Kiss - Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons/Ace Frehley/Peter Criss (1978/2008, 4xSHM-CD) RE-UPPED

Kiss was at their commercial peak by 1978. Alive II was the band's fourth platinum album in just under two years, and the ensuing tour had the highest average attendance (13,550) in the group's history. In addition, Kiss' gross income for 1977 was $10.2 million. The group, along with creative manager Bill Aucoin, sought to take the band to the next level of popularity. To that end, an ambitious, two-pronged strategy was devised for 1978.

The first part involved the simultaneous release of four solo albums from the members of Kiss. Although Kiss has claimed that the solo albums were intended to ease rising tensions within the band, their 1976 record contract did in fact call for four solo records, with each of them counting as half an album toward the group's five-record commitment.[37] Each album was a solo effort (none of the group appeared on another's album), and were all released and marketed as Kiss albums (with similar cover art and poster inserts). It was the first time that all current members of a rock band had released solo albums on the same day.

For the band members, it was a chance to showcase their individual musical styles and tastes outside of Kiss, and in some cases to collaborate with contemporary artists. Stanley's and Frehley's albums stuck pretty closely to the successful hard rock style that Kiss had utilized, while Criss' album featured an R&B style and was loaded with ballads. Simmons's was the most eclectic of the four. It featured hard rock, ballads, Beatles-influenced pop, and ended with a straight cover of "When You Wish upon a Star" (from the film Pinocchio). Simmons' many collaborators included Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, the Doobie Brothers' Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, disco diva Donna Summer, Janis Ian, Helen Reddy, Bob Seger, Katey Sagal and then-girlfriend Cher.

The Kiss solo albums were released on September 18, 1978. The marketing blitz behind the albums was unprecedented. Casablanca announced it was shipping five million total copies of the albums (guaranteeing instant platinum status), and they spent $2.5 million marketing them. All four solo albums made it into the Top 50 of the Billboard album chart. All four solo albums sold about as many copies as Love Gun alone. Of the four, Frehley's album was the most successful (although not by a huge margin) and spawned the only radio top 20 hit (Russ Ballard's composition "New York Groove", originally performed by Hello).

Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album was the most Kiss-like of the four, sounding more like an official band release rather than a solo outing. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing – Stanley had become a seasoned hard rock songwriter by this point, churning out some of Kiss' best material ("Love Gun," "Detroit Rock City," "I Want You," etc.), and wisely stuck to his winning formula on Paul Stanley. With the help of studio musicians, as well as guitarist Bob Kulick (who was almost an original member of Kiss, and brother of future Kiss replacement guitarist Bruce) and Rod Stewart/Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, Stanley's album is on par with Ace Frehley's as far as consistency is concerned. A couple of epic compositions (by Kiss standards) are highlights – "Tonight You Belong to Me" and "Take Me Away (Together as One)" – as are the more straightforward tracks "Ain't Quite Right," "Wouldn't You Like to Know Me?," "It's Alright," and "Goodbye." While his other Kiss bandmates took more chances with their solo records (with varying results), Stanley's album is more or less what a new Kiss album released in 1978 would have sounded like.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, guitars : Paul Stanley
Guitars : Bob Kulick
Bass : Steve Buslowe
Drums : Richie Fontana
Bass : Eric Nelson
Drums : Craig Krampf
Drums :Carmine Appice

Produced by Paul Stanley and Jeff Glixman
Recorded at Electric Lady, NY, The Record Plant, LA & The Village Recorder, LA
Engineered by Jeff Glixman and Paul Grupp

Track List:

01. Tonight You Belong To Me [4:40]
02. Move On [3:11]
03. Ain't Quite Right [3:38]
04. Wouldn't You Like To Know Me [3:21]
05. Take Me Away (Together As One) [5:36]
06. It's Alright [3:38]
07. Hold Me, Touch Me (Think Of Me When We're Apart) [3:42]
08. Love In Chains [3:33]
09. Goodbye [4:10]

Most Kiss fans associate Gene Simmons with the band's hardest-rocking compositions; after all, he's responsible for such heavies as "Watchin' You," "Calling Dr. Love," "Larger Than Life," and "Goin' Blind." So many Kiss fans must have been surprised when they heard Gene's diverse 1978 solo album, with songs that contained choirs and string arrangements, plus elements of Beatles pop, '70s funk/disco, and feel-good rock & roll. Granted, there are a few heavy rockers (such as the single "Radioactive," "Burning Up With Fever," and "See You in Your Dreams"), but Simmons was always a closet Beatles fan, as evidenced by "See You Tonite," "Always Near You," "Man of 1,000 Faces," and "Mr. Make Believe." The only real misstep is a preposterously embarrassing cover of the Disney classic "When You Wish Upon a Star" (complete with Disney-esque sound effects/music). But Simmons made sure that the top artists of the day lent a hand (Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Donna Summer, Cher, Bob Seger, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Helen Reddy, and Janis Ian), which makes Gene's solo album an unpredictable yet ultimately enjoyable release.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Gutar, Vocals: Gene Simmons
Bass : Neil Jason
Guitar : Elliot Randall
Drums: Allen Schwartzberg
Background vocals: Gordon Grody, Diva Gray, Kate Sagal, Franny Eisenberg, Carolyn Ray, Sean Delaney

Produced by Sean Delaney and Gene Simmons.
Executive engineer: Mike Stone
Recorded at The Manor, Oxford, England, Cherokee Studios, LA, USA
Mixed at Trident, London, England

Track List:

01. Radioactive [3:51]
02. Burning Up With Fever [4:22]
03. See You Tonite [2:28]
04. Tunnel Of Love [3:53]
05. True Confessions [3:31]
06. Living In Sin [3:52]
07. Always Near You / Nowhere To Hide [4:13]
08. Man Of 1000 Faces [3:18]
09. Mr. Make Believe [4:02]
10. See You In Your Dreams [2:50]
11. When You Wish Upon A Star [2:44]

Of the four Kiss solo albums released simultaneously in 1978, the best of the bunch is guitarist Ace Frehley's. Similar in approach to Paul Stanley's album, Frehley did not stray far from the expected heavy Kiss sound (like Gene Simmons and Peter Criss did with their releases), but Ace was equipped with better compositions than Stanley. With future Late Night with David Letterman drummer Anton Fig helping out (as well as Letterman bassist Will Lee on three tracks), Frehley proved once and for all that he was not simply a backup musician to Kiss head honchos Simmons and Stanley. All of the tracks are strong, such as the venomous opener, "Rip It Out," as well as a few tracks that confirm how Frehley was indulging in alcohol and drugs a bit too much by the late '70s ("Snow Blind," "Ozone," and "Wiped Out"). You'll also find many underrated compositions ("Speedin' Back to My Baby," "What's on Your Mind?," "I'm in Need of Love"), a gorgeous instrumental ("Fractured Mirror"), and the Top 20 hit single "New York Groove." Unfortunately, when Ace left Kiss in 1982 (eventually forming Frehley's Comet), he never came close to topping this solid and inspired 1978 solo outing.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer : Paul Stanley
Bass : Will Lee
Drums : Anton Fig
Background vocals : Larry Kelly, David Lasley

Produced by Eddie Kramer and Ace Frehley.
Recorded by Eddie Kramer at the 'Mansion Studios', Sharon Connecticut.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer and Rob Freeman
Mastered by George marino at Sterling Sound, NY

Track List:

01. Rip It Out [3:41]
02. Speedin' Back To My Baby [3:37]
03. Snow Blind [3:56]
04. Ozone [4:43]
05. What's On Your Mind? [3:29]
06. New York Groove [3:04]
07. I'm In Need Of Love [4:40]
08. Wiped-Out [4:14]
09. Fractured Mirror [5:27]

Although it's admirable that Peter Criss tried to explore different musical styles than the average '70s Kiss release on his 1978 solo album, the material (soul, classic rock & roll, ballads, etc.) ultimately falls flat without the input and/or backing of Simmons, Stanley, and Frehley. Due to Kiss' surprise 1976 smash ballad "Beth" (written and sung by Peter Criss), Criss decided to include several similarly styled songs, but the material is completely limp: "Easy Thing," "$Kiss the Girl Goodbye," "Don't You Let Me Down," and "I Can't Stop the Rain," are all bland and forgettable. '70s funk 'n' soul is touched upon with the tracks "That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes" and "You Matter To Me," as well as a fun cover of the rock & roll standard "Tossin' and Turnin'," but all are hardly substantial. The track "Hooked On Rock N' Roll" tries to reaffirm that Criss is a diehard rocker at heart

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Drums, Percussion, Vocals: Paul Stanley
Bass : Neil Jason, Bill Bodine
Guitar : Brendan Harkin, Art Munson, Stan Penridge, Elliott Randall, John Tropea
Drums: Bill Bodine, Allan Schwartzberg

Produced by V.Poncia and Peter Criss.
Engineered by Bob Schaper
Recorded in Hollywood at Sunset Sound
Remastered by Joseph M.Palmaccio at Sterling Sound, NY

Track List:

01. I'm Gonna Love You [3:19]
02. You Matter To Me [3:18]
03. Tossin' And Turnin' [4:03]
04. Don't You Let Me Down [3:43]
05. That's The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes [3:03]
06. Easy Thing [3:56]
07. Rock Me, Baby [2:56]
08. Kiss The Girl Goodbye [2:49]
09. Hooked On Rock 'N' Roll [3:39]
10. I Can't Stop The Rain [4:27]