KISS - KILLERS
The year was 1982. Joan Jett and Survivor were battling it out for top spots on the Billboard charts while KISS remained a small blimp on the radar of the record buying public. After the strange and unsuccessful release of THE ELDER kids where not only questioning the whereabouts of KISS they were also asking themselves ‘who cares?’. Sadly, in 1982 no one did. Not even the three remaining original KISS members.
It was no secret that Ace was disgusted with the concept of THE ELDER from day one. Initially refusing to take part in the project Ace recorded most of his tracks at his home studio. Clearly, this is not a successful recipe for a healthy band so in true KISS fashion, lips were sealed, photos were doctored, and the reality that the boat was sinking was kept well hidden from the public eye.
If it had once appeared to be a cool thing to be a member of KISS it suddenly appeared to be nothing more than a headache. The trademark makeup that had once set them apart from the pack now served as the noose threatening to do them in. Pending lawsuits over record company contracts, unmotivated musicians, and managers eyeballing other projects only added to the cluster that had once been the biggest band in the world. The 1980’s were not looking good for KISS. The magic was gone and in its place utter confusion.
Adding to the confusion, KISS’ contractual agreement with Phonogram demanded that KISS release a compilation record. The result, 1982’s KISS – KILLERS, a mixed bag of old and new unreleased material that if anything left KISS fans scratching their heads in wonder.
If MUSIC FROM THE ELDER was the left turn that caused KISS to lose their way in the first place, the new tracks recorded for KILLERS signified that at least KISS had found the map and could see the road leading home. From the title, to the album cover photo, to the songs themselves…KILLERS seems out of place. At the time this was a sensation KISS and its followers were use to.
Michael James Jackson was enlisted as producer in an attempt to bring KISS back to their metal roots. The most obvious ingredient added to the mix by Jackson was the addition of guest songwriters, Adam Mitchell and Bryan Adams. This by and large was a formula strange to the KISS camp, however an effective tool used by Stanley and Simmons, adding a breathe of fresh air into the sometimes narrow minded KISS song ideas.
To the U.S. buying public KILLERS is interesting to say the least. The album wreaks of a rarity. Had a KISS loving youngster only had their albums to serve as their visual outlet for the band they would have been dumbfounded by the super groups’ transformation. Gone were the brightly colored flowing capes of the UNMASKED era and in its place were four members of KISS with cropped haircuts and toned down stage outfits. KISS appeared more ‘beyond Thunderdome’ than ‘other worldly’.
Had the image of the new KISS not frightened listeners enough, the mediocre hard rock tracks of the album would more than likely do them in. A definite notch above THE ELDER, tracks like "Down On Your Knees" and "Nowhere To Run" show that Stanley could clearly see the target in which he was aiming, however his focus may have been a little rusty. During the same year that metal acts like Judas Priest were "Screaming For Vengeance" the freshly pressed KISS tracks sounded as lame as could be. By 1982, music fans were either synthesizer freaks or hell bent for leather…there was no middle ground. Momentarily, the middle ground was where KISS stood. Shaky, alone, and with no one to blame but themselves.
KILLERS is an odd gem, nothing that would be considered a diamond in the rough, but nothing to discard either. It is a unique snapshot of the band during a very unsettling year and a chance to see the former beast of rock and roll scrape and claw their way back to the top of the hard rock jungle. The musical climate had changed with record speed between 1978 and 1982 and KISS had taken the brunt of the blows, sending them further into the darkness. Thankfully within the year KISS would emerge darker and heavier than ever.
It was no secret that Ace was disgusted with the concept of THE ELDER from day one. Initially refusing to take part in the project Ace recorded most of his tracks at his home studio. Clearly, this is not a successful recipe for a healthy band so in true KISS fashion, lips were sealed, photos were doctored, and the reality that the boat was sinking was kept well hidden from the public eye.
If it had once appeared to be a cool thing to be a member of KISS it suddenly appeared to be nothing more than a headache. The trademark makeup that had once set them apart from the pack now served as the noose threatening to do them in. Pending lawsuits over record company contracts, unmotivated musicians, and managers eyeballing other projects only added to the cluster that had once been the biggest band in the world. The 1980’s were not looking good for KISS. The magic was gone and in its place utter confusion.
Adding to the confusion, KISS’ contractual agreement with Phonogram demanded that KISS release a compilation record. The result, 1982’s KISS – KILLERS, a mixed bag of old and new unreleased material that if anything left KISS fans scratching their heads in wonder.
If MUSIC FROM THE ELDER was the left turn that caused KISS to lose their way in the first place, the new tracks recorded for KILLERS signified that at least KISS had found the map and could see the road leading home. From the title, to the album cover photo, to the songs themselves…KILLERS seems out of place. At the time this was a sensation KISS and its followers were use to.
Michael James Jackson was enlisted as producer in an attempt to bring KISS back to their metal roots. The most obvious ingredient added to the mix by Jackson was the addition of guest songwriters, Adam Mitchell and Bryan Adams. This by and large was a formula strange to the KISS camp, however an effective tool used by Stanley and Simmons, adding a breathe of fresh air into the sometimes narrow minded KISS song ideas.
To the U.S. buying public KILLERS is interesting to say the least. The album wreaks of a rarity. Had a KISS loving youngster only had their albums to serve as their visual outlet for the band they would have been dumbfounded by the super groups’ transformation. Gone were the brightly colored flowing capes of the UNMASKED era and in its place were four members of KISS with cropped haircuts and toned down stage outfits. KISS appeared more ‘beyond Thunderdome’ than ‘other worldly’.
Had the image of the new KISS not frightened listeners enough, the mediocre hard rock tracks of the album would more than likely do them in. A definite notch above THE ELDER, tracks like "Down On Your Knees" and "Nowhere To Run" show that Stanley could clearly see the target in which he was aiming, however his focus may have been a little rusty. During the same year that metal acts like Judas Priest were "Screaming For Vengeance" the freshly pressed KISS tracks sounded as lame as could be. By 1982, music fans were either synthesizer freaks or hell bent for leather…there was no middle ground. Momentarily, the middle ground was where KISS stood. Shaky, alone, and with no one to blame but themselves.
KILLERS is an odd gem, nothing that would be considered a diamond in the rough, but nothing to discard either. It is a unique snapshot of the band during a very unsettling year and a chance to see the former beast of rock and roll scrape and claw their way back to the top of the hard rock jungle. The musical climate had changed with record speed between 1978 and 1982 and KISS had taken the brunt of the blows, sending them further into the darkness. Thankfully within the year KISS would emerge darker and heavier than ever.
posted by RIC @ 7:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home