A man singing into a microphone while playing a guitar
A man playing a guitar next to another man playing a double bass
A man is playing a red gibson guitar
A man singing into a microphone while another man plays a guitar
A man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket is singing into a microphone.
A group of people are standing on a stage playing instruments.
A shirtless man is playing drums in front of a sign that says el camilly
A group of people posing for a picture with one woman holding a red cup
A man in a black shirt is playing a double bass
A man is playing a guitar in a dark room

Kiss Revenge

May 2, 2017

A few weeks ago my girl and I were doing our usual jaunt through one the local flea malls; she loves shabby chic decorating/house stuff and I love digging for records! If I’m being honest, the bulk of my record collection has come from Flea Malling, specifically before the vinyl craze hit – records were damned near being given away and the quality of the digs were SICK! (They still are, you just have to be patient) Anyways, while we were walking the aisles we came up on a new record booth, which is always RAD for me, I get excited in hopes of finding big wish list items; I wasn’t let down at this booth! However, the record I found wasn’t exactly hard to find, nor was it at a gimme price, but it was priced much better than I’ve seen via the internet or the record stores so I picked it up… The record I speak of is “Revenge” from the legendary Rock band KISS. The record isn’t the original press, it’s the reissue, but I could care less and at 18$ sealed you can’t beat it.   We’ll skip the pleasantries on the band, because everybody under the sun knows who KISS is because their marketing plan has never ceased and I don’t believe it ever will…. There’s been talk of others taking on the characters of the band and continuing after Gene & Paul retire; of course I think that’s ridiculous and it should fail, but KISS fans are FUCKING NUTS, I believe most will buy anything with the logo on it, no matter how corny or cheap. I am not one of those and I’m not being mean about it, I just can’t purchase something for the sake of it specifically when there’s so much out there from the band. My stance is simple, if it’s something I like/admire, I’ll buy it; condoms, bobblehead dolls and caskets ain’t something I want any part of…

So let’s talk about Revenge. In my opinion, this was the band’s last great effort from front to back and maybe even the best release since their last album from the 70’s. I know that’s subjective, but that’s my opinion. Sure KISS relished in the Glam era of the 80’s but I don’t believe they really caught the “Sleaze” feel until this album. But really, it’s KISS, they’ve always been Sleazy see “Great Expectations”! On Revenge though, the band morphed into a heavier kind of sleaze, the subject matter was much darker and the music a bit heavier which is always good. This was also the first album after the death or Eric Carr, which still makes me weepy, not sure why, I never met the guy, but he was a phenomenal player and every interview I’ve read or saw him in, he was such a gentlemen which is rare specifically when you’re the drummer in the biggest band on planet earth. The replacement drummer is one I’ll always have mixed feelings about – Eric Singer, another great player but a lot of his chops/licks come off a bit on the soulless side, almost mechanical/robotic – no personality. But that might not really be his fault, he’s in KISS, Gene and Paul run the show. Singer’s work in Badlands was jaw dropping, so I gotta say it’s not his fault, he’s doing what he’s told, getting paid and having a blast – I’d do the same!

Let’s get into the thick of Revenge, the album was released in 92 which was around the time music like this was losing its grip to Grunge, however that didn’t stop the KISS machine, this album actually reached the top ten – incredibly strong for that time frame. I think a great deal of it had to do with the track “God Gave Rock N’ Roll To You”. Firstly the track is a cover from the long forgotten band Argent, quite odd for KISS, then again it was also the lead song for the movie Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. I recall hearing the song from the movie and losing my mind, there was something so magical about the melody lines, Paul’s vocals and Kulick’s guitar work is to die for! Aside from this song, the album gets pretty sleazy, lots of heavy and the tongue is shoved so far into the cheek that it’s not even funny, then again it is… Some of their best innuendo’s can all be found on this album see “Domino” which was a single, pretty raunchy even for KISS. Gene’s vocal and bass work here is exceptional too, great tone and the grit of his voice is off the charts. Riff wise this tune is pretty stout and Kulick’s lead breaks reign down like fire from the heavens. Another single off the album was “Unholy”, from what I’m hearing this could’ve been “God Of Thunder” part two, lyrically it follows the same formula as do the riffs. Not bad at all, I can dig it! The best parts of the album for me though are Paul’s songs, that’s where the serious sleaze and all the innuendo come in “Take It Off”, “Tough Love” and the single “I Just Wanna”. “I got a body built for sin and an appetite for passion” that line should tell ya everything you need to know about this song. Typical of Paul given his previous work, but it works so well in the frame of this album. The last song that pushes this sleazefest over the top is “Spit”, (another Gene song) while the title of the song is a bit stupid, it doesn’t disappoint from where I’m sitting… “I need a whole lotta woman for ride after ride”, “the bigger the cushion, the better the pushin” are just a few of the lyrics, so you know exactly where this song goes and just about every red blooded male on earth can relate. Then again if you don’t dig that scene, you won’t get it and we can’t be friends!😉

Ending the album is an instrumental/drum solo from Eric Carr titled “Carr Jam 1981”. Believe it or not, I’m not much for drum solos even though I’m a drummer, it just bores me to death, but this is a good track. Carr was an incredible drummer nobody else could’ve replaced Peter Criss and got away with for me, dude had beautiful tone, touch and feel which is huge in the drumming world. The average person doesn’t pay attention, but being a drummer, I do – his technique and dynamics will forever stand the test of time. I still miss him and truth be known if he was alive, I’d still buy into everything KISS releases, but as it stands I just can’t do it. Singer doesn’t have that “it” factor or either Gene and Paul won’t turn loose of the reins and let him play freely; either way it hurts the band’s music for me to this day. If you’re on the fence about KISS, maybe you’ve never been a fan and the old stuff is a bit bland or what have you, I strongly suggest picking this one up. You won’t be disappointed – it’s heavy and loaded with enough sleaze and pizazz to knock you into the next century. KISS should’ve released this album in the 80’s, but it’s all good, it got here and that’s all that matters. Pick this up, drop the needle and turn that shit up! Bonus points if you can get your wife/girlfriend to dance to it for ya – it’s that kinda album, yessir! (P.S. my girl to me to go to hell, she ain’t dancin’ to this shit, but hey it never hurts to ask!)

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