So Close... But They Blew It
By: Psully1970@aol.com

As KISS fans, none of us want to admit that they've almost reached the end. Let's face it, (with the exception of Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones) none of the bands from the 70's have managed to maintain or regain the level of success they had in that decade. What pisses me off is that KISS came so close to doing just that and they blew it! They had so much momentum after the Reunion Tour. They were once again a part of pop culture; tv shows were dropping references to them, the average music fan saw them as "cool" again, and they were reaching younger fans by appearances such as the Brooklyn Bridge performance on the MTV awards. These are only a few examples. They were primed for a resurgence in popularity. Unfortunately, their egos (Gene's ego) took over and they went for too much too soon.

The "Psycho Circus" album was their chance to show they could still kick ass and be relevant in the 90's. It should've been a heavy, raw, in your face album that got people's attention. Kinda like the attitude on "Lick It Up" or "Creatures". Instead, we got an album with a lot of of hype and an elaborate marketing scheme, but not much substance. Not to mention the fact that Peter and Ace were hardly even involved in the studio. That was total bullshit! Even though the album's got some good songs, it's tainted because of that fact. I think Gene and Paul really disrespected the true fans by using studio musicians on their supposed "reunion" album.

Getting back to the whole marketing thing, did anybody really think the average fan would pay $20.00 or so for a KISS c.d. with only ten songs just because it was enhanced? The whole marketing of the album and tour was a disaster, once again taking the focus off the music and using gimmicks, such as the 3-D stuff and the traveling circus. Then all the other merchandise started coming out. It became like the 70's all over again. The only difference is that in the 70's people actually bought into it. This time it was just way too much, too soon.

Now, supposedly, Ace wants to do a solo album instead of go on another tour. Can't say that I blame him. Gene and Paul took him and Peter back into the band, everything seemed cool, then all of a sudden they started acting like pricks again. At least that's the way I see it. Maybe Ace is just negotiating for more money. Who knows. Paul's doing the broadway thing, Gene's doing the movie thing. Peter just seems to be grateful to have some money and to be in the spotlight again. Ironically, he was the most screwed up member in the 70's but today he seems to be the one with the most serenity, gratitude and objectivity.

As a longtime fan, I'm very disappointed that after the Reunion Tour KISS released a lackluster album, had a very short and relatively unsucessful tour, and started to go their separate ways again. Ace doesn't want to tour, but if they throw enough money his way he'll be on tour. The next album is rumored to be a concept album. I guess they'll mail the tapes to Ace so he can record his parts in the basement of his house. Why can't they cut through all the bullshit and just do a solid album that stands on it's own merit? Even though it wasn't the most original album, "Carnival of Souls" has balls and they played their asses off. It stands on it's own for what it is: a 90's incarnation of KISS. Bruce and Eric didn't get caught up in ego and all the other bullshit; they were stand up guys and great musicians. Gene seemed to be that way on "Revenge", but now he's just a greedy egomaniac again. They need to go into the next album with a new attitude. Just focus on the music and crank out a kick ass album. If they release a solid album and do one last farewell tour, they will go out on top. If they focus on marketing and gimmicks, it will be a failure.

No matter what, KISS is and always will be my favorite band. I'm already anticipating the next album and tour. It'll be cool to hear 80's songs in the setlist. I think it's obvious to even the band members that their fans are becoming restless. What they don't realize, actually what Gene doesn't realize, is that the solution is simple. Forget all the other bullshit, put out a KISS album with great tunes (from all four members) and go on tour in support of the album.

Enough said.

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