April 7th, 2008
Ba-dum-cha!
Just gotta throw in a jab now and then. And who better to be a butt of a joke…
I’m not a fan of Mr. Simmons at all. I can’t stand Kiss. I’m a rock fan. Love the classic rock especially. But, come on, what did Kiss ever contribute to the history books? They made TONS and TONS of money, but yet where is their Dark Side of the Moon? Rubber Soul? Pet Sounds? What contribution did they ever make to the history of rock music?
The truth is, they were an exercise in marketing. A business. And I have to admit, Gene Simmons is a highly intelligent businessman.
And I’m one of those “don’t lose your day job” guys.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
c’mon “Detroit Rock City”, “God Gave Rock & Roll to You”, “Rock & Roll All Night”
these are classics!
April 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Those are classic rock songs, but that’s part of my problem, they have a small number of “hits” but no real artistic contribution in the form of a classic album or an opus of the genre if you will.
And I freely admit it’s my problem.
Maybe I should articulate my problem with them. They made TONS and TONS of money. Wikipedia attributes 110 million albums sold. Now I compared them to Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys in my post when I asked where is their “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Rubber Soul”, or “Pet Sounds.” So for the sake of that comparison, Pink Floyd is attributed 200 million records sold (wikipedia), the Beach Boys attributed “well over 65 million records worldwide (Rolling Stone)” and the Beatles, oh gosh what’s the point. Wikipedia shows that by 1972 they had sold “545 million units”.
OK, so comparing Kiss to these other guys. Your first impression might be that that is completely unfair. But those numbers, although they vary quite a bit between groups, put Kiss in a ballpark with some highly respected artists/bands. OK, not the Beatles, but who could share the same ballpark with them? Let’s try some other bands - Genesis: 150 albums worldwide, U2: 170 million, Rollling Stones: 200 million. How about some bands that you might actually group them with in terms of style or popularity - Def Leppard: 65 million, Foreigner: 50 million, Scorpions: 75 million, Rush: 40 million. Wait a second, all of those bands have more hit songs than Kiss… Let’s try bands that I personally would group them with - Dokken: 10 million, Poison: 25 million, Stryper: 8 million, Warrant: 25 million.
Let’s look at the bands who made a bit more sales than Kiss. Genesis has some classic albums - “Invisible Touch,” “Duke,” “Selling England By the Pound,” and their all-time classic “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” All albums that are considered among the best of rock. U2 has the obvious “The Joshua Tree”, but also “Achtung, Baby,” “the Unforgettable Fire,” and “Rattle and Hum.” Rolling Stones have “Exile on Main Street.” Kiss made a lot more than any in my next category of bands who still had more hit singles, roughly twice the average. Rush deserves far more accolades in the history of rock music than Kiss and yet they only sold 40 million albums and they have their mark in the books with “2112″ at the very least. I think there are a couple others that could be considered among the best in rock. Van Halen has 75 million albums sold worldwide. That’s quite a bit less than Kiss and Van Halen has a few classic albums, the most popular of which would probably be “Van Halen,” “1984″ and “5150.”
Point being Kiss made TONS and TONS of money, but yet where is their contribution? We have a few singles that kids will be playing on Guitar Hero for awhile yet. But they left no artistic mark on the industry. Therefore they were great at making money but not so great at making music. That makes them merely a marketing machine, profiting from makeup, costumes, light shows, tongue wagging, and vomiting blood onstage. And as a fan of rock music, that gives me a strong dislike for them.
And I know I went way overboard and it has absolutely noting to do with your comment. Because you are right in pointing out their classic songs. I just have special rotten place in my heart for Kiss. So please excuse my rant… It’s totally my own opinion. I just feel the need to explain myself because so far I’ve never met anyone who agrees with me on this point. I guess I just wasn’t old enough in the 70s to appreciate Kiss. But I count that a good thing. As it is, I appreciate Van Halen more than I should.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
i think their great contribution was the image, the lifestyle, the following that they created. it might not have been the album or some magnum opus. it was the times, the rock and roll no matter whats going on or who might be offended.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Yeah I think you’re right.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:12 am
And KISS Saved Santa