2025 in 2025: Day 53

Destroyer - Ryan Adams

Not a cover of the Kiss album. That is disappointing. What it is instead is very low-fi acoustic alt country and it is all very fine. There is some weird synth or something in Bartering Lines. And then it all ends with a song that sounds like it is absolutely not from the same sessions, because it sounds like The Cardinals making noise rock complete with way too much wah.

Highlights: Born Yesterday, Poison and Pain, Memories of You

7/10

Destroyer - Kiss

Oh, this is the album I was after! Detroit Rock City is so awesome. So is King of the Night Time World. And the rest of the album. I must be in one of those moods this morning, because this album is hitting all the right notes for me today. 

Highlights: Detroit Rock City, King of the Night Time World, God of Thunder, Shout it Out Loud, Do You Love Me

9/10

Destroyer (45th Anniversary Super Deluxe) - Kiss

I actually kind of did talk about this before, but I'm willing to do it again. Manly because I have removed all the demos and stuff that I did not want to listen to again. Maturity is realising you don't need every song in the world in your iTunes library. This acoustic remix of Beth is good until that synth kicks in - very unnecessary. And I really dig Ain't None of Your Business - darn cool song! The rest of this is just the Destroyer album in various single edits and early mixes and even instrumentals. Beats listening to demos of bad Gene songs, I guess.

Highlights: Shout it Out Loud [Single Edit], Do You Love Me? [Alternate Mix], Ain't None of Your Business

7/10

Destroyer {Resurrected} - Kiss

Am I sick of this album yet? Luckily, listening to the {Resurrected} version is like listening to it with fresh ears. I think I like this version of Sweet Pain a little more? And not just because Ace 's guitar solo has been restored. I mean, you should always choose Ace Frehley guitar solos over everything. Actually, this mix of Beth is better as well - they've mixed in a little bit more acoustic guitar to fill things out nicely. Honestly, today has transformed my opinion on this album; I've generally considered it overrated, and while it is still not my favourite Kiss album, it is still better than you. Unless you are LA Park? Or Dr. Wagner, Jr.

Highlights: Sweet Pain (2012 Remix)

10/10 once I remove Rock and Roll Party and the Ace-less version of Sweet Pain

Details - Frou Frou

Imogen Heap was totally the 'it' girl back in 2005, right? And it felt like Guy Sigsworth was everywhere doing everything with everyone. I don't think I have listened to this since 2005... It feels like I might have some sort of deluxe version, because this album totally runs out of steam after 10 tracks and just gets really self-indulgent. But those first 10 tracks are awesome. It's no Destroyer, but it is a great collection of electronic pop music.

Highlights: Breathe In, Let Go, Only Got One, Shh

7/10

Devil's Night - D12

Another album I probably have not listened to since 2003. I totally dug Eminem back in the day, and thought this album would be cool. It is a bit too rude for me - I don't dig all the gross sex talk and what not. When that isn't going on, the songs are fun. How is it he mentioned him in a million songs but Eminem can not get that it is Christophe Reeve not Reeves? I need to seek out the radio version of Purple Pills - pretty sure it was called Purple Hills and Bizarre's rap was way different. Proof was the best rapper of the crew and his voice was cool. There are a lot more homophobic slurs than I remember.

Highlights: Shit Can Happen, That's How, Purple Pills, Instigator, Obie Trice (Skit), Revelation

6.5

"Albums" listened to so far: 413

2025 in 2025: Day 47

The Craft: Music from the Motion Picture - Various Artists

This is a whole bunch of 90s artists covering a bunch of 'classic' songs. Luckily for me, this includes a few of my favourite artists! We get Our Lady Peace doing a fairly standard remake of The Beatles' epic Tomorrow Never Knows, Letters to Cleo doing a song by The Cars, and then crap like Tripping Daisy completely ruining Jump Into the Fire. Bah gawd the LCD Soundsystem cover is a million times better, as is the original. But the real highlights are Heather Nova covering Peter Gabriel's I Have the Touch and some band called Love Spit Love performing the theme from Charmed! Yes, that is how I best knew the song and this version; it wasn't until many years later that someone told me it was actually a song by The Smiths. I like this version. I like Charmed. I have been meaning to watch that again - I never actually watched seasons 7 and 8...

Highlights: I Have the Touch - Heather Nova, How Soon Is Now? - Love Spit Love, Tomorrow Never Knows - Our Lady Peace

6/10

Crazy in Love - ITZY

This may be the most inconsistent ITZY release; there are some killer songs - and some that are right up there with the best of their songs - but there are also some of their worst songs on here. Or at least one bad song and a few weak ones. But yeah, those good songs are awesome. LOVE is a perfect ballad and Chillin' Chillin' is the most fun you can have - and hilariously both songs are exactly 3:30. Fun!

Highlights: LOCO, Sooo LUCKY, LOVE is, Chillin' Chillin'

7/10

Crazy Nights - Kiss

I'm not sure I need to write about this again? Maybe I do? Crazy Crazy Nights always hits hard. This album is just 80s good fun and makes me want to get a hot chocolate. It's cold, okay?

Highlights: Crazy Crazy Nights, Reason to Live, Turn on the Night

8/10

Crazy World - Scorpions

This is only the song Wind of Change. It is probably the only Scorpions song I have ever heard. Maybe I should hear more someday...

8/10

Creatures of the Night (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) - Kiss

This is two discs of demos and rarities from the Creatures of the Night sessions. Because listening to a bunch of Kiss demos has always worked out so well for me... but actually, these are not so bad. Things kick off with the *exclusive* tracks from Killers. I like them more than I apparently did during Kissathon II. Then it is demos for a song from Lick It Up, a song Peter Criss recorded on Let Me Rock You, the songs that appeared earlier/on Killers, a bunch of Gene's solo nonsense, a couple of songs recorded during the making of The Elder? And a Bryan Adams song. So anything BUT a song that actually was recorded for Creatures of the Night. I would actually complain, but I'll damned if the demo for Not For the Innocent isn't a million times better than how it actually ended up on Lick It Up; Paul singing the chorus is soooo much better! Also, It's My Life is here in demo form. And that song is awesome. Even without Ace doing some vocals. So this is not a total loss, although Chrome Goes Into Motion does sound legit like Spinal Tap. Then we are on to outtakes? So actual Creatures of the Night songs. Mostly. And mostly pointless. Unless you want to hear some bad guitar playing while Paul fumbles his way through I Still Love You a couple of times. At least the drums in the Saint And Sinner outtakes are massive. Gene's mouth-guitar solos are kind of fun, too. 

Highlights: Rock and Roll Hell [Take 2], I'm a Legend Tonight, Nowhere to Run, Not for the Innocent [Demo], It's My Life [Demo]

6.5/10

Creatures of the Night (1985 Remix) - Kiss

Ha! The last track on the Creatures of the Night (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) was the 1985 remix of Creatures of the Night. The first track on this album is the same song. So between the outtakes and then having this song repeated, I'm a little over this already. I wrote about this version of the album before and I stand by what I said. I definitely prefer this tracklisting. One day I might remove this album and just rework the tracklisting of the 'proper' version. One day...

Highlights: The better tracklisting

8/10

Creatures of the Night (Remaster) - Kiss

There was a noticeable volume jump to this from the 1985 remix, so I moved to turn it down. But then I decided I've been listening to this album for a while now and I want to hear it loud. It is much better. Also, the original mix is better than the 1985 mix. 

Highlights: Keep Me Comin', Rock and Roll Hell, I Love it Loud

9/10

Criss (Special Limited Edition EP) - Peter Criss

The Cat is a pretty fun song. The nursery rhymes are odd and mocking Gene and Paul always wins points with me. Did he end it with him hissing at people or something? This dude singing on Show Me is okay, I guess. He made a Queen reference, I think, so he also wins points with me. I seem to like him more than I did during Kissathon II. Like might not be the right word, but I was certainly harsh then.

Highlights: The Cat, Beth (Acoustic)

6.5/10

Criss Cat #1 - Peter Criss

Oh, that album title is not correct. This has been a fairly Kiss heavy day, which is at least proving easy for me to write about! Blue Moon Over Brooklyn is nowhere near as bad as I wrote initially. Or maybe it is just relative to how awful Peter Criss got later in his career? I also wrote that Down with the Sun is an instrumental? There are a lot of vocals - perhaps I was just referring to the music side of the song? Because the outro section is really good. Genuinely solid album!
Highlights: Bad Attitude, Walk the Line, Good Times, Down with the Sun

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 363

CAT #1 (1994)

After wining the war, The Phantom of the Opera began promoting his new-age philosophies...

Peter is back again with his 90s rock band!

It starts off pretty rockin' with a song called Bad Attitude. Peter and Ace always seem to do well with songs where they reference their real life bad assery. Which is why Walk the Line also rocks, as it has the same sort of theme. The Truth is surprisingly pretty great as well. There's some generic stuff in here that is super forgettable, but then Good Times comes in and I totally dig that groove. Possibly sounds a bit nicer than the version on the Criss EP as well.

Blue Moon Over Brooklyn, however, is one of those songs where you think it could be better but for some reason just comes across as weak garbage. The smelly kind of garbage, too. Down with the Sun is a pretty cool instrumental and then we close off with that acoustic version of Beth I liked.

This was a surprisingly good album. Not the greatest thing ever, but certainly listenable. Or maybe I just forgot to take my medication today...



Highlights:
This album not being nearly as bad as I thought it would be

Lowlights:
Blue Moon Over Brooklyn, We Want You



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

CRISS (1993)

The Phantom of the Opera was ready for war...

Peter Criss returns!

The Catman hits us with his first bit of music in 11 years. And it's a short EP of songs that sound very much like they are from 1993. The Cat features a funny line about Gene and Paul going up a hill and then he does some screams like he is mocking Paul. Entertaining, for sure. Then Show Me features some other dude singing. What is it with Ace and Peter thinking they need someone else to come in and sing other songs to make things more interesting? Especially here, where this guy has a kind of screamer voice like Peter so doesn't really add much diversity. Except make them sound more like Candlebox or something. Good Times is actually pretty groovy. What You're Doin' is just like that second song, except more forgettable. And then we close off with a nice acoustic version of Beth. I dig that.


Highlights:
Making fun of Gene and Paul

Lowlights:
Coming across as some low-rent Candlebox wannabe band at times



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars