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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  It's a shame you don't rate Kiss as much as Alice. A similar thread on Kiss would be fascinating reading. |
I used to be a huge KISS fan when they were a bubblegum rock group. You could keep Van Halen - KISS were the ultimate good time party band. The first six albums ('KISS' - 'Love Gun') are entertaining and fun, and I love 'Music From The Elder', which is probably my favourite KISS album
Then they did the unthinkable and when they took off the make-up, they became just another 80's heavy metal band, similar to my comments about Alice circa 'Constrictor'. The one thing that set them apart from every other band was now gone, and they were generic. 'Lick It Up' has some good songs on it, but I am struggling to think of anything from 'Asylum'. It was about this time I stopped listening to them
Of course there are a lot of similarities between them and Alice, but where one is a theatrical the other uses a lot of theatrics - I can't see Alice using explosions or pyrotechnics in a show, and I cannot imagine KISS using a prop in a song to tell a story
I also think that the relationship between the artist and the public is all important. During my research into this thread, I have read a lot of articles and watched a lot of interviews regarding Alice, and it seems that literally no-one (other than politicians and 'the establishment') have got a bad word to say about him. He seems to be genuinely loved by everyone, and he returns this love. He is a GOOD GUY. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who really do not like Paul Stanley and (especially) Gene Simmons and it seems they both treat their fans with contempt - why else would they be trying to pass off Tommy Thayer as the Space Ace and Eric Singer as The Cat? Why not give them their own make-up designs like they did with Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent?
Then, look at the relationship between the artist and his peers. Can you imagine KISS going out as a support act for another band (such as Motley Crue) for as long as Alice did?
I like KISS, but my love affair ended with them in the mid 80's when it felt like they turned their backs on me! There certainly IS a place for a KISS thread on the forum, but I don't think I am the person to start and upkeep it