Tag: Kiss

Jul232009 by Chris Holmes27 Comments
Shuffle Along (aka Name That Tune) – 7/24/09

Shuffle Along (aka Name That Tune) – 7/24/09

Music
I'm going to steal something that Jess ran on his blog many times - name that tune.  It's simple: I post a lyric from the next random batch of songs that shows up on my iPod, and you try to guess the song and artist.  If you guess correctly and have a website, you get a free link (otherwise, just your name).  You just can't buy that kind of publicity.  If this goes well I'll do it again.  Of course if no one guesses anything I'll just shitcan the whole idea.  Let's play!  (and no cheating by looking them up!) 1. "She can move you and improve you with her love and her devotion.  And she'll thrill you and she'll chill you, but you're headed for commotion." - KISS, ??? 2. "Tied to a chair, and the bomb is ticking.  This situation was not of your picking." 3. "I hang my head and I adverti
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Jan122009 by Chris Holmes2 Comments
The apocalypse will be televised: 6 visions of the future in music videos

The apocalypse will be televised: 6 visions of the future in music videos

Music, TV & Radio
Since time immemorial, mankind has approached the future with a mixture of wonder and fear.  From primitive days to Biblical times, and even in our modern, sophisticated age we have imagined ourselves either ascending to the pinnacle of enlightenment and peace or descending into a living hell on earth. Somewhere in between those two extremes lie the visions of the future shown in music videos.  These glimpses into our possible futures show us what most likely lies in store for us - a world that is bleak and hopeless, but still has a pretty kickass soundtrack. Kiss - "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" The scenario: This is pretty much your stock "post-apocalyptic rock world" video as you'll soon see.  Dirty streets, lots of fire, and desperate women in tattered clothes are all in abundance he
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Jul72008 by Chris Holmes6 Comments
Meme time: Pick an album for every year you’ve been alive

Meme time: Pick an album for every year you’ve been alive

Music
From Idolator via the AV Club comes a pretty cool music meme - compile a list of your favorite albums, with one for each year you've been alive. Sounds easy enough, but some years are positively stacked with music I love.  Forcing me to choose among my musical children is just so...cruel. For me the most bountiful years were 1975-1978, 1980, 1982-1984, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2006, and 2007. 1975 - Kiss, Alive! 1976 - Led Zeppelin, Presence 1977 - Rush, A Farewell to Kings 1978 - Ace Frehley/Kiss, Ace Frehley 1979 - Pink Floyd, The Wall 1980 - Genesis, Duke 1981 - Rush, Moving Pictures 1982 - Rush, Signals 1983 - Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind 1984 - Iron Maiden, Powerslave 1985 - Kiss, Asylum 1986 - Queensrÿche, Rage for Order 1987 - Anthrax, Among the Living 1988 - Queensr
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Jun262008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments
Pearl Frehley

Pearl Frehley

Music
As if I needed any more vindication for my love of Kiss, I offer the following clip of Pearl Jam performing "Black Diamond" with Ace Frehley during their June 25 show at Madison Square Garden. That's drummer Matt Cameron on vocals, by the way, playing the part of Peter Criss.  And because I can't pass up a good chance to post some more Kiss, here's Ace and his former bandmates doing the very same song at the very same venue, in 1977. Take that Thom - If Kiss is cool enough for Pearl Jam, they're cool enough for you.
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Jun22008 by Chris Holmes5 Comments
Album cover of the week: Dressed to Kill

Album cover of the week: Dressed to Kill

Album Cover of the Week
Anyone who knows me at all could have guessed that I'd find a way to get Kiss included on this feature sooner or later. But can you blame me? Whatever you think about their music, Kiss had its share of memorable album art back in the day. But for a slight twist, I went with one that I don't usually see called out as one of the group's best - 1975's Dressed to Kill: In contrast to the more popular covers for Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, and Love Gun, which seem to imbue Mssrs. Simmons, Stanley, Frehley, and Criss with superhero or demigod status, this cover opts for a more down-to-earth visual. Oddly enough, the genesis of this photo came from an earlier comic designed to show Kiss as superheroes. Basically, the idea was that they swooped into town to save music fans from th...
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Apr52008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments
Back in the New York Groove

Back in the New York Groove

Music
Being an Ace Frehley fan is not without its frustrations. His last studio album, Trouble Walkin', was released nearly 19 years ago and relatively little had been seen or heard from him since he left Kiss (again) in early 2002. What he's been up to during the last 6 years - other than recording a yet-to-be released solo album and rocking executive meetings across America - is anyone's guess, so it came as a pretty big surprise late last year when he announced his first full-fledged solo tour since before the original Kiss reunion in 1996. Frehley and his band (rhythm guitarist Derrek Hawkins, bassist/vocalist Anthony Esposito, and drummer/vocalist Scot Coogan) kicked off the Rocket Ride Tour in earnest in late December and rolled into New York City's Nokia Theatre last night for the co...
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Aug92007 by Chris Holmes3 Comments
The best (at least in terms of my iPod)

The best (at least in terms of my iPod)

Music
Creating and maintaining an iPod playlist with my favorite songs has been an interesting experience for me. I call the playlist "The Best" not because I really think these are the best songs ever, but because they are the ones that resonate the most with me. As the playlist has grown (it's now at 46 songs) some items of note have emerged. The first is that two of my all-time favorite bands, Kiss and Rush, are not represented once on the list. The second is that although I'm a pretty upbeat guy most of the time, I seem to respond the most to songs that are more subdued or melancholy. The third is that if a song has strong vocal harmonies it automatically wins points with me.So with that, here is the current list of The Best, with some commentary. As a side note, at least a few of these c...
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Jul272007 by Chris Holmes7 Comments
Peter Criss releases one for the diehards

Peter Criss releases one for the diehards

Music
Longtime Kiss fans recognize that Peter Criss has always lived a double life, musically speaking. On the one hand there is the hard rocking Catman, found on songs like "Hooligan," "Baby Driver," and "Dirty Livin'." On the other hand, there is the tender side of Criss, most evident on his 1978 solo album and the classic 1976 ballad "Beth." Criss's first solo effort since 1994, the self-produced One for All, falls squarely in the latter camp. In fact, it's even more subdued than his '78 solo effort. Of the 12 songs on the album, only one ("Heart behind These Hands") gets any warmer than a simmer. In and of itself that's not a problem, unless listeners were hoping for something harder. What is a problem is Criss, as much as he obviously poured his heart into One for All, lacks the son...
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Apr282006 by Chris Holmes7 Comments
1974 – It was a very good year (for music)

1974 – It was a very good year (for music)

Music
According a recent piece on cnn.com, 1974 was a really bad year for music. Like, really bad. As some examples, the author cites the following examples of musical craptasticity: Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun," Cher's "Dark Lady," Ray Stevens' "The Streak," Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Annie's Song," Paper Lace's "The Night Chicago Died," Paul Anka's "(You're) Having My Baby," Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" and Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting." Looking at that list, I would be inclined to agree with the author's assertion that 1974 was a dry, rocky place where the seeds of quality could find no purchase. But the problem with the article is this - there was PLENTY of great music being produced in 19...
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