From: Hidell@aol.com

Ok, ok, we all know Psycho Circus is the first album by the original KISS in blah blah blah years. What do we get for our wait? Well, nothing mind- blowing, nothing incredibly special, but a pretty solid album from start to finish (with a few notable exceptions, both good and EXTREMELY F----ING BAD).

Psycho Circus-- I have to admit this one grew on me, a straight ahead, no- nonsense Stanley Eisen strut-fest. Any guy listeing to this one has to feel the need to grab himself once or twice, maybe throw his elbow out and start nodding his head Night at the Roxbury style. Crappy chorus, but who gives a S---?? B

Within-- Here's a question for all the fans who busted on this tune....what is your F---ing problem? "Oh, this sounds like something off of Carnival of Souls!" "Oooh! I don't like it when the demon gets all dark and scary!!" Listen up. Within is one of the best songs on the album, and furthermore, Ace Frehley IS playing on it. The issue of Peter and Ace's involvement is something I'd like to address at the end of this review, as a matter of F---ing fact. A

I Pledge Allegiance to the State of......whatever-- Strike one for the Starchild, who begins to tread some serious dangerous waters with this lollipop of a song. Good lord, Paul. What the hell were you thinking? I know you want to sell albums, but this? I guess the tune isn't so bad, especially when compared to the monster lurking just a few tracks ahead. Speaking of that song--which shall remain nameless--I think we should all petition Mercury to omit it from all future pressings of Psycho Circus. As far as "Pledge" is concerned, I do like the guitar breakdown during the solo, but that's it. C minus (where's my f---ing minus symbol???)

Into the Void-- OK, Ace is finally back from that ride with the Devil in his Delorean. This song is everything you'd ever want and need from Ace. Some say it sounds like his Frehley's Comet stuff, but I disagree. It's more akin to "Talk to Me," or "Two Sides of the Coin," only heavier (which is good). I keep picturing a video for it (impossible since its not Gene or Paul singing), but at any rate, my video finds Kiss in an all silver UFO, doing battle with some blue-skinned alien babes. There's also a scene where Gene uses his axe bass on a disgusto alien creature, but I'm getting sidetracked (what? you'd rather they went another round with Abner Deveroux?? and while I'm on the subject of Abner....how the F--- did he get "old" at the end of that movie???) A

We Are One-- You're lucky, Gene. It's a good thing you're so damn cool and your solo album has masterpieces like "See You Tonite" on it, or else you'd really hear it over this track. Forget the comparisons to the Goo Goo Dolls, this is a love letter from Gene to the KISS fan, and to hell with everyone else. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same tired, cliche lyrics that occupy most Kiss tunes, but it's the thought that counts. I love you too, Demon. I'll see you this fall, and I'll bring my wallet. A

You Wanted The Best-- Why do I like this one? I don't have a clue. It's mega-cool to hear the fearsome foursome singing (bickering) with each other, but other than that I have absolutely no justification for liking this track. Maybe it's the British accents at the end (listen closely and you'll hear Ace tell 'em to shut up!), but for me, nothing beats Peter Criss's "The Cat," and his "Gene and Paul went up the hill to fetch a pail of water....." Ok, let me give this a B, and move quickly to the next song.......

Track #7-- Good God, what have they done!!!!!!! I'm sorry, but this is arguably the worst Kiss song to come down the pike since "You Make Me Rock Hard." There's no excuse for a song like this--pure Coke commercial crap. This song makes the stuff on Crazy Nights sound gloomy and experimental. Everything from the synth hi hat notes during the pre-chorus to the incredibly awful lyrics (which Stanley recently claimed in interviews he let Holly Knight write, because rhyme schemes like "set the world on fire," "climb barbed wire," and "get much higher," were apparently too tough to figure out) makes me yearn for "My Way," and brother, I could complain for hours about that tune. Let's hope Ace and Peter didn't play on this one....FFFFFFFFFF!!

I Finally Found My Way-- Way to go Peter!! A lot of Kiss fans dis Peter and his own special brand of shmaltz, but this song is pure Muzak gold. Who cares if Stanley wrote it? Peter totally sells it here, and you gotta love him and Paul singing together, another Kiss first. Incidentally, I'm also a die-hard Sinatra fan, but let's be honest. Would the Chairman have the cahones to get up on stage at 50, slather his face in cat make-up, and toss roses to the ladies? Didn't think so. Peter, you got it all, man. B+

Dreamin'-- Redemption time for Inwood, New York's favorite son. Paul Stanley scores here, with a tune that literally sounds like a lost solo album demo. It's not incredible, but it sounds so much like 1978 to me that I gotta love it. Ok, Starchild, I'm done ragging you.(extra points for tossing Kulick a bone!!!) Bminus

Journey of 1,000 Years-- Well, Gene's attempting to say something here, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is. The song is peculiar, but not foreign to the many ears of the Kiss Army, kind of Elder-ish. I dunno. Doesn't do much for me. C

Why Can't KISS Write Lyrics? That's a good question, and I'm glad you asked. First of all, Kiss have never been geniuses with words, just listen to the never-ending metaphors they come up with during interviews. But there was a time when these guys could turn a phrase or two, cases in point: Ace: "We'd go to school, and then we'd cut out, go to the park, and space our heads out....." Gene: "The plaster's getting harder, and my love is perfection, a token of my love for her collection..." Paul: "Don't you know you can cry, but you ain't enough lady to keep the master satisfied..." Peter: "I got a '35 Chevy on a '55 frame, can't even spell my name.."

Now those golden days are gone. On Psycho Circus, Ace doesn't know if he'll "live or die," Gene wants to "touch without feel," and Paul, well, just listen to Track #7 to figure Paul's problem out. I believe this is simply because these guys don't have anything to say. I believe they're genuine when they constantly remind us to do what we want to in life (the same philosophy my parents taught me), and they're also telling the truth about their love for women, but that's all these guys know.

Occasionally there are moments, like Paul's "I Will Be There," written for his son, but they are too far and few in between. If you disbelieve me, just toss on the king of lyrical nonsense, Hot in the Shade's "Love's a Slap in the Face." "I've been up, down, and all around?????" Gene must've let his lawyer write that one.

Hey Hidell, What's All the Gossip About Peter and Ace Barely Playing on Psycho Circus? Another good question. For what it's worth, I've listened to Kiss albums critically for 15 years. I also play the drums (tried to audition for Ozzy once and got an Ozzy rejection letter printed on Ozzy stationery--a priceless posession of mine!!). I firmly believe that Peter is all over this album, unless they wanted someone to imitate him for some reason. Peter has a very simple, laid back style, evident here and on "The Cat", his album with CRISS.

The drum sound is typically over-produced (way to go, Fairbain) and sounds big and wet, without the authentic resonance of Eric Carr's Creatures of the Night sound, but all that is done after the track is recorded. Watch Peter perform the new stuff live and see for yourself........

As for Ace, there is a delusion among some Kiss fans that all Ace can do is belt out his standard "Ace-isms (thank Kulick for that term!)". In reality, Ace is quite able to do stuff like the intro to "Within." It's not too far off from his live solos during the Love Gun tour, when he kicked on that octave pedal and went to work.

Anyway, that's all for me. If anybody wants to gripe about my report, I'll take on all comers at Hidell@aol.com. Now go baby driver, push that pedal to the floor!!!!!!

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