KISS finally said goodbye to over 50 years of touring activities at the beginning of December 2023 but Gene Simmons decided he wasn’t quite ready to leave the party… “GENE SIMMONS BAND – EURO TOUR 2024 – THE GOD OF THUNDER RETURNS” is a book that compiles all of the facts and details of that year’s 12-date European tour from a fan’s perspective. Featuring over 700 photographs, exclusive interviews and experiences from those who were there to witness the spectacle first hand, besides tons of information. A book that will satisfy even the most die-hard of KISS fans.

Besides all of that, for this book we have had the honor to count on Gerhard Wimmer (one of the most renowned names in the KISS world) to write the foreword, as well as including exclusive interviews with Brian Tichy (Gene Simmons Band’s drummer), Marco Hartmann, Mark Laurenz, etc… something that obviously provides special value to the book’s content.

The package includes KISS Army Spain classic member card and two A5-size commemorative photos.  Book is in English.

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As a founding member of Kiss, Ace Frehley is often regarded as one of the most significant figures in the history of hard rock and heavy metal. Alongside bandmates Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmonds, Frehley helped popularise the genre and mutate it in a way that made it more commercially accessible. Given their innovations, it’s no wonder they’re still regarded as one of the biggest names in their field.

Their theatricality and pantomime appearance were a significant part of them being perceived differently by many of their peers, and the style of music that they made that blended heavy riffs with melodic hooks and pop sensibilities was crucial to their rise in stature during the 1970s and ‘80s. There’s certainly plenty about Kiss that could be described as corny, but at their core, they were incredibly accomplished performers and songwriters, and that’s why they were able to establish themselves at such a high level for so long.

However, while their pop credentials came from a mutual love of ‘60s pop acts from the UK such as The Beatles and The Yardbirds and later glam rock acts such as Slade, their heavier aspects came from a desire to be shocking and subversive in a similar manner to Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper. However, as the band’s guitarist, Frehley has always had plenty of other inspirations who have been a constant throughout his career.

Much like many others looking to master the instrument, Frehley looked up to Jimi Hendrix as a true icon of the instrument, and has proclaimed in the past that he believes the greatest album of all time is the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 debut, Are You Experienced?

In a 2023 interview with Classic Rock, the guitarist hailed the album as a life-changing record that sent him on the path to becoming the musician that he is, claiming that it was “revolutionary” and that he would regularly carry his copy of the album around with him as a teenager.

In a 2014 interview with Guitar World, he would sing the praises of the album, stating: “My guitar style was modelled after a lot of musicians, and Hendrix was definitely one of them. But even more than the music, what really influenced me was his attitude. The way he dressed, the way he looked. He was so anti-establishment, and nobody wrote music like him.”

He also recalled an early experience he had meeting his idol and said that after sneaking backstage at a Hendrix concert in 1969 when he was just 18 years old, he was asked if he wanted to be a roadie for the evening. “If you looked like you belonged with the band, they let you go backstage,” Frehley recounted. I had hair down to my waist, lemon-yellow hot pants and a black T-shirt with a snakeskin star on it. So they let me in. They put me to work setting up Mitch Mitchell’s drums and working on the stage when Jimi was playing. It was bizarre.”

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Nick Simmons, son of KISS bassist Gene Simmons, addressed fan requests in a video on Evan Stanley’s Instagram Stories. The brief interaction highlighted the musical collaboration between Nick Simmons and Evan Stanley, son of KISS frontman Paul Stanley.

“There. I played bass,” Nick Simmons stated in response to KISS fans’ demands for him to follow in his father’s footsteps.

The video appeared on Evan Stanley’s Instagram profile. Nick performed bass sounds on a keyboard as a playful response to fan expectations. The two second-generation musicians have collaborated on various musical projects while creating their own artistic path.

This lighthearted response emerged during a period of significant career developments. Both musicians have demonstrated their commitment to creating unique musical identities separate from their famous fathers’ legacy.

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Creatures of the Night album cover tshirt! Classic, standard fit. 18/1 cotton material. While they last!

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If you look up Kiss merchandise, you will begin to understand just how much of a musical monolith they are. What started as the desire to impress audiences with make-up and pyrotechnics has become a global empire, with the image becoming something separate from the music altogether. The characters they embody have their own backstories, taking on a life of their own outside of the musical outfit, and the band is unlike anything we have ever seen before as a result.

When they were originally asked why they decided to wear make-up, Kiss explained that it was because they didn’t feel as though bands had much of a sense of identity anymore. It seemed to them like there wasn’t the unity that bands had in the ‘60s, and so they wanted to try and make a band where it was clear that they were all united.

“The Beatles, in many ways,” said Paul Stanley when asked what band he modelled Kiss on, “Those ‘60s British groups all looked like real bands. No member of The Beatles could have fit into the Stones. No member of The Who could have been in the Dave Clark Five. You had unified images of those bands, and at the same time, there was an emphasis on the individual members.”

It wasn’t just that they looked like a unit with their make-up, though. Gene Simmons noted that by having such an individual identity, Kiss was able to make music that dabbled in various genres. “We also took pride in having the same freedom The Beatles had,” he said, “Their philosophy was, ‘No matter what kind of music we do, it’s still The Beatles’. That’s what was amazing about them… The Beatles were not trapped in that way. They could do music hall, psychedelia – anything – and they did. Yet somehow it always sounded like The Beatles.”

Of course, as is the case with any band, Kiss wasn’t always a united front. In fact, the only two original members still in the band are Gene Simmons and Paul Stanely. The other two original members, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, left long ago. There are a number of reasons why the band split; for Frehley, it’s because he wanted to start a successful solo career. Meanwhile, Criss had internal struggles that were starting to impact the band. Since then, there have been a number of new members playing rhythm guitar and drums for the band, which leads us to the other impact that their make-up has.

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Former Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi shared insights about his interactions with KISS bassist Gene Simmons on the Hear 2 Zen Podcast. Their conversation highlighted the ongoing friendly banter about Corabi’s pre-fame band name choice.

“Trust me, Gene Simmons bust my balls every time he sees me,” Corabi said. “He’ll go, ‘John Corabi, Angora is the worst name in history.’ But he also loves this song that I had called ‘Hey Operator.’ And he’s like, ‘That’s the best song you’ve ever written in your life.’ And I go, ‘Yeah, I noticed.’”

Records from Last.fm’s artist wiki show that Angora emerged as a Philadelphia-based hard rock band during Corabi’s initial music industry venture. The band relocated to Los Angeles in late 1986 to pursue opportunities in the thriving rock scene.

Their move caught the attention of KISS bassist Gene Simmons. The band’s name would later become a recurring subject of his good-natured criticism.

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LAST ONE!

Six foot tall, life size cardboard stand up of Paul Stanley. High quality Life-size celebrity stand ups are great for media rooms. dens, parties, offices, stores & any gathering place! Stand up is fully licensed high quality merchandise. Photographic quality image appears on front of heavy corrugated & constructed cardboard body. Item will be shipped flat and folded. Item is shipped folded into thirds as they were originally in 1999.

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“If there was a red light, he’d go through at full speed. It just seems to be in his DNA.”

Gene Simmons has recounted Kiss’s chaotic early days, pointing, in particular, to the raucous photoshoot for the band’s second album Hotter Than Hell.

In a new conversation with Rick Rubin on his Tetragammaton podcast, Simmons recalls working with photographer Norman Seeff on the shoot, and the mayhem that later ensued.

“During the photo sessions to get the back cover, I remember – Paul [Stanley] is not a drinker, never has been. The other two guys – not so much,” Simmons says. “They indulged.

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An official licensed KISS Unisex T-Shirt featuring the ‘Umbrellas’ design motif.

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