28th February 2003
KISS Symphony Review The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, back, wearing black and white face paint, perform with seventies rock group KISS in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Feb. 28, 2003. The concert is to be shown on a pay-tv special with the 60-piece orchestra joining the group on stage in full KISS make-up. (AP Photo/David Callow) |
ON paper, the Kiss Symphony looked potentially disastrous.
How would Kiss's bombastic party rock work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as their very large backing band?
Would the 60-piece orchestra get lost in the mix or would Kiss mellow and turn out slightly feral chamber music?
The answer: neither.
The Kiss Symphony was simply Kiss turned up to 11: classics with
class.
While Kiss have always strived for bigger and better with their stage show, it's hard to imagine them topping the sheer jaw-dropping, ear-bleeding, eye-burning spectacle of last night's Kiss Symphony.
It started simply enough: the four members banging out back-to-basics Kiss classics: Deuce, Strutter and Calling Dr Love among them.
An acoustic set followed with a handful of orchestra members helping to breathe life into 20-year-old favourites including Shandi and Sure Know Something.
Drummer Peter Criss even got to perform his signature ballad Beth with strings attached.
Then came the thunder: Kiss with the full orchestra (all wearing Kiss make-up) between them and two speaker stacks taller than the average house. Musical arranger David Campbell was the real hero of the day, orchestrating Kiss hits with the mandatory aggression, testosterone and drama making the MSO rock, quite literally.
The symphonic punch sent Kiss standards Detroit Rock City, Shout it Out Loud, I Was Made for Lovin' You, God of Thunder, Love Gun, Black Diamond and Rock and Roll all Nite into a new league; one that somehow suited them at this point in their 30-year career.
"This is our kind of classical music," singer Paul Stanley remarked at rehearsals the night before. At one point the band were so engrossed in the MSO they seemed reluctant to join in.
Naturally, being Kiss, there were enough pyrotechnics for a million New Year's Eves, and for rabid fans reliving their youth.
Guitarist Tommy Thayer may not have been Ace Frehley, but the general consensus was he's a much better player, while his bandmates wrote the book on rock god poses.
And how can you argue with any concert where the frontman
flies?
26th February 2003
Download Sure Know SomethingVisit his site at http://www.thetrukstop.com/kiss/
to download it!
25th February 2003
KISS on RoveTommy: Songs like Shandi, Sure Know Something, uh, theres a few others Forever You know,
Rove: Will you do Strutter, which is one of my favorites, will you do
strutter?
Paul: Yes, yes well do Strutter, were doing that in one first, um, segment of the show, so well be doing that, were covering everything from Deuce to Shandi to Sure Know Something to Great Expectations. Its really a kiss fans dream, its our dream, its one in the same.
Eddie Trunk KISSmas interview
Eddie Trunk's website now somel of the Merry KISSmas special available to download in MP3 format. The interviews with Paul, Peter, Ace, Eric and Bruce can be download from http://www.eddietrunk.com. Thanks to Russell Peake for the info.
24th February 2003
TV clips
This
week KISS were featured as a question on Never Mind The
Buzzcocks. They got the usual piss taking from pretty much
everyone ('twats with make-up, twats without') apart from Jaret
von Erich who was the only one who knew all their names. As
usual Peter was the butt of most of the jokes, they showed a
clip of I Was Made For Lovin' You... and commented that he was allowed to wear
the 'golden nose' in the video as he won the best make-up competition.
Repeated on BBC2, Sunday @ 23:25 if you want to see it.
Also on the BBC was the Appleton documentary which was
repeated at the weekend. As well as playing Cold Gin (as
mentioned below), they also showed Nat wearing a cool KISS
t-shirt and the top of her KISS boxers!!! Thanks also to Ian
Lewis for spotting this too.
18th February 2003
The Early Years UK release 28th Feb
KISS: THE EARLY YEARS
GENE SIMMONS AND PAUL STANLEY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WARING ABBOT
Over 250 never before published photographs!
First official book of the bandıs early days! Text by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley!
In the 1970s, KISS were on top of the world, breaking attendance records at
stadiums, selling millions of records, and recruiting thousands of people
into the KISS army. Almost 30 years and 80 million records later, they
still have an immense following, and have earned an enduring place in
rockınıroll history.
Now, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have written the bandıs first official
book, giving fans an unprecedented insiderıs look at their lives onstage
and off. Long-time band photographer Waring Abbott reveals an amazingly
intimate array of photos, while Gene and Paul provide a running commentary
on what the band was thinking and doing throughout this wild time. KISS fans
have never had such an up-close and personal look at their favourite band,
and all rockınıroll fans will be thrilled to see such an exciting band and
pivotal period in rock history captured in a visually stunning way.
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley co-founded KISS in 1973. They live in Los
Angeles. Waring Abbott is one of the music industryıs premier photographers.
He worked closely with KISS for eight years and has photographed many other
high profile musicians, including Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. He
and his wife live in New York.
Publication: February 28th 2003
Price: £14.99
Category: Music
Pages: 286
Photos: 150 colour and b&w
ISBN: 0 85965 335 8
Paperback
Click here for the review by Dan
Bach
14th February 2003
KISS song on BBC3Just happened to be watching a "fly on the wall" doc about the Appleton's (them that were in Allsaints) on Thursday night on BBC 3. It showed the two of them on their hen night at Eurodisney. Song played whilst showing montage of clips, Cold Gin by KISS, about a minutes worth. Nearly fell off the sofa.
KUK Note: Cold Gin is one of Natalie Appletons favourite songs!
12th February 2003
New song played.... on Radio 2!Just to let you know radio two played the Kiss ramones tribute tonight at about 5.45 ish (not to sure whos show s on at that time but I almost crashed the car - Kiss on National Radio Aghhh).What a great version!
[From: Frank Flannigan]
Kiss' new song played on Johnnie Walker Show Radio 2 tonight. Kiss on Radio 2
does this mean the will be performing in Cardigans and slippers.
Paul & Gene in Sunday Express
Paul
and Gene were featured in last sunday's Sunday Express magazine,
with a couple of photos from the shoot for the Hard Rock advert
in Orlando. Thanks to Phil Jocelyn for sending in the pictures.
10th February 2003
Gene on MTVAlso, the following song was played on BBC over the past week:-
[From: Ian Lewis]
When The Snooker show started last night they were playing Do ya love me as the beginning
theme music!!
[From: Chris Purviss]
Probably not of much interest, but I was watching the snooker on BBC2 the other nite, and in the
opening sequence it showed a player (don't know who! ) getting out of a limo and the music they
used was " Do you love me". Sad I know but I was quite chuffed to know that someone at the BBC had heard of the band!
