KISS - PAUL STANLEY

A strange fascination began with me the very first time I listened to this album. It was October my sophomore year of high school. Dan and myself were taking part in the usual activities of Taco Bell, playing a few rounds of arcade games and cruising the Belt Highway in search of chicks when Danny started playing a beaten up copy of Paul Stanley’s solo album on cassette. We were still in the first leg of our KISS discovery (my discovery – Dan’s rediscovery) so we not only listened with our ears we listened with our hearts.
A magical feeling swept over me as we cruised throughout the night in his Camaro. Neon lights whizzing by as the crisp black October wind blew through his windows combining sweetly with the rock and roll belting from his car stereo speakers. It was then that I began to associate KISS records with the different seasons of the year. A geek like act to take part of I will admit…but fun none the less.
Ever since that night I have always compared chilly October evenings with the exotic shining purple and pitch black album cover of the Paul Stanley solo album. The songs are absolutely amazing; the artwork a masterpiece. 10 out of 10 stars for this one…that’s for sure.
It has been said many times before but remains true to this day…Paul Stanley’s solo album is a classic KISS record…but so much more. That night, wasting away with my friend I ended up wanting that album more than anything in the world. At some point in the night we ended up at the mall (what respectable kid in the 1980’s wouldn’t end up at the mall) and I remember eyeballing the CD for what seemed like eternity.
It was a "Sound Saver" for $9.99…the kind of CD’s that came in the clear plastic shells with the CD artwork on the top and the empty CD shell on the bottom, exposing the smoothly rounded mirrored disk with the gigantic KISS logo in the center. I was in heaven. Never before had an album looked so flippin’ sweet.
When I finally added the album to my collection I must have played it 100 times that first go a round. That was when my Paul Stanley fanfare reached its pentacle height. The Paul Stanley solo album became my 2nd favorite of the four and to this day has remained one of my favorite rock and roll records of all time. A sleek entrance into he 1978 era of KISS and one of my favorite memories of ‘discovery’ I will never forget.
Frankly, I have never truly bought into the "sure do a solo album…we will all do solo album’s" urban legend that has been passed down through KISS fans over the years regarding the release of the solo records. I believe that particular story is simply a piece of marketing genius. I have always felt that Bill Aucoin and Neil Bogart knew every fan had a favorite member of KISS and that there was no better way to make a ‘Zillion’ dollars than to release 4 solo albums on the same day that were all tied together. What kid is going to want one…when you can buy all four, right? Sure…it’s sneaky but it’s great show business.
Simply put…the Paul Stanley solo album is great entertainment for any KISS fan. Start to finish…a classic rock and roll record.