Checklist For The Perfect Box Set
By: Erik Bingham

KISS' box set has been talked about by the band for so long it's become almost mythic. I have no idea what KISS is planning, but there are hundreds of directions they could go when designing a box set. It could be an extended greatest hits, like the Led Zeppelin set. Aerosmith put out a mix of hits and unreleased songs. The Misfits box set offers everything they ever recorded. KISS is in a different situation since they already have quite a few compilations and their entire back catalogue is available and remastered. Because of this, the box set needs to be something different, something special. My idea of the perfect KISS box set is a "gravestone" for the band. A collection that shows what KISS stood for: 30 or so years of hard work and great music. You may have read my Sound Off about KISS' upcoming album. I¼m using the same "checklist" format for this essay as well.

(In spite of the current rumors about Ace, all of this is written under the assumption that Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene will play as KISS until the band calls it quits.)

1. Do Not Make This A Greatest Hits.
There's no reason to repackage and resale songs we already have. KISS has tons of demos, outtakes and unreleased songs that most people haven't heard. That's what this box set should be full of. If any of the big hits do show up, they better not be the versions that are already available. Other than that, anything and everything is up for inclusion. That's what's nice about box sets - the sound quality doesn't have to be the best, and they don't have to be complete songs, just a riff or a guitar solo is worth hearing. Even songs that were originally too weak to go on an album are interesting in a box set.

2. Release The Set After The Final Tour.
Ideally, this box set would come out after the band breaks up. That way it could be the final statement from the band, a collection of music that says who KISS was. Box sets should be important; there should be a reason for them other than "We owed a set to the record company this year." If KISS were to do the box set then continue recording, it would seem like a rip off. There would be more leftover songs and the set would then seem incomplete. It would have much more impact if the box set were the final release from the band. People will be feeling nostalgic for KISS right after they quit, and this would be a nice way to look back on their career.

3. Market It To The Die Hard Fans.
The die hards are the ones who are going to buy this thing, regardless of what's on it. They are the ones who've heard everything, and they're the ones KISS needs to think about when planning this project. KISS has to break out all the weird stuff that people don't already own. It shouldn't even be considered whether or not it's accessible to casual fans. If somebody doesn't buy the box set because "Detroit Rock City" isn't on it, then screw them. If they want an "introduction" to the band, they should buy Double Platinum or Alive! This box set should be a gift to the fans who've followed the band through the years. A gift we have to pay $40 for.

4. Admit, And Give Credit To, All Nine Members.
A lot happened between 1978 and 1996. Every single member, from Gene Simmons to Mark St. John, was important to the development of the band. It would not be fair to focus on 1974 ‚ 1977 and leave out everything else. This box set isn't the place to ignore Vinnie just because he's a jerk, or to ignore 1985 because the costumes were funny. The box set should be a celebration of all eras of KISS, not just the "classic" band. Vinnie is a great writer, he really delivered the goods for the three albums he was involved in. And for better or worse, Mark brought the '80s "shredder" style to the band when he joined. It's not right to minimize their contributions just because they were in the band for a very short time. They've all earned a place in KISStory. Hey, for that matter, Bob Kulick and Anton Fig deserve some credit too, even though they never were official members.

5. Involve The Band In The Planning Of The Set.
KISS should make this a pet project. They should not let the record company put the set together, like so many other bands do. The band should come up with the packaging themselves, even if they don't do the final design. Since they spent the most time in the band, Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, and Bruce (representing himself and Eric Carr) should be very involved. Everyone should write liner notes and everyone should have a say about what songs end up on the CDs. And if they're up for it, get Vinnie, Mark, and Eric Singer to contribute as well. Vinnie's suing the band right now and I think Eric has some hard feelings, but if the eight surviving members ever did get together at the same time, it would be pretty exciting. At any rate it would make a cool photo.

6. Put Some Hard Work Into The Packaging.
I want the booklet to be the best part of the set. Tons of photos of every member and ex-member, good liner notes, a family tree, lyrics, a complete discography, and anything else you could think of. There needs to be a real effort to bring out things we haven't seen before. I don't want to see posed publicity shots from the '70s, I want to see candid shots, pictures in the studio, pictures up on stage. As far as "extras" go, some extras could be nice, but we don't need goofy crap like temporary tattoos, or Peter Criss guitar picks, or mini make-up kits. Considering that those things raise the price of the package, I'd rather forget them.

As far as packaging goes, I'd use separate CD cases (not a multipack), each with its own booklet full of photos and credits. Then I'd include a CD-sized hardcover booklet with even more photos and all the liner notes. If you've seen the new Ramones anthology, you know the type of book I'm talking about.

As far as music goes, I appreciate both the '70s and the '80s (and '90s) versions of KISS, but I believe that they are different bands and should be somewhat separated. One just has to decide where to draw that line. Some people say the "classic" era ended with Alive II. Some say it was when Peter left. Others say when they took the make-up off. But I split it after Music From 'The Elder' and before Creatures Of The Night. When they released The Elder, KISS was still hurting from their pop experiments. And even though Eric had replaced Peter, the band was still dealing with the same problems from 1978. Back when the success came in, KISS lost their drive (much like today after the Reunion Tour) but the failure of The Elder snapped them out of their funk. Creatures of the Night was the real turning point, KISS cut out the crap and went back to basics. They had something to prove again. Taking off the make-up a year later was a natural step in the direction they started with Creatures.

Here's how I'd lay out the box set:
Disc 1: Last Show
Disc 2: Wicked Lester
Disc 3: Classic Band
Disc 4: '80s Band

Disc One: The Last Show
KISS built their reputation on the live show. A fitting way to start off a box set would be a recording of KISS' last show ever, produced by Eddie Kramer. It would be the last show only, not a combo of two or three nights, like most live records are. It would have to be one night, hit or miss. And it would be LIVE with no fix-ups. Obviously they'll have to tweak a note here and there but for the most part they should keep it as it is. Hopefully KISS will play a longer-than-usual show, and this will be two CDs. The booklet that goes with this one would be full of photos from that night only, both on stage and off.

Disc Two: Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester was more or less the beginning of KISS. Their record is historically important. I know a lot of people already have it on bootleg, but I'm sure they would appreciate an "official" release. Then there's people like me who've never heard it. Mercury Records would have to buy the rights to release it, but that shouldn't be a problem. The record would probably have to be remastered and remixed. The booklet would include the originally intended artwork and credits.

Disc Three: The Classic Band
From KISS to 'The Elder' and from Psycho Circus to ???
This disc would focus on the make-up years, even though Peter didn¼t play on some of these albums. On this disc, we'd find stuff like "Acrobat," "La Bamba," Paul's version of "God of Thunder," Ace's "Queen for a Day," the acoustic "Beth." I don't know if Peter, Paul and Gene recorded any rehearsals before Ace joined, but this would be the project to release them. Ace and Peter had a lot of songs rejected for Psycho Circus; this would be a good time to let us hear them. It would be cool to hear something off of the original demo tape. We've heard the classic band live so many times, if any live tracks were included they'd have to be obscure songs like "Wouldn't You Like To Know Me?" or "Hard Times." It would be cool if Paul, Peter, Gene, and Ace could go into the studio and record a few new songs especially for this box set. This CD's booklet would have pictures from 1973 ‚ 1981 and from the Reunion to the Farewell Tour.

Disc Four: The '80s Band
From Creatures of the Night to Carnival of Souls
This disc would have a large focus on Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick. Some of the songs included could be: Gene's version of "I Walk Alone," some live stuff from the Animalize tour, maybe some of Mark St. John's demos. I know that a lot of Eric Carr's demos are still lying around. And I would definitely like to hear some live songs featuring Eric and Vinnie Vincent. Just like Disc Three, I think Gene and Paul should go into the studio again, but this time with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer. That would be a great thing to advertise: "New songs from TWO different lineups of KISS!!" Actually, that sounds kind of cheesy. This booklet would feature photos from around 1982 ‚ 1996.

There's my version of the box set. There's really not a lot to say. Box sets are weird. They're hard to plan and they're very hard to market. I hope the band decides to deliver the goods when it comes time to release the thing. From what I've read so far, it seems like KISS does plan to give us the unreleased stuff, not another greatest hits. But that all may change before they release it. In any event, KISS has always been about the music for me, and I'm anxious to see just what music will end up on this box set.

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