I picked up Kissology yesterday. Pretty cool, as expected. Basically they copied the format of the outstanding Led Zeppelin DVD, in that the menus and whatnot have little snippets of lower standard shows that still warranted inclusion in some fashion.
I don't mind saying that I have mixed feelings about buying anything "Kiss" these days, but the nostalgic draw of shows from the classic era was just too much to resist. If you grew up with Kiss as I did, this is basically the holy grail. Shows and other snippets from 1974 through 1977. If all you know about Kiss is what is going on now, or even what was going on in the 80s, well, this is what it was all about. High energy shows, good songs (yes, good songs), and of course, over the top staging and presentation. There is an innocence to it though, that is completely lacking in the "now," incarnation of the band. This was before "corporate Kiss," really existed....though of course, the lunch boxes were on the shelves. It's just that it was still four guys who really loved rock and roll, and that shows. Now it is JUST the corporation.
If your a fan, chances are you've seen these shows, but it's nice to have them in one spot - on two discs, easy to access, with at least marginally better quality that most boots....and 5.1 surround, though admittadly I can't take advantage of that since i just have the crappy speakers on my TV, and nothing else.
Strangely absent is a show from the Destroyer era from Anaheim...that I know exists since I used to own it on VHS (boot). Still, that's a small complaint. The Tokyo/Budokan show is on the Alive II stage, but with Destroyer costumes, so you get a "little" bit of the Destroyer vibe, and a kind of unique show, since there are few pictures from the shows with that particular mix.
Also, the documentary from the Cadillac, MI "high school gym" show and appearance is fun to watch, and VERY 70s. There are a few other things like that, but the central focus is three complete concerts from Alive I and Alive II eras. Plus, the first round of the release comes with a bonus disc, whose contents very depending on where you buy it (Sixx covered this in another post). I bought at Best Buy, which included the second night from The Cobo Hall show also included on the DVD. Probably would have preferred the 77 Madison Square Garden show, but didn't feel like chasing it down....so just went to Best Buy. And anyway, you only need so much....haha.
Volumes II and III are forthcoming, and speaking for myself, I will at least seek out Volume II. It should include Dynastry era, possibly Creatures of the Night era with Vinnie and Eric, and maybe will bleed into the no-makeup era, but we'll see about that.
All and all, very cool, and a nice addition to the "new wave," of quality DVDs out there that fans have been waiting years for - such as Maiden's Early years, the mentioned Zep DVD, and Priest's Screaming for Vengeance Electric Eye thing. For my money, this is reeeeeeally the kind of stuff that old-school bands should be putting out there. You listening Sabbath? Let's get a Live Evil DVD out here.....I hope this trend continues, since I eat this stuff up. I've got a nice shortlist of bands whom I desperately hope will jump on this bandwagon - complete shows from classic eras.
Having been a HUGE Kiss fan as a kid, I can honestly say I own only Alive I, and Kisstory (book) at this point....and now this DVD. It was more than worth buying.....
I don't mind saying that I have mixed feelings about buying anything "Kiss" these days, but the nostalgic draw of shows from the classic era was just too much to resist. If you grew up with Kiss as I did, this is basically the holy grail. Shows and other snippets from 1974 through 1977. If all you know about Kiss is what is going on now, or even what was going on in the 80s, well, this is what it was all about. High energy shows, good songs (yes, good songs), and of course, over the top staging and presentation. There is an innocence to it though, that is completely lacking in the "now," incarnation of the band. This was before "corporate Kiss," really existed....though of course, the lunch boxes were on the shelves. It's just that it was still four guys who really loved rock and roll, and that shows. Now it is JUST the corporation.
If your a fan, chances are you've seen these shows, but it's nice to have them in one spot - on two discs, easy to access, with at least marginally better quality that most boots....and 5.1 surround, though admittadly I can't take advantage of that since i just have the crappy speakers on my TV, and nothing else.
Strangely absent is a show from the Destroyer era from Anaheim...that I know exists since I used to own it on VHS (boot). Still, that's a small complaint. The Tokyo/Budokan show is on the Alive II stage, but with Destroyer costumes, so you get a "little" bit of the Destroyer vibe, and a kind of unique show, since there are few pictures from the shows with that particular mix.
Also, the documentary from the Cadillac, MI "high school gym" show and appearance is fun to watch, and VERY 70s. There are a few other things like that, but the central focus is three complete concerts from Alive I and Alive II eras. Plus, the first round of the release comes with a bonus disc, whose contents very depending on where you buy it (Sixx covered this in another post). I bought at Best Buy, which included the second night from The Cobo Hall show also included on the DVD. Probably would have preferred the 77 Madison Square Garden show, but didn't feel like chasing it down....so just went to Best Buy. And anyway, you only need so much....haha.
Volumes II and III are forthcoming, and speaking for myself, I will at least seek out Volume II. It should include Dynastry era, possibly Creatures of the Night era with Vinnie and Eric, and maybe will bleed into the no-makeup era, but we'll see about that.
All and all, very cool, and a nice addition to the "new wave," of quality DVDs out there that fans have been waiting years for - such as Maiden's Early years, the mentioned Zep DVD, and Priest's Screaming for Vengeance Electric Eye thing. For my money, this is reeeeeeally the kind of stuff that old-school bands should be putting out there. You listening Sabbath? Let's get a Live Evil DVD out here.....I hope this trend continues, since I eat this stuff up. I've got a nice shortlist of bands whom I desperately hope will jump on this bandwagon - complete shows from classic eras.
Having been a HUGE Kiss fan as a kid, I can honestly say I own only Alive I, and Kisstory (book) at this point....and now this DVD. It was more than worth buying.....
) 
