The Ben Maynard Program
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The Ben Maynard Program
EP. 85 Ranking the Kiss Solo Albums: A Deep Dive into 1978's Musical Experiment
September 18, 1978 marked a revolutionary moment in rock history – the day all four KISS members simultaneously released solo albums. This wasn't just a marketing gimmick; it was a strategic move to keep the band together during a period of internal friction that fans wouldn't fully understand until years later.
On this episode, I dive deep into these four legendary albums, sharing my personal rankings and memories of experiencing them as a 13-year-old superfan. For those not steeped in KISS lore, these records offer fascinating insights into the personalities behind the makeup. Peter Criss surprised everyone with his jazz, swing and R&B influences. Gene Simmons recruited an astonishing lineup of guest stars including Cher, Donna Summer, and Bob Seger. Ace Frehley delivered the only legitimate hit single ("New York Groove") while revealing previously untapped potential. Paul Stanley crafted arguably the most cohesive and KISS-like collection.
What makes these albums particularly compelling is how they capture the band at their commercial peak while revealing the creative differences that would eventually lead to lineup changes. As a teenage fan, I initially struggled to understand Peter's departure from the KISS sound, but with age came appreciation for what each member was trying to express. These weren't just KISS albums – they were personal statements that reflected four distinct musical journeys.
Whether you're a longtime member of the KISS Army or simply interested in rock history, these solo albums represent a fascinating experiment that has never been duplicated on the same scale. Which one ranks highest in your collection? Join the conversation and share your own rankings in the comments!
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I really have to do something different with that music. Got to change that up. I just have to say one thing People yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Hey there, welcome into the Ben Maynard program, thanks for being here. That's my little uh, that's my little Paul Stanley right there. So, anyhow, welcome in. Thanks again for being here. Before we get started, a little housekeeping to take care of.
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Speaker 1:Give me a thumbs up, thumbs ups, all the likes. Those really, really help out. I guess it has something to do with the algorithms, and the more likes that I get on the videos, the more people that they reach People, people. Last but not least, oh well, and after you give me the like. Of course, after you give me the thumbs up, then you have to leave a comment too, all right, but more important than the comments and I love them all I love them all and I reply to them More importantly than the comments, you've got to give it a thumbs up, all right, please just do that. And then, after you do that, tell 10,000 of your family and friends. Okay, just tell them. Tell them, it's a really cool podcast with this knucklehead and you know, check it out, all right. Last but not least, follow me on Instagram.
Speaker 1:Ben Maynard Program. All one word, that's it. Plenty of ways to take in this show for your dancing and listening pleasure. All right, we have a good one, have a good one tonight and I know you're gonna like it, especially for you. Kiss knuckleheads out there, just like me. All. Kiss geeks. All right, we'll have something fun.
Speaker 1:Um, so, look, let's just kind of get right down to it, people. All right, I won't do that all. All episode, I promise, okay, but um, I, um, you know, I was just I don't know if I'm on a kiss thing or not uh, after having tommy on the show uh, tommy Sides of the Coin a couple of weeks ago. Let me reach over here. My glasses are on the wrong side of the table, but hey, I was like you know what? I haven't done this. I thought about it. I haven't done what I'm going to do tonight, so let's get it done. And so, yeah, here we go.
Speaker 1:And speaking of Tommy Summers, having him on a couple of weeks ago, that was so much fun, that was outstanding. We could have gone a whole lot longer. We honestly could have, and I would have, but I really did. I don't even remember if I mentioned it, but I had an appointment that I had to get to and I was actually an hour late getting to that appointment and I hate being late. I hate it with a passion. Don't like being late to anything and I felt so bad about it. But Tommy was so good, I couldn't stop. It was so good and a lot of you are really taking in the. You're taking in the episode on YouTube. A lot of you are taking it in on the streaming platform. So both audio and video are doing really well on it. So thank you to the, to you guys, for that and again, keep telling your family and friends all right, it's uh, we just have a lot of fun here, there's good stuff happening and, uh, just, you know, jump on board, all right.
Speaker 1:So look, without further ado, let's kind of just get right into this. As you can see, I'm a KISS t-shirt on, so we know it's going to be a KISS-related show tonight. I got these guys sitting right here on the table. I'll explain to you what that's all about as we move along. But tonight I'm going to give you my ranking on the Kiss solo albums. Four albums, of course. Four albums Let me get out of the way of my logo, right there, so you can see my fingers. You can't see them too well, right there, right, that's better. Four, okay, four albums, one by each member of the band Gene Paul, peter, ace, all right, and I've thought about this for a little while, but never really, you know, pulled the trigger and certainly I've owned these four albums since they came out Way back in 1978. So four albums, four solo albums, one by each member of KISS, all released on the same day, september 18th 1978. September 18th 1978.
Speaker 1:And I think it was at that time a real departure from the norm in the music business, and maybe it might have even been a first in music history where you had the members of a band each member of the band releasing a solo album, especially on the same day, and that was all that part. There was all calculated releasing on the same years old at the time. So as fans we didn't really know that there was some drama, slash, dysfunction going on in the band and they were at the height of their you know kiss mania, so to speak. I mean, they were at the height of it all their popularity. They could get no bigger at this point. Yet the cracks were starting to show. We just didn't really see them. We just didn't really see them.
Speaker 1:And apparently shortly after the Alive 2 album was released, just a year prior, that's when things started to bear themselves out where Ace's maybe his substance problems, his partying, you know his partying ways, were kind of interfering with things. Peter same issue, but then also Peter wanted to have more of a role in the band as far as more songs on albums, more say-so, those types of things. So all that stuff was kind of beginning to bear itself out. And then I mean these guys, peter and Ace, they were actually thinking of leaving the band, but Paul and Gene kind of reined them in a little bit. I'm sure Bill O'Coin, their manager, had something to say about this as well Kind of reined him in and said hey, look you guys. You know, peter, you want to go out on your own. You want to do a solo album? Ace, you want to do a solo? Great, why don't you all do solo albums? Okay, all of you guys go, take some time, record your solo albums. We will package them under the KISS brand. You guys will dedicate them to each of the other members in the band and, boom, it'll all be in. You know part of the KISS family. So doing that kind of appeased the guys.
Speaker 1:And so you know, pretty much after the Alive 2 tour was over, they got to work on it and and um, as fans, what we were used to at this time were two releases a year from our favorite band, um, and primarily two studio well, I, not two studio releases each year, because in 75, they had Dressed to Kill and then they had Alive, and then in 77, they had Love Gun and Alive 2. But we were getting two releases a year. 78 was no different, it was just the same, except the first release of the year was a Greatest greatest hits package, that was double platinum. Now, whatever it is what it is, and I know for me anything that said kiss on it it was happy to get. But I already had all these songs. Okay, uh, certainly, I think there was some, some of them that were kind of remixed a little bit. Um, there was the new mix of strutter, strutter 78. Almost the drum beat was kind of like disco-esque, but nothing new. I already had all these songs. I wanted something else, but it kind of tied us over. It appeased the fan base until later on that year Let me do this, hang on a second, people at home, there we go. And it kind of kept us somewhat satisfied until September 78.
Speaker 1:And that was when the solo albums were released. So we went into why the solo albums? I can say, and I'm sure all of us KISS fans were just like stoked, because now we weren't going to get one album with, you know, basically 10 songs on it. We were going to get four albums with 10 songs on them. You know, that's the thinking. I'm going to get four times my kiss. You know my dose of kiss, I suppose.
Speaker 1:So I remember being jacked up and I think, trying to think back to when the albums came out, which one I got first? Gene. At that time, early in my KISS fandom, gene was my favorite member of the band and so I probably got his album first, his album first my, uh, my younger brother. Uh, his favorite member of the band was Ace, so I didn't have to worry about getting Ace's album because I knew he was going to get it. Um, so I probably, like I said, I'm sure I got Gene's first, then Paul, right after that, uh, my brother got Ace, ace, so I could listen to that as well. So it was almost like having it. And then I know Peter was the last one that I got Just stoked to have those albums and listen to them over and over and over.
Speaker 1:So, without getting into too much other stuff, what I'm going to do is I'm going to rank the four albums, my favorite to my least favorite, and we'll just kind of go over some things with each of the albums. And, look, you guys can comment on this. Give me your rankings, your favorite songs, your least favorite songs, things you remember about these albums, whatever it might be. You guys get in on it as well. God, I'm kind of tongue tied, right? So, yeah, let's do it. Let's have some fun, all right. So of course I'm going to get started Again.
Speaker 1:When these albums were released, they all shipped platinum, which means they all were. Each album was sent a million copies out to the various record stores and outlets that were selling them. Now they each have sold a million plus copies. But back in 78, they hadn't done that. They shipped platinum so that the band could say, hey, we've got four platinum albums all in one shot. But within a couple of months the record company started to see some returns on the albums, on the various albums. So where it was just a kind of a little gimmick to get four platinum albums all at once, it really didn't go like that and it probably took just from memory and things that I've read it probably took close to a year for each one of them to actually sell a million copies.
Speaker 1:But still my favorite band, still my guys, I didn't care, I just wanted to hear the music. So let's get right into it then, since we're talking about music and we're talking about our favorite band, kiss, oh, wait a second Before we do that, I want to you guys see what I have right here on the front of the table. You can't if you're listening, but I'll do my best to describe it to you. I've got Kiss Beanie Babies right here Now.
Speaker 1:I didn't go out and buy these. These were gifted to me from a good friend of mine, mark Roth. He sends me a text message one day and he says hey, are you home? Yeah, I'm home. He says, all right, I'm close by, I'm in the neighborhood, I'll be right over and shows up at the door and he's got a bag of kiss beanie babies, his ass cleaning some stuff out. You know, um, and I saw these and you were the first person I thought of. So I thought I'd bring them by, give them to you, and I thought, oh, right on, cool. So how perfect is this? Cause they've been, they've been sitting here in the studio for a few months and I keep forgetting to break them out and show everybody and give Mark the credit that he so rightfully deserves.
Speaker 1:But come on, I'm talking about the solo albums tonight and I've got each member of the band right here sitting on the table. Let's see from my right to left, and if you're watching it's going to be from your left to right. Got Ace right here. You got Peter, gene and Pauly People. Okay, I'll stop, yeah, so I just thought, all right, I'm talking about the solo albums, got one of each guy right here. Good to go, all right.
Speaker 1:So, as I said, I'm going to, I'm going to rank these, but before, right before I do that, before I give you my ranking from my least favorite to my favorite, I'll just run over some stats or some fun facts real fast. And, by the way, I'm getting these out of this book right here. If you don't have it, grab it If you can, if you can, I don't. I'm sure it's not even in print anymore, but this is called Gene, ace, peter and Paul. This book is all about the 78 solo albums.
Speaker 1:It's written by Julian Gill. I know he does another Kiss podcast. That's, you know, way bigger than this podcast, but yeah. So I bought this book when it had come out a few years back I don't know, this is probably like eight, nine years ago and uh, it's, it's. It was really good, it's. Oh my gosh. And look, look at how thick this book is. It's, I mean, this thing's gotta be like 400 pages. It's got all kinds of cool stuff in here and just interviews with everybody involved with the album. I'm trying to get to some page numbers here. It's over 500 pages, 530 something. Pages Crazy stuff here. Okay, so we'll just go through these fun facts real quick and then get right down to it.
Speaker 1:So Gene Simmons had the largest number of guest performers on his solo album. We're going to get into that. Ace Frehley used the fewest number of performers on his album. Ace Frehley's solo album has sold the most copies in the post-1991 SoundScan era. So to me that says since 1991, ace's has sold the best.
Speaker 1:Peter Criss' solo album debuted highest on the Billboard Top 200 album chart at 85, followed by Aces at 87, gene's at 88, and Paul's at 89. Gene Simmons' solo album surged the greatest number of places on the Billboard Top 200 chart in its second week of charting, moving up 32 places. Peter's surged the fewest, just eight places, and Paul and Ace's both moved up 22 spots. Gene's solo album charted the highest on the Billboard Top 200, eventually reaching number 22. It gives the date for these little things, but that's not significant right now. Peter's solo album reached its highest placing on the Billboard Top 200 chart in its seventh week. That was at number 43. It's seventh week that was at number 43. Ace's solo album charted for the most number of weeks 23, reaching number 26. Gene's was right behind him with 22 weeks.
Speaker 1:Paul's album charted for the fewest number of weeks, at 18, only reaching number 40, which is just some of this stuff. When you go back and I read this it's like shocking, shocking, some of this stuff. Yeah, honestly, I wouldn't have pictured Paul's being the one that was on the chart the shortest amount of time and then also the lowest of the four in charting position on the top 200 album chart. Weird, but Aces, new York Groove, was the only legitimate hit single from the solo albums, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and that's a fact. Aces was the only song that charted on the top 40. Not just the highest, the only one that hit the top 40. Peter Criss' was the only solo album supported by two single releases neither charted, that's true. He did release two singles off that. Paul Stanley's Hold Me, touch Me, didn't quite make the top 40 in the US, but it did linger in the charts for 12 weeks and only Ace Frehley's and Gene Simmons' solo singles were performed live by Kiss during the Dynasty Tour. Now that one is incorrect. I'm going to dispute that one because I did see Kiss on the Dynasty Tour, november 7th 1979.
Speaker 1:Let me put this book right over here because I think I'm done with it. Yeah, on the Dynasty Tour at the Forum, november 7th 1979. I've talked about it a little bit on the show before once or twice. It's my first concert ever. Well, okay, it a little bit on the show before once or twice. It's my first concert ever. Well, okay, it's not my first concert ever. It's my first rock concert, my first concert ever. I saw Olivia Newton-John at Knott's Berry Farm when she was still a country artist. So I have another book here which backs up. However, I never noticed in reading this book that there is, just like with the first book here, the Solos.
Speaker 1:There's an inaccuracy In this book here which is a lot of you geeks like me. You know this one Kiss Alive and forever. It's a complete touring history of the band from, uh, from inception until I think it goes through uh, I don't know, it doesn't, it doesn't really matter. I think it goes through the what do you call it? Farewell tour. I think that's what it does, yeah, okay. So it's got stats on every single show that the band performed, and there's one.
Speaker 1:I was checking this out. It's got set lists and all that kind of stuff. So I was checking this out and the set list for my show reads as follows and a lot of it I didn't remember. However, I did remember what songs from the four solo albums were performed, and there's one missing here, missing here. So you have Julian Gill in his fax stating that New York Groove and, well said, songs from Ace and Gene's solo albums were performed.
Speaker 1:Well, the single from Ace's was New York Groove. The single from Gene's was Radioactive. Okay, so he's stating that those songs were performed live on the Dynasty Tour. However, there was one song from Paul Stanley's solo album that was performed on the Dynasty Tour. Now, I think it may have come and gone out of the set list, because I know Radioactive did, but Radioactive was performed at my show and so was Move On, which is right here in the set list. However, I was looking through it and nowhere on here is Radioactive listed in the set list, and I do recall that Radioactive was played very early on. So, and from my memory I thought that right after radioactive that's when Paul went in to move on that those two songs were played back to back.
Speaker 1:So, uh, yeah, I've got to get with, um, I've got to get with Kurt Gooch and Jeff Suss and let them know that there's a mistake here, like 20 years after this book came out, and make them correct it. But, um, the uh, yeah, peter was the only one that didn't perform a song from his solo album the night that I saw them. If I remember going through this tour in the book that there was a few times when Peter did sing I think he did Tossin' and Turnin' from his solo album. So just a couple of fun things. Whatever, right, right. Whatever, all right. So let's get down to business here. Right? Whatever, all right. So let's get down to business here.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we'll start with least favorite. And I was listening. I was listening to some of this stuff today and initially my ranking was a little different. But after listening, doing some listening and and putting stuff together and I kind of like changed my opinion, I was like, well, you know what? Maybe, yeah, maybe, my, my initial ranking is not. No, I got to change it up. So I've changed a couple of things actually since I even wrote the show.
Speaker 1:So here we go in the number four position and let me get my kind of my tail of the tape here, I suppose. Yeah, in the number four position, and let me tell you this I enjoy all four of these albums. So it's not like, oh, I hate this one and this one's just superior. Uh-uh like, with all the all the rankings that I do, whatever band it is, I like it all. It's just a matter of what I like the least to what I like the best, all right. So in the number four position, it's this one, right here, peter Criss, and I'm trying to get some of the. I'm showing the CD cover. Yeah, they cover the CD here and, for whatever reason, this is the only one I don't have on vinyl Now.
Speaker 1:Years and years ago I used to have them all on vinyl and I've mentioned it. I won't get into the details, but at one point I sold nearly every piece of vinyl that I had and that included the solo albums. But I thought that years, a few years back, when I was just on a whim, I would go on eBay and, uh, try to get. I would buy a couple of Kiss solo, uh, kiss albums here and there. I was trying to get my collection back and, uh, there's specific things that I would look for before I would pull the trigger on on buying anything but, um, I thought that I had purchased the Peter one and I haven't. But I thought that I had purchased the Peter one and I haven't. So eBay, here I come. So the running time on this will give you the tail of the tape. The running time on this is 34 minutes and 39 seconds.
Speaker 1:The track listing is 10 songs. It's let's see what would be on vinyl. Side one I'm Gonna Love you, you Matter to Me. Tossin' and Turnin'. Now, I think you Matter to Me, and Tossin' and Turnin' were the two singles that were released from this album. Don't you Let Me Down. That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes. Easy Thing Rock Me Baby. Kiss the Girl, goodbye. Hooked on Rock and Roll and I Can't Stop the Rain. Hooked on rock and roll and I can't stop the rain.
Speaker 1:I remember when I got this album and I dropped the needle on it, like I remember. I'm 13 years old and I started thinking what in the world is this? This is not Kiss, not even close, it's. You know. Every song on the album reminded me okay, well, instead of let's put it this way Instead of reminding me of songs like Get Away or Strange Ways, something like Baby Driver. All the songs were reminding me of Beth Hard Luck Woman and I didn't get it. I didn't. This is like. This is like so far removed from KISS and what I was used to. So I you know, like I said, I didn't get it. I didn't listen to it that much. I was very disappointed in it. And again, this is back in 1978. This is back in 1978.
Speaker 1:We didn't, as Kiss fans, we only read what we read in the rock magazines Cream, hit Parade or Circus, so on and so on. And we didn't realize that Peter had a way different background than the other members of KISS, came from a completely different background, didn't play in any hard rock bands, came from that jazz, swing, soul background and that's what he was bringing to the table in his album. And also, we didn't understand each of these solo albums were going to be a representation of that member's personality, their love of music, what their influences were. But we didn't get it. It's a kiss on it. It said whatever member it was, it it just it's a kiss on it. It said, uh, you know, whatever member it was.
Speaker 1:And we wanted to hear the same stuff we've been hearing for the previous, you know, five years. Um, so that was my initial reaction, yeah, but but when I stop, and as I've gotten older, I realize what peter was doing, and older I realized what Peter was doing. He was bringing that 50s, 60s rock sound, a little bit of soul, r&b, jazz, and I get it. And it's when I realized that not only do I get it, not only do I understand it, I appreciate it and I enjoy it and I think it's a terrific album. And Peter I've always liked Peter's voice. Peter has a tremendous voice and I mean really he might have the second best voice in the band. I don't know, he might Great voice.
Speaker 1:But one good thing I don't want to show you because when I get to the other ones I'm going to do the same thing, but at least in the CD here, when you open up, when you open up the uh, the cover, it's not really so much of a booklet, but, remembering kiss albums, once we hit uh destroyer, you started to get tchotchkes. So we get things in the albums or kiss army, membership order forms, member memorabilia, order forms, posters, stuff like that. So. So when they, when they released, they re-released this I think this is one of the remasters they let us have the poster that came inside of it. That was part of the four-part mural that I did hang on my wall, the wall in my bedroom. Put them all four together and that's that's this one here with Peter, yeah, good stuff, liked it. It says right there in the corner, part three of four, part kiss mural.
Speaker 1:Okay, so my, um, my favorite song on this one, uh, my favorite song, gosh, I don't know. I really, because they're, they're, they, they all have kind of a really cool groove, even though it's much more mellow, it's just a really cool groove. Um, probably, um, I'm gonna love you might be my favorite and um, I don't know that I have a least favorite on this one. I really don't, cause I think that, like I said, that would be my favorite and everything else would kind of like fall right in line. You know, um, cause it's just that good. I mean, you can just put this thing on and just listen, just kick back, listen and thoroughly enjoy it. It's just, it's that good, it really really is. So there you go.
Speaker 1:In the number four spot, that would be Peter Criss. All right, there you go on that one one. Let's get a sip of water here, okay, so next in the number three spot. Let me take it out of the plastic here. This one would be right here. Gene simmons. Gene simmons solo album. Now set it down for a moment. Let me flip back over.
Speaker 1:Um so tail of the tape on gene's solo album. It's 11 tracks. The running time on it is 33 minutes and 58 seconds, or, I'm sorry, 30, 38 minutes and 58 seconds, and the tracks are as follows the first track, radioactive, that was the single that was released off the album Burning Up With Fever, was released off the album Burning Up With Fever. That's kind of a funky song. Donna Summer on background vocals yeah, she's doing background vocals on that. And let's see, see you Tonight. Really really good song. So good that they performed it on the Unplugged special Tunnel of Love.
Speaker 1:Gene, gene, gene, gene, gene. He's got this thing with his different nicknames for the female anatomy, I suppose the lower region anyway. True Confessions, that one. You know what. I'll go through the track list and then I'll explain more. True Confessions. Then you flip it over to side two. You've got Living in Sin. Then you've got a unique one, always Near you, nowhere to Hide, which is two incomplete songs that Gene had written, that he had combined those two to make them one. Then man of a Thousand Faces, that's his tribute to Lone Chaney, mr Make Believe. Then his cover of his own song, see you In your Dreams, from the Rock and Roll Over album, which I know.
Speaker 1:Actually, it was funny a couple weeks ago when Tommy was on, he said he did not like the cover version and he was like I don't know why Gene had to redo it. And, to be honest, I don't know why Gene had to redo it. And, to be honest, I don't know why he had to redo it either, but I know why he. Well, I know why he did it. Um, cause he wasn't happy with the version that came out on rock and roll over.
Speaker 1:This one's a little more punchy, um, a little harder edged, um, there's some female uh singers in the background, that kind of stuff, so it's a little bit different, uh, but you know, he delivers a slightly different uh vocal performance, but other than that it's the same. It's a little bit harder. I it might be like a couple of three seconds longer too, but that's about it. Oh, and then we finish up with when you Wish Upon a Star, the cover of the song from the Disney movie Pinocchio and I think it said Jiminy Cricket sings that one, and so my initial reaction on this one when I got it was I dropped the needle and I heard radioactive and I heard that kind of that lead in, that build up, the little kind of sinister laughing voice, and then there's some other ghoulish voices in the background and it's kind of building up and it sounds like it's just gonna like kick in and when it does it's kind of it's not as strong or heavy or punchy as I would, as that build-up makes it sound like it's gonna be radioactive.
Speaker 1:Radioactive is a cool song and I'll tell you right now I would say it's probably my favorite song on the album. But I needed it to be heavier than it is or than it was when I put the needle on. But anything that said Kiss, I was going to enjoy, I was going to like. So I didn't, I, I, I could. I noticed the unevenness and I'm way for those listening. I'm kind of going up and down, making a waving motion. Um, I did notice the unevenness. You'd have more of a rocker than you have a real mellow song. Slow it down. You had some different stuff on both sides when it comes aside to living in sin. I like it. But even at 13 years old I still thought it was kind of a little bit corny, but I liked it. Like I said, it had the Kiss name on it, so everything was great. But I don't know. No, I'm thinking that maybe my least favorite song on here might be it could be a toss-up between like Tunnel of Love or man of a Thousand Faces.
Speaker 1:A lot of people see or hear when you Wish Upon a Star and they're like what are you thinking, gene? Really, seriously, you're going to sing a Disney song. You know, this hard rock demon is going to sing a Disney song, please. But when you know the story, you understand why he did it and what the song means to him. And when he was growing up, when he first came to America with his mother, he could barely speak English but he was into comic book characters and cartoons and he was into Disney movies as well and he saw Pinocchio. He heard the song when you Wish Upon a Star and he started to pick up English, learning that song. So there's that meaning to it also. But then he also you take the, you take the lyrics of that song and he applied it to his own life. You know, when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true. Well, that was his focus moving forward, and certainly at that point. And now you know, 40 years later, 40, oh my gosh, it's almost 50 years. 50 years later, all those dreams have come true. So that's the meaning of the song to him. Whoops, sorry, gosh, one of these days I'm going to get away without knocking the microphone over, but that's what it means to him and that's why he put it on this solo album.
Speaker 1:Again, these guys were expressing themselves, bringing you their influences, things that had special meaning to them, those types of things. Now, getting back to what I read in the fun facts, this special guest list is like a who's who of the music and entertainment industry. I mean, you know, bob Seger, joe Perry, helen Reddy yes, helen Reddy, I am woman, she sings on True Confessions Jeff Skunk, baxter, donna Summer, as I mentioned, janice Ian she does the whole prelude on Radioactive. Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, cher, mitch Weissman and Joe Pecorino those guys were from Beatlemania, the traveling Beatles show Michael DeBar if you're not familiar with Michael DeBar, michael DeBar was the lead singer in a band called Detective back in the mid to late 70s and still busy to this day, done a lot of acting. Let's see Richie Rano. Richie Rano from the band Stars, and let's see Also the Azusa Citrus College Choir. Yeah, they are on True Confessions and Always Near you, nowhere to Hide.
Speaker 1:So it really was. I mean just a who's who list of people and you know great, but that's kind of gene's mo, really. If you, if you fast forward to 2004 when he released his next solo album, uh, a-hole, that was also this. It's kind of the same thing. If, and if you look at song credits, he's got co-writes with Frank Zappa, bob Dylan and it seems like every Tom Dick and Harry is on the album. So that's just Gene's thing. He just brings in anybody and everybody to lend a hand. So I don't know, like I said, that's kind of just, that's kind of where it sits and that's kind of my initial reaction.
Speaker 1:Both Peters well, peters, his, the critical, the. The critique on it by the press was it just was not kiss-like. Critique on it by the press was it just was not kiss-like. Jeans was a little more kiss-like than Peters, but not the kiss that we're accustomed to, again, because of that unevenness in it, I believe. But it was still given like three out of five stars. So okay, anyway. So that's where that one sits. For me, that one sits at the number three spot.
Speaker 1:Next is this guy. Oh, wait, a second. Hold on, hold on, I did it with the CD, so I've got to do it with this album. Yeah, especially because it's much. Hold on, I did it with the CD, so I've got to do it with this album. Yeah, especially because it's much, much larger. And I did.
Speaker 1:I made sure when I bought this one that it contained all the good stuff. There it is, there it is. So here's the order form right here unfolds backside says for only five dollars a year you can join the kiss army, and then you get. It tells you all the good stuff you get for five bucks and then you get to order, if you like, your own gene simmons memorabilia T-shirts, posters, pins, belt buckles, that type of stuff. Yeah, all Gene Simmons. So it's really really, really cool.
Speaker 1:This is great here and it was so expensive in 1978. Gene Simmons belt buckle features Gene Simmons printed in full color on foil background coated with high gloss enamel $6. Man, the 22 by 33 poster was $2.50. And when I was 13 years old, oh my gosh, it seemed like so much money. All right, so let's bust out the, the gene portion of this mural. There we go. Yeah, oh, good stuff, let me get it. Oh yeah, pretty cool, huh, it's awesome when you're 13,. It really is awesome when you're 13. I'm glad that, because I did put them up on my bedroom wall altogether. I'm glad that when I re-bought these they were not new, but they're in wonderful condition, that each of the posters doesn't have little pinholes or tacks in them from somebody else hanging them on their walls. So it's nice. They're a little more pristine than the ones that I had.
Speaker 1:All right, so number two, number two in my ranking on the Kiss solo albums is this one right here? Yeah, ace Frehley, ace Frehley. A lot of people in the KISS world, kiss Army, will disagree. This one is a favorite of so many people and you're not wrong because it's your opinion. But you know, when this one dropped, everybody was like yes, celebrating, because, you know, at that point Ace had two lead vocals. Period up to that point. Ace had, ace had two lead vocals. Uh, period up to that point. And that was on um, that was shock me. On love gun and rocket ride on side four of alive too. That was the only time we'd heard a sing.
Speaker 1:We didn't know that he had this ability, that he had and when he was, when he was out on his own, stepped out, you know, wrote an album's worth of songs. Actually, his, as I read in the fun facts, his list, his guest list, is like minimal, minimal compared to everyone else's albums. So this was like way more of a solo project than the other four if you want to look at it that way. But it was, it was well. It's nine tracks. Let me give you that. Let me give you that rundown Nine tracks.
Speaker 1:The running time on is 36 minutes and 44 seconds and it, like I said, it's pretty much what you would expect if you're a fan of Ace Frehley, probably the most. Well, I don't know. I don't know if it's I was going to say probably the most Kiss-like sounding album, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure about that. Obviously it is very Kiss sounding, but I would say it's even more Ace sounding than it is Kiss sounding. But any of the songs on his solo album would fit right in with the later 70s stuff Rock and Roll Over, love Gun Even if he had moved forward without the solo albums Dynasty or Unmasked, that kind of thing. I think every single song on his solo album is better than any song he performed on Unmasked. Just hands down, hands down.
Speaker 1:So the track listing. What did I do with it? Oh there it is. What did I do with it? Oh there it is. So the track listing, side one we've got Rip it Out, fabulous, speeding Back to my Baby, snowblind, ozone and what's on your Mind. Then we flip it over to side two. We've got the single New York Groove I'm in Need of Love Wiped Out and Fractured Mirror.
Speaker 1:Fractured Mirror, as if you don't already know, but because we may not have all KISS fans watching or listening, but Fractured Mirror is an instrumental. I think it's like almost five minutes long. I don't recall Something like that From the first. I think it's like almost five minutes long. I don't recall Something like that. I, from the first time I heard it, loved it, loved it. It's just so good.
Speaker 1:And you know, a couple weeks ago I was listening to. I was listening to Kiss Alive and, oh, I'm sorry, not Kiss Alive I was listening to Dressed to Kill. I was, you know, preparing for the uh, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dressed to Kill. So I'm listening to it and I was listening to Rock Bottom and there's that big acoustical, uh introduction to Rock Bottom. It probably goes like a minute 10, minute 20. Because I think the song is like four and a half minutes and, like I said, minute half of it's got to be that intro and it is so good. But I was listening to it and I thought, wow, I can kind of see maybe where Fractured Mirror came from, because I've listened to parts of that and I thought Fractured Mirror, fractured Mirror okay, I don't know if it was the tone, the tuning, whatever it was, but just so good. One is the intro to Rock Bottom, but Fractured Mirror is so, so good.
Speaker 1:But I would say that my favorite song on here is probably Ozone and that's just been from like day one. It's just something about that song and if you know that song, you know it, you get into. There's kind of like a. It's not a bridge, but it's kind of like a I don't know kind of like a. It's not a pre-chorus, it's almost like a post-chorus, I suppose you know where. Oh zone and the tuning on the guitar is just so good and I didn't realize it until years later. You know, you just start to pick up things as you become more involved in music and you listen a little bit closer to things. But you hear Ace's electric guitar in there and his lead and all that. But there's an acoustic guitar right behind it and, um, it's just such a great blend and it just, I don't know, it's just a great song.
Speaker 1:Ozone, such a great song and honestly, um, I don't know, uh, least favorite song, least favorite might be, um, might maybe Wiped Out, I don't know. Wiped Out's a cool song though, but maybe Wiped Out. But I, you know, I love it. It's just a great. It's a great album, great sound, great production by Eddie Kramer and, yeah, just, it's so good, so, so good.
Speaker 1:So I just, of course, like I did with Gene, I'll open up. There's the merch, there's the merch form, all the good Ace stuff. It's all the same on all the albums. Just, everything's personalized for each guy. Let's open up the Ace poster. Oh, I'm looking at this one here. This one was just like mine. Somebody hung this one on the wall. All right, there's Ace, come on, there's Ace. Yeah, all right, good stuff, let's see, put all this away. And of course, I mean I took out all the suspense. I mean there's only four albums, right, so there really isn't much suspense as far as which one is going to be in the number one position, and so that one is right.
Speaker 1:Here, as I take it out of the plastic Paul Stanley, paul Stanley solo album and um, it's a great album and it's what's funny is, like I was saying buying the buying the albums back on on eBay a few years ago. I'm such a dummy, not even keeping track of what I'm buying. I thought, not even keeping track of what I'm buying. I thought, like I said, I thought I had the Peter album and so I don't know how or why, but I had a brain cramp I had already purchased the Paul album, but no, instead of buying a Peter, a copy of Peter's album, I bought a second copy of Paul's album. So I have two really really nice copies of Paul's solo album here on the shelf and no, peter, I mean, and, like I said, they're really really nice, really in great shape, and just one of those things. I don't know, I don't know what I was thinking and I didn't realize it until I mean, I get it in the mail, open it up. Oh yeah, paul, paul. And then I go and I put it with the other album. I said, wait a second, there's already a Paul right here. What's the matter with me? So, like I said earlier, ebay, here I come.
Speaker 1:But so Tale of the Tape on Paul's album. It's nine songs, running time is 35 minutes and 10 seconds and the track listing is side one Tonight you Belong to Me, move On, ain't Quite Right, wouldn't you Like to Know Me? Take Me Away. Together is one. Then you flip it over to side two and you've got it's Alright, Hold Me, touch Me and, in parentheses, think of Me when we're Apart. And then you've got Love in Chains and the album closes with Goodbye, fitting song to close the album. Goodbye is a great song. It really, really is. Love, the lyrics, the messaging in it. Yeah, it is, it's a great song, great way to close out the album.
Speaker 1:I was lucky enough to see Paul perform on his solo tour back in 06 for the Live to Win album and Goodbye was in the set list. So that was really, really cool. But so was Tonight you Belong to Me, another great song, I think. Let me see here, let me see what did he do that night? He did Tonight you Belong to Me. I think he opened the show with that. Tonight you Belong to Me, because I think he opened the show with that and he did Goodbye. I don't. I think he did one more. I don't remember if he did. If he did, it's all right, or love and chains, I don't know, I don't, I don't remember. I have to really really do some research on that one but but he did like three, four songs off of this album. So good stuff.
Speaker 1:Certainly the guest list is not nearly as long, but he did have Bob Kulik do some guitar work on the album. Everybody knows Bob Bob's been associated with KISS for years. And then, of course, we all know Bruce, his brother, right, let's see who else. Oh, carmine Apice. Carmine Apice did some drums. Let's see. I'm just kind of going through and finding the ones that really stand out that everybody knows. Oh, and then Pepe Castro. Now, some of you may not know Pepe Castro, but Pepe Castro was in a band with Bob Kulik in the early 80s. The band was called Balance. I think they had a couple albums they released and they had one top 40 song for sure, maybe two, but I know I remember one for sure. That was about 81, I think it was. Yeah, so that's their connection, um, but you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1:My favorite song on the album is probably, um, the opening track tonight you belong to, very, very reminiscent of Black Diamond, or I Want you where it's got that acoustical opening and introduction and then it kicks in. You get your crunchy guitars and, uh, you get your traditional great paul stanley vocal um, not as, probably not as heavy as black diamond, but um, but in that same vein. So for those of you who are familiar, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who are familiar, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who aren't, check it out and you'll kind of see what I'm talking about, If you listen to those three songs, you'll understand what I'm talking about. When it comes to the song structure, but that's probably my favorite track, I do like. Take Me Away Together as one. Just a dynamite song, I Told you Goodbye. The closing track fabulous, it's funny, it's Alright. I think I may have mentioned this before, I'm not sure, but on, it's Alright.
Speaker 1:If you fast forward to the Asylum album, the song All Night, there's a breakdown in that song, in All Night, that basically it's all right. I think it's yeah, and it's around the pre-chorus on All Night and if you listen to the guitars and you listen to it it's slowed down, but it's all right. And from the first time I heard that song I'm like wait a minute, where have I heard that before? Okay, oh, yes, it's all right, I don't know. Just a little. Another tidbit, another fun fact. Oh, wait a second, I didn't do this. A little. Another tidbit, another fun fact. Oh wait a second, I didn't do this, didn't do this right here. Let's get this.
Speaker 1:This is always the best part about KISS albums. It always, it always. Well, I shouldn't say the best part, but as a kid, that's what you get. Come on, come on out of there. There you go it. It always is. It was always one of the things that got you fired up. Um, cause you would get the album. You know. Get to the record store. Sometimes you do it right outside the record store. I know outside levels. I couldn't wait to get it home and get out the door and sit right in front of Lovells on the sidewalk and open up the album. I remember opening up Alive 2 right there.
Speaker 1:But the great thing is, you get the album. You rip open the cellophane on it and then you just turn it sideways and just dump the stuff out and you'd have your Kiss memorabiliaia order form, whatever album it was at the time. There's your paul stuff right there, um, and then let's get into our paul poster. Uh, and if it was like love gun man, I don't, well, we, there was no poster with Love Gun. Okay, so there's the Paul poster.
Speaker 1:Yep, looks good, looks good and it's in really good shape. It's really really good shape, especially for something that's like 45 years old or whatever it is. I think it's older than that, 42 years old. I don't know why. Do I want to do math right now? I don't. But like Love Gun, you, you know, you open that thing up and you get the little love gun that you know where you have to. You know, I don't know whatever you want to call it uh, kind of throw it down, sort of, and it pops open and says bang, and until, of course, the paper rips on it and then you can't use it anymore.
Speaker 1:Or the solo albums. You're getting these order forms. I think with love gun you got an order form as well, the, uh, I mean a live two. Oh, that was the best because you got the booklet, you got the merch form and you got the tattoos. That was good stuff. That was good stuff, um, you know. So, for really, from, like I said like destroyer, destroyer all the way through, um unmasked that those few years right there, that's when we started to get some, uh, some good stuff, some merch forms and posters and that kind of thing, great stuff to look forward to.
Speaker 1:So, um, you know, the reception on Paul's album, just like well, I don't even remember if I mentioned aces, but like with ace, it said that was the most kiss like and it was fabulous, got great reviews. And it was fabulous, got great reviews. Paul's album got great reviews. So I think to the bulk of you Kiss Army geeks out there, like me, it's probably going to be Ace or Paul at the number one spot and I think, because those albums are closest to what we would look forward to in listening to our favorite band and each member of the band, that's what we would want from them. And then you know it's going to be a toss-up between Gene and Peter for number three or number four. I think on the whole, that's what it is. Okay.
Speaker 1:Certainly it's not each and every one of you out there, and I think, probably for the same reasons as I'm expressing to you, but just good stuff. Um, and come on, do you really need a reason to talk about KISS? I don't know, and it's so funny. Is they wrapped up touring back in December of 2023. So it's been a little over a year ago and there's still so much to talk about in his world. There's so much stuff, there's something always going on and there's a. You know, of course, this is not a KISS podcast, but there's a bazillion KISS podcasts out there and they still have stuff to talk about all the time.
Speaker 1:There's a never ending amount of conversation to be had when it comes to this band. There's never a never ending amount of conversation to be had when it comes to this band. It's just something about him. Something about him and, as the guys that I think it was Paul the one that said it you know what Love us or hate us, that's fine, but you're still talking about us. Now, I didn't quote him. That's more paraphrasing, but that's what he would say. You're still talking about us. No, now, I didn't quote him. That's more paraphrasing, but that's what he would say. You're still talking about us, no matter what, and that's all they cared about, so anyway. So yeah, from bottom to top, we've got Peter, gene, ace and Paul. All good stuff. That's just how I would rank them, but I enjoy each and every one of them, for a different reason, I suppose. But it's great stuff, and yeah, there you go. Leave your ranking in the comments and give me some reasons why, too. You know you agree, disagree, whatever it is. That's what it's all about. Let's have some fun here, all right. So let's kick you loose. You guys can get on with the rest of your day, your evening, your weekend, whatever it might be. Go have yourselves a great time, all right.
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Speaker 1:So, yes, thank you, but come on, an episode gets some views. You got to give me some more thumbs up. I mean everybody that watches it. I don't care if you watch it for five minutes or the entirety of the episode. You got to give me a thumbs up, all right, it's just hitting the little thumb right there. So give me that thumbs up.
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