slouches when it came to jamming. Bruce Kulick was crushing the guitar solos and Gene Simmons was killing it on bass.

Paul Stanley...

I don't honestly have anything to say about him based on this album. I just didn't want him to feel left out in the offhanded chance he was reading this. And if he is, "Hi, Paul!"

After hearing this album, I can definitely say I'm interested in hearing more from the band. More so in the realm of the 80's before I trudge off into the classic rock era or latter years. King Of The Mountain remains the standout track for me, but overall, this was a pretty solid album.

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Retro Spins: Kiss - Kiss

I don't know what it is about Kiss that they keep ending up on my radar. It's certainly not the music, because I not only have never heard the majority of their music, but the stuff I have, I don't necessarily like. Yet oddly they continue to pull me towards them.

When BMG and Columbia House were a thing back in my high school years, I tried (unsuccessfully) to get every single Kiss album from them. It was one of those "Sign your friends up and get four CD's free," things. For whatever reason, the CD's never came though.

Decades passed, and I was well into amassing my massive CD collection, and things came full circle. One day, I had to have Kiss albums. At first, I started by grabbing only the albums which had songs that I wanted. I think there was five or six albums in this group. Then things went bad. Suddenly, I needed ALL of them. Very quickly, I was the owner of twenty studio albums, four solo albums and three live albums. Most of which to this day I haven't listened to.

Well, what better time then now? Let's start with their debut. The self titled, 1974 released, Kiss.

It's got rock. It's got roll. It starts out with Strutter, and it's a pretty solid album. I mean, I don't hate it. If anything, it only stood out to prove my theory correctly that the true talent of the band was actually Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Sure, Paul Stanley is a good singer, and Gene Simmons a decent bass player, but the other two work magic around their instruments. This is so apparent in tracks Cold Gin, which showcase Frehley on guitar, and Kissin' Time which gives Criss an opportunity to show his drumming skills. To be honest,they're actually the only reason these otherwise lame songs turned out to be good. It certainly wasn't the lyrics or bass.

As for the rest of the album, it's great to hear the foundation the would become the legacy of Kiss. However, this is not the album that makes me a fan - Nor do I know if one even exists that will. I guess I'll find out.

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"N" The Box (Art Asylum)

"N" The Box
Art Asylum
2001

Welcome to the 21st century Jack in the Box. Art Asylum's 2001 series based on some of the most iconic rockers, or in the case of Iron Maiden, their mascot, Eddie. They're unique, I'll give them that. I would have never thought adults would have an interest in Jack in the Box toys, but I suppose it makes sense. I mean, we collect everything, don't we?

Considered the Godfather of shock rock, Alice Cooper's career has spanned over fifty years. What most people don't know is that Alice Cooper used to be the name of the band. Under the name, the group released seven studio albums which included some of the singer's biggest hits. However, when the band broke up in 1975, singer Vincent Furnier assumed the persona of Alice Cooper, going on to a much larger career.

Eddie has been the mascot of British band, Iron Maiden, ever since their debut in February of 1980. Since then, the iconic character has gone on to perhaps be more recognizable than the actual band members themselves. Eddie has been incorporated into practically every piece of Iron Maiden merchandise to date.

The self professed prince of darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. Original lead singer of Black Sabbath turned solo act, he went from one of the top artists targeted by parent and activist groups to household novelty act reality TV host. Ozzy is definitely not the artist he used to be.

Rob Zombie took perhaps one of the greatest up and coming metal bands, White Zombie, and threw them away to pursue a highly successful solo career, and an equally successful movie career. Though he definitely leans more so towards the macabre style in his acts, it's one that has drawn in millions of fans of both heavy metal music and horror films.

I feel like Kiss is a go to far too often for companies looking to produce music based toys. It's ground which has been covered very abundantly, and really only serves to drive home the point that the band has become, or perhaps always was, nothing more than a novelty.

While Art Asylum produced quality work in their "toys", I think what contributed greatly to their decline was their consistent focus on statue based items. Their products serve little purpose beyond display pieces. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely less appealing to action figure collectors.

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Kiss (McFarlane Toys)

Kiss
McFarlane Toys
1997 - 2004

"STEP UP!!!!" - Kiss, Psycho Circus

We touched on Kiss back in 2013 when we took a look at the classic Mego line. Although, back then we were taking a little hiatus from actually writing, and just letting the pictures do the talking. Since we passed on that opportunity back then, we'll take this one to delve into the band that touted itself as, "The best."

Kiss formed in 1973 with founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Though the band has gone through numerous band members over its 40+ year career, Simmons (The Demon), and Stanley (The Starchild) have remained the only two constants. The classic line up of the band consists of the aforementioned two, with drummer Peter Criss (The Catman) and guitarist Ace Frehley (Space Ace or The Space Man).

Other notable band mates included Eric Carr (The Fox), Vinnie Vincent (The Ankh Warrior / The Wiz), Mark St. John, Bruce Kulick...And Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer who ripped off the personas of The Catman and Space Ace for the current lineup. Sorry, but as Peter Criss said, "No matter who they get to put stuff on their face, it ain't us."

Shortly after the highly anticipated 1995 ~~lie~~ album Psycho Circus (it was heavily promoted as being the first album in over a decade to be recorded by the four original members...it was later found out that Ace and Peter only appeared on a handful of songs), McFarlane Toys acquired the rights to produce action figures based on the original members of the band. This lead to the 1997 lineup of Kiss figures - The first of what would be many.

Each figure came packed in with a massive amount of accessories which included a stand made out of one of the corresponding letters of the band's name. They also came with their classic instrument of choice - Though updated a little in typical McFarlane fashion.

This release was followed by a re-issue of the figures. However this time around the stands were removed / replaced with plastic records and sleeves of the band member's classic solo albums from 1978. With the rapidly growing popularity for the figures yet another wave of the figures was put into production. This time the records were produced in a gold color.

Gene Simmons*Peter Criss*Ace Frehley*Paul Stanley

The final figure produced in 1997 was the Gene Simmons (The Demon) in "fish tank" display box. It's essentially the same figure from above, just in a much nicer display box for collectors. It's a shame they never gave the remaining band members this treatment.

Gene Simmons

1998 brought with it a new iteration of Kiss - This time based on their Psycho Circus album. Each carded figure was essentially a two pack which featured one band member, and a generic circus persona; Ace Frehley and The Stiltman, Gene Simmons with The Ring Master, Paul Stanley and The Jester and Peter Criss with The Animal Wrangler.

Back in the days of stores such as Sam Goody, Tower Records, Etc., it wasn't uncommon for exclusive items to be made available. Such is the case with the below white box Psycho Circus pack which was released via Suncoast and Sam Goody stores. Each box contained a full set of carded figures from the set. For collectors, the obvious draw is the additional packing materials as the figures are the same as the standard retail releases.

The bottom of the box is probably the best part (personal opinion of course). We love the signatures that are hidden there just waiting to be found. Of course they're printed on the box, and not actually written in ink.

A second release of the figures removed the additional circus character, and retooled the band members to a slightly different look.

Kiss have been credited with creating the ultimate live album. Alive was so highly touted for its production and sound value that it's used as a standard for what live albums should sound like today. The figures were released in both single carded packs and a one shot box set.

Much like the Pyscho Circus set, Sam Goody and Suncoast got a white box gift pack that featured the same style of box, signatures at the bottom and all.

The last figures produced in 2000 would also be the last individually packed figures produced to date. The Creatures packs would also be the first series to produce a figure for The Fox, removing The Catman from the equation.

Like the Alive set, the Creatures set also had a one and done box set release for those not interested in hunting down each individual band member.

It wouldn't be until 2004 that new Kiss figures would make their way to store shelves - This time as the box set Love Gun. This set once again focused on the four original band members - Or at the very least their personas.

Which brings us to 2005 - The last year to date that McFarlane Toys has produced any figures based on Kiss. Two box sets were produced - The Demon and The Starchild. Each set featured a handful of the same band member in various stages of their career through Kiss. Personally, we would have loved this set a whole lot more if it also contained a non-make-up wearing version (which to date has never been produced).

Kiss is one of those few lines that appeals to a massive amount of individuals. This is because it not only attracts die-hard fans of the band, but also collectors that are just looking for an iconic or overall cool looking item to add to their collections. The box sets seem to be the most sought after items, and as such can garner anywhere from $90.00 to $140.00.

As for the individual figures, they're all over the map in terms of pricing. Full sets of the original 1997 wave have sold for as little as $4.00 mint on the card (yes, a full set). The latter Psycho Circus waves sell for around $8.00 to $10.00 per figure mint on card. Meanwhile the Creatures set will cost you about $80.00 to get a full set mint in the package.

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Kiss (Mego)

Kiss
Mego
1978

Has Mego produced everything pop culture related? It seems like you can pretty much find any kind of 60's and 70's persona in some form of Mego doll or figure. Go ahead and add Kiss to that lineup!

Kiss was at the height of popularity by 1978 having just released their sixth studio album, Love Gun, the year prior. The classic lineup of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley seemed unstoppable with many claiming the band was the greatest of all time.

With their insane stage shows, crazy make-up, and bizarre theatrics (typically by Simmons), the band was drawing in crowds at sell out shows, and raking in cash left and right.

Mego saw the potential to have a slice of that pie, and licensed to produce a doll based on each member. The end result was a collection which to this day remains highly popular and sought after by both Mego and Kiss fans.

Gene Simmons

Ace Frehley

Interesting in the sense of nostalgia, but disappointing from a collector's standpoint is how none of the figures actually included any accessories - You know, like a guitar. These were figures based on a band after all. Instead, if you wanted to incorporate instruments with your doll you instead had to cut them out of the back of the package, and then (in the case of the drum) assemble it. Can you hear the collective jaws of toy fanatics dropping everywhere? Cut the box? Are you crazy?

Though not many kids kept the boxes for their toys back in those days, the end result of cutting them up to get the instruments only adds to the scarce nature of finding one "complete" or in the package.

Peter Criss

Paul Stanley

Join us next time when we take a look at The Wizard of Oz!

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