Love 'Em, Keep 'Em!

Guess what... I have discovered the music of KISS! And geez, what a great rocking pop band they are. Inspired by my friend, the author of One Chord to Another, I decided to check out KISS a few months ago. So, I got myself some early KISS albums and started listening. I noticed very quickly that the huge fame was well-earned. The albums were packed with gorgeous hard rock sounds with good melodies, even some really nice vocal harmonies...

According to some rumors, Gene Simmons has stated that there hasn't been much magic in making music with KISS. The band is a product and it sells well. Sounds familiar to me... A lot of music from the past decades was targeted to an audience that knew what it wanted – and the music was made by people who knew what the audience wanted. A good thing is that the product may still sound very good more than 30 years later.

Pictures of KISS still surprise me. That is because I haven't seen visual KISS material all that much.. I guess I have been kept in the dark (or something like that). The band looks goofy! And very goth-glam, I have to admit. KISS has also been known for spectacular live performances. The band's latest gig in Finland was last summer. I didn't go to see the show but the next time I just might do that...

So, I have been listening to KISS, Rock and Roll Over, Destroyer, and a bit of Love Gun. My favorite is Rock and Roll Over. This album also introduced me to the band's other lead singer, Paul Stanley... Well, he sounds really good. Nicer than Gene Simmons, at least. Paul Stanley is an important person also because he is the only other original member who is still in the band. He has also been credited to numerous big KISS hit songs.

To me, listening to KISS is a nice hard rock project. I often have use for groovy, hard-rocking, energetic music like KISS. That's why taking KISS to, say, the gym is simply awesome. You can never get enough of those hard rock riffs, catchy playing, and good songwriting!

KISS website