2025 in 2025: Day 165

The Slim Shady LP - Eminem

When Eminem was content to just be funny. This album is definitely a lot more fun than anything else he did after. It was such a unique style and pretty game-changing. Not a huge fan of the first half, but the last half is pretty solid; lyrics focus less on the homophobia and sex crimes, and more just throwing up the middle fingers and killing people. I cannot even remember the last time I listened to this, but I still remember all the lyrics!

Highlights: Bad Meets Evil, Guilty Conscience, Just Don't Give a Fuck, Still Don't Give a Fuck

7.5/10

Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi

Big keyboards, big guitars, big drums, big hooks. They were really on something with the writing of this album - some of the lyrics are seriously cringe, but the way everything comes together is pretty fantastic.

Highlights: Wanted Dead or Alive, Wild in the Streets, Livin' on a Prayer, Let It Rock, Never Say Goodbye

9/10

Slipway Fires - Razorlight

If you look up "Mediocre" in the dictionary, they will just have this album cover. It is all listenable but completely forgettable and lacking in any emotion.

Highlights: Monster Boots

5/10

SLITS - YUKI

There is a formula to YUKI's last few albums; some full on electronic numbers, a little bit of jazz/funk fusion, an acoustic song, and one or two songs that are just mind-blowingly amazing. Not only is こぼれてしまうよ one of the greatest songs ever, but the bass playing on it is just phenomenal.

Highlights: こぼれてしまうよ, パ・ラ・サイト, One One One, ユニヴァース

8/10

Smash - The Offspring

When LOGMAN was 14 years-old, he did not notice the message of these lyrics - he just heard some catchy songs that sounded aggressive and occasionally made jokes about killing people in road rage. Heck, I did not even get the joke of that! Thirty years later, I can appreciate how much these songs are very upfront anti-capitalist and anti-conformity. How they went from that to fucking Why Don't You Get a Job boggles my mind.

Highlights: Smash, Come Out and Play, It'll Be a Long Time, Nitro (Youth Energy)

8/10

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits - Kiss

After Kissathon II, I reduced this to simply the "new" songs. Because I did not need more weak remixes of classic Kiss songs. What remains is basically an EP of super cheesy 80s pop rock and VERY suggestive lyrics. So, a good time with Kiss...

Highlights: Let's Put the X in Sex, (You Make Me) Rock Hard

8/10

Smell the Magic - L7

I have come to the conclusion that L7 are the band Kurt Cobain wished he could have been in. Or at least the type of music he thought he was making. Especially this album. It is ferocious and has some actual hooks as well. 

Highlights: Till the Wheels Fall Off, Shove, Packin' a Rod

7.5/10

Smile... It Confuses People - Sandi Thom

Zero idea how or why I have this album. Even less idea if I have ever listened to it before now. Her singing is a bad as her idea of what punk rocker was.

Highlights: It is a relatively short album

5.5/10

Snapz the Clown - DJ Reggie

Dear gawd, no thanks. Less shitty hip-hop, more just general shit. And lots of peaked-out distortion. Someone should have taught DRA to mix.

Highlights: It is even shorter!

3/10

So - Peter Gabriel

The only song from this album I have is Big Time. And while this is a great song, I can not help but think there are many other great songs on this album and I can not understand why they are not in my collection. Other than me being an embarrassment to all mankind.

8/10

So Long, Astoria - The Ataris

I have previously mentioned these dudes' cover of The Boys of Summer is golden, but the rest of this album is very much in my Q Zone - it is kind of early emo pop punk. Like the self-titled blink-182 album, minus the heavy synths and electro stuff. 

Highlights: The Boys of Summer, I Won't Spend Another Night Alone, My Reply, Takeoffs and Landings, So Long Astoria

7.5/10

So-Called Chaos - Alanis Morissette

This album is much more positive and upbeat than her previous albums; I will blame Ryan Reynolds, who also made a cameo in the video for Everything. Her voice is very good here.

Highlights: Excuses, Everything, Eight Easy Steps

7.5/10

Solace - Sarah McLachlan

This is not bad by any stretch, but it is lacking in anything really special. It all kind of just there in the background. I blame the super spacious production.

Highlights: Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Back Door Man

6.5/10

Solitaire - Clay Aiken

I have any versions of Elvis singing this song, as well. That is probably about it.

7/10

Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus

This is purely Achy Breaky Heart. I used to perform this one live and you would not believe how much people loved it. Never failed.

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1550

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 3

The Album - ABBA
Starting the day with ABBA feels sooooo good. I don't know if this album is underappreciated or anything, but turns out there are only 2 hit singles from it. That's odd, because this album is pure greatness. But then again, most ABBA albums are! I kind of see this album as being a little more theatrical, with songs like I'm a Marionette and I Wonder, which makes sense when I remember that is part of what makes up ABBA: The Movie. Which I have never seen. I should do that one day when I don't have 24,000 songs to listen to. Oh yeah, One Man, One Woman is grand.
Highlights: Take a Chance on Me, One Man One Woman, Thank You For the Music, I'm a Marionette
9/10

The Album - Blackpink
I was going to call them the queens of K-Pop, but I think that is 2NE1. So this makes them the princesses? Either way, this album is... somewhat disappointing? The singles are mostly awesome, but the collaborations with American artists are kinda lame. The production is top-notch, as expected, but I don't know - I just expected more from this album when it was released, given how awesome their singles are, and that attitude hasn't changed four years later.
Highlights: How You Like That, Lovesick Girls
6.5/10

Album of the Year - Faith No More
I tried to listen to this in full a couple of weeks ago and failed - I couldn't even make it halfway through. Today I have no choice. It starts off strong, but this album is peak 'Mike Patton is a wacky guy' levels of Faith No More. I preferred the Jim Martin and "gay disco" era, personally. I remember in 1997 seeing some live version of Ashes to Ashes where Patton screamed the chorus and it was actually badass, but I've never been able to find anything online since that comes close. There is some fun to be had here (Mouth to Mouth, Got That Feeling) and some decent songs, but overall I find this to be their most pretentious album. Which would explain why I enjoyed it back in 1997. Please file my report at the Faith No More Spiritual & Theological Centre.
Highlights: Mouth to Mouth, Ashes to Ashes, Got That Feeling
6/10

Ali G Indahouse Da Soundtrack - Various Artists
Again, this is simply Me Julie by Ali G & Shaggy. Fun comedy R'n'B from a fun comedy movie.
6/10

Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
Remarkably, this is another album from that era that I recently revisited. Except in this case, I made it the whole way through; because under the dirge and ugly guitar tones and just straight up noise, there is a good album in here. This is a lot darker and grimier than their previous albums, and some of the songs do tend to go on a bit longer than they need to. And Layne Stayley sings like a man struggling under the weight of his heroin addiction. And it does kind of all start falling apart as the album goes on... The breakdown in Again still goes hard.
Highlights: Again, Grind, Brush Away, Sludge Factory - particularly that intro, special mention to the breakdown in Again (again)
7/10

Alive II - Kiss
Thanks to alphabet and naming conventions, this is the first 'Alive' album by Kiss that I will be listening to - Alive! will come last, thanks to that apostrophe in the name. Funny stuff. Anyways, this album is good. I've told you that before.
Highlights: Shock Me, I Stole Your Love, Rocket Ride, a whole bunch of stuff
8/10

Alive III - Kiss
Oh, more Kiss, you say? Don't mind if I do... Re-reading my post from Kissathon II, it's interesting how much I forgive Kiss for putting out live albums that are not really live. Like, it just is not a big deal to me at all. Because the Alive albums sound great.
Highlights: I Was Made For Lovin' You, Lick It Up, Forever, Detroit Rock City, God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
8.5/10

Alive IV: The Millennium Concert - Kiss
Did you know: If I had used the official name for this album, it would have been in my queue after all the other Alive albums. Interesting. Or not. Anyways, I like this album more and more each time I listen to it, for reasons detailed here. Tempos annoyed the bejeebus out of this time around, as well, but I had to lift my rating for Do You Love Me? because this version is kicking my butt today.
Highlights: Deuce, Shout It Out Loud, Firehouse, Let Me Go Rock'n Roll, 100,000 Years, Love Gun, Black Diamond, Rock and Roll All Nite
8.5/10

Alive! - Kiss
And thus our first live Kiss marathon concludes. I'm sure I've listened to these four back-to-back before, but not in this order. Strange times we live in. Fun note: in my spreadsheet from Kissathon II, there is a note next to Nothin' To Lose that simply says "gene's vocals suck" like I wouldn't remember that. My love for Parasite just grows and grows - this version is pretty awesome, really. I've detailed this album before. Twice, even. And strangely, I have given it a different rating each time! That's the power of Kiss!!
Highlights: Damn-near most of the album, except for that drum solo in 100,000 Years (although I actually didn't find it that bad today)
9/10 

"Albums" listened to so far: 26

100 Days of Ayum Hamasaki: What Happened?

I'm sure you're dying to know.

You're not?
Well, forget you - I'll tell you anyway!

Firstly, did I succeed in my mission? Yes and no.

When I got to about Rainbow, I hit a crisis and almost cancelled the trip. So once I hit A Ballads, I kinda didn't want to keep listening, because listening to Ayu when I was going to miss out on seeing her live for the millionth time was just frustrating. But after a few weeks, crisis was averted and the trip was back. Which meant I was back to my listening schedule, just with a reduced time frame - each album got 3 days now. So not quite 100 days of listening. So that "yes and no" is quite a Nigel Tufnell "yes and no".

Secondly, why didn't I keep the bLog going?
No idea on that one. I have my draft sitting there for A Song for xx. Maybe I got a bit behind and didn't quite know how to catch up? Maybe I was so focused on trip planning and learning Japanese that I forgot to update the bLog? Maybe I was actually working?

Bahahahaha we all know that wasn't it.

So I apologise to anyone that was looking for my input there. But then also, I like it when I write funny satirical bLogs, and I'm hardly going to do that with Ayu because she is my future wife and it would be rude to mock her livelihood in any way. I'm a respectful and caring young man!

Maybe I'll do something like Kissathon, where I just listen to the albums once and then make quick notes while I'm listening? Maybe? Again, it worked with Kissathon, because for every album that made me cheer there were 2 that made me "WTF?" and then another that made me go "Fuck you, Tommy Thayer!".

Either way, before then I have to do last year's WrestleMania, then this year's Royal Rumble, and then the next WrestleMania. Because I hate myself and want you to hate me even more. And before all that, I am going to finally write up about my trip to Japan. Because it was amazing and you should all be jealous like I am of the people that live in Japan or get to go there. So jealous. Seriously, even watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills the other day and Lisa Rinna went to Tokyo with Erika - bah gawd was I jealous. And her fucking kids got to go and hang out with Japanese people and enjoy Japan and oooooh I'm so jealous right now!

Hmmm... maybe I should try and do an Ayu-thon for her 20th Anniversary? It would be the perfect occasion to explore her catalogue and make a totally chronological playlist. But I don't have 100 days between then and now, so I could just do it like Kissathon and try and find ways to make some jokes. Most likely they'll be made at my expense, as I'll enjoy it so much and will get so annoyed when people interrupt me during a great song. But I don't have anything to write about next month - could be a good idea.

Look at this free-flowing thought, growing in front of you. I'm like a fucking tree: long goofy arms and growing up right in front of your eyes, albeit in a boring and slow fashion that you really don't want to stand around and watch. Just pass by every so often on your way to work and enjoy the beautiful leaves. Probably produce some nuts. But if you think your dog is going to pee near me, boy howdy we got a problem!

KISSATHON 2015: Finished Business

Victory!

Kissathon blogging is finally complete! And what fun it was - I'm sure you had a great time as well. Now let's have a look at the overall results and determine where Kiss are the shit and where they are just shit...


Best Kiss Studio Album:
DRESSED TO KILL (1975)
No surprise. They wear the suits on the cover because they knew they'd be accepting this award.
Runners Up: Love Gun, Hotter Than Hell, Creatures of the Night

Worst Kiss Studio Album:
MUSIC FROM "THE ELDER" (1981)
This was quite close, and quite frankly I'm surprised Sonic Boom or Monster didn't take this. But I guess those albums had a few songs that weren't totally awful, whereas The Elder was just a joke.
Runners Up: Sonic Boom, Monster, Lick It Up

Best Solo Album:
ACE FREHLEY (1978)
Very close decision, but there is no denying the brilliance of Ace's solo debut.
Runners Up: Trouble Walkin' - Ace Frehley, Anomaly - Ace Frehley, Space Invader - Ace Frehley

Worst Solo Album:
GENE SIMMONS (1978)
Not as close as you would think. I really can't believe that some people can pretend that is a good album. Then again, some people try and pretend Music From "The Elder" is a good album. Some people are fucking stupid.
Runners Up: One For All - Peter Criss, Peter Criss, Out of Control - Peter Criss

Best Compilation:
GREATEST KISS (1997)
Less of a surprise than Dressed to Kill pulling out Best Studio Album. Especially considering my review basically saying it was near perfection - total spoiler alert if ever I saw one.
Runners Up: You Wanted the Best You Got the Best!!, 12 Picks - Ace Frehley, Double Platinum

Worst Compilation:
SPACEWALK: A TRIBUTE TO ACE FREHLEY (1996)
Good. Because not even an awesome Ace Frehley song can cure me from the Balschko's disease this album gave me.
Runners Up: Love Gun - Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc, The Box Set Disc 1, The Box Set Disc 2

Best Live Album:
MTV UNPLUGGED (1995)
This was extremely close - honestly only a fraction in it!
Runners Up: Alive!, Alive IV, Alive III

Worst Live Album:
ONE LIVE KISS (2009)
I just realised this was a pointless category - totally thought there were more live albums than there actually was.
Runners Up: Psycho Circus Bonus Disc, Live+1 - Frehley's Comet, Alive II

Best Album of the Makeup Era:
ALIVE! (1975)
Quite surprised to see this score so much higher than everything else because I thought I had been harsh on it. But it is pretty legendary - now you know why!
Runners Up: Ace Frehley, Dressed to Kill, Love Gun

Worst Album of the Makeup Era:
GENE SIMMONS (1978)
Well, that will teach you, Gene...
Runners Up: Music From "The Elder", Sonic Boom, Monster

Best Album of the Non-Makeup Era:
ALIVE III (1993)
I guess, technically, Unplugged was still the non-makeup era. But it had an unfair advantage by including the original lineup and being mostly songs from the makeup era. And being awesome.
Runners Up: Revenge, Crazy Nights, Asylum

Best Album of the 70s:
ALIVE! (1975)
These results are just a repeat of the Best Makeup Era results, for obvious reasons...
Runners Up: Ace Frehley, Dressed to Kill, Love Gun

Worst Album of the 70s:
GENE SIMMONS (1978)
Ha! In your face again, Gene!
Runners Up: Peter Criss, Rock and Roll Over, Kiss

Best Album of the 80s:
TROUBLE WALKIN' (1989)
Of course Ace's masterpiece would take this title. No other album in the 80s even came close!
Runners Up: Creatures of the Night, Killers, Live+1 - Frehley's Comet

Best Album of the 90s:
ALIVE III (1993)
Again, I've taken out the compilations because they have an unfair advantage by being made up of 70s Kiss. Alas, Kiss didn't actually release a great deal of original material in the 90s...
Runners Up: Revenge, Psycho Circus, Criss EP - Peter Criss

Worst Album of the 90s:
SPACEWALK: A TRIBUTE TO ACE FREHLEY (1996)
Ugh, I had to be reminded that album existed...
Runners Up: Cat #1 - Peter Criss, Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions, Criss EP - Peter Criss

Best Album of the 21st Century:
ALIVE IV (2000)
I probably should have just done the Century thing instead of the decades. Wouldn't have changed much, though.
Runners Up: Anomaly - Ace Frehley, Space Invader - Ace Frehley, Destroyer {Resurrected}

Worst Album of the 21st Century:
SONIC BOOM (2009)
Fuck you, Tommy Thayer!
Runners Up: One For All - Peter Criss, Monster, Live to Win - Paul Stanley

The Middle:
DESTROYER {RESURRECTED} (2012)
I thought it might be interesting to see what scored in the middle of the pack...
Runners Up: Frehley's Comet, Kiss, The Box Set Disc 4

The Other Side of the Middle:
REVENGE (1992)
So Destroyer {Resurrected} was number 30 - this is number 31. Surprising to see how far down an album like this scored, considering I really like it. And the ones that follow. Kind of shows the depth of awesome Kiss are when things don't actually start getting bad until after 40.
Runners Up: Unmasked, Rock and Roll Over, Psycho Circus Bonus Disc

Best Album:
GREATEST KISS (1997)
It's the best of the original line up - the best line up by far. So this album is a great compilation. Surprised to see it edge out MTV Unplugged, but is what it is!
Runners Up: MTV Unplugged, Alive!, Ace Frehley

Worst Album:
GENE SIMMONS (1978)
Kind of surprised to see it take the spot for worst of all, but it really is a terrible album. If you think otherwise, you should consider suicide. Please kill Tommy Thayer on your way out.
Runners Up: Music From "The Elder", Sonic Boom, One For All - Peter Criss

YUME NO UKIYO NI SAITEMINA (2015)

The school girls would not allow Kiss to join in their game of hop-scotch. Especially with Tommy Thayer...

This is an EP with Momoiro Clover Z - a Japanese all-girl pop group. And it is just the same song done in two different ways: the first is sung in Japanese by the girls (with backing vocals from Kiss) and then it is performed by Kiss with Momoiro Clover Z providing backing vocals. I kind of prefer the Japanese version. Most likely because of my love affair with J-Pop. BUT the Kiss version (called Samurai Son) is probably just as good.

Not a bad song and a fun way to end Kissathon 2015.


Highlights:
Uh, Kiss rocking out with J-Pop. That is absolute good times.

Lowlights:
Tommy fucking Thayer



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

SPACE INVADER (2014)

Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada...

Ace is back again!!!

And this time he is invading from Space!

This isn't Ace's best work by any stretch, but it is still pretty fun. Gimme a Feelin' is a good fun upbeat song and Toys is a really badass song about being a manly man and doing manly man things - so needless to say I can relate to that one very well. Past the Milky Way is surprisingly epic and his cover of The Joker is a lot of fun as well. And of course, the album ends with another stellar instrumental, Starship.

The rest of the album, however, is a bit ho-hum. Not bad, per se, but certainly not at the usual Ace Frehley level. Like, there is definitely not a bad song on this album, but some of it is just repetitive and all sounds similar.

But I'll take repetitive mediocre Ace Frehley over any of the hot sweaty garbage Tommy Thayer tries to pass off as music.


Highlights:
Gimme a Feelin', Past the Milky Way, Starship

Lowlights:
I still need more Ace in my life



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

DESTROYER RESURRECTED (2012)

You should be dancing, yeah...

Destroyer! Kiss! Actual Kiss and an actual awesome fucking album!!!

Thank Prime they re-released this album when they did, otherwise my lasting impression of this whole exercise would be the shit I just had to endure. But Destroyer is here to wash away the pain. And with a new improved mix and remastering? Count me the fuck in!!!

And that's really all there is to it; this is Destroyer with improved sound. And actually improved, not just some garbage promo line where they've actually ruined the sonic qualities with a shitty remastering job (looking at you, Duran Duran). The whole thing got remixed and it shows, because this album has never sounded better. Plus, Ace gets his solo back in Sweet Pain. Because Kiss needs more Ace and less Wagner. Unless we're talking Dr. Wagner, Jr.

Because everyone in the world needs more Dr. Wagner, Jr.


Highlights:
Detroit Rock City, King of the Night Time World, Shout It Out Loud, Do You Love Me?

Lowlights:
Rock and Roll Party - that could have easily been left off the album and no one would have been hurt. But otherwise, fuck you! It's Destroyer with improved sound!



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

MONSTER (2012)

A Kiss tribute band crashed the Rammstein photo shoot...

These guys again???

Well, things are off to a better start with Hell or Hallelujah - admittedly a pretty cool song, if not for a terrible attempt at a guitar solo from Tommy Thayer. Same goes for Wall of Sound. I'm a Freak is a terrible name for a song but the song itself isn't quite that bad, if a little contrived. And by a little, I sure as hell mean totally. Maybe this album isn't going to be as bad as Sonic Boom? Maybe Gene and Paul have remembered how to write memorable songs that rock without being lame? Maybe Kiss are just as awesome as they've always been??

Nope.

Gene sings about going Back to the Stone Age and tries to make another shittier version of God of Thunder with The Devil is Me, Paul goes back to his usual crap with Shout Mercy and Eric Singer gets saddled with the corniest garbage possible, thanks to Paul and his never-ending quest to write another rock'n roll anthem. Spoiler alert: All For the Love of Rock & Roll failed yet again. And then we get Outta This World with mother fucking Tommy Thayer again...

Look, I get it - you are now 'The Spaceman'. But the problem is, we all know you really aren't. And it's bad enough that you steal all of Ace's guitar riffs and makeup and everything else that made him Ace, but you steal the whole gimmick about being from outer space and try and write garbage songs about this stuff? Seriously, just fuck off. Fuck the fuck off. And die. Fuck off and die.

Fuck off, Tommy Thayer.

There are other songs, but fuck writing about them. This album is shit and Tommy Thayer can just fuck off.


Highlights:
Is this a joke? Fuck you.

Lowlights:
Outta This World exposing all the levels of awful that Tommy Thayer possesses



Verdict = 4 Very Sad Tears of The Catman

SONIC BOOM (2009)

The mad scientist, Dr. Kiss, sent his 4 henchmen out to hypnotise the people with their brand of awful rock'n roll...

Kiss are back! With a new lineup! And... Tommy Thayer...

Fuck!

First thing I'll say, is that Paul's voice just does not sound like it used to. He sounds old and tired. Which happens when you sing like he does non-stop for 40 years. He's still cool, so I'll let it slide a little. Gene has stopped trying to sing all glam-metal, so the old voice thing works for him now.

The music? Well, this is just about as generic as you could ever imagine from Kiss: riffs that sound like they've been borrowed from previous songs, choruses that are desperate for a hook but have contrived lyrics about living life and working hard to be a rock star, refrains that go "Ah ah-ah-ah ah". It isn't that this stuff is terrible, it's just that it isn't really that great and is all really predictable.

Of special mention are songs like Never Enough, which comes across as the crappiest remake of Nothin' But a Good Time by Poison. That's an awesome song. Never Enough is quite crap. But not as bad as Stand - the verses are fine and sound like something off Psycho Circus. But then that chorus is the single cheesiest and most bullshit thing Kiss have ever done. Oh no, they just outdid it with the bridge section; bad enough they rip off themselves but to shout "Just look over your shoulder!"? Who the fuck they think they are now, the Jackson 5?? It's so bad, I'm surprised zombie Eric Carr didn't rise up and stab them all with his drum sticks before forming a new improved version of Kiss with Peter and Ace. That would have been the best choice of band to perform at the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame.

You know, for all the claims that Tommy Thayer is an awesome guitarist, he sure doesn't do anything impressive on this album. Other than rip off Ace riffs.

Oh fuck, this album continues. Surely it gets better, right?

Wrong.
In fact, it just gets worse. Well, that's not entirely true - I like hearing Eric Singer sing, and All For the Glory is possibly the best song on this album. But like every other song on this album, it suffers from Super Try-hard Anthem Disorder. That's a real disease. Scott Stapp probably suffers from it too. Anyway, after that song it is just a barrel of clichés, from Danger Us ("Danger you/danger me/danger us!") to I'm an Animal (I thought you were supposed to be The Demon? And why are you stealing riffs from Lenny Kravitz?).


But the shit really hits the bottom when Tommy Thayer takes over on When Lightning Strikes. Stealing clichés from Ace's Spaceman character and using them to make a clichéd rock song with your shitty vocals? Yeah, shit doesn't get any worse than this. By the time Say Yeah offends me with its sheer terribleness, I'm ready to tell these guys to fuck off.


Highlights:
No one will think Ace Frehley was in any way responsible for this horse shit

Lowlights:
The chorus in Stand, Say Yeah, Tommy Thayer and his inescapable suckitude



Verdict = 4 Sad Tears of The Catman

ANOMALY (2009)

The sea monster used its x-ray glasses to see through everyone's swimsuits...

Ace is back!

Seeing as everyone else had already released albums, it made sense for Ace to finally show the 21st Century how it is done...

Foxy & Free is a great rockin' opening in true Ace style. Then he kicks up the heavy notch with Outer Space. I'm glad he's still rolling with the whole Spaceman gimmick, even if he isn't allowed to wear the makeup or anything. Ace calls someone a Pain in the Neck - I can only assume he means Paul and Gene. Or maybe even Tommy Thayer. Just because. Fox on the Run is a fairly harmless cover of Sweet's classic 70s groove. I prefer the original, but Ace's version is still pretty cool. Ace makes awesome instrumentals, and Genghis Khan is no exception. In fact, it is probably quite high on the example list.

Both Too Many Faces and Change the World follow the same Ace rock formula, before we get hit with another instrumental, Space Bear. A Little Below the Angels is pretty humorous when the little girl is singing and Ace is telling her a story or something. I'm not sure what was going on there. Sister is so kick ass, I wouldn't be surprised if it was like a b-side from Trouble Walkin'. It's a Great Life has some sort of 80s groove mixed with Ace's usual rock groove. That works well when I'm wearing my groovepants. Then we get the final Fractured instalment - Fractured Quantum. And it is absolutely one of the best, which is saying a lot considering how amazing Fractured Mirror and Fractured III are. I can not stress just how awesome Ace's instrumental work is. I wish I was able to meet him again so I could tell him.

Yeah, I met Ace.

Because I have graduated from novice level, I get a bonus track - The Return of Space Bear. It is just Space Bear with Ace re-enacting his legendary dialogue from The Tomorrow Show, where he was smashed off his head and claimed he was a plumber that played the trout. It is comedy gold, especially watching Gene get very grumpy at Ace getting attention instead of him.

Nice to have you back, Ace!


Highlights:
Genghis Khan, Sister, Fractured Quantum

Lowlights:
That it took 22 years for Ace to sort his shit out and make another album



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

ONE LIVE KISS (2008)

"Only the power of rock'n roll can defeat these evil zombies!"...

Paul Stanley solo live album!

More like Paul Stanley with a band, but you know what I mean. A fairly decent mix of songs from the '78 solo album, Live to Win and various Kiss classics. With lots of backing vocals and shredding guitar. And keyboards. Which sound weird in Got to Choose.

Other than some clown doing stupid shredding all through the Kiss classics, this is all pretty standard. What holds it back from being anything special is this is 2008 Paul Stanley, whose vocal powers are greatly diminished at 56. Don't get me wrong - he can still sing, it's just a solo performance from him would have been so much more powerful about 15 years earlier. I would have loved to hear 1992 Paul Stanley singing Move On or Tonight You Belong to Me. Or especially Goodbye. And someone else on guitar with him, like Slash. Someone makes this happen!

But with his vocals not being amazing, he falls back to relying on the band to be impressive. And that shredder dude is only awesome when battling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Especially in the latest incarnation - man he is all kinds of badassery. I'm not a great fan of the actual design, but personality-wise he is exactly what you want from an evil Ninja master.


Highlights:
That episode where Shredder defeated the turtles, injured Leonardo and left Splinter for dead. That shit had me on the edge of my seat.

Lowlights:
A Million to One, I Want You, Lift



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

ONE FOR ALL (2007)

I don't want to live on this planet anymore...

Peter Criss returns!

And I wish he hadn't. I'm not going to waste time going song by song, because it all sounds the same - and that is not a good thing. For some reason Peter decided that singing well wasn't a good plan for this album, and then chose to write a bunch of garbage. And if that wasn't enough, he added in some covers of the most amazing songs possible, such as Send in the Clowns. Which he sings fucking terribly.

I can't even be mad, though. This whole album just sounds like background music you'd hear in a shopping mall or an elevator. Or maybe some bad busker on the street who thinks his music is awesome and tries to sell you his CD that he recorded at home.


Highlights:
No Tommy Thayer? Not as long as The Lord of the Rings?

Lowlights:
What a Difference a Day Makes, Send in the Clowns, and pretty much the rest of the album



Verdict = 4 Sad Tears of The Catman

LIVE TO WIN (2006)

Paul Stanley's career as a wax dummy was proving to be very lucrative...

Paul Stanley is back with his first solo album in almost 20 years!

And it's mostly kinda average. Not bad or anything, but nothing outstanding. The title track was pretty cool when it was on South Park. Lift and Wake Up Screaming both have a problem, where the music sounds like a cross between Hoobastank and Evanescence, while the vocals sound like Paul is singing on a Michael Bolton album or something. It's a weird juxtaposition that doesn't quite work. Everytime I See You Around is a pretty cool little semi-power ballad and Bulletproof is listenable. All About You is an example of where Paul lets his balls hang out and rocks the party.

Second to None is a box of cheese. Paul really likes these cheesy love songs. And then it's just more cheese, whether it rocks or is soft. I don't mind cheese - in fact, I quite enjoy it. But for some reason, the obvious nature of these songs just doesn't rock me. It all sounds the same.

If I want a Creed album, I'll listen to Creed.

The band, not the movie. Though I'd prefer the movie.
The trailer rocks and I'm really looking forward that film. Might have to do a Rocky marathon to get in the mood...


Highlights:
All About You, Reminding myself to buy my ticket to see Creed

Lowlights:
Loving You Without You Now - what the fuck does that title even mean???



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

THE BOX SET (2001)

The Kiss Ice Block! Now with added black for pointlessness...

Kiss box set! Full of demos and the usual songs you find on every other compilation!

Things kick off with the greatest demo of Strutter possible. I can't begin to explain why, but this version makes me smile and groove. It is awesome. Then we get the original Wicked Lester demos - the band Gene and Paul were in before Kiss. It is just hilariously laughable rubbish. They sound like a mid-60s flower power hippy band, which is equally hilarious considering Gene has said in interviews how much he hates hippies. The original version of She is fucking laughable - sounds like some sort of flower power remix, complete with soft falsetto vocals. Bahahahahahah. And then Love Her All I Can is actually EVEN FUNNIER!!! This is like The Room of music recordings.

Back to Kiss demos. I'd say these were less funny, except Gene forgets half the lyrics to Let Me Know and then fucks up the bass line on 100,000 Years. Oh cool, now we get a Paul demo from 1966 called Stop, Look to Listen. Holy fuck, his singing is actually all kinds of horrendous here. Then the guitar solo turns up and is like "You want to hear terrible? I'll show you terrible!". But then the lyrics just stand over both and say "Fuck you both - we are the worst part of this song!!!". Just to compound the fun even further, we are treated to a Gene demo from 1969 called Leeta. It's very much in the style of Gene being The Beatles. If The Beatles are the worst band in the history of the universe.


The rest of the first disc is just Kiss songs from the first 3 albums that I have listened to a few times but are still awesome so I shan't complain. They're certainly better than listening to Wicked Lester again.


Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Pauls and a thumbs up


Disc 2 is more of the same; some bad demos mixed in with songs from Alive! through to Love Gun. Highlights include the demo of God of Thunder where Paul sings lead vocals, an early demo of Calling Dr. Love that is called Bad, Bad Lovin', and a demo of a song called Love is Blind where Gene once again thinks he is The Beatles eating a shit pie.


Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Pauls and a thumbs up


Disc 3 is the most pointless so far; a couple of demos and a live version of Talk to Me mixed in with tracks from Alive II through to Creatures of the Night.


Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Pauls


So Disc 4 steps up the pointless game to serious levels of "WHY?" by not even being an interesting collection of songs from the 80s. Seriously, it's like they aren't even trying right now.


Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Pauls


At least Disc 5 contains a few songs that aren't available elsewhere; we get the Unplugged rendition of Got to Choose that was left off the album for reasons of being silly, Nothing Can Keep Me From You from the Detroit Rock City soundtrack, which is a bit of a sappy ballad but actually done well compared to the usual sappy bullshit Paul tries to dish up. And there's It's My Life - not the Bon Jovi song, surprisingly. Great song.

Pointless fucking box set though - if it weren't for the fact it collected a lot of awesome Kiss songs in one place, it would score very poorly because almost everything that was previously unreleased is either terrible or hilariously terrible.


Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Pauls and a thumbs up

ALIVE IV (2000)

Having reached the end of things they could do on stage, Kiss decided to try their hand at some Photoshop magic...

I call this Alive IV because it was supposed to be and I refuse to acknowledge the album that became Alive IV due to Tommy Thayer. I've also put it here in the Kissathon because it was recorded New Year's Eve 1999/2000, so it chronologically makes sense to me.

That said, it isn't too bad. I'm sure there is a fair bit of studio trickery going on and probably some Tommy Thayer guitar work inserted for giggles. And Peter's tempos are a bit all over the place - particularly in Do You Love Me? and I Love it Loud. Otherwise, this has kind of grown on. I mean, I loved the reunion tour and this just makes me kind of relive it.

Kind of. They didn't play 80s Kiss songs on the reunion tour and Tommy Thayer wasn't playing guitar.

Fuck that Tommy Thayer guy.


Highlights:
Deuce, Shout It Out Loud, Firehouse, Let Me Go Rock'n Roll, 100,000 Years, Love Gun, Black Diamond, Rock and Roll All Nite

Lowlights:
That sneaky suspicion that Tommy Thayer is listening to this at home and pointing to the speakers going "That's me!"



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

PSYCHO CIRCUS - LIMITED BONUS DISC (1999)

When your kids are misbehaving these holidays, take them to the Kiss Circus and let them know how much you want them to die...

I forgot about this. After the initial release of Psycho Circus, they re-released it with a bonus disc that contained 6 live songs. Being the schmuck I am (and particularly was in 2000) I had to replace my perfectly fine copy of the album with this so I could get the bonus disc. I justified it by pointing out my original copy had a crack in the lenticular case, while this version did not.

Yeah, that's how lame I am.

Anyways, these are fairly standard for me. Probably because I've watched Kissology a few times so this is exactly like that without the visual fun of Kiss in makeup and moving around explosions. Let Me Go, Rock'n Roll is absolutely phenomenal here, as is 100,000 Years, But Into the Void is super disappointing. And Within is just the sonic definition of awful.

A mixed bag of lollies and spiked slugs.


Highlights:
Let Me Go, Rock'n Roll, 100,000 Years

Lowlights:
Within



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a thumbs up

PSYCHO CIRCUS (1998)

I always wondered why it was so easy to fade out Ace and Peter's faces on this '3D' cover...

Kiss are back!!!

The first album from the original line up in almost 20 years!!! Except it turned out Ace and Peter were barely allowed to be involved. But hey, their faces and names got to be plastered on the cover so that meant something...

The opening track is actually pretty darn awesome. Very much classic Paul, complete with him doing a cool ass solo. Within sounds like it came straight from the Carnival of Souls reject pile. Paul keeps going for his anthem thing with I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock'n Roll. Damn, that is a long ass song title. Ace gets in on the action with Into the Void and it is all kinds of awesome. Just classic Ace rockin' out styles. Then Gene decides he needs to cheese this shit up like it's his solo album in 1978 with We Are One. This song is where you realise you are not really listening to a Kiss album because there is no way Ace would play on a cheese ball sandwich like this. Hilarious lines like "You are me, I am you/What you see is all true". Apart from the credits to this album that say Peter Criss on drums, right Gene?

Shit gets even sillier with You Wanted the Best; everyone just spouts off lines about how much they hate each other and stuff, but then Gene says 'Hey the fans want us as a band so let's just play music and make them happy!'. SO MUCH FUCKING IRONY

Raise Your Glasses is Paul actually hitting that bullseye on the anthem target. I love this song so much I've ripped it off for one of my own. Just remind me to come delete that sentence when I become a big famous rock star and make millions off that one song. From the best song on the album, we go immediately to the absolute fucking dirge that is I Finally Found My Way - the schmaltziest, corniest, most terrible fucking ballad anyone in Kiss has ever even attempted. I pity Peter Criss for being saddled with this poor excuse for a song and being expected to make something of it that didn't resemble a pile of shit. I get that Paul Stanley just wanted another Beth, but he should have written something better. Or just used one of Peter's old songs. Nobody bought Let Me Rock You - just redo Let It Go as a band and it would have been one of the best songs on the album. Instead, we got this. Just no. NO. Fuck, no no no NO NO NO!!!

Dreamin' is some sort of dark brooding lost love song. So not Kiss, but Paul Stanley makes it work. Then we close off with Journey of 1,000 Years, which is some weird mess filled with strings and horns and Gene being boring and singing about crowds roaring. But because I play on a hard level, let's have that bonus track In Your Face, a song written by Gene but with Ace on lead vocals. It's nothing special.

Just like this album.


Highlights:
Psycho Circus, Into the Void, Raise Your Glasses

Lowlights:
I Finally Found My Way, Tommy Thayer getting to live out his dream and pretend to be Ace Frehley



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

LOADED DECK (1998)

Playing cards have changed a lot since my day. No wonder no once can defeat Ace...

Another Ace Frehley compilation! This time with new songs! And more live songs!

One Plus One is a neat little simple song with a really cool guitar solo. Give It To Me Anyway has someone else singing. I think it is Richie Scarlett. He's a cool dude and this song is really fucking cool - the chorus is killer. And then it is a whole lot of awesome Ace Frehley songs like Do Ya and Shot Full of Rock.

Actually, there are only 3 previously released tracks on here. Weird.

The live songs are all quite fun. Then we get the last two Fractured instrumentals to close things out, because why not? Fractured III still owns.


Highlights:
Give It To Me Anyway, Do Ya, Shot Full of Rock, New York Groove (Live), Fractured III

Lowlights:
Not sure how many times I need to say this, but it is an Ace Frehley compilation so the only lowlight is when I realise Ace isn't coming over tonight to lay down a solo on one of my tracks



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a thumbs up

GREATEST KISS (1997)

Someone doesn't know the alphabet very well - their names don't start with those letters...

A big Kiss compilation!

And by "big", I really just mean lots of songs because this focuses purely on the first 6 studio albums. And why not? They are pretty much the best Kiss albums possible and this was a tie in to the reunion tour, so why waste time on the 80s?

The exception, of course, being God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II. Because that is the greatest song ever and can be on any CD it wants. Otherwise, this is 17 songs from a span of 3 years plus 2 songs from Dynasty, and every single one of them are different barrels of awesome. Oh wait, there is another exception - the new 'live' version of Shout It Out Loud. Which is even better than the original version. Though as someone who actually has the Tiger Stadium concert on DVD where this was recorded, I admire the studio trickery used to make it sound so good.

When the weakest track is God of Thunder, you have yourself a basically perfect Kiss Compilation. When I need Kiss and can't decide on an album or period, this album is my go to.


Highlights:
Pretty much everything, but special mention for the new version of Shout It Out Loud

Lowlights:
The Tiger Stadium concert not actually sounding as awesome as that song would lead you to believe



Verdict = 5 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a hearty thumbs up

12 PICKS (1997)

The 12 Disciples readied themselves to prove their musical worth...

An Ace Frehley compilation? Sure, why not!

This is just a bunch of Frehley's Comet songs with half a live album added to the end. Obviously, the studio cuts are awesome because they are Ace Frehley and when compiling awesome Ace Frehley songs, you end up with something awesome.

The live tracks are all from a Frehley's Comet concert in London. They are pretty decent; apart from one Frehley's Comet song, they are all Kiss tracks. Interesting approach, but then again this album was probably released to cash in on the Kiss reunion. Otherwise it probably could have just been labelled Frehley's Comet or something.


Highlights:
Like, three quarters of the album so I'm not going to list them all. It's Ace Frehley, yo!

Lowlights:
None - it's Ace Frehley, yo!



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a thumbs up