Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: KISS Thu 21 Feb 2008 - 19:40
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Easily identified by their trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire-breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics.
KISS is regarded as one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all-time. Their career milestones are staggering. KISS holds honors as one of America’s top gold record champions,with 24 gold albums to date. recording 36 albums over 32 years selling over 90 million albums worldwide.
The original lineup of Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar and lead vocals), Gene Simmons (bass and lead vocals), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable.
With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: the Demon (Simmons), the Starchild (Stanley), the Spaceman (Frehley), and the Catman (Criss). The band explains that the fans were the ones who ultimately chose their makeup designs. The "Demon" makeup reflected Gene's cynicism and dark elements. Paul Stanley became the "Starchild" due to his tendency to be referred to as the "starry-eyed lover" and "hopeless romantic." Ace Frehley's "spaceman" makeup was a reflection of him always being "spaced-out," and supposedly being from another planet. Peter Criss' "Catman" makeup was in accordance with the belief that Peter had nine lives due to his rough childhood in Brooklyn, NY. Due to creative differences, both Criss and Frehley were out of the group by 1982. The band's commercial fortunes had also waned considerably by that point.
In 1983, Kiss abandoned their makeup and enjoyed a commercial resurgence throughout the rest of the decade. Buoyed by a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the 1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup (with makeup) in 1996. The resulting Kiss Alive/Worldwide/Lost Cities/Reunion Tour was the top-grossing act of 1996 and 1997. Criss and Frehley have since left Kiss again and have been replaced by Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively. The band continues to perform, while Stanley and Simmons have remained the only two constant members.
Current members
Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, lead vocals (1973-present) Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals (1973-present) Tommy Thayer - lead guitar (2002-present) Eric Singer - drums (1991-1996, 2001-2002, 2004-present)
Past members
Peter Criss - drums, vocals (1973-1980, 1996-2001, 2002-2004) Ace Frehley - lead guitar, vocals (1973-1982, 1996-2002) Eric Carr - drums, vocals (1980-1991) Vinnie Vincent - lead guitar, backing vocals (1982-1984) Mark St. John - lead guitar, vocals (1984) Bruce Kulick - lead guitars, vocals (1984-1996)
Early 1970s - KISS traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York-based rock and roll band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Unhappy with the direction of Wicked Lester, Simmons and Stanley part ways with the other members in 1972 after Epic Records rejected an album recorded by the group.
Late 1972 - Simmons spots an ad in Rolling Stone placed by Peter Criss, a drummer “looking to do anything to make it”. Criss auditions and begins rehearsing with Simmons and Stanley as a trio.
January 1973 - Simmons, Stanley and Criss audition lead guitarist Ace Frehley. That same month the Wicked Lester name is dropped and the band becomes KISS. Stanley is credited with coming up with the name, while Frehley designs the original version of the now-famous KISS logo.
June 1973 - KISS records a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer, which winds up in the hands of former teen pop singer and Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart.
August 1973 - After a handful of showcase concerts in the summer of 1973, former TV director Bill Aucoin is hired to become the band’s manager. With the help of Aucoin, KISS becomes the first act signed to Bogart's new label, Casablanca Records.
December 31, 1973 - KISS play concert at the Academy of Music in New York City. Simmons sets his hair ablaze while performing his newly inaugurated fire-breathing stunt.
February 19, 1974 - KISS performs Nothin' to Lose, Firehouse and Black Diamond for what would become their first national television appearance, on ABC's In Concert (airing March 29).
August 1974 - KISS begins recording their second album, Hotter Than Hell, in Los Angeles and is released October 22, 1974. Album sales are lackluster, but the band’s live show starts to create a buzz.
March 19, 1975 - Dressed To Kill is released in March 1975. The album includes Rock And Roll All Nite, a soon-to-be the rock-anthem of the generations.
April 1, 1975 - KISS appears live on NBC-TV’s Midnight Special, as the band’s over-the-top live performances begin to solidify their reputation as the Hottest Band in the Land.
October 9, 1975 - KISS celebrate KISS Day in Cadillac, MI after the Cadillac High football team wins the state championship after listening to KISS music before every game.
December 31, 1975 - KISS is presented with their first Gold Record awards for KISS Alive! prior to going onstage at Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY. Alive! would go on to achieve quadruple platinum status, and spawned KISS's first top 40 single, the live version of Rock And Roll All Nite.
March 15, 1976 - Destroyer is released. The Bob Ezrin-produced studio album becomes KISS's most commercially successful studio album. Many of the songs from Destroyer remain KISS concert staples to this day.
October 31, 1976 - KISS appears on the The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and performs Detroit Rock City, Beth and King of the Night Time World. For many KISS fans, this was their first exposure to KISS's dramatic stage show and outrageous appearance.
June 22, 1977 - KISS is voted the #1 band in America by Gallup Poll. KISS’s tour of Japan breaks attendance records previously held by The Beatles. KISSteria is in full effect.
August 26, 1977 - KISS’s three-night stand at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA. is recorded for Alive II. Released on October 14, 1977, the multi-platinum follow-up to Alive! contains three live sides in addition to a fourth side of new studio recordings.
September 18, 1978 - The four KISS solo albums Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss are released simultaneously, shipping one million copies of each album.
October 28, 1978 - The NBC Movie Of The Week, KISS Meets Phantom of the Park premieres in prime time. Phantom of the Park was one of the highest-rated TV movies of the year.
May 23, 1979 - KISS release Dynasty, which contains the worldwide smash hit I Was Made For Lovin' You. The song, which combined elements of the KISS sound with disco, was a top-ten hit throughout the world.
May 20, 1980 - Drummer Peter Criss leaves KISS shortly after the release of Unmasked. Criss appears illustrated on the cover and also made an appearance in the music video for the song Shandi, but didn’t contribute in the recording of the album.
June, 1980 - New York drummer Eric Carr joins KISS and is christened The Fox. Carr makes his KISS debut on stage at a one-off show at New York’s Palladium Theatre. The band departs for a subsequent tour of Europe and Australia, where KISSmania explodes in the Land-down-under.
November 11, 1981 - A KISS concept album, Music From the Elder, the first with drummer Eric Carr, fails to go gold and only reaches 75 on Billboard’s Album chart.
October 25, 1982 - KISS release Creatures of the Night. Guitarist Ace Frehley decides to leave the band to pursue a solo career. Frehley is replaced by Vinnie Vincent in time for the KISS 10th Anniversary Tour. Vincent is given the character of an Egyptian ankh.
June 18, 1983 - KISS performs for 137,000 fans at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This and two other stadium shows in Brazil would be the last time KISS would perform in their signature makeup until the KISS Reunion Tour in 1996.
On September 18, 1983 - KISS shock the music world by appearing without their signature makeup for the first time live on an MTV prime-time TV special and debut video for the title track, Lick It Up.
September 17, 1984 - Animalize, is released and becomes a multi-platinum success. Heaven's on Fire and Thrills in the Night became huge MTV hits and the band continued to be a solid concert draw.
October 1984 - Lead guitarist Bruce Kulick joins KISS during the Animalize tour. Throughout the 1980’s, KISS continues to release best-selling albums; September 1985's Asylum, September 1987's Crazy Nights and the November 1988 compilation Smashes, Thrashes & Hits.
Late 1991 - KISS enters the recording studio, again with producer Bob Ezrin to record the highly praised Revenge album. Sadly, drummer Eric Carr became severely ill with cancer and passes away on November 24, 1991 at the age of 41. Devastated, KISS continues with drummer Eric Singer and finishes the album.
February 3, 1995 - KISS stages the first Official Worldwide KISS Convention in Perth, Australia. The unique and revolutionary KISS Convention tour of 1995 features a traveling KISS Museum displaying vintage KISS stage outfits, instruments, and memorabilia. Performances by KISS tribute bands, KISS collectors/dealers buying, selling and trading KISS merchandise, precludes an evening appearance by KISS themselves, appearing live and in person, conducting a question and answer session, autograph signing, and a two-hour unplugged set comprised mostly of spontaneous fan requests.
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: KISS Thu 21 Feb 2008 - 19:41
June 17, 1995 - Former KISS drummer Peter Criss visits the first North American KISS Convention in Los Angeles with his daughter. Peter joins the band onstage singing KISS classics Hard Luck Woman and Nothin' to Lose.
August 9, 1995 - KISS performs on MTV Unplugged. The band invites former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley to participate in a mini-reunion onstage for several songs at the end of the Unplugged set.
Late 1995 - In the months following the Unplugged concert, the band returned to the studio for the first time in three years to record Carnival of Souls. The album was completed, but its release was delayed for two years.
February 28, 1996 - The four original KISS members, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss make a surprise appearance at the 38th annual Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles in full KISS makeup and costume, the first time in 17 years.
April 16, 1996 - KISS officially announce the reunion of the four original members and the subsequent Alive Worldwide Reunion tour at a press conference on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid in New York City. The conference is simulcast to 58 countries worldwide.
June 15, 1996 - KISS’s four original members perform onstage together in makeup for the first time in 17 years at KROQ's Weenie Roast in Irvine, CA as an Alive Worldwide Reunion tour warm-up.
June 28, 1996 - The KISS Alive Worldwide Reunion tour kicks off at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI, selling out 40,000 tickets in 40 minutes. The mammoth 13-month tour covers 200 shows in 26 countries, playing to over two million people, setting a record for the top-grossing tour of the year.
June 1997 - KISS plays two sold-out shows at Stockholm Sweden’s Olympic Stadium, setting the record for the largest single event at the stadium since the 1912 Olympics.
September 22, 1998 - KISS Psycho Circus, the first album of new material recorded with the original four KISS members since 1979 is released. The Grammy Award nominated album for "Best Hard Rock Performance" was recorded and mixed in Los Angeles in early 1998.
October 31, 1998 - The highly anticipated KISS Psycho Circus tour in 3D KISS kicks off with a special October 31st Halloween performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
November 24, 1998 - KISS The Second Coming long-form video is released. The double-platinum selling video chronicles the story of how the four original members reunited for the Reunion tour of 1996-97.
August 11, 1999 - KISS are presented with their own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The presentation by Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant is attended by hundreds of KISS faithful.
January 2001 - On the eve of the Australia/Japanese leg of the KISS Farewell tour, Peter Criss leaves the band and is replaced by former KISS drummer Eric Singer, now donning the Catman makeup.
February 24, 2002 - KISS performs at the XIX Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony in Salt Lake City to a worldwide audience of over three billion TV viewers.
March 6, 2002 - KISS performs at a private concert in Trelawney, Jamaica. Prior to leaving for Jamaica, Ace Frehley declines to go and is replaced by guitarist Tommy Thayer, donning the Spaceman makeup and costume.
February 28, 2003 - KISS performs together onstage with the 70-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia and records and films KISS Symphony Alive IV.
August 2, 2003 - The KISS World Domination tour kicks off in Hartford, CT. The co-headline tour with Aerosmith sees the return of original KISS drummer Peter Criss to the lineup.
May 8, 2004 - KISS starts the Rock The Nation tour in Perth, Australia. Drummer Eric Singer is back on the skins. The band films and records Washington DC and Virginia Beach concerts in July, 2004.
December 13, 2005 - KISS releases the two-disc DVD KISS Rock The Nation Live! to rave reviews.
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: KISS Thu 21 Feb 2008 - 20:19
Some vids
I Was Made For Lovin' You
Forever
Rock-n-Roll All Night
Heaven's On Fire
Psycho Circus
Forever(live)
Love Gun (live)
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: KISS Thu 21 Feb 2008 - 21:14
Ville Valo about KISS :
"This band was formed because of Black Sabbath. We were inspired by Kiss, Iron Maiden and all those bands. They were all mainstream bands that sold shitloads of records. Of course we dreamed of being like them, maybe go to Hollywood one day or something. "
" Love, Metal, Again. We have been calling our music “love metal” since we started. We have a soft spot for like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Chris Issac and all those people. But, then again, we grew up listening to Kiss. We tried to bring both extremes together and that is why we call it “love metal”. And again, it’s just a fucking return to what we’ve always been. "
" Well, you know there is not a lot actually existing bands with symbols. I used to think the lips and tongues from the Rolling Stone’s was a good one. You know the mask that Kiss wore, but as far as symbols I am thinking about things like the Nike swoosh. No, there isn’t a lot of great symbols but there are good logos from bands like Iron Maiden, Wasp, Twisted Sister, Kiss, a lot or great rock bands from the ‘80s but not a lot of bands have symbols that mean a lot. "
"Jim Morrison and probably Iggy. Iggy is still in good shape and all that. Black Sabbath and the guys from Kiss were also my Gods. But I had so many favorites. I started growing dreadlocks when I was 14 and was a big fan of reggae. I have a lot of Jamaican idols. And then when we started this band I loved Peter Steele from Type-O. I was also a big fan of Madonna. "
This year KISS and HIM will be on the same stage at Download Festival
Subject: KISS 
Thu 21 Feb 2008 - 19:40
