Showing posts with label Kiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kiss. Show all posts

Sunday 29 September 2019

I was made for lovin' you - Kiss

The very first Kiss single I ever bought could also be my last - at least, I don't foresee any more purchases on disc from this legendary American band. But I had to have this one, because it appeared on red vinyl, back in 1979, when this single charted all over the world. This red vinyl single was released in Germany, and as far as I know it's the only territory where the 7" single was released on red vinyl.

A 12" single on red vinyl also exists, but since I don't collect 12" singles that much, I doubt that will ever appear in my collection. You never know, of course...

My collection: 7" single no. 6164
Found: Discogs.com, received September 18, 2019
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'I was made for lovin' you' / 'Hard times'

Saturday 22 August 2009

I love it loud - Kiss

Today is a big day in the history of my record collection: I've bought my 4000th single! Having almost reached the age of 39, this means that on average I've bought 102 singles per year. Although I ordered a few singles abroad a week ago, none of them appeared in my mailbox, so I still bought my 4000th single during a small record fair today. And it's not just any single!

'I love it loud' was a track from Kiss's 1982 album 'Creatures of the night'. This single first came to my attention back in 1982, when my sister bought a copy in our local record shop. The movable tongue is a very distinctive feature in the sleeve for this single (see the video below). And the track itself is remarkable as well, with a 'false fade' at the end. Ever since that day, I've been searching for this single. I only saw it a couple of times during record fairs for (much) more than 20 euros. The strange thing is, it never appears on eBay as well (although right now a copy with a different sleeve is listed).

My copy of the single carries a sticker on the back, with the text: 'Sample record - not for sale'. I have to assume that this version of the single was a promotional item, and not too many of them exist. It's not bad to have a collectors item like this as my number 4000.



My collection: 7" single no. 4000
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, August 22, 2009
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'I love it loud' / 'Killer'

Tuesday 30 December 2008

Forever - Kiss

After 'Unmasked', Kiss went through hard times. Peter Criss left the band, the remaining members worked with a replacement for a while and then decided to really put down their masks. They struggled with their fanbase and identity for years. In 1989, they released the album 'Hot in the shade'. This single, 'Forever', was written by Paul Stanley with Michael Bolton and features the kind of melodrama you would expect from the latter, but not from Kiss. It is a hard-edged rock ballad, which appealed to me a lot at the time. Despite the success of 'Forever', 'Hot in the Shade' became the first Kiss album to fail to reach platinum status since 'Creatures of the night' (1982). A live version appeared on 'Kiss Symphony: Alive IV' (2003).

My collection: 7" single no. 1261
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 14, 1990
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Forever' / 'The street giveth and the street taketh away'
Download: Album 'Hot in the shade', including both tracks (password: heavyrock4life.blogspot )




Monday 22 December 2008

What makes the world go 'round - Kiss

When our grandparents went on holiday to England, my sister and I, 16 and 10 years old respectively, asked them for a souvenir in the guise of a Kiss record. We were still big fans of the group, ever since their breakthrough with 'I was made for loving you'. It was the kind of youthful excitement that is very common at that age. We were very surprised when they returned with this single, one for each of us. In Holland, 'Talk to me' had just been released, but the UK had obviously preferred to release 'What makes the world go 'round'. It was not a successful release: the single didn't make the charts. My grandparents, meanwhile, were very surprised that we were into 'these painted men'.

My collection: 7" single no. 66
Found: present
Cost: 0
Tracks: 'What makes the world go 'round' / 'Naked city'

Saturday 13 December 2008

Talk to me - Kiss

The second single to be taken from Kiss's album 'Unmasked' (at least, in the Netherlands), 'Talk to me' was written by Ace Frehley, who also performed lead vocals on this track. It performed even worse than 'Shandi' in the charts, because it didn't make the Dutch Top 40.

Band member Peter Criss didn't play drums on the album 'Unmasked', although he was credited for this. It was the beginning of the end: Peter Criss left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Eric Carr, who debuted during a lip-synched performance of 'Talk to me' and 'She's so European' on German television. Carr would be drumming in Kiss until his death in 1991.

My collection: 7" single no. 62
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Talk to me' / 'Naked city'

Monday 8 December 2008

Shandi - Kiss

Taken from their eighth album 'Unmasked', 'Shandi' was only a small hit compared to the three singles taken from the previous album, 'Dynasty'. Written by vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley and producer Vini Poncia, the song title was inspired by the Bruce Springsteen song '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'.

Paul Stanley was the only member of the band to have actually played on the track. Session drummer Anton Fig plays drums, Kiss roadie Tom Harper plays bass and professional songwriter Holly Knight plays keyboards, while Stanley sings lead and plays all guitars. Vini Poncia provided backing vocals to the track.

My collection: 7" single no. 56
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Shandi' / 'She's so European'

Thursday 4 December 2008

Magic touch - Kiss

The album 'Dynasty' was a great success for Kiss, even though fans criticised them for having gone commercial. The blend of hardrock with a more 'disco' style made a big impact on a broad audience. Until then, Kiss had focused exclusively on their hardcore black leather wearing Kiss Army. I was only nine years old when 'Dynasty' was released. I had no desire to get involved in hardrock. But I did get into these scary looking individuals because of their glammed up music and their strange looks.

My collection of Kiss singles from the album 'Dynasty' was completed when I bought 'Magic touch'. The third single to be lifted from that album, it didn't do as well as its predecessors. The masked men desperately needed to come up with something new, and fortunately they did, a bit later that year.

My collection: 7" single no. 39
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Magic touch' / 'Save your love'

Monday 24 November 2008

Sure know something - Kiss

The records don't show it and my memory can't recall where, but I know I got Kiss's second single from their 'Dynasty' album pretty quickly after I got I was made for lovin' you. 'Sure know something' got to number 3 in the Dutch charts in the autumn of 1979. Amazingly, it didn't reach the UK charts at all, and in France it was released as the B-side to 'Dirty Livin''. It's this French edition that's part of my record collection now. I might have bought it in Paris, because we were on holiday in that city that year. But as I said, there's no way of knowing...

My collection: 7" single no. 29
Found: ?
Cost: ?
Tracks: 'Dirty livin'' / 'Sure know something'

Friday 21 November 2008

I was made for lovin' you - Kiss

When I was asked what presents I wanted to have for my ninth birthday, I immediately replied that I would like some chart singles. They were too expensive for me to buy on my weekly allowance, but there were always titles that I desired. My wish was granted, and so I got Kiss for my birthday.

'I was made for lovin' you' was the nation's number one single at that time, and I was very proud that I had it. As a child you could believe that your purchase - even if someone else bought it for you - really mattered. The fact that the pressing came from France made my happiness even greater. Not that I understood the significance of different pressings, but France seemed like an exotic, far away country. The single itself, of course, is a classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 28
Found: Birthday present, August 31, 1979
Cost: nothing!
Tracks: 'I was made for lovin' you' / 'Hard times'
Download: Album 'Dynasty', including both tracks
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