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Playing Kiss Covers


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They should play BLACK DIAMOND.

If they were to do one Kiss song, that might be the one. They could just say they're covering a Replacements song after all :).

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Am I alone when I think that KISS pretty much sucks ass? Yeah, they do the whole dress-up make-up thing, but if it wasn't for that, do you think they ever would have made it as big as they did?

 

'Sucks ass' may be a little harsh. But I never took KISS seriously. The always seemed to be a band that young kids and/or girls who knew nothing about rock music liked. Like they did't know what a real band was and settled for the novelty act with the guys in makeup and the one dude with the big tongue.

 

On second thought...'sucks ass' may really hit the mark.

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'Sucks ass' may be a little harsh. But I never took KISS seriously. The always seemed to be a band that young kids and/or girls who knew nothing about rock music liked. Like they did't know what a real band was and settled for the novelty act with the guys in makeup and the one dude with the big tongue.

 

On second thought...'sucks ass' may really hit the mark.

 

You've hit the nail on the head Mr. Crow Daddy.

 

sucks-ass.com_logo.jpg

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Well somebody's gotta step up and take some punches for KISS. I did that literally on occasion while in middle school. I'll give anyone that they were a sinking ship starting in 1978 on, with only brief moments of inspiration from that point on. However, take away the makeup, take away the theatrics and all the marketing, and what's left at least early on, is some ridiculously catchy rock music. There were a few clunkers on every album, and their drummer certainly wasn't much, but there are 30-40 songs in their canon that I would argue are as worthy of praise as anything this side of Big Star from that era. I've had plenty of would be KISS haters change their tune when I played them album cuts beyond just the 2 or 3 that get any radio play.

 

As for Wilco playing KISS covers? I think not, but Uncle Tupelo played "R'N'R All Nite," and I think you can find footage of that from '87 or so on youtube.

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"Deuce."

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I saw KISS in concert once--1993, perhaps? Trixter and Great White were the openers, so the general theme of the night was "Shitty Music." (Except, of course, Wasted Rock Ranger which is poetic genius, obviously.) The best part of the KISS show was when the shell of the statue of liberty which adorned their stage crumbled off to reveal a skeleton that was giving the crowd The Finger. :yay

 

As for Wilco playing KISS covers? I think not, but Uncle Tupelo played "R'N'R All Nite," and I think you can find footage of that from '87 or so on youtube.

 

True statement.

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Well somebody's gotta step up and take some punches for KISS. I did that literally on occasion while in middle school. I'll give anyone that they were a sinking ship starting in 1978 on, with only brief moments of inspiration from that point on. However, take away the makeup, take away the theatrics and all the marketing, and what's left at least early on, is some ridiculously catchy rock music. There were a few clunkers on every album, and their drummer certainly wasn't much, but there are 30-40 songs in their canon that I would argue are as worthy of praise as anything this side of Big Star from that era. I've had plenty of would be KISS haters change their tune when I played them album cuts beyond just the 2 or 3 that get any radio play.

 

As for Wilco playing KISS covers? I think not, but Uncle Tupelo played "R'N'R All Nite," and I think you can find footage of that from '87 or so on youtube.

Nice post. :thumbup Hell, that first LP was pretty damn good if you ask me.

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I was at a hipster bar here in Louisville over the weekend and one of the bands playing that night were warming up with "Love theme from Kiss." Myself and one other guy recognized what it was. We were very excited, but our friends thought we were crazy.

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I was at a hipster bar here in Louisville over the weekend and one of the bands playing that night were warming up with "Love theme from Kiss." Myself and one other guy recognized what it was. We were very excited, but our friends thought we were crazy.

 

Cold Gin please...

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What the hell, I'll take a hit for KISS, too. After all, I've also taken shots on here for people like Elton John on the pop end of things, so why not KISS on the kitsch end?

 

I'd say only about 30% of their material during their heyday was worthwhile, but that 30% contained some pretty great stuff: Black Diamond, Deuce, Cold Gin, Parasite, Rock & Roll All Night, Shout It Out Loud, Hard Luck Woman, Detroit Rock City, Shock Me ... I was always a big fan of Ace Frehley's sloppy, wild guitar playing, and I can literally remember the days when Creem magazine nominated him as guitar player of the year, or Gene Simmons as bassist of the year. As a band, they were pretty cheeseball, and once Ace and Peter were gone they were more of a punch line than anything else, but they had a pretty good run for awhile and created some basic classic rock that holds up well in spite of their inherent musical limitations. The Alive! album is one of the great live albums of the 70s.

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the novelty act with the guys in makeup and the one dude with the big tongue.

 

'sucks ass' may really hit the mark.

When you have a tongue like Gene Simmons you can pretty much suck anything you'd like.

 

well, some of it makes me wanna swing on a pole. great stripper music... lick it up!

hubba hubba

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What the hell, I'll take a hit for KISS, too. After all, I've also taken shots on here for people like Elton John on the pop end of things, so why not KISS on the kitsch end?

 

I'd say only about 30% of their material during their heyday was worthwhile, but that 30% contained some pretty great stuff: Black Diamond, Deuce, Cold Gin, Parasite, Rock & Roll All Night, Shout It Out Loud, Hard Luck Woman, Detroit Rock City, Shock Me ... I was always a big fan of Ace Frehley's sloppy, wild guitar playing, and I can literally remember the days when Creem magazine nominated him as guitar player of the year, or Gene Simmons as bassist of the year. As a band, they were pretty cheeseball, and once Ace and Peter were gone they were more of a punch line than anything else, but they had a pretty good run for awhile and created some basic classic rock that holds up well in spite of their inherent musical limitations. The Alive! album is one of the great live albums of the 70s.

 

 

I can agree with that. I had a soft spot for Christine 16, & Dr. Love.

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'Sucks ass' may be a little harsh. But I never took KISS seriously. The always seemed to be a band that young kids and/or girls who knew nothing about rock music liked.

 

Some rock writer whose name I can't recall wrote an anti-KISS essay that followed this line of thought...read it in the early '90s or thereabouts...wish I could remember who it was...titled something like Why KISS Is The Worst Band Ever...Legs McNeil maybe? Pretty sure it wasn't Lester Bangs, but he's the only other possible name I can think of...

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I worshiped KISS when I was a youngin. In kindergarten I had the Kiss lunchbox and the dolls, etc. I still have ever record they made on Vinyl (all the way through "Crazy Nights", and yes, I have The Elder, too). They suck. The most unintentionally funny band ever, though. And the most misogynistic...

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Isn't that sort of the point of the song though? "I miss the innocence I've known. Playing Kiss covers beautiful and stoned"

 

I have always taken that to mean innocence = yes I like Kiss, I'm blazed, and having a blast with no responsibility (and I certainly don't know any better). I.E. Kiss could be the same metaphor as any music we all cut our teeth with that will look back on and shake our heads about. Wilco Radiohead etc...kinda wakes you up and slaps you in the face and says wow music is actually serios shit. Kiss-well not so much but damn those were fun times. I personally think Bon Jovi is the quintessential example in the modern day but I digress.

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Isn't that sort of the point of the song though? "I miss the innocence I've known. Playing Kiss covers beautiful and stoned"

 

I have always taken that to mean innocence = yes I like Kiss, I'm blazed, and having a blast with no responsibility (and I certainly don't know any better). I.E. Kiss could be the same metaphor as any music we all cut our teeth with that will look back on and shake our heads about. Wilco Radiohead etc...kinda wakes you up and slaps you in the face and says wow music is actually serios shit. Kiss-well not so much but damn those were fun times.

 

Right on.

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