This "News" page generally only relates to matters of interest to the KISSFAQ. There's no need to replicate news that can be seen on every other KISS website. Should you want official announcements please visit the band's official website at: KISSONLINE.COM. If you use information appearing on this or any other KISSFAQ page, in print (fanzines) or online (directly quoted or rewritten), please have the courtesy to say where it came from. If printing in fanzines, I'd love a copy sent to the KISSFAQ PO Box.

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Saturday, September 27, 2003 5:58:21 AM - "Recent" KISS Tribute Reviews
Sure, the KISS tribute market seems to have cooled off somewhat, though Bob Kulick is currently rumored to be working on a project. However, there have been several releases this year which are of interest and note.


Click on covers to purchase items from Amazon.com

Hayseed Dixies' hillbilly tribute to KISS, "KISS My Grass", was released in February 2003. Featuring "Calling Dr. Love", "Detroit Rock City", "Christine Sixteen", "Cold Gin", "Let's Put The X In Sex", "Love Gun", "Lick It Up", "I Love It Loud", "Rock And Roll All Night", and "Heaven's On Fire", the album gives KISS material a blue-grass treatment. This makes the product one of the most unique yet released. With so many tributes out there one must wonder what the point is of a band covering a KISS song identically to the original KISS performance. Hayseed add spice to a good spectrum of KISS' history. Apart from the skilled musicianship the album is also very listenable. It's not the first tribute these guys have been responsible for having covered AC/DC in 2001. The most important thing about this album is that it is just pure fun!

KISS Undressed is the brainchild of Alexx Michael from the band Shameless. "Undressed" takes the tribute concept in a new direction focusing entirely on the material from KISS' "Unmasked" album. While that album may not have been overly popular in the United States, it did well in other international markets. Additionally, one of the complaints about the album was in regards to the production which was considered too soft and polished for KISS. A tribute on an album level offers a chance for some "what if's" to be addressed. With 16 tracks several songs get multiple treatments. In terms of professional appearance of product "Undressed" rates right up there with "Return Of The Comet" for quality.

The album kicks off with Jendza's cover of "Is That You?". While KISS' version was a cover itself, Jendza inject some adrenaline into the song with a killer double-bass sounding drums. It remains smooth but the increased tempo adds more to the "what could have been"... Ryan McKay does essentially the only thing possible thing with "Shandi" and reduces it to a minimalistic piece of acoustic guitar and guitar case for precussion. The result shows just how touching the piece can be. Shameless, who were the driving force for the album, make their first contribution covering Ace's "Talk To Me". Having previously covered KISS material they give the song their own vibe while not straying too far from the original. Nash give "Naked City" more than a facial with an injection of tempo and attitude. Even with the stylistic changes to the original the band pull off a quality cover which breathes life into the song. Demon Drive take on "What Makes The World Go 'Round", but it remains faithfull to the original with beefier guitars. Apart from this being one of my favorite tracks on the original album, it also stands out on "Undressed".

Pretty Suicide's cover of "Tomorrow" turns the gender direction of the song around with the band being fronted by a woman. That's something that has not happened enough on KISS tributes, since there are plenty of female KISS fans out there. The cover works well with a very 80's rock feel. The Geminus Sect's industrial treatment of "Two Sides Of The Coin" is suprisingly listenable with some techno overtones. Like few other tribute efforts the band at least interprets the song with their own vision rather than imitates. Kinda reminds me of a cross-mix of Madonna's "Party" blended with the Sex Pistols "Submission" which circulates out there. Fun! Ken Gullic's Boot Camp have played with Bruce Kulick. Their treatment of "She's So European" takes it through several time and style changes. It's a bit convoluted, but makes for an interesting listen. Dressed To Thrill beef up the guitars and bass on "Easy As It Seems". Like some other Paul tracks on the original album this song benefits from the band's treatment which "kicks it up a notch". The hilarious Torpedo Girls cover the Ace song which inspired their name. While Ace's song was fun and tongue in cheek, this version stays pretty faithful to the original.

Shameless return with their cover of "You're All That I Want". And well, it sounds like Shameless. Another quality cover which injects some steroids into the material. "Naked City" gets an alternate treatement by Oliver Monroe. Starting off minimalistic with piano accompaniement some guitars and drums appear towards the end of the song keeping it a very evocative piece. Another standout track on the album. "Tomorrow" gets a revisit, this time with Shameless' interpretation which has a nice acoustic flavour with excellent ambience. "Two Sides Of The Coin" covered by Mind Over Matter is another stand out track with its techno-rock style. Excellent version! Tykoon take on "Easy As It Seems" with a guitar laden version. They find an excelent balance between their sound and production on the recording. The final song is KISS Forever's cover of "Talk To Me" which is different enough to close the album in an interesting manner.

Overall the quality of the music and production on the album is excellent. Packaging is also of high quality and features the "Unmasked" chapter of the third edition of the "KISS Album Focus".

KISS Unpainted is the most recent of the three tributes reviewed here, having been released this month. It doesn't feature a single classic era song and is dedicated to KISS 1983-95. It kicks off with an excellent version of "Master & Slave" by Dear Victims. Other tracks on the album include: Tears Are Falling (America to Mars), Dance All Over Your Face (Pale Blue Dot), Forever (Kiss Cover Show), Crazy, Crazy Nights (Oregon Dream Child), Who Want's to be Lonely (Star 2K), Thrills In The Night (Unmasked), Lick it Up (Kisskonfusion), Heaven's on Fire (Cyrcle IX), Thief in the Night (Kiss Forever Band), Unholy (Killaroo), and Let's Put the X in Sex (The Pornographs). Stands out on the album include "Tears Are Falling" which is a fun speedy reinterpretation of the song; The funked up "Dance All Over Your Face" again shows what tributes should be about, not copying, but making the song your band's own. Overall it's an interesting mix of reinterpretations and bands which stay close to the original style of the material. As for the Pornographs, still trying to figure that one out!

One final note, the cover: some might find this offensive to the late-Eric Carr, but don't judge an album by its cover... «Post A Comment»

Thursday, September 25, 2003 7:48:55 AM - KISS Comin' Home?
Aerosmith/KISS is showing up on ticketmaster for a concert at Madison Square Garden on November 16th... «Post A Comment»

Thursday, September 25, 2003 7:48:55 AM - Got Setlists?
Wondering if anyone has the accurate setlists for:
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS, Sept. 24, 2003
Amsouth Amphitheatre, Nashville, TN, Sept. 22, 2003

New stats added to the tour stats page... «Post A Comment»

Monday, September 22, 2003 7:58:21 AM - "The Lost Concert" DVD...

Click cover to pre-order from Amazon.com

What seems to be another 'unofficial' DVD release is set for October 21 with the release of "The Lost Concert" DVD through Koch Vision Entertainment. It seems that Koch also has the distribution rights for the infamous "Live In Las Vegas" DVD since that also appears in their catalog. The DVD apparently features b/w footage from the famed 1976 Jersey City concert at Roosevelt Stadium. This was early during the band's "Destroyer" tour so the set includes one of the rare American performances of "Flaming Youth". It is not clear whether the show is complete. Like the "Live at Sydney Showgrounds 1980", which was not released, one can only wonder whether this will really get released... «Post A Comment»

Wednesday, September 17, 2003 9:27:53 AM - Tour News / Tonight's Show Postponed...
Due to incoming Hurricane Isabel, bitch, tonight's show in Virginia Beach has been postponed. Check KISSONLINE for official news concerning the tour and any rescheduling of dates. Additionally, Billboard reports that the August 31st show in Hershey, PA, was sold-out, apparently the first of the tour so far... «Post A Comment»

Tuesday, September 09, 2003 3:48:15 PM - "KISS Alive IV" Single Disc Reissue...

"KISS Symphony: Alive IV (Single Disc Edition)" (Sanctuary/KISS Records 84658-2) is being released on October 7th. This release, as the title suggests, cuts the material from the Symphonic show down to one CD worth and also includes the KISS cover of "Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio" from the Ramones Tribute album. Ironically, that recording features Gene, Paul, Eric Singer (Drums), Derick Sherinian (Keyboards), and Scott Paige (Sax). The Symphony Single Disc songs include: "Deuce", "Lick It Up", and "Calling Dr. Love" from the Electric Act I; "Beth", "Goin' Blind", and "Shandi" from the Ensemble Acoustic Act II; and "Detroit Rock City", "King Of The Night Time World", "Do You Love Me?", "Shout It Out Loud", "God Of Thunder", "Love Gun", "Black Diamond", "Great Expectations", and "Rock and Roll All Nite" from the Symphony Act III... «Post A Comment»

Tuesday, September 09, 2003 10:06:58 AM - KISS Alive IV drops off Swiss charts...
"Alive IV" has dropped off the Swiss charts this week. Charting in Switzerland for 6 weeks, that country leads all others for duration of the album on the charts. That performance made the album the most successful KISS album, in terms of chart performance, in Switzerland since "Revenge" (11 weeks, #6 top) in 1992. The album charted for one week in France, Finland, and Italy; three weeks in Holland, Norway, and the United States; four weeks in Australia and Canada; and five weeks in Germany and Sweden. Currently, the album only remains active on one national chart: Austria. See the August '03 news archive for overall chart... «Post A Comment»

Monday, September 08, 2003 8:45:27 AM - KISS Alive IV certified GOLD...
One of the first official GOLD certifications for KISS' "Symphony: Alive IV", has been reported in the Canadaian CRIA certifications for August 2003, for sales of 50,000 units... «Post A Comment»

Friday, September 05, 2003 1:23:11 PM - Three new tour dates announced...
10/20/03 - Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM
10/22/03 - Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
11/06/03 - Mecca, Omaha, NE... «Post A Comment»

Thursday, September 04, 2003 8:07:50 AM - UPDATED: AeroKISS Tour Stats
(From Billboard) Some early gross returns/details from the AeroKISS Tour:
8/2 - Meadows Music Centre, Hartford, CT - 18,272/24,000 = $1,155,020
8/4 & 8/6 - Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY - 27,820/27,982 = $2,497,636
8/9 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA - 21,088/22,454 = $1,510,372
8/11 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ - 16,902/16,944 = $1,241,342
8/13 - Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH - NO STATS
8/15 - Comerica Stadium, Detroit, MI - CANCELLED
8/17 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN - 21,544/24,093 = $1,310,731
8/19 - Germain Amphitheater, Columbus, OH - 18,883/20,000 = $1,141,390
8/21 - Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA - 20,344/22,880 = $1,217,673
Thus the tour, with those date's details available, is currently selling at around 91.5% of capacity... «Post A Comment»

Thursday, September 04, 2003 5:32:22 AM - Tour: Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Cleveland) Set List
KISS Apparently performed, at their 9/3 show:
Detroit Rock City
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
Do You Love Me?
Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll
I Love It Loud
Firehouse
God Of Thunder
100,000 Years
I Want You
Black Diamond
Beth
Love Gun
Rock And Roll All Nite
So, the Cleveland folks got what appears to be the standard set for this tour... «Post A Comment»

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 8:24:44 AM - Tour: Nuge opening for KISS again...
Ted Nugent will open the rescheduled show at Detroit's Comerica Park on September 7th... «Post A Comment»

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 8:24:44 AM - Tour: KISS dominates performance
(From PennLive.com, by ZACHARY LEWIS) "KISS's music may be simple on paper, but performing it the way they do is an art no one else has mastered. Smoke, bright lights, explosions, fire, dripping blood, levitating platforms -- these are still a few of KISS's favorite things, even after 30 years. And they were all part of the band's thrilling performance Sunday night at Hersheypark Stadium".

Read more, HERE... «Post A Comment»

Monday, September 01, 2003 8:03:21 AM - Tour: Hershey, PA Set List
KISS Apparently performed, at their 8/31 show:
Detroit Rock City
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
Do You Love Me?
Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll
I Love It Loud
Firehouse
God Of Thunder
100,000 Years
I Want You
Black Diamond
Beth
Love Gun
Rock And Roll All Nite
So, the Hershey folks got what appears to be the standard set for this tour. The band encountered musical issues during notably "Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll"... «Post A Comment»

Saturday, August 30, 2003 7:26:07 AM - Tour: Camden, NJ Set List
KISS Apparently performed, at their 8/29 show:
Detroit Rock City
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
Do You Love Me?
Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll
I Love It Loud
Firehouse
God Of Thunder
100,000 Years
I Want You
Black Diamond
Beth
Love Gun
Rock And Roll All Nite
So, the Camden folks got what appears to be the standard set for this tour... «Post A Comment»

Thursday, August 28, 2003 9:44:17 AM - KISS "Symphony" Chart Action
This week the album dropped off the US Top-200 charts reportedly scanning under 6,000 units. The album also dropped to 90 on the Swiss charts and completely off the Swedish charts. In Austria, the album rose 4 places to #39. This is the only market where the album has risen two weeks in a row. KISS' "Millenium" collection managed to chart for three weeks in Canada, debuting at #81, dropping to #102, and rising to #100 this week... «Post A Comment»

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