Kisstory
In 1968,Paul
Stanley & Gene Simmons met through a mutual friend, Stephen Coronel. In 1971,
after meeting up through each other's bands Paul & Gene decide to put
together a new group, that included friend, Steve Coronel on guitar. The group
was named Wicked Lester.
In 1972,Wicked
Lester secured a record deal with Epic Records. They record their first album,
but never was materialized (except for boot-legs). After disappointment, Paul
& Gene decide to fire the rest of Wicked Lester and put together a more
visually simulating band. They saw an ad in "Rolling Stone" magazine
that reads "drummer available...willing to do anything to make it." Gene answers the ad and invites Peter Criss to meet
Gene and Paul at Electric Lady Studios. After rehearsal, they decided to give it
a second try and decided to stay together and rehearse for a few months. They
rehearsed at a loft on 23rd Street in New York City. Paul placed an ad for a
guitarist in the "Village Voice" in December.
In 1973,
After auditioning many guitarists, Ace Frehley (who makes quite an impression on
Paul, Gene & Peter by his "spaced out" appearance and walking in
with one orange sneaker and one red sneaker) is hired as the band's new lead
guitarist. Paul came up with the name KISS, after a joke he made. After a month
of rehearsing, Kiss plays their first show on January 30 at a club called
Coventry in Queens, NY. The club becomes a regular spot for Kiss concerts.
The band begins to work with makeup, developing characters based on their
own personalities.
In 1974,
Kiss's self titled debut album is released on February 21. It goes on to peak at
#87 on the American Billboard album chart.
On the same day as the album's release, Kiss gets their first television
exposure on Dick Clark's In Concert program. They perform Nothing' to Lose,
Firehouse, and Black Diamond.
Kiss tried to
reach a extensively larger audience by appearing on a afternoon talk show, the
Mike Douglas Show. Gene gives an interview based on his demon character and the
band performs Firehouse. Kiss
begins a North American tour, hitting obscure places, such as Alaska. They open
for acts such as Savoy Brown, Manfred Mann and Aerosmith. Kiss travels to Los
Angeles to record their second LP, again with Kenny Kerner and Ritchie Wise.
Hotter Than Hell is released in November. After sales for Hotter
Than Hell have dropped off, Kiss entered the studio to begin work on their
third album, DRESSED TO KILL. The album is released in March, 1975.
It is the first KISS album to break into the Billboard Top 40 on the album
chart, peaking at #32. Alive is released in September and instantly
becomes a big seller. Alive is the first Kiss album to reach gold status.
Kiss begins pre-production for their fifth album, with producer Bob Ezrin. Kiss headlines their first
New York arena concert on New Year's Eve at Nassau Coliseum. Opening is Blue
Oyster Cult.
In 1976,
Alive
is one of the first albums to ever reach platinum status.
Kiss continues work on their fifth album, DESTROYER. The band
decided to include different sounds on the album, including strings and choirs. Destroyer
is released in March. It peaks at #11 on the Billboard chart. Shout it Out
Loud is released as the first single. It reaches #31 on the Hot 100. A
special triple album, entitled The Originals is released. It repackages
the first three Kiss albums. It's also the first Kiss album to incorporate extras, 8X10 photo cards, a booklet and a
sticker. Because of the mixed
feedback of the album, Destroyer begins to fall off the charts. In
efforts to save it, Detroit Rock City is released as a single. The
flipside is Beth. DJs turn the record over and played “Beth” instead.
The audience instantly gave positive reviews. The single becomes Kiss's
only double sided chart hit. Detroit Rock City peaks at #44. Beth
goes on to become Kiss's first top ten hit. Because of Beth’s success, DESTROYER
went platinum. Kiss began working
on their sixth album, ROCK AND ROLL OVER, with Eddie Kramer. The album is
released in November.
In 1976,Alive
is one of the first albums to ever reach platinum status.
Kiss continues work on their fifth album, DESTROYER. The band
decided to include different sounds on the album, including strings and choirs. Destroyer
is released in March. It peaks at #11 on the Billboard chart. Shout it Out
Loud is released as the first single. It reaches #31 on the Hot 100. A
special triple album, entitled The Originals is released. It repackages
the first three Kiss albums. It's also the first Kiss album to incorporate extras, 8X10 photo cards, a booklet and a
sticker. Because of the mixed
feedback of the album, Destroyer begins to fall off the charts. In
efforts to save it, Detroit Rock City is released as a single. The
flipside is Beth. DJs turn the record over and played “Beth” instead.
The audience instantly gave positive reviews. The single becomes Kiss's
only double sided chart hit. Detroit Rock City peaks at #44. Beth
goes on to become Kiss's first top ten hit. Because of Beth’s success, DESTROYER
went platinum. Kiss began working
on their sixth album, ROCK AND ROLL OVER, with Eddie Kramer. The album is
released in November.
In 1977, Kiss
headline Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in February.
The show sold out fast. "Beth" wins the People's Choice Award for best
original single of 1976. Kiss
travel to upstate New York to donate blood to the red ink used for the band's
first Marvel comic book. Kiss is the first rock band to be put into comic book
form. Kiss travel to Japan for the
first time. The reaction there is over-whelming to them, it was the same reaction the Beatles had with
their arrival in America. Kiss returns home and begins work on their seventh
album, LOVE GUN, with Eddie Kramer producing. The album is released in
June. The Kiss Marvel comic book is
released the same day as the Love Gun album. Kiss dolls are released to
the public by Meco Co. New
merchandise, such as Kiss makeup kits, radios, toy guitars, and bubble gum cards
are released to the public. Kiss is
voted top band in the annual Gallup Poll. They win it for three years straight
Alive II is released in November. It ships platinum and reaches #7 on the
Billboard charts.
In 1978,
Kiss traveled to Japan for the second time.
Kiss begins filming their first ever movie to be shown on NBC TV. During
the filming, both Peter and Ace talked about quitting KISS.
Kiss takes a break and decided to record separate solo albums. A two
record set greatest hits album, titled Double Platinum is released. The band is
featured on an in depth NBC special titled Land of Hype and Glory. The
four separate solo albums are released in September. They all have similar
packaging with covers painted by Eraldo Carugati. A major marketing campaign
goes into effect. Gene's album reaches #22, Paul's reaches #40, Peter's reaches
#43 and Ace's reaches #26. The
second Kiss Marvel Comic is released. Kiss's TV movie Kiss Meets the Phantom
of the Park is shown on Halloween night. It becomes the second most watched
television special on NBC that year.
In 1979,
Kiss reunited to start work on their next album, DYNASTY. producer Vini
Poncia is brought in to work with them on the record.
Peter is involved in a near fatal car accident and is unable to play on
most of the new album. Session drummer and personal friend of Ace Frehley, Anton
Fig is brought in to fill in for Peter. Dynasty is released in May. It
reaches #9 on the Billboard charts. I Was Made for Lovin' You is
released and became a huge hit. It reaches #11 on the American Billboard charts. Personal
problems began to effect Peter's playing. Peter performed his final show with
Kiss in November.
In
1980, Kiss signs the
biggest record deal in the industry at that time with Mercury/Polygram Records. But because of Polygram's recent
acquisition of Casablanca, Kiss decides to just continue recording for their old
label. The band begins
work on their next album. Peter is not involved in the recording. Unmasked is released
in May. It's again produced by Vini Poncia. Kiss and Peter
decide to go their separate ways. Peter's final job with the band is the filming of the Shandi promotional video clip. A search is put into effect
for a replacement for Peter. Chosen for the
replacement is Brooklyn born Paul Caravello. The band likes his charisma and charm, as well as his strong vocal
capabilities. Paul Caravello chooses the name Eric Carr and becomes the
new member of Kiss. He takes the persona of "The Fox". Eric makes his
live debut with Kiss at the Palladium in New York City.
In
1981, Kiss is relatively quiet throughout the year. Mostly writing
and working on material for the next album. (Music from) The Elder
is released in November, but to the band's dismay, does poorly. The band also
change their image, with shortened hair and less decorative costumes. Because of
the album's failure, Kiss
decides not to tour.
In
1982, Gene and Paul were involved in Cerebral Palsy
charities. Ace is involved
in a serious car crash and is unable to join the band for work on their next album. Kiss starts
recording their next album in New York City. At the same time, the band begins audition replacements for Ace. Creatures of the Night
is released in October. Kiss travels to
Europe for a promotional television tour. Ace joins them, but also decides to leave the group once they return to America. The band films
the video for I Love it Loud. It's Ace's farewell to the band. Kiss decides to
recruit Vinnie Cusano as Ace's replacement. He changes his name to Vinnie Vincent and is given the persona of the
"Egyptian Warrior."
In
1983, Kiss's North American
"Creatures of the Night" tour is beleaguered with
two problems, poor attendance and religious
fanatics claiming Kiss is Satanic and that their image is corrupting to America's youth. These two problems caused the tour to be called off halfway through. The band
travels to South America for the first time. They played to the biggest audiences they've ever played to.
Outdoor concert audiences totaled to almost 200,000 people per show. Kiss return to
America to begin work on their next album. Vinnie Vincent contributes a great deal of new material. Kiss officially
unmasked on MTV, on a late Sunday evening, without much hype and promotion. Lick it Up
is released in September and became Kiss's strongest album in years.
In
1984, The band ended
their successful tour, but personal problems begin to develop with Vinnie. Contractual disputes and ego problems on
both sides cause Vinnie to leave in the spring. Kiss is in impressed with Mark
Norton's playing and auditioned and hired him to take Vinnie's place. He
changed his name to Mark St. John. The band begin
work on their 19th album, produced by Paul Stanley. Gene gets preoccupied with his new acting career. Filming of his
first movie "Runaway" takes him away from the studio. Animalize is released
in September. Kiss begins
rehearsals for their "Animalize" tour. However, Mark begins to show signs of an arthritis condition called Reiter's Syndrome.
It makes his hands and joints swell up and he is unable to play guitar. In an alarm, Kiss manage to get Bruce Kulick to fill in on lead
guitar while Mark recovers from his illness. Bruce had been a friend to the band
for years. His brother Bob was one of the guitarists to audition for the band in
1973. He was almost chosen before Ace came into the rehearsal loft.
In
1985, Kiss began work
on their following album. They record at New York's Electric Lady Studios. This would be the last Kiss studio
album to be worked on in New York. Gene works on two new movies while work on the album is being
completed. Wanted Dead or Alive and Never Too Young to Die, where
he played a hermaphrodite. Asylum, Kiss's 20th
album is released in September.
In 1986, Kiss winds up their tour in April and takes a break to prepare new material and work on other projects. Bruce films a guitar instructional video for Star Licks. Gene works on some acting projects, including the horror movie "Trick or Treat," where he plays a DJ. He also produces new albums for rock acts Keel and Black 'n Blue Kiss begin filming a new documentary home video for release in early 1987.
In 1987, The Kiss Exposed home video is released in the spring and became a big seller. Kiss moved to Los Angeles to begin work on their next album. They call in producer Ron Nevison to work with them. Crazy Nights is released in September. Kiss begins their "Crazy Nights" tour. Attendance is moderate. Some full houses, some half full.
In
1988, The band winds
down the North American portion of their tour. They then travel to Japan for the first time in 10 years. They take with
them a rather scaled down stage show, lacking the major theatrics and light up logo that made them famous. Paul and Gene
appear on the Oprah Winfrey and Geraldo Rivera shows to discuss life on the road and groupies.
Smashes, Thrashes and
Hits" is released in November.
In 1989, Paul decides to do a Northeastern club tour while the band takes a break. Kiss get together in L.A. to begin work on their next album. Friction between Paul and Gene arises. Paul wants Gene to concentrate more on Kiss matters and less on outside projects like acting and managing. Gene understands and begins to focus more on the band. Hot in the Shade is released in October.
In
1990, Forever, written by Paul Stanley and Michael Bolton,
reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming Kiss' biggest hit since Beth.
Because the single's success, Kiss make plans for a tour. The put together
a huge stage show, including lasers for the first time. The had put
together a longer set list that included songs that were not played in 10-12
years.
The tour was a huge success and extended to six months in North America.
The final show is in Madison Square Garden. This tour was Kiss' most
successful since 1979.
In
1991, after finishing the tour, Kiss began working on their next album.
This album incorporated a more aggressive sound comparable to their earlier
albums. Eric Carr starts to show signs of illness through
consistent coughing of blood. It is determined that he had a tumor in his heart.
He goes in for heart surgery,
which seems to be successful. While Eric is recuperating, Kiss gets an
offer to contribute a song to the soundtrack of the movie Bill and Ted's
Excellent Adventure. They go into the studio to record a cover of the Argent
classic God Gave Rock
'n Roll to You. But because of his illness, Eric was unable to
contribute. Eric Singer is brought in to fill in for the recording.
Eric
Carr contributes backing vocals. God Gave Rock 'n Roll to You
receives significant radio and video airplay. Eric Carr is featured on drums in
the video. Kiss continues to rehearse and write for the new album. Eric Carr's
health begins to deteriorate. It is determined he has heart cancer and he
begins chemotherapy. Eric's cancer eventually goes into remission,
however Kiss tells him to stay home to recover while they work on the album. The
band has full intentions of having Eric return when he is 100% percent, but Eric
has a hard time in dealing with this situation. Eric Singer continues to play
drums on the album while Eric Carr is at home. Two days after Eric Carr is
seen at the MTV Video Music Awards in September, he suffers a brain hemorrhage
and is sent to the hospital. Eric's health deteriorates to the point where
he is in a coma. He suffers a second brain hemorrhage and dies on November
24. Eric is given a public funeral and memorial which is attended by all
current Kiss members, as well as former guitarist Ace Frehley. Other musicians
close to the band, including Alice Cooper and members of Metallica and Slaughter
attend the service. Eric is buried in Middletown, NY. Devastated by the
loss of Eric, Kiss tries to bury themselves in work on
the new album to cope.
In 1992, Eric Singer is officially named as the new Kiss drummer. The band finishes work on their 24th album and readies themselves for a special club tour in support. The band plays a handful of club shows beginning in April. Incorporated are three new songs from the upcoming album. Revenge is released in May. Plans for a North American tour are switched from August to October in favor of Paul getting married and Gene having a baby. Kiss X-Treme Closeup is released in the summer. It's a 90 minute documentary video with interviews with Paul, Gene, Bruce and Eric Singer. Kiss record and video tape their Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis concerts for Alive III, and a future home video. Detroit is the only sold out show of the tour. The Revenge tour turns out to be a huge failure. Arenas are half empty on most of the dates. Some venues have to be changed to smaller sized ones. The tour ends abruptly in early December.
In
1993, The band comes off the road to re-evaluate itself and to prepare for the Alive
III album. Alive III is released in May. Gene, Paul and Bruce
are inducted into the
Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame on the same day of release. Kiss
Konfidential, a new home video chronicling the Revenge tour as
well as cuts from Alive III is released in the summer. Kiss begins
work on their next studio album. In the meantime, the band also begins work on
several other projects, including a coffee table
sized book and a tribute album.
In
1994, Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved, a special tribute album
is released
in July. Included in the album cover booklet is a special offer for Kisstory,
a 9 pound, 440 page hard cover book put together by the band. Also included
under the CD tray is a special message from Paul and Gene to Ace and
Peter, thanking them for their input and history with the band. Kiss My Ass:
The Video is released in late summer. Although it reaches gold status, it's
criticized among Kiss fans for using poor quality video footage
Kiss continues to work on their new studio album, said to be taking a more
aggressive and modern approach.
In
1995, The Kisstory book is shipped to fans all over the world. It
includes autographs by Paul, Gene, Bruce and Eric. Although its pages are
stunning and glossy, the book is criticized for its poor binding. Numerous books
are
sent back after falling apart. Kiss films an episode of MTV Unplugged.
Again, history is made as both Peter Criss and Ace Frehley participate towards
the end of the show. The original group plays 2000 Man and Beth.
All six members join together to play Nothin' to Lose and Rock and
Roll All Nite. Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace secretly make plans for a
reunion tour with full makeup and costumes for 1996. They engage in a strenuous
workout regime and they practice applying the makeup for the first time in
almost 15
years. The MTV Unplugged special is aired on Halloween night. It
becomes the second most watched episode of the series, right behind Jimmy Page and
Robert Plant's special.
In
1996, Gene, Paul, Bruce and Eric finish work on a new studio album. It winds up
being pushed aside for the reunion plans. The original Kiss "shock the
people" and appear on the Grammy Awards to present an award with the late
Tupac Shakur. Although they pose for pictures backstage, the band does not reveal
any plans for the future.Kiss holds a major press conference on board the
U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City in April to announce their year long world
tour. They describe the stage show as being based on the Love Gun/Alive II
stage, but not a total replica. The band begins rehearsals for the tour. Both
Ace and Peter relearn their parts for the songs that are being used for the set
list. Kiss appear on the MTV Movie Awards in June and present the award
for "Best Kiss." You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best, a
special Best of Alive compilation is released in late June. Included are
four "unreleased" live
recordings as well as a 15 minute interview conducted by Jay Leno.Bruce
Kulick and Eric Singer announce their official departure of Kiss. The reunion
becomes permanent as Ace and Peter sign long term contracts with the band. The
unreleased studio album recorded with Bruce and Eric finds its way to the public
in bootleg form. Paul and Gene take action to stop the circulation of the tape.
The album is dubbed Carnival of Souls by
the fans. The 1996-97 "Alive/Worldwide" tour begins on June 30
at Tiger Stadium in
Detroit. All 38,000 seats are sold within 45 minutes. Kiss play four
straight nights at Madison Square Garden at their home town
of New York City. All four shows are sold out within an hour total.
In
1997, The band travels to Japan and play a sold out show at the
50,000+seat Tokyo Dome in January. Gene loses his voice for one night and Paul
winds up singing extra songs. The reunion tour is named as the highest grossing
tour of 1996. The band
is featured on the cover of Forbes magazine "Greatest Kiss,"
originally a European "best of" only, gets a U.S. release
in May,The reunion tour winds up in early July in London, England. Over
190 concerts are played total. Kiss returns home to America to begin a
lengthy break to relax and to contemplate the future. The premiere issue of the
"Psycho Circus" comic book series hits the racks in August, published
by McFarlane Comics. To cut down the circulation of the bootleg,
"Carnival of Souls: The Final
Sessions" gets an official release in November.
In
1998, Kiss begins writing
material for the first new album with the original group in 19 years. Bruce
Fairbairnis signed on to produce the new album. Recording starts in April.
Kiss titles the new album "Psycho Circus" after the comic book series. The
band begins to put together a new stage show with 3-D effects.
"Psycho Circus," the song makes its official radio debut in August. It
is instantly a smash on rock formats, becoming the most added and requested song
on the radio. Kiss holds a press conference at Mann's Chinese Theater in Los
Angeles to announce their new album, tour and 3-D video. The band appears in new
versions of their 1976 "Destroyer" outfits. The "Psycho
Circus" album is released in September. It becomes Kiss' highest charting
American album, debuting at #3. Elsewhere in the world, the album debuts at #2
in Canada and #1 in Sweden and Australia. The band begins rehearsals and work
out routines for the new tour. The title track of the album becomes Kiss's first
ever #1 rock radio hit.
The "Psycho Circus" album goes gold one month after release. Kiss begins their new tour on Halloween night at Dodger Stadium in Los
Angeles, CA. The stage includes a giant video screen which displays 3-D effects
throughout the show. The fans are given special glasses to view the
effects on the screen. Paul Stanley and Bruce Kulick are sued by the
publishers of the Alice Cooper song "I'm Eighteen," claiming that the
song "Dreamin'" off of "Psycho Circus" plagiarized Alice's
song. Alice Cooper is unaware and surprised of the
suit.
In 1999, Kiss are nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for the song Psycho Circus. Kiss receives a standing ovation as they present Best Rock/Pop Album at the 1999 American Music Awards. They are the first presenters ever to get a standing ovation in the history of the show. Kiss performs a pyro filled version of Rock and Roll All Nite at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, FL, which also included Kiss face-painted cheerleaders. Kiss loses the grammy to Page/Plant. Kiss plans their first concerts ever in Russia in April. Kiss records new song Nothing Can Keep Me from You for the upcoming soundtrack to the movie Detroit Rock City. Paul Stanley is cast as the lead in the Toronto, Canada version of Phantom of the Opera.
In 2000, Kiss played Alaska for the first time since 1974.
The show is recorded for Alive IV. Kiss announced to the
world that they are splitting up and plan on going on a
FAREWELL TOUR in North America. Alive IV is scheduled to be
released in March. The album is pushed back to mid April
due to remixing. The FAREWELL TOUR opens in Phoenix to mixed
reviews. Alive IV is postponed indefinitely. The FAREWELL TOUR
is well received and plans to extend it are made.
YOU WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST!
