I’ve been watching Gene Simmons Family Jewels on and off since the series began, and for some reason, there was a bit of a marathon session last week. All the KISS merchandise shown in Simmons’s office on the show got me thinking about the amount of cash I laid down at the register for KISS stuff when I was but a boy. In sixth grade, KISS was a band that I worshipped, and my friends worshipped them too. We used to paint our faces (probably like millions of KISS fans), play air guitar to KISS records, and generally act like idiotic fanboys. And when not doing these things, it seemed like all we talked about was KISS. I wanted to play bass because of Gene Simmons, but my parents didn’t have enough money to pay for lessons. I used to mow lawns in my neighborhood to get money to buy the occasional KISS LP (Alive!, Destroyer, and Rock and Roll Over), posters of the band, Creem and Circus magazine (always great sources for KISS pics), and I even wanted to see them when they toured in support of the album Love Gun. Alas, my parents wouldn’t let me go.
The only one who’s more disappointed
that I couldn’t go see the Love Gun tour
in this pic was my dog. (c. 1977)
I bring all this up because even though KISS went from a rock band to a cartoonish joke to a moneymaking machine, they were, for many boys and girls growing up in the mid-’70s, the “hottest band in the land.” KISS was no joke to those of us who loved them for the makeup and the amazing stage shows. However, despite all the antics, it really was the music they made in their heyday (1974-1977) that fired up our young imaginations and fueled my preteen entry into rock music. What’s fascinating is that after all these years KISS still has the power to grab the spotlight and take us back to a time when we wanted to rock and roll all night and party ev-uh-ree day! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there.)
For this mix, I contacted a couple of my friends who are huge KISS fans, and together we cobbled together our top six KISS songs of all time. (more…)
