Hard Luck Woman is special to me because it connected me with my father. He certainly wasn’t a KISS fan, but when he heard this song he said he really liked it and couldn’t believe it was KISS. It was cool. RIP Dad...
Yea but HE NEVER accepts responsibility for anything that went wrong in the band. Gene, Peter, Ace, etc fucked up. Everyone except for Paul. I love Paul’s talent. Nothing more.
Looking back to 1976 Destroyer and RARO are possibly the best Kiss albums ..Destroyer is a Brilliant album..Rock and Roll Over is an awesome back to the basic true Kiss sound and as a whole is their best album in my opinion
For me "Rock And Roll Over" is the finest and best SOUNDING Kiss record ever, although "Love Gun" is a close 2nd. I think it had to do with the fact that Eddie Kramer produced both records. He's an absolute legend, and a guy that Ace Frehley looked up to. He was a very good fit for the band. Eddie knew how to get the best out of them, more so than Bob Ezrin who needed choirs and studio gimmicks.
Matt Smith- Absolutely right ! Eddie Kramer is beast of an engineer. And i also agree that RnR Over is the both best sounding and finest piece of that line up's work. It's the most approachable album from that time..
6 лет назад
Ezrin meant trouble for both Ace and Peter. He was a studio nazi with a huge ego. Kramer obviously had a more positive effect on them. If you listen to RARO and Love Gun there is more advanced drumming than on Destroyer. Paul is full of bs. He and Gene wanted to go back to the more straight rock sound after Destroyer. And they did a more trad mix on Love Gun too. Destroyer is over produced. Love gun is 70s KISS best mixed album IMO.
"And Peter wasn't John Bonham..." Well no shit Paul...I love how you realize this 40 yrs down the road,well done. Treat yourself to an internet cookie.
how long have you been a KISS fan one year? They noticed that early on. this is Audio from his Book. it's paul & Gene who kept the band going & were always hoping Ace & peter would straighten out & smarten up.
It blows my mind the way kiss spit out albums in the 70s, the first 8 albums were made in under 5 years!!! I mean thats just unheard of!!! And its, most of us, our favorites!!! Just incredible!!!!
Peter's a drummer of course he had outside writers... Peter's songs were always cool...these dudes were so hateful towards each other ...leggo your egos ladies *shakes head
I go back and forth a lot but Kiss will always be my favorite band. Even with all the changes they went through. Third concert I ever saw. My first two concerts was Elvis thanks to my mom. He’s probably my all time favorite artist but Kiss will always be my favorite band. I know, worlds apart.
Dio Rules its called "Arranged" most good songs are made like that. Remember all parts of a well running machine the moving parts sometimes have to Compensate for each other
Dio Rules my first kiss album given to me by the across the street neighbor in fall 78.At school he saw me with the songbook( i just got an electric and was obsessed with learning dr love) He said " i got that record I dont listen to it , you want it?"
Hadley McIntyre. Lol. Awesome. I am the youngest of 5. In 76 my older brother was supposed to babysit me, I was 6, he took me to the Philadelphia Spectrum to see KISS. He was a fan since Hotter Than Hell came out. I knew Hotter than Hell and Firehouse. I have been a fan ever since and have seen every tour since Destroyer!!
“Rock and Roll Over” was Kiss’ best album, in my opinion... but it’s also one of the most overlooked. I went to the record store in December of 1976, to buy ‘Destroyer’ but it was sold out, and “Rock and Roll Over” had recently been released... when everyone, including Peter himself and his own wife at the time, and even outsiders say that Peter was an out of control drug addict and had tantrums, that says something... and even Ace himself said he was a drunk addict... Ace couldn’t even play on some ‘Destroyer’ songs... imagine trying to have a band controlling those two. All those bashing Paul and Gene should remember that those two held the band together for years...
Joey P FINALLY someone with a brain. I always defend Paul and Gene. Imagine having to be in a band with 2 idiots you have to baby constantly and you are the biggest band in the world
Gene doesnt smoke or drink and never touched any drugs knowingly (thats according to his book anyway). Well thats almost unheard off, but I like it but Id guess most ppl have a beer or glass if wine once in a while...
Funky? There wasn't an ounce of funk in that train wreck. He was a GOOD rock and roll drummer and that is it. Eric Carr was a huge improvement and Eric Singer was a quantum leap forward.
1039sflem thank you. Amen brother. All of those supposed struggles made me love KISS. It's only when they started to mimic trends that they lost me. They lost me up until Psycho Circus, which. I thought was decent. They lost me again after that. All that 80s hair metal made me sick to my stomach
They were not.But when I can remember every part of a guitar solo in my head,i always took that as a good piece of music,and Aces solo in Shock me was that.he really, arguably was second to no one in that respect,at least with that solo.as good as anyone at that time
John Bonham's sound, great though it was for Zeppelin, would have sunken KISS. KISS only sounded great because Peter played AHEAD of the beat, so that it came of in a light, upbeat and cocky manner. After Peter left, I never again enjoyed their sound. It was too heavy and plodding, even in the up-tempo songs.
Ive read the comments and people slamming Paul because of his comments about Peter and Ace. Rock n roll over is my favorite KISS album, Ace and Peter were my favorites. People need to sit back and think about what Paul is saying and compare it to the other members books. Ace and Peter, especially Peter, got very big heads and were on so much booze and drugs that they became useless. Peter himself admits that his temper got the best of him and he would make the fans pay for it by slowing down or speeding up during live performances. Paul is probably still so pissed because he watched a band that could have been much bigger than it was sink into being mediocre. Peter and Ace got to big for their britches. Anyone who disagrees with my thoughts let me ask you something - outside of KISS what has Peter Criss accomplished? Nothing! His solo albums are horrible, his songs are just bad and he obviously cannot write that much material because he has only 3 albums in 40 years. Ace has done much better than Peter but look at how long it took Ace to put out his first solo album after leaving KISS. Ace could have been so much better of a guitar player, although I think he is great now he could have done better but his own admitted laziness and arrogance stopped him. So bitching about what Paul is saying is not going to change the facts that Ace and Peter caused their own downfalls. Ace is still my favorite member and I buy everything he puts out - but after reading Peters book, I have little respect for him and frankly he should be kissing the boots of Paul and Gene for allowing him to come back in the band in 1995 and earn some more money - he didnt deserve that chance.
I love Kiss and Zep. My personal favorite Kiss album is Rock and Roll Over! This album rocked start to finish! Dressed to Kill while not as polished is second, Love Gun 3rd. But what got the ball rolling and where KISS really shined was Alive 1. They all shined in concert. Oh, and Kiss is no Led Zeppelin not a good comparison. Kiss was rock, Zep was all kinds of music: Rock, Blues, country, Indian, a lot of influences going on here. All the players in Zep were exceptional on every album, period. Kiss not as much.
Truth. Zep is not typically considered to be "prog" but that just shows how exceptional they were. Their music is a LOT more complicated than it sounds at a casual listening.
Paul Stanley is the front man nowadays, as I understand it... Or has been since some decades back... Hes like a vocalist standing in the middle on scene, etc. I guess its his right place. Could have been Gene though, he also has a good voice. But when Kiss was the original members there would have been a lot more tension and rivalty between them, Id guess... Four so very talented all of them. It had to explode at some time and since Paul and Gene took care of business and kept their heads straight they won this battle kind of easily...
I thought rock was the genre of the time? Other than that Peter's album was not that good, and there wasn't much effort put into it, even Peter admits it
A chimpanzee hitting on pots and pans couldn't have sounded much worse than when I saw Peter playing with Kiss in Charlotte NC back in 2000 it was really painful to watch and I love the guy!
Its hard to believe things were so strained with the band during the recording of this album . Its one of my favorites . From most interviews and doc's on KISS it seems most of the problems with Ace and Peter happened after this album a few years later .
I agree, wholeheartedly, with what Stanley said in regards to Ace. Ace Frehley was my hero for many years but Ace took the, somewhat, minimalist talent he had and squandered it away with the booze and drugs. Ace should have honed his craft but didn't and today, IMO, is a worse guitarist than on Kiss's 1st album. Its a damn crying shame. He'd have neve been a Randy Rhodes or an EVH but he could've been much more than what he became...
Great material. Pretty impressive as well. Record, master, remix & release an album in less than 10 weeks. Awesome. But that's probably what drain Ace & Peter. Not to make excuses for their numbing habits, but you got to party and relax a little bit more than just a few days, Paul. They sung about it, ya got to unwhine and live a little. Thanks for sharing.
I just don't think this is Paul Stanley's voice or script. I worked the Dorton Arena KISS show in November 1976.. I feel it was the early stages of performing rock and roll over. While Ace and Peter seemed aloof and didn't seem to have the ability to connnect with anyone and I think.; During sound check, all Peter could say between sound check songs was "Let's make some more money" Ace was hammered on something. However I will have to say Gene checked out all kinds of things around and even under the stage. He wanted some of the rigging redone in several places to make the stage totally safe for the band AND the crew... He was mostly business with just a little show biz before the concert. It was the first time I had any contact with rock and roll people at the next level and it was eye opening... They all seemed to act pretty entitled... At the same time they were riding high with the Destroyer tour... they made rock and roll over pretty quickly and just used the same Destroyer set on that tour..I am sure to maximize profits while they were hot. I remember at about 2 in the morning when we were finishing up. I met some of the sound and stage guys up in the rafters... They were talking about how that had just come off tour with Zeppelin in Europe... The had an odd way of putting about 4 rolling papers together and rolled this big joint of half marijuana and half tobacco.. I asked them what it was like traveling all over the world doing sound and technical work for these bands... I remember one guy telling me that some of these bands had it together and some of them were headed for pretty early crash and burn... The thing that stuck with me was they said Paul and Gene simply refused to fail and they were going to make KISS a success no matter what it took... They had a good work ethic and he thought they would be the two guys in this band that would keep it going forever. They understood publishing and merchandising. He said they were smart New York Jews.. It's funny how I didn't sense he was using the term in a derogitory way.. I really didn't understand that Jewish people were looked upon in a racial way in the south because so many were already in Raleigh with the movement of IBM world headquarters to the RTP... It was just fact for him and I think he really admired them... I also remember he said he did not think the songs held up to most of the big bands of the day. He used the word sophomoric... I was a sophmore in college and playing football at Wake Forest. Looking back, that long work day for $25 and a free ticket to the show was a good education for me.. I liked KISS's music at the time.. I was the target audience. 19 years old and full of testosterone.... I really enjoyed the show with my friend Bob Kennedy.
Carl Patterson That’s a great story Carl Patterson. I actually live in Zebulon which is a stones throw from Raleigh. But every single year that I attend the NC Fair, I walk up to the Dorton Arena & think to myself that my idol Paul Stanley was once in this very building! I was born in January of 1978 which makes me 40, but I’m still a huge KISS fan. I’m a guitar player myself so I always leaned more towards Paul & Ace. But I really enjoyed this story. I only honestly read it b/c I saw you mention Dorton Arena. Thanks for this! Reading this made my day better!
Derrick.. You are welcome.. There is something about that band that was so magical.. Their songs are simple, but their guitar tone was exquisite and Paul can really play guitar.. There were lots of killer double leads. I noticed how talented Paul was when Ace broke a string during Rock Bottom.. Paul just stepped up and took the lead part and continue playing seemingly effortless and started into the verse singing playing a very nice guitar part at the same time and I thought to myself this is one talented cat right here.. Ace had a back up Lesson Paul but it just was not in tune and they had to take it and strobe tune it so there was a good solid minute where Paul was handling the guitar duties and I don't think I have ever been more impressed by Rhythm guitarist actually being right on the money with the guitar parts while singing he was a special talent truly. At that time he and Robert Plant had the two best voices in rock and roll in my opinion.. Paul's high vocal range was absolutely stunning and he was on it that particular November 1976 night
And this is why you should never put artwork and artist on the same level. They're two different things. The artwork has a life by itself. RARO was one of Kiss' best albums yet after hearing this you wonder how in the world could they come up with something that good?
Regardless of his sentiments here, the band would never have worked on the same awesome level without the original 4 dudes. After the 'Dynasty' tour and the addition of Eric on drums, the feel was completely different. There was an equilibrium and balance with the originals, and while the musicianship did improve technically, without Ace and Peter it was a different animal. When rock emphasizes technical prowess over feel, it gets to be too clean and mechanical, imo.
I liked 80’s Kiss (I was 16 in 1989). That being said they no longer play those songs. The last 25 years they play the 70’s songs only. Those songs stood the test of time and the drummer was Peter Criss.
I met KISS backstage in Chicago 1979 before they went onstage. Ace was so loaded, i was holding him up! Then Peter threw a temper tantrum when they all went to the stage without him. He started smashing a table up n down and acting like a big baby. We were like,..What the hell is wrong with him? Then i ran back to my seat. 2nd row center!!
Gene,who is never shy to trash talk Ace,is on the record as saying Ace was never wasted on stage.During studio recording or after the show,that's another story...
hitman deuseless- yeah, the only bullshit part is your fake YT page. I still got the ticket stub, the autographed tour guide, the backstage photos and still talk to the friend i was with that day. Ace was drinking beer, I got a photo. Maybe he wasnt wasted but he was using me for a crutch to hold him up. P.S. Stop hating yourself.
That last line:"Yeah. That was the smartest thing I ever heard Peter say", cracks me up! Seriously, though, Peter and Ace really began dragging the band down to their level. Fortunately, Paul and Gene would have none of it!
To stab in the back your band mates is the saddest thing you could ever do Paul. Now that you lost your voice, at least you learned a hard life lesson. if he's not Bonham, you're not Plant. Love.
Wow, after to listening to a few of these one thing becomes very clear: Paul Stanley hates him some Peter Criss. I had no idea he was so full of rancor when it came to the "Catman". I take what Paul says with a grain of salt, but at the same time I know exactly what type of person he describes Peter as being because I have had the misfortune to be acquainted with same.
I'm sorry Paul, but Ace's solo on "Calling Dr. Love" might be the best in the entire Kiss catalog. He was just gearing up for his Kiss solo album, which continues to be one of the 5 best albums with Kiss' name on it. He still had plenty in the tank.... his songs on "Dynasty" and "Unmasked" were better than any of yours.
Matt Smith ok so here's my top 5 Ace solos in my opinion and only from KISS studio albums. 5. Rocket Ride 4. Shock Me 3. Love Gun 2. Strange Ways 1. Dark Light
Ace was already washed up by the time of Rock and Roll Over?Some of his best work was on the next album,Love Gun.His solo album was the best of the four.
Chris Reidy , you make no sense. If Ace was "washed up" by the time Rock and Roll Over was released then how was his "best work" done afterwards on Love Gun?
Exacty. If Ace was washed up by 1976, what the hell happened to him in 1978 because he was kicking ass. Peter Criss never had a problem with it, it was Gene and Paul that did. Because their ACTUAL talent was revealed. The talent they have at finding .... better talent. They should have been managers or PR agents. Because Ace Frehley all drugged up and drunk out still put out a better KISS album than they had in the 5 years they had making them. That's what they hate. Everyone realised how talented Ace actually was. Which made him having one or two songs per album seem pretty stupid (along with having your best singer in the band, Peter Criss, regulated to singing lead one or two songs per album like he's a Ringo or something.) (No offense to Ringo. Peter Criss can truly sing. Maybe he shouldn't have sang "Deuce" instead of Gene, but keeping him only for Nothing to Lose and Black Diamond on the first album was a mistake. he should have sang a lot lot more. But that's how Gene and Paul are. Great at finding better talent than themselves, but making sure they themselves remain the focus of the band. And then put down anyone who leaves.)
What the finished albums sounded like and what kind of blood sweat and tears it took to get there are two different things. I mean, what you hear on the album is all of Ace's best takes, no matter how many it took to get there. Presents the illusion that every note he played was flawless.
Actually Kiss was not the venue you openly talked about going to back in the 70’s it wasn’t cool like going to LZ the Stones or The Who concerts it was however an amazing show to see and the amount of energy and passion was great and even though Paul mentioned that Ace could have been one of the greats he actually was and still is. Kiss is still a fun concert to go to but like most 70’s bands the vocals from shot and definitely not the same when Peter and Ace left but we all will still go to see them to remember the fun times we had back in the day.
There you go. Paul Stanley admits having trouble writing songs. Enter Sean Delaney who virtually created the entire KISS show. They get together and carve out several songs and that's fine. But when Peter brings material in that he did with other people, it's a defect on his artistry. And in Paul's delirium, Ace is back to being some guy with no future, even though at this point, he's a year out from writing the best selling solo album of the four. Isn't it funny how the two most hated band members who according to Paul have no talent or drive, gave KISS almost all of their radio hits? Hilarious...
It is true that "Peter Criss would never be John Bonham". It is also true that Gene Simmons would never be John Paul Jones. It is also true that Ace Frehley would never be Jimmy Page. It is also true that Paul Stanley would never be Robert Plant. But you'd never tell him that.
Ace IS considered to be one of the all time greats. And as far as the peter comments. Peter had the only legitimate pop voice in kiss. Stan and Chaim are such jealous wallflowers it’s a joke
jealous of what one hit? NO they were tired of dealing with the bullshit & put up with it for years, Never firing them Ace & Peter left on their own. and Yes Ace is great but also for years was an Alcoholic.
headlesssoldier you haven't considered THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of being in a Rock band... GOOD SONGS.... Paul Stanley has written some absolutely amazing songs, Gene has written a few is suppose... without good songs a band are NOTHING.... playing ability or vocal prowess are useless without a GREAT SONG to perform ;-)
Why does Paul disrespect Peter on the way he would come about with a finished song with classics like Hard Luck Woman and Baby Driver? Just seems to me the rock and roll over album was one of their best. Everything the original 4 members recorded was the best and true KISS. All of their albums in the 1970's were the best.
I will always have a special place in my heart for "Kiss Alive", "Destroyer" and "Rock n Roll Over"---it was all downhill after that(Tho "Love Gun" had a few good songs on it)
Thank you for pinpointing those exact page references, Dumbo Donald, you schmuck. Sigh. One day you'll read a book that doesn't have big pictures in it to color. Sigh.
I really get a kick and a laugh out of Paul continually bashing Peter and Ace... what's the matter, Paulie? Bitter, are we? Peter and Ace were the backbone and swagger of Kiss, and were on many Best Drummer and Best Guitarist lists, while you and Gene were never mentioned in your respective fields. Face it, Paulie...without Peter and Ace, there never would've been a Kiss, and you and Gene would still be sitting in front of a store somewhere singing Beatles songs with open guitar cases hoping for some loose change...
It's hypocritical that Paul criticizes Peter for having a co-writer on his sole song on the record. Was he not aware that several paragraphs earlier, he mentioned how he didn't have many ideas and brought in a (yes, you guessed it) a co-writer in on 3 songs?
Yea, I don’t like these things because of the jealous type ego stuff , I mean I know they were young , but the mudslinging is immature. I do listen to them occasionally tho. It is interesting. Guess when you were equivalent to one of the biggest bands in the world , a lot of immaturity goes with it
My biggest issue with old interviews and history of KISS, is that Gene and Paul shit on Ace and Peter at every turn. You'd think those two (Ace/Peter) were just useless turds there to fill out the band. But in the long run, it's kind of true. Not in reality, but in the minds of Gene and Paul. They've tried to prove it, by replacing them at every turn, thinking nobody would ever notice. But in reality, the stories about Ace and Peter are sadly too true. I guess if Gene and Paul didn't have reputations of being arrogant pricks, it would sound more like truth, and less like bitter pills. Paul and Gene are KISS. And it's clear that Ace and Peter's "indiscretions" with drugs and booze, didn't sit well with Gene and Paul, who (especially in Gene's case), were clean as church mice. I get that, but, man... hearing how much Gene and Paul shit on Ace and Peter, makes me wish my childhood didn't revolve around that band. Luckily they broke up in the early 80s. What's going on when them now anyway? ;) (yes... that's sarcasm)
my problem with Paul and Gene were never about the treatment of Ace and Peter per se, or how they were control freaks. when you have a vision for a band, you want things to go smoothly, instead of a bunch of drunk/drugged up assholes fucking it up for you. my problem with Gene and Paul is the fact they replaced Peter and Ace with some morons wearing their makeup
