I'm not sure what my first Kiss album was, but it may have been Alive III. I know it came out around the time I started really buying CDs, and that I did get this album not too long after it first came out. I can't remember if I bought it, or if it was a gift though. I do know that I don't listen to this one often, but it's a decent live album.
It opens with Creatures Of The Night, which is one of those songs I know, but to this day I still don't really know. It is a great start to this album though.
After that they move right on into Deuce, which is Deuce. If you've heard this song once you've heard it a million times. It doesn't matter if it's live or not.
Then it's on to I Just Wanna. This is the first song on this live collection that comes from Revenge, which is the tour where all these songs were recorded. This is one of those songs that's fun, and totally enjoyable, with a whole bunch of silliness hidden underneath. This is modern day Kiss (modern in 1993), making music that sounds like it could have been recorded in their prime. I will say the Bruce Kulicks solo is pretty damn good too.
After that comes Unholy, which is also from the same album as the last song originally. The version found on this live album isn't as good as the original, but it's not bad.
One problem I find with this Alive III is that the vocals are too far forward in the mix, especially compared to the rest of the music. For example on Unholy Bruce delivers this really cool solo, but instead of being out in the open shredding it up, the sound seems to be slightly buried in the mix, so it's pretty much level with the drums. The only thing buried any lower in the mix is the bass.
Now I know when bands play live they tend to speed up their songs, but when it comes to Heaven's On Fire it almost sounds like they are trying to rush it. It sounds like it's getting the "Let's play it, and get it over with" treatement. Which is kind of odd since it runs just over four minutes.
Watchin' You is one of those songs that has two sides to it. The first is pretty rough and bad ass in the best possible ways. The other is a little Pop-ish and gimmicky. It's pretty much one of those songs that's perfect for throwing into a live set, but I do have to say that the mix on the audience would have you believe that most of the time they aren't overly impressed.
Domino is one of those songs I love from Revenge. It may be one of my favourite Kiss songs altogether. I'm glad to hear that the audience feels the same way on this track, but I do find this live version kind of pale in comparison to the original.
I think the biggest problem with this album is the production, but that's normal with Kiss and their live albums. This is a band that is known for doctoring live albums, and making them sound better than they actually are. It's really a bit of a shame.
Next up is I Was Made For Lovin' You. I'm not a fan of this song for the most part, but I do think that the live version included on here is pretty decent. I think part of that comes from the fact that they took the disco edge out of the song. It still has a hook and groove, but it doesn't have so much of that intentional dance rhythm. Actually I find this version of the song almost has an epic like feel to it, which isn't bad for a song that was alledgedly recorded during sound check.
I Still Love You is the longest song in the live set at 6:04. I have come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a fan of this song. Paul Stanley's performance is top notch and it's listening to him sing songs like this, that made it so easy for me to accept him as The Phantom Of The Opera, when I first heard about it. Also the solo is pretty damn good too.
Rock And Roll All Nite, chances are you know this song, and I'm willing to bet that your children's children will rock out to this song too at some point. I personally didn't really need another live version of this song, but I guess it sort of needed to be on here. Also, it does sound a little different compared to the original live version, or the studio version. The most interesting part about this version of the song is how bass heavy it sounds.
That's followed by Lick It Up, which I've never been a fan of. I find this song pretty basic and stock for Kiss. Which means it's a rather basic song in the grand scheme of Rock.
I never knew Forever prior to this album. I still wish I didn't. It's a very standard power ballad that makes Beth sound like an arena rocker.
I Love It Loud is one of those songs that was written to be played live. Though a bit typical, I do find it enjoyable. However, much like Rock And Roll All Nite, I think Gene Simmons should be sued any time he plays this song live, for false advertising.
There are some Kiss songs I love, and some Kiss songs that is sort of worship. Detroit Rock City is one of the latter. The only songs on this album I like as much as this one are Domino and the next track. But this one still wins out. I love listening to Gene rip it out on the bass on this one, and the solo is never dissapointing, especially when they go to twinning guitars. It sounds sweet.
God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II has been a favourite of mine since I first heard it in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. I know this isn't really a Kiss song, but the way they've done it makes it theirs. I really do love this song, and this live version is pretty damn good too. I mean they do it real magical justice. This is where the album should have ended. It would have been the perfect closer, and would have had me rating this album higher than I'm going to now.
I find that the Star Spangled Banner being played at the end of this album wrecks it for me. For starters I've never been a fan of the song, and I've yet to hear a version that I like. It's pretty much everyone trying to be Jimi Hendrix as far as I'm concerned. I would have prefered if they had opened the show with it instead.
There are multiple things I really like about this album. The first is that it's the only Kiss Alive album to feature Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick. Another is that this includes some great tracks from the post original band eras, and includes songs from all eras. I will say that I do still prefer the first Alive to this one, and one of these days I'm going to pick up Alive II finally. Then I'll finally be able to compare them all. I don't count the symphony album. That's a little different.
I think that if you like Kiss you should own this album. If you don't like Kiss then why are you even reading this?
7/10 - content
6/10 - production
7/10 - personal bias
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