Dynasty, released in 1979, continued their streak of platinum albums, yet it was their last record with the original lineup - Criss left in 1980. Simmons' record was the most successful, reaching number 22 on the charts, yet all of them made it into the Top 50. They were never seen in public without their makeup, and their popularity was growing by leaps and bounds the membership of the Kiss Army, the band's fan club, was in the six figures.Įven such enormous popularity had its limits, though, and the band reached them in 1978, when all four members released solo albums on the same day in October. A 1977 Gallup poll named Kiss the most popular band in America.
Kiss members full#
Their follow-up, Destroyer, was released in March of 1976 and became the group's first platinum album it also featured their first Top Ten single, Peter Criss' power ballad "Beth." Kiss mania was in full swing thousands of pieces of merchandise hit the marketplace (including pinball machines, makeup and masks, and board games), and the group had two comic books released by Marvel as well as a live-action TV movie, Kiss Meet the Phantom of the Park. By April of 1975, the group had released three albums and had been touring America constantly, building up a sizable fan base.Ĭulled from those numerous concerts, Alive! (released in the fall of 1975) made the band rock & roll superstars it climbed into the Top Ten and its accompanying single, "Rock 'N' Roll All Nite," made it to number 12. Kiss released their self-titled debut in February of 1974 it peaked at number 87 on the U.S. Two weeks later, they were signed to Neil Bogart's fledgling record label, Casablanca. Even at their first Manhattan concert in 1973, the group's approach was theatrical, and Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered the band a management deal after the show. Kiss was the brainchild of Gene Simmons (bass, vocals) and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals), former members of the New York-based hard rock band Wicked Lester the duo brought in drummer Peter Criss through his ad in Rolling Stone, while guitarist Ace Frehley responded to an advertisement in The Village Voice.
Since then, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have remained a potent live draw and have sold over 75 million records worldwide, with highlights arriving via influential efforts like Alive!, Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun, Dynasty, and Lick It Up. In 1983 the band went unmasked, resulting in the platinum-selling LP of the same name, but re-applied the makeup ten years later. It's a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop-metal that dominated rock in the late '80s. But Kiss' music shouldn't be dismissed - it is a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars, earworm melodies, and sweeping strings.
Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting, and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids. Most kids were infatuated with the look of Kiss, not their music. Rooted in the campy theatrics of Alice Cooper and the sleazy hard rock of glam rockers the New York Dolls, Kiss became a favorite of American teenagers in the '70s.
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