So I am here at work cleaning and listening to music. I put a few new albums on the ol' iPod today, and one was truely the most influencial album to me ever. When I started listening to it, all the memories of the 1st time I heard it come flooding back. What album you ask? KISS Alive II. I remember being 7yrs old and thumbing thru my stepdad's unreal album collection. I came across a section with these guys that looked like super heroes on the covers. The first one that really caught my eye was Destroyer, with them kinda dancing on the ruins. It was amazing to me. Then I came to Aive II. The individual photos of each member on the back cover just froze me. Gene with all the sweat and blood all over him, Paul with this reflective shining light on him, and the awesome photos of Peter and Ace. As a 7yr old, it was magical to me. So I had to hear what was on this record. Being young and not paying attention, I put on side one of album 2. I Stole Your Love came blasting out of the speakers and that was it, I was hooked. That main/opening riff of that song is so amazing, even now almost 26yrs later for me. That song was the beginning of my longest lasting relationship, music. After I Stole Your Love was over, Beth came on. I wasn't digging it back then (I soon learned to love that song). After Beth was over the song that truely was the one that sealed the deal came on. If you have not heard the live version of God of Thunder on this record, go download it or youtube it NOW!! The way it starts with this creepy, distorted bass, has Peter's drum solo in the middle. then out of the drum solo it goes into Gene singing "I am the lord of the wastelands, a modern day man of steel, I gather darkness to please me, and I command you to kneel before the God of Thunder" with this weird distorted effect on his vocals. That was it, I had a hero for life. Gene Simmons was the man and no one was gonna tell me different.My stepdad came home and asked what I was listening to and told me I needed to put on the start of the record and hear the rest of it. So I did and I heard "You wanted the best, You got the best, the hottest band in the world.....KISS!!!" for the first time and then they kick right into Detroit Rock City. It just keeps hitting from there, King of the Night Time World, Ladies Room, Makin' Love, all awesome songs. Then the heavy hitters come out.....Love Gun, Calling Dr. Love, Christine Sixteen, and Shock Me. This was the most powerful thing I had ever heard. I could just feel the energy coming thru the speakers into the livingroom. I sat infront of those speakers just soaking up all I could. That album still remains my top reason I ever wanted to play music or even touch a guitar/bass. There have been other bands that really influenced me as a kid and as I grew up, but KISS still remains the main one. I finally got to see KISS this past summer in Atlanta. It was so worth the wait. I had tried to go other times, but something always seemed to keep me from going. I got to go see them with Roland and it was truely "The Hottest Show on Earth" as the tour was called. So here I am, almost 26yrs later and not a day goes by that I do not listen to KISS. Be it just a couple of songs, or an album. KISS is still a big part of my daily listening and always will be.
Posted on 03/09/2011
