the ultimate KISS compilation??

[Blitzkrieg]

OK, I need some KISS in my collection, but am not keen on buying albums, me wants a best of, or something of the like...

What is their best compilation? Me wants no filler tracks, all classics, from any era....I don't know much about KISS, I just want some of their good music, and none of their crap.

Whats 'Alive' like? Is that what I am after, or do I want a studio compo?

HELP ME!

 

[spawn]

Get Alive 3 I say Gives you the best cross section of old and new, and you can hear Paul singing backup vocals with himself

 

[Spiff]

Get "Crazy Nights". It's not an official best of, but it DOES include their best songs! It's the greatest album they ever released, closely followed by "Revenge".

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Spiffy: I don't want albums though.

Is Alive 3 the best of the 3?? What tour is it from?

 

[Spiff]

But "Crazy Nights" has all their best songs!

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Here is my guide to the Kiss best ofs:

Double Platinum (1978) - The best compilation of makeup era stuff easily. 1974-77 was their "classic era" coz they went crap for a while in '78... the solo albums, then Dynasty and Unmasked. This compilation is 20 classics from their early years, all cool songs, and usually $10 at JB

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988) - 2 new songs which both rock I think, the rest is a mix of makeup era songs (remastered) and some '80s non makeup hits like Tears Are Falling, Heaven's On Fire, Lick It Up, etc. Good overview of both eras but lots of great songs missing.

Greatest Kiss (1996) - Pretty good compilation of their makeup era with God Gave Rock N Roll To You there as well, but I'd go Double Platinum for a makeup compilation over this.

The live ones:

Alive (1975) is a classic, has 17 songs from their first 3 albums. Great energy and live feel, classic live album!

Alive II (1977) has stuff from the next 3 albums that came out after Alive, not quite as good as Alive though.

Alive III (1993) sounds awesome but heaps of overdubs... HEAPS... but good setlist of some 70s classics, a few 80s classics, and some stuff from Revenge ('92) which is a great album

 

[Blitzkrieg]

So theres no compilations that heavily feature their 80s material? I was hoping to get 'Double Platinum' (I think I recall Troops praising it a while back) and something with 80s stuff on it....oh wells. DP it is I guess.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yeah the only compilation with much 80s stuff is one of the CDs in the boxset

They tend to ignore that whole era now I can always make you a compilation of some of their best 80s material if you want.

 

[Spiff]

"Alive 3" has plenty of 80s stuff.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Actually it doesn't really. It has 2 songs off Creatures, one off Lick It Up, one off Animalize and one off Hot In The Shade. That's 5 songs.

But it does have 5 songs off Revenge too which is cool

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Ohhhh wait it has 3 songs off Creatures. COOL

Remembering the Alive III tracklisting now, I'd highly recommend that one too Blitzy

 

[Spiff]

Well, maybe I should have said non-70s stuff then If you're after a good mix of songs which isn't just a rehash of Alive and Alive 2, get Alive 3. You get to hear Paul stuff up the "I can't get enough" bit in I Was Made For Loving You, which begs the question, "If they weren't afraid to have heaps of overdubs, then why didn't they fix that bit up?". It sounds positively painful!

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

That bit sounded painful on the studio versoin anyway

One thing about Alive III though, where are Tears Are Falling, Crazy Crazy Nights, Lets Put The X In Sex and Hide Your Heart?

I mean Alive II only had post-Alive songs, I think Alive III should've only had post Alive II songs. Or perhaps only songs from Creatures onwards, that album marks the start of that era of the band as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

So DP and Alive 3 then is it?

Troops, I would have asked you to burn some shit for me (coz I want some other glam stuff too..), but I thought you would only have stuff on vinyl.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Well most 80s Kiss I have on CD or on both. The only 2 that I only have on vinyl and not CD are Animalize and Asylum, but I have Asylum in mp3 anyway hehe.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Cool.

Recommend me some good glam too. Lately I have found myself in the mood for glam, but I don't know of any that I actually like, lol. What are some of the better VVI songs to sample?

 

[spawn]

Get Alive 3 Blitzy, DP is too slow, and too 70s, get A3 first, the songs sound way better with something closer to todays production/distortion etc.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Sounds good.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

I agree, every track on Alive III is an improvement on the studio version. Kiss have always been better live than on record I think, and none of their albums except maybe Creatures Of The Night, Hot In The Shade and Revenge have very good production. Crazy Nights does too but perhaps a little overproduced in a pop-metal way.

As far as glam goes...

Motley Crue are awesome. Very simple but lots of bite, true rock & roll bad boy sound hehe.

'80s Dokken is just brilliant melodic hard rock stuff. AWESOME!

Ratt are probably the best of the LA glam bands I think, but the singer may not be everyone's cup of tea, he isn't too great at all. Musically though... excellent riffs and really melodic flashy solos and great raunchy grooves, very tight and sharp sounding stuff.

Vinnie Vincent Invasion are just ear shatteringly awesome on their first album! Great platter of brilliant metal riffs (pretty damn heavy for glam too), ear piercing solos (perhaps too excessive though lol), soaring vocals, great choruses, and HEAPS and HEAPS of energy! Just ask Tonci hehe. Good songs to sample would be "Animal", "Boyz Are Gonna Rock", "Do You Wanna Make Love" and "Back On The Streets". It may be a bit too much to get used to at first if your not used to glam coz its sooo over the top, so from the second album "Ashes To Ashes" and "Love Kills" are awesome songs, much more melodic.

Warrant rock too. They cop alot of criticism which I think is unfair coz their first 2 albums are great imo. Very very solid '80s hard rock/hair metal. Jani Lane is a strong vocalist too.

Slaughter are the offshoot of Vinnie Vincent Invasion when they kicked out Vinnie in '89 lol. They're much more melodic and straight ahead hard rock/metal than over the top glam/speed metal like VVI, but very good all the same hehe.

Skid Row aren't glam but still a big haired hard rock/metal band from the late '80s/early 90s and their first 2 albums are just PERFECT hard rock. I don't think anybody would dispute that either, top stuff!

 

[Icarus]

Originally posted by The Trooper
Vinnie Vincent Invasion are just ear shatteringly awesome on their first album! Great platter of brilliant metal riffs (pretty damn heavy for glam too), ear piercing solos (perhaps too excessive though lol), soaring vocals, great choruses, and HEAPS and HEAPS of energy! Just ask Tonci hehe. Good songs to sample would be "Animal", "Boyz Are Gonna Rock", "Do You Wanna Make Love" and "Back On The Streets". It may be a bit too much to get used to at first if your not used to glam coz its sooo over the top, so from the second album "Ashes To Ashes" and "Love Kills" are awesome songs, much more melodic.

I totally agree trentah I cant stop listening to it since I first got it about a month or 2 ago

Buy Vinnie Vincent or go to hell!