Kiss (band)

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This article is about the American rock group. For other uses, see Kiss (disambiguation).

Kiss

Kiss playing at Hellfest 2013, during their Monster World Tour. From
left to right: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy
Thayer

Background information

Origin

Genres

New York City, New York

Years active
Labels

1973present
Casablanca
Mercury
Roadrunner
Kiss
Universal Music Group

Associated acts

Wicked Lester
Chelsea
E.S.P.
Frehley's Comet
Union
Vinnie Vincent Invasion
Alice Cooper

Black Sabbath
White Tiger
Black 'n Blue
Badlands
Blackjack
Website

kissonline.com

Members
Paul Stanley
Gene Simmons
Tommy Thayer
Eric Singer

Past members
Ace Frehley
Peter Criss
Eric Carr
Vinnie Vincent
Mark St. John
Bruce Kulick

Kiss (often styled as KISS) is an American hard rock group formed in New York City in January
1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Well known for its members'
face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 1970s with
their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars,
shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band has gone through several
lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons the only remaining original members. The original
and best-known lineup consisted of Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Simmons (vocals and
bass guitar), Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Criss (drums and vocals).
With their make-up and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters:
The Starchild (Stanley), The Demon (Simmons), The Spaceman or Space Ace (Frehley) and The
Catman (Criss). Due to creative differences, both Criss and Frehley had departed the group by
1982.
In 1983, Kiss began performing without makeup and costumes, thinking that it was time to leave
the makeup behind. The band accordingly experienced a minor commercial resurgence, and

their music videos received regular airplay on MTV. Drummer Eric Carr, who had replaced Criss
in 1980, died in 1991 of a rare type of heart cancer and was replaced by Eric Singer. In response
to a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup
in 1996, which also saw the return of their makeup and stage costumes. The
resulting Alive/Worldwide Tour was commercially successful. Criss and Frehley have both since
left the band again and have been replaced by Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively.
Kiss has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 25 million RIAA-certified
albums.[1][2] On April 10, 2014, Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Contents
[hide]

1History
o

1.119711975: Early years

1.219751978: Rise to prominence

1.31978: Solo and film projects

1.419791983: Final make-up years

1.519831996: Unmasking

1.619962001: Reunion

1.720012008: Post-reunion

1.820082012: Sonic Boom and Monster

1.92013present: 40th anniversary, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and international
collaboration

2Musical style

3Influence

4Members

5Make-up designs

6Discography

7Filmography

8See also

9References
o

9.1Bibliography
10External links

History[edit]
19711975: Early years[edit]
Kiss traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock band led by Gene
Simmons and Paul Stanley. They recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and
played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that a new musical direction was
needed, abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 and began forming a new group. [3][4][5]
In late 1972, Simmons and Stanley came across an ad in the East Coast version of Rolling
Stone placed by Peter Criss, a veteran drummer from the New York City scene who had
previously played in the bands Lips and Chelsea. Simmons and Stanley met him in a nightclub
where he was playing drums. After hearing Criss sing, they thought of him being in the band.
Criss then auditioned for and later joined the new version of Wicked Lester. The trio focused on a
much harder style of rock than Wicked Lester played. They also began experimenting with their
image by wearing makeup and various outfits.[6] In November 1972, the trio played a showcase
for Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, in an effort to secure a record deal. Although the
performance went well, Ellis disliked the group's image and music.
In early January 1973, the group added lead guitarist Ace Frehley. Frehley impressed the group
with his first audition, although he showed up wearing two different colored sneakers, one red
and one orange. A few weeks after Frehley joined, Wicked Lester changed their name to Kiss. [7]

The Kiss logo

Stanley came up with the name while he, Simmons and Criss were driving around New York City.
Criss mentioned that he had been in a band called Lips, so Stanley said something to the effect
of "What about Kiss?"[8] Frehley created the now-iconic logo, making the "SS" look like lightning
bolts, when he went to write the new band name over "Wicked Lester" on a poster outside the
club where they were going to play.[9]Stanley designed the logo with a Sharpie and a ruler and
accidentally drew the two S's nonparallel because he did it "by eye." The art department asked
him if we wanted it to be redrafted to be perfect and he said, "It got us this far, lets leave well
enough alone. Our number one rule has always been no rules.[10]

KISS logo used in Germany, Israel, and other countries that outlaw Nazi symbols

The runic letters happened to look similar to the insignia of the Nazi SS, a symbol that is
outlawed in Germany by Section 86a of the German criminal code. Since 1979, most of the
band's album covers and merchandise in Germany have used an alternate logo, in which the
letters "SS" look like the letters "ZZ" backwards. This logo is also used
in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Israel to avoid controversy.
The band's name has repeatedly been the subject of rumors pertaining to alleged hidden
meanings. Among these rumors are claims that the name is an acronym for "Knights in Satan's
Service", "Kinder SS", or "Kids in Satan's Service". Simmons has denied all of these claims. [11][12]
The first Kiss performance was on January 30, 1973, for an audience of three at the Popcorn
Club (renamed Coventry shortly afterward) in Queens. For the first three gigs, January 30 to
February 1, they wore little to no makeup; the iconic makeup designs associated with Kiss made
their debut during the March 910 shows at The Daisy in Amityville, New York. On March 13 of
that year, the band recorded a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer. Former TV

director Bill Aucoin, who had seen the group at a handful of showcase concerts in the summer of
1973, offered to become the band's manager in mid-October. Kiss agreed, with the condition that
Aucoin sign the band to a record label within two weeks. On November 1, 1973, Kiss became the
first act signed to former teen pop singer and Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart's new
label, Casablanca Records.[13]
The band entered Bell Sound Studios in New York City on October 10, 1973, to begin recording
their first album. On December 31, the band had their official industry premiere at the Academy
of Music in New York City, opening for Blue yster Cult. It was at this concert that Simmons
accidentally set his hair (which was coated in hairspray) ablaze for the first of many times while
performing his fire-breathing routine.[14]
Kiss' first tour started on February 5, 1974, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at the Northern
Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, as an opening act.[15] The band's self-titled debut albumwas released
on February 18. Casablanca and Kiss promoted the album heavily throughout the spring and
summer of 1974. On February 19, the band performed "Nothin' to Lose", "Firehouse" and "Black
Diamond" on ABC's In Concert (aired March 29), their first television appearance. On April 29,
the band performed "Firehouse" on The Mike Douglas Show. This broadcast included Simmons's
first televised interview, a conversation with Mike Douglas in which Simmons declared himself
"evil incarnate", eliciting uncomfortable reactions from a confused studio audience. Fellow
guest Totie Fields said it would be humorous if, beneath all the make-up, Simmons was "just
a nice Jewish boy". Simmons responded, "You should only know", to which Fields replied, "I do.
You can't hide the hook", a reference to the stereotypical "Jewish" nose.[16]
Despite the publicity and constant touring, Kiss initially sold just 75,000 copies. Meanwhile, the
group and Casablanca Records were losing money quickly. The band (while touring) stopped in
Los Angeles in August 1974 to begin recording their second album, Hotter Than Hell, which was
released on October 22, 1974. The only single, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", failed to chart, and the
album stalled at No. 100.[17]
With Hotter Than Hell quickly dropping off the charts, Kiss was pulled from their tour to quickly
record a new album. Casablanca head Bogart stepped in to produce the next album, trading in
the murky, distorted sound of Hotter Than Hell for a cleaner and slightly poppier sound. Dressed
to Kill, released on March 19, 1975, fared slightly better commercially than Hotter Than Hell. It
also contained what later became the band's signature song, "Rock and Roll All Nite".[18]
Although Kiss albums had not proved to be big sellers, the band was quickly gaining a reputation
for their live performances. Kiss concerts featured such spectacles as Simmons spitting "blood"
(an effect made primarily from raw egg whites, strawberry syrup and red food coloring) and
"breathing fire" (spitting flammable liquid at a torch), Frehley soloing as his guitar burst into
flames (light and smoke bombs placed inside the guitar), Criss's elevating drum riser that emitted
sparks, Stanley's Townshend-style guitar smashing, and pyrotechnics throughout the show.[19]
By late 1975, Casablanca was almost bankrupt, and Kiss was in danger of losing their record
contract. Both parties desperately needed a commercial breakthrough if they were to survive.
[20]
That breakthrough came in an unlikely form: a "double live" album.[21]