If there is an American band which symbolizes the lifestyle of rock excess, theatrical stage performances, party lyrics then it would easily be Kiss. Kiss ruled America in 70's with their massive concert spectacles and outrageous stage antics. The band's sound is rooted in infectious riffs, pop metal sensibilities and straight ahead rock n' roll. There is no pretentious to be anything else otherwise. It was the live performances; clever merchandizing and controversial public image which made Kiss the biggest band in America. The four-piece band which went through several line-up changes but Gene Simmons (Bass) and Paul Stanley (Guitar) would also ways remain central to all band activities. The band has a unique place in American music, media and marketing. They knew how to use the visual elements of the show and with advent of DVD technology they have sold 100 million DVDs.

Kiss- Party Rock Music

"James Bond has a license to kill, rock stars have a license to be outrageous. Rock is about grabbing people's attention" - Gene Simmons. Kiss founder and Bassist

Sex Drugs and Rock n' Roll:

If there is an American band which symbolizes the lifestyle of rock excess, theatrical stage performances, party lyrics then it would easily be Kiss. Kiss ruled America in 70's with their massive concert spectacles and outrageous stage antics. The band's sound is rooted in infectious riffs, pop metal sensibilities and straight ahead rock n' roll. There is no pretentious to be anything else otherwise. It was the live performances; clever merchandizing and controversial public image which made Kiss the biggest band in America. The four-piece band which went through several line-up changes but Gene Simmons (Bass) and Paul Stanley (Guitar) would also ways remain central to all band activities. The band has a unique place in American music, media and marketing. They knew how to use the visual elements of the show and with advent of DVD technology they have sold 100 million DVDs.

Rise to Recognition

Kiss was formed with Paul Stanley (guitar), Pete Criss (drums), Gene Simmons (bass) and Ace Frehley (lead guitar) in New York City. The roots can be traced back to 1973. Their first two albums Kiss and Hotter than Hell, both released in 1974 were not a commercial success but their constant touring gave them a small but a dedicated fan following. The band members also wore white make up on their faces and each of them had a different persona. It was not until their 1975 album "Dress to Kill" which spawned a semi ht song "Rock and Roll all Night" which is the bands landmark song.

In 1975 started touring small arenas all across America and it was the outrageous antics which included - smoke bombs. blood spewing,. pyrotechnics and fireworks which made the audience go wild! The American teenagers had found the perfect party band; it did not even matter if they were particularly interested in the bands music. A thought which Kiss did not seem to mind.

Rock and Roll All night and Party Everyday!

It was the 1975 double live album which made Kiss superstars. The album songs with audience participation were able to bring out the Kiss live experience. The album went multi-platinum confirming the superstar status. The Rock and roll all night single had been given a boost with a new guitar solo. The album contained live versions of all the songs previously recorded. The subsequent Alive Tour - was rocks hottest ticket of 75 and 76. Playing at arenas and amphitheaters all across America, the tour was a massive success.

In 1976 Kiss recorded Destroyer album with renowned producer Bob Ezrin. Initial album sales were not encouraging but with the release of the love ballad "Beth" the focus on the album re-surfaced and it became a hit. Two more albums "Rock and Roll Over" and "Love Gun" went platinum. The touring continued and Kiss even played Japan; the concerts were bigger than ever. A second live album "Alive II" was released which again went platinum. At the end of the year Kiss was the biggest band in America

The Lost Years

To increase the popularity Kiss band members released four individual albums and a movie called Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Opera. These were both artistic and commercial disasters. In 1978 the band recorded another platinum album "Dynasty"; the ensuing tour featured Ace Frehley's guitar shooting rockets. However this tour saw a huge decline in their audience and the face make up was started to look more cartoonish then shock.

The album "Unmasked" did not become platinum. But it was the 1981's "Music from the Elder" was a total flop and nadir. Their next albums '82 "Creatures of the Night" and "Killers" did a little better than its predecessor. But it did not capture the Kiss energy.

From the 80'decision of removing the make-up to embracing glam metal, the band never quite captured the 70s glory days. However the '84 album Annimalize and tour captured some of the Kiss magic of the 70's. Throughout the 80's they released platinum albums '85 "Asylum" and "Crazy Night". But during the non-make up years, Kiss ironically could not find the right rock identity, embracing various rock sounds but never capturing the magic. In 1995 Kiss recorded a critically acclaimed "Unplugged".

Re-union and the traveling band

The bands original line-up reunited and Kiss became for the 38^th Grammy awards in 1996. The Alive/Worldwide Tour was the bands most successful playing 192 shows across America, Europe, Japan, Australia/New Zealand and even Latin America. Four years later the Farewell tour was also successful. In 2003 they co-headlined the World Domination tour with fellow American rockers Aerosmith. From then on almost every year the band has been on tour churning out their hits to a world wide audience. In 2010 Kiss has announced a European tour for the "Sonic Boom" album released ion 09.

The Kiss legacy is unique in American popular culture. There outrageous performance has influenced many artists over the years. Their music is straight forward and meant to be for fun and partying. Their media and merchandizing activities gave musicians a new way to promote themselves.

• Kiss issued a comic book of themselves in 1977
• Gene Simmons founder of Kiss was born in Haifa, Israel
• The worldwide dedicated fans of Kiss are called The Kiss Army

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