Everybody Is Right!
By: John Kereiff

I've spent the last couple of days skimming the "Sound Off" submissions in regards to all things KISS, and have come to a conclusion; everybody is right! Peter & Ace should've been allowed to be more involved with "Psycho Circus", but guess what? It's STILL a great album! As a music reviewer (I hate the term 'critic') of nearly 10 years' standing, "PC" was my #1 album for 1998. I had to listen to it at least once a day for a good 6 months before I could even take it out of my CD player.

On the other hand, KISS has done alot to be embarrassed about lately... mostly, it would seem, at the behest of Gene Simmons. The merchandising (out of control again), the wrestling, the mumblings of a Bob Ezrin-helmed 'concept album'. True, we don't need to buy the stuff if we don't want to. The wrestling... hell, I don't even watch anyway. And as for the Ezrin stuff, let's hope that's Gene's twisted humour at play! Everybody knows the end is near, including the band themselves. Gene's getting into the movie moguling thing, Paul is into musical theatre, and Ace has a solo album good to go. Hey, all good things come to an end!

My wish list for the year 2000 is simply this; a new album (with Eddie Kramer at the helm), a tour with all new outfits and staging (and a new set list!), Alive IV (with much better performances than heard on the bonus disc from the special edition of "Psycho Circus"), the box set, and then they simply walk off stage as Frank Sinatra sings "My Way".

I signed on as a KISS fan when I first saw them on "In Concert" in Feb/74 and have been on board for the whole ride. I didn't like every disc (The Elder? Unmasked, anyone?), but I bought them just the same because that's what a fan does... you take the good with the bad. When KISS is good, they're unbeatable. When they're bad, they're... human.

Paul, Gene, Ace, Peter... if you happen to read this, I just want to say thanks, man. Whatever's next, however this KISS thing finally goes down, it's been a helluva ride and I've loved every single second of it. Without your music, there've been some tough patches I may not have made it through outherwise.

ROCK & ROLL ALL NITE, PARTY EVERY DAY!!

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