Traditional Metal: KISS

Early years and struggles (1971-1975)

Kiss traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock and roll band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Wicked Lester, with its eclectic mixture of musical styles, never achieved any success. They recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that a new musical direction was needed, abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 and began forming a new group.

In late 1972, Simmons and Stanley came across an ad in the East Coast version of Rolling Stone placed by Peter Criss, a veteran drummer from the New York club scene, who was previously in bands called Lips and Chelsea. Criss auditioned for and joined the new version of Wicked Lester. The trio focused on a much harder style of rock than Wicked Lester played. Inspired by the theatrics of Alice Cooper and the New York Dolls, they also began experimenting with their image by wearing makeup and various outfits. In November 1972, the trio played a showcase for Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, in an effort to secure a record deal. Although the performance went well, Ellis hated the group's image and music. On top of that, as he was leaving, he was vomited on by Criss's brother.

In early January 1973, the group added lead guitarist Ace Frehley. Frehley impressed the group with his first audition, although he showed up wearing two different sneakers, one red and one orange. A few weeks after Frehley joined, the Wicked Lester name was dropped and the band became Kiss.

Stanley came up with the name as he, Simmons, and Criss were driving around New York City. Criss mentioned that he was in a band called Lips, so Stanley said something to the effect of "What about Kiss?" Frehley created the now-iconic logo, making the "SS" look like lightning bolts, when he went to write the new band name over Wicked Lester on a poster outside the club where they were going to play. The runic letters happened to look similar to the insignia of the Nazi SS, a symbol that is now illegal to display in Germany. Therefore, to avoid controversy, since 1979 most of the band's album covers and merchandise in Germany have used a modified version of the logo, in which the "SS" looks like a backwards "ZZ." The band's name has been rumored to have many secret meanings, among them an acronym for Knights In Satan's Service or Keep It Simple Stupid.

The first Kiss performance was on January 30, 1973, for an audience of three at the Popcorn Club (renamed Coventry shortly afterward) in Queens. For the first three gigs, January 30 - February 1, they wore almost little makeup, it was not until the March 9-10 shows at The Daisy in Amityville, NY that they would wear the makeup that would become their famous designs. On March 13 of that year, the band recorded a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer. Former TV director Bill Aucoin, who had seen the group at a handful of showcase concerts in the summer of 1973, offered to become the band's manager in mid-October. Kiss agreed, with the condition that Aucoin get them signed to a recording contract within two weeks. On November 1, 1973, Kiss became the first act signed to former teen pop singer and Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart's new label, Emerald City Records (which was shortly afterward renamed Casablanca Records).

The band entered Bell Sound Studios in New York City on October 10, 1973 to begin recording their first album. On December 31 the band had their official industry premier at the Academy of Music in New York City, opening for Blue Öyster Cult. It was at this concert that Simmons accidentally set his hair (which was coated in hairspray) ablaze for the first of many times while performing his inaugural firebreathing stunt.

Kiss's first tour started on February 5, 1974 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The band's self-titled debut album, Kiss, was released on February 18. Casablanca and Kiss promoted the album heavily throughout the spring and summer of 1974. On February 19, the band performed "Nothin' to Lose," "Firehouse," and "Black Diamond" for what would become their first national television appearance, on ABC's Dick Clark's In Concert (aired March 29). On April 29, the band performed "Firehouse" on The Mike Douglas Show. This broadcast included Simmons's first televised interview, a conversation with Douglas in which Simmons declared himself "evil incarnate," eliciting titters from an uncomfortable and largely confused studio audience. Fellow guest Totie Fields remarked that it would be humorous if, beneath all the make-up, Simmons was "just a nice Jewish boy." Simmons deftly parried this remark with neither a confirmation nor denial, by saying simply, "You should only know." To which she responded, "I do. You can't hide the hook," a reference to Simmons's nose.

Despite the publicity and constant touring, Kiss initially sold just 75,000 copies. Meanwhile, the group and Casablanca Records were losing money quickly. The band (while touring) stopped in Los Angeles in August 1974 to begin recording their second album, Hotter Than Hell, which was released on October 22, 1974. The only single, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll," failed to chart and the album stalled at No. 100.

Although Kiss albums had not proved to be big sellers, the band was quickly gaining a reputation as a top-flight live act. Kiss concerts featured things such as Simmons spitting "blood" (primarily yogurt and food coloring) or "breathing fire" (spitting flammable liquid at a torch); Frehley soloing as his guitar burst into flames (light and smoke bombs placed inside the guitar); Criss's elevating drum riser that emitted sparks; Stanley's Townshend-style guitar smashing; and pyrotechnics throughout the show.

By late 1975, Casablanca was almost bankrupt and Kiss was in danger of losing their record contract. Both parties desperately needed a commercial breakthrough if they were to survive. That breakthrough came in an unlikely form - a double live album.

Rise to prominence (1975-1978)

Kiss wanted to express the excitement felt at their concerts (which their studio albums had so far failed to do), with their first live album. Released on 10 September 1975, Alive! achieved Gold status and spawned Kiss's first top 40 single, a live version of "Rock And Roll All Nite." It was the first version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" with a guitar solo, and this recording has come to represent the definitive version of the song; supplanting the studio original. In recent years the band admitted that additional audience noise had been added to the album, not to deceive fans, but to add more "excitement and realism" to the show.

The success of Alive! not only brought Kiss the breakthrough they had been seeking, but arguably saved Casablanca, which was close to bankruptcy. Following this success, Kiss partnered with producer Bob Ezrin, who had previously worked with Alice Cooper. The result was Destroyer (released March 15, 1976), Kiss's most musically ambitious studio album to date. Destroyer, with its rather intricate production (utilizing an orchestra, choir, and numerous tape effects), was a departure from the raw sound of the first three studio albums. While the album sold well initially and became the group's second gold album, it quickly dropped down the charts. Only when the ballad "Beth" was released as a single did the album's sales rebound. "Beth" was a #7 hit for the band, and its success revived both the album (which achieved platinum status by the end of 1976) and ticket sales for Kiss.

In October 1976, Kiss appeared on the The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, lip-synching "Detroit Rock City", "Beth", and "King of the Night Time World". For many teenagers, this was their first exposure to Kiss's dramatic appearance. The show was co-produced by Bill Aucoin. In addition to the three performances, Kiss was the subject of a brief comedic "interview" conducted by Paul Lynde himself. This included Lynde noting, when hearing the member's first names, "Oh, I love a good religious group."

Two more highly successful studio albums were released in less than a year-Rock and Roll Over (November 11, 1976) and Love Gun (June 30, 1977). A second live album, Alive II, was released on October 14, 1977. All three albums were certified platinum upon or soon after their release. Between 1976 and 1978, Kiss earned $17.7 million from record royalties and music publishing. A 1977 Gallup poll named Kiss the most popular band in America. In Japan, Kiss performed five sold-out shows at Budokan Hall, breaking the previous record of four held by The Beatles.

In May 1977, Kiss made their first of many comic appearances in Howard The Duck issue 12 published by Marvel. This served as a precursor to many more Kiss-related comics initially published by Marvel.

The first of what is now many Kiss greatest hits albums, Double Platinum, was issued on April 2, 1978. This double album included many remixed versions of their hits, as well as "Strutter '78," a re-recorded version of one of the group's signature songs. At Neil Bogart's request, the song was played in a style similar to the then-popular disco music.

During this period, Kiss merchandise became a substantial source of income for the group. Some of the products released included a pair of comic books issued by Marvel (the first one of which contained ink mixed with actual blood donated by the group), a pinball machine, Kiss dolls, "Kiss Your Face Makeup" kits, Halloween masks, board games, and many other pieces of memorabilia. Membership in the Kiss Army, the band's fan club, was in the six figures. Between 1977 and 1979, worldwide merchandise sales (in-store and on tour) reached an estimated $100 million.

Four solo albums on the same day (1978)

Kiss were at their commercial peak by 1978-Alive II was the band's fourth platinum album in just under two years, and the ensuing tour had the highest average attendance (13,550) in the group's history. In addition, Kiss's gross income for 1977 was US$10.2 million. The group, along with creative manager Bill Aucoin, sought to take the band to the next level of popularity. To that end, an ambitious, two-pronged strategy was devised for 1978.

The first part involved the simultaneous release of four solo albums from the members of Kiss. Although Kiss has claimed that the solo albums were intended to ease rising tensions within the band, their 1976 record contract did in fact call for four solo records, with each of them counting as half an album toward the group's five-record commitment. While each album was very much a solo effort (none of the group appeared on another's album), they were all released and marketed as Kiss albums (with similar cover art and poster inserts). It was the first time that all current members of a rock band had released solo albums on the same day.

For the band members, it was a chance to showcase their individual musical styles and tastes outside of Kiss, and in some cases to collaborate with contemporary artists. Stanley's and Frehley's albums stuck pretty closely to the successful hard rock style that Kiss had utilized, while Criss's album featured an R&B style and was loaded with ballads. Simmons's was the most eclectic of the four. It featured hard rock, ballads, Beatles-influenced pop, and ended with a straight cover of "When You Wish upon a Star" (from the movie Pinocchio). Simmons's many collaborators included Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, the Doobie Brothers' Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, disco diva Donna Summer, Janis Ian, Helen Reddy, Bob Seger, and then-girlfriend Cher.

The Kiss solo albums were released on 18 September 1978. The marketing blitz behind the albums was unprecedented. Casablanca announced it was shipping five million total copies of the albums (guaranteeing instant platinum status), and they spent US$2.5 million marketing them. All four solo albums made it into the Top 50 of the Billboard album chart. However, the massive preorder for these albums was soon followed by an equally enormous attempt to ship them back to the record company, followed by the subsequent discounting of these albums once sales had (very quickly) peaked. The albums were also the first Kiss albums to be seen in the "bargain bins." All four solo albums sold about as many copies as Love Gun alone. Of the four, Frehley's album was the most successful (although not by a huge margin) and spawned the only radio top 20 hit (Russ Ballard's composition "New York Groove", originally performed by Hello).

The second part of Kiss's and Aucoin's plan called for the band to appear in a movie that would cement their image as larger than life superheroes. Filming for the movie commenced in the spring of 1978. Although the project was proposed to the band as a cross between A Hard Day's Night and Star Wars, the final results fell far short of those expectations. The script underwent numerous rewrites, and the band (particularly Criss and Frehley) grew increasingly frustrated with the film making process. It has been reported that Criss refused to take part in post-production, and hence a vocal actor had to be hired to re-dub all his lines. (Criss denies those reports, and claims he was present for the entire post-production process.)

The final product, entitled Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park debuted on NBC on October 28, 1978 (just before Halloween). Despite scathing reviews, it was one of the highest-rated TV movies of the year. It was released theatrically, after many changes, outside the U.S. in 1979 under the title Attack of the Phantoms. While later interviews with band members would have them talk about their movie making experience with a mix of humorous embarrassment and regret as to the finished product, they were unhappy with the final product. They felt that the movie ended up portraying them more as clowns than superheroes. The artistic failure of the movie led to a rift between the band and Aucoin. It has been only sporadically available on home video: currently, a version of the film is available on a compilation DVD entitled Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991.

Late makeup years and decline (1978-1983)

The band's first album of new material in two years, Dynasty (May 22, 1979), continued their platinum streak. The disco-flavored "I Was Made for Lovin' You" became the band's biggest hit single to date. Session drummer Anton Fig did almost all the percussion on the album while Criss recovered from an auto accident. Criss did play the drums on the song "Dirty Livin'," on which he also sang the lead.

Billed as "The Return of Kiss," the Dynasty Tour was expected by Kiss and their management to build on the success of previous tours. Plans were drawn up for a Kiss-themed traveling amusement park, called Kiss World but were abandoned because of the immense costs involved. However, "The Return of Kiss" saw a marked decline in attendance.

The crowds on this tour were much younger than previous audiences had been, with many pre-adolescent children in Kiss makeup with their mothers and fathers (who were sometimes wearing the makeup themselves) in tow at most concerts. Kiss themselves did little to dissuade this new fan base, donning colorful costumes that reinforced a cartoonish image for these younger fans.

The fans were unaware of the dissension within the band. One very public indication of the heightened friction within the group was an infamous October 31, 1979 interview on Tom Snyder's late-night The Tomorrow Show. During the episode, a visibly irritated Simmons and Stanley try to contain the bombastic (and inebriated) Frehley, whose non-stop laughter and joking overshadowed the content and conversation that takes place between Snyder and the rest of the band. Criss made repeated references to his large gun collection, to the chagrin of Simmons.

By the end of the Dynasty tour in December 1979, tensions between Criss and the rest of the band were at an all-time high. His drumming skills had noticeably eroded, and he even intentionally slowed down or stopped playing altogether during some concerts. The final show of the tour (December 16, 1979) was the last time Criss performed with the group (until the original foursome reunited in 1996), although he remained an official member for nearly six more months.

Fig also played all the drums on the next album Unmasked, although he was uncredited and Criss appeared on the cover art. Showcasing a slick, contemporary pop sound, Unmasked (May 20, 1980) had the dubious distinction of being the first Kiss album since Dressed to Kill to fail to achieve platinum sales. Soon after the album's release, Criss's departure was officially announced.

The band auditioned dozens of replacements for Criss in June 1980, settling on a little-known drummer-guitarist-singer from Brooklyn named Paul Caravello (born July 12, 1950), who was given the stage name Eric Carr. He was Kiss's first replacement member. In his "Fox" makeup, he was introduced on ABC's Kids Are People Too! and debuted with the group on July 25, 1980 at the Palladium Theatre in New York City. This was Kiss's only U.S. show in support of the album. The band's 1980 tour of Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, was one of the biggest in their history, as they played to sold-out crowds and received overwhelmingly positive press coverage. For their next album, the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin, with whom Kiss had found success on Destroyer. Early press reports indicated that the new album would be a return to the hard rock style that had originally brought the band success. What was released instead was 1981's Music from "The Elder", a concept album featuring medieval horns, strings, harps, and synthesizers.

The album was presented as a soundtrack to a film that was never made, making it difficult (if not impossible) to follow the storyline. To make matters worse, having received negative feedback following their record company's preview of the album, Kiss altered the record's track sequence in most countries to emphasize potential singles "The Oath" and "A World Without Heroes," which all but guaranteed the inability of listeners to understand the already muddled storyline. Once released, fan reaction to The Elder was harsh; it failed to achieve gold status and peaked at #75 on the Billboard Album Chart. The band made only two appearances in support of the new album, both in January 1982. One was a performance on the ABC late-night variety program Fridays, while the second was a lip-synched performance that was broadcast via satellite during Italy's Sanremo Festival. Kiss also performed "I", and "A World Without Heroes" on Solid Gold.

Absent from the second performance was Ace Frehley, who had become increasingly frustrated with Kiss's new musical direction. Upset with the band's decision to record a concept album (Music from "The Elder"), he did not actively participate in the album's creation, only providing lead vocals to one track, "Dark Light". He recorded his guitar parts at his home studio in Wilton, Connecticut and mailed them to Ezrin. Another source of frustration for Frehley was that with the departure of Peter Criss, and with Carr not being an equal partner in the band, he was often outvoted 2-to-1 on group decisions. In June 1982, Frehley's departure from the band was negotiated, although he did not officially leave until December, and remained a business partner with Simmons and Stanley until 1985. Simmons stated in his autobiography Kiss and Make-Up that Eddie Van Halen wanted to fill Frehley's spot. Simmons and Eddie's brother Alex convinced Eddie to remain with Van Halen. (Eddie was anxious to break up Van Halen because of rising tensions with lead singer David Lee Roth, who left the band soon thereafter.)

Soon after, Kiss made major changes to their business dealings - chief among them was severing ties with their manager of nine years, Bill Aucoin, and cutting back on their unwieldy organizational tree. Although Frehley had already decided to leave the band, he was pictured on the covers of 1982's Killers and Creatures of the Night, although he did not participate in the recording of either album. Gene Simmons Creatures of the Night (October 13, 1982) was Kiss's heaviest album to date, and although it fared better than Music from "The Elder", it peaked at #45 on the charts and was not certified gold until 1994. In Frehley's absence, Kiss utilized a number of guitarists for the recording of the album, including Vinnie Vincent (born Vincent John Cusano on August 6, 1952).

Frehley's last appearance with the band (until the original foursome reunited in 1996) was on the video for the single "I Love It Loud," which was co-written by Vincent. Frehley also appeared on the cover of the original Creatures Of The Night album artwork. (When the album was re-mixed and re-released in 1985 with a non-makeup cover and a slightly different song order, to reflect the band's roster change and abandonment of their make-up and costuming, Vincent was again absent from the album cover as then-current lead guitarist, Bruce Kulick, appeared there instead. The liner notes accompanying the re-mixed LP, however, have credited both Ace Frehley and Vinnie Vincent with lead guitar performances on the Creatures of the Night album.) Vincent officially replaced Frehley as lead guitarist in December 1982, as the band embarked on its 10th Anniversary Tour.

Vincent originally wanted to use his birth name in the band but this was vetoed by Gene Simmons on the grounds that it sounded "too ethnic": specifically, according to Simmons, "it sounded like a fruit vendor"; Simmons went on to note that "fairly or unfairly, rock and roll is about image". Vincent then suggested the name "Mick Fury" but this was also vetoed. Simmons later suggested the name change to Vinnie Vincent. Vincent started actively pushing to join Kiss as a full member. Despite the misgivings that both Simmons and Stanley harbored about his personality, Vincent was taken into the band. Stanley designed a character, "The Warrior", and makeup centered around an Egyptian ankh, for Vincent.

From 1982-1983, the new lineup of Kiss became Simmons (the Demon), Stanley (the Starchild), Eric Carr (the Foxman), and Vincent (the Warrior). This incarnation of Kiss was to be the last incarnation of the original make-up era. At the end of the Creatures Of The Night tour, the band removed their make-up.

Vincent does appear on the cover of Lick It Up and he was credited as the lead guitarist. Vincent was co-writer in 8 of the 10 songs on the album; "Fits Like A Glove" and "Dance All Over Your Face" were written solely by Simmons, . It is rumored that Vincent recorded every lead for the album's songs in their entirety and that Simmons went on to choose the parts of those leads that he liked best to fit the songs, stifling Vincent's creative abilities. Apparently, Simmons wanted more of a melodic sound and feel which Kiss fans had always heard and were accustomed to in Frehley's guitar solos. Additionally, Vincent would get "cut off" during his guitar solos live because both Stanley and Simmons felt that Vincent's leads went on too long.

Vincent's personality did not mesh well with either Stanley or Simmons and he was dismissed from Kiss at the end of the Creatures tour. He was re-hired before recording started for Lick It Up because Simmons and Stanley could not find a new lead guitarist on such short notice. Personality issues arose once again and Vincent was fired following the Lick It Up tour and was replaced by Mark St. John (birth name Mark Norton). Vincent's work on Creatures of the Night was not officially recognized until the album was remastered in 1997.

Vincent was later utilized by Kiss as a songwriter on the 1992 album Revenge, contributing to the songs "Unholy", "Heart Of Chrome" and "I Just Wanna". Before long however, Vincent, Simmons and Stanley fell out with each other for a third time, and permanently severed their musical ties.

Persistent rumors have circulated for years amongst Kiss fan circles regarding the true reason for Vincent's dismissals from Kiss with at least one band member refusing to comment except to say that legally it wasn't up for discussion. Simmons stated in an interview several years later that Vincent's firing was for "unethical behavior" but he did not elaborate by going into any great detail.

"I named Vincent Cusano, "Vinnie Vincent." That's the only gift he's allowed. It's interesting that Vinnie hasn't changed his name back to Vinnie Cusano. Vinnie, for the record, was fired for unethical behavior, not because of lack of talent. The guy is very talented. He was unethical. He was fired." -Gene Simmons

Unmasking and rebound (1983-1996)

Sensing it was time for a change, Kiss made the decision to abandon their trademark makeup and costumes. They officially appeared in public without makeup for the first time on a September 18, 1983 appearance on MTV, which coincided with the release of the band's glam metal new album, Lick It Up. The tour showing off the new album and the unmasked band members started off at Lisbon, Portugal, on the 11th of October, 1983, at Pavilhao Drama tico de Cascais, their first concert ever without makeup.

Lick It Up became Kiss's first gold record in three years, but the tour was even more sparsely attended than the one for Creatures of the Night. Vincent did not get along with Simmons and Stanley, and he left the band at the conclusion of the tour in March 1984. Vincent's replacement was Mark St. John (born Mark Norton on February 7, 1956 in Hollywood, California), a session player and guitar tutor.

With St. John on board, Kiss released the glam metal album Animalize on 13 September 1984. Animalize followed the success of Lick It Up, and with the video for "Heaven's on Fire" being played often on MTV, Animalize was the band's best-selling record in America during the decade. With the success of the album and subsequent tour, Kiss had recaptured some of their earlier glory (though not to the level of their '70s heyday). St. John, however, was soon taken ill with reactive arthritis during tour rehearsals, and only performed at a handful of shows. St. John was fired from Kiss in December 1984 and was replaced by Bruce Kulick (born December 12, 1953 in Brooklyn). Kulick was Kiss's fourth lead guitarist in less than three years, but he stayed with the band for twelve years. Kulick was one of the band's longest-running members, with the longest continuous tenure of anyone other than Simmons and Stanley, but he never wore the band's iconic makeup.

One of the first concerts Kulick played was in Detroit, Michigan's Cobo Hall. It was filmed for the MTV special Animalize Live. This was later released as the band's first home video (Animalize Live: Uncensored).

The lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Carr, and Kulick turned out to be the most stable since the original, and for the rest of the 1980s Kiss released a series of platinum albums-1985's Asylum, 1987's Crazy Nights and the 1988 greatest hits compilation Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. Crazy Nights, in particular, was one of Kiss's most successful albums overseas. The single "Crazy, Crazy Nights" reached #4 on the singles chart in Britain, the highest showing to date for a Kiss song.

Kiss ended the '80s with the 1989 release Hot in the Shade. Although the album failed to achieve platinum status, it spawned the early 1990 hit ballad "Forever," co-written by Michael Bolton. Peaking at #8, it was the group's highest-charting single since "Beth" and was the band's second Top 10 single.

During these non-makeup years, Kiss struggled with their identity and fan base. Simmons, arguably the dominating force in Kiss during the '70s, became less involved with the group in the '80s as he pursued outside interests; most notably, a film career. After the band's unmasking, he struggled with the loss of the Demon persona. During this time, Stanley became the driving force in Kiss, as well as their most prominent member.

The band decided to once again enlist Bob Ezrin to produce their first album of the 1990s. Before recording could begin in earnest, however, tragedy struck. In March 1991, it was discovered that Eric Carr had a tumor on his heart. It was successfully removed in an April surgery, but more tumors were soon discovered in his lungs. Carr received chemotherapy and was pronounced cancer-free in July. Hoewever, in September he suffered the first of two cerebral hemorrhages. He died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 41 (the same day as Freddie Mercury).

Though devastated, Kiss continued, bringing in veteran drummer Eric Singer (born Eric Mensinger on May 12, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio). Singer had played with Paul Stanley previously, as part of Stanley's backing band during a 1989 solo tour. Singer also played with performers such as Black Sabbath, Lita Ford, Badlands and Alice Cooper.

Kiss released Revenge on May 19, 1992. It featured a leaner, harder-edged sound, as indicated by the first single, "Unholy". In a surprise move, Kiss enlisted the aid of Vinnie Vincent for songwriting duties. The album debuted in the Top 10 and went gold. Kiss embarked on a brief club tour of the U.S. in the spring of 1992, before beginning an American arena tour in September 1992. Kiss followed with the release of Alive III (May 14, 1993), which was recorded during the Revenge tour. Four days later, Kiss were inducted into the RockWalk of Fame in Hollywood.

During this period, Kiss nostalgia started to pick up steam. June 1994 saw the release of Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved, a compilation album featuring popular artists of the era putting their own spin on Kiss songs. The result was an eclectic mix, featuring Lenny Kravitz's funky version of "Deuce" (with Stevie Wonder on harmonica), a ska punk version of "Detroit Rock City" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Garth Brooks' straightforward take on "Hard Luck Woman," with Kiss as his backup band. In 1995, the group released the book Kisstory, a 440-page, nine-pound, detailed chronicle of the group's history to that point. That same year, the band embarked on a unique and well-received Worldwide Kiss Convention Tour. The conventions were all-day events, featuring displays of vintage Kiss stage outfits, instruments, and memorabilia, performances by Kiss cover bands, and dealers selling Kiss merchandise from every stage of the band's career. Kiss appeared live at the conventions, conducted question and answer sessions, signed autographs and performed a two-hour acoustic set composed mostly of spontaneous fan requests. On the first U.S. date (June 17, 1995) Peter Criss appeared onstage with Kiss to sing "Hard Luck Woman" and "Nothin' to Lose." It was the first time Criss had performed publicly with the band in nearly 16 years.

On August 9, 1995, Kiss joined the long line of musicians to perform on MTV Unplugged. The band contacted Criss and Frehley and invited them to participate in the event. Both joined Kiss on stage for several songs at the end of the set-"Beth," "2000 Man," "Nothin' to Lose," and "Rock and Roll All Nite." The Unplugged appearance set off months of speculation that a possible reunion of the original Kiss lineup was in the works. In the weeks following the Unplugged concert, however, the band (with Kulick and Singer), returned to the studio for the first time in three years to record a followup to Revenge. Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions was completed in February 1996, but its release was delayed for almost two years. Bootleg copies of the album circulated widely among fans.

While Kiss continued to exist publicly as Simmons, Stanley, Kulick, and Singer, arrangements for a reunion of the original lineup were in the works. These efforts culminated with a public event as dramatic as any the band had staged since their 1983 unmasking on MTV.

Reunion (1996-2000)

W
ith that statement on February 28, 1996, Tupac Shakur introduced the original Kiss lineup (in full makeup and Love Gun-era stage outfits), to a rousing ovation at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. On April 16, the band held a press conference aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) in New York, where they announced their plans for a full-fledged reunion tour, with the help of new manager Doc McGhee. The conference, emceed by Conan O'Brien, was simulcast to 58 countries. On April 20, nearly 40,000 tickets for the tour's first show sold out in 47 minutes.

The first public concert featuring the newly reunited Kiss was an hour-long warm up show on June 15 for the annual KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California, during which the band nearly ignited the stage of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. On June 28, the Kiss Alive/Worldwide Tour began at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,867 fans. The tour lasted for 192 shows over eleven months and earned $43.6 million, making Kiss the top-drawing concert act of 1996. The average attendance of 13,737 is the highest in the group's history.

In September 1998, the reunited group issued Psycho Circus. Despite its appearance as the first album with the original lineup since 1980's Unmasked (even though Criss didn't play on the album), the contributions of Frehley and Criss were minimal. While the images of Frehley and Criss are featured prominently on the album, most of the lead guitar work was later revealed to have been performed by future band member Tommy Thayer and former member Bruce Kulick. Most drum duties were handled by session musician Kevin Valentine. Despite the controversy, the album achieved a #3 chart debut, the highest position for a Kiss album until Sonic Boom debuted at #2 in 2009. The title track received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.[78] The Psycho Circus Tour opened at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on Halloween night 1998, and was simulcast on FM radio across the U.S. It proved to be another success, and was historic for being the first to ever incorporate 3-D visuals into a stage show.

On August 11, 1999, Kiss was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the "Recording Industry" category. August 13 saw the nationwide premiere of a Kiss-themed motion picture, titled Detroit Rock City. The movie takes place in 1978, and focuses on four teenagers (featuring Edward Furlong) willing to do anything to score tickets for a sold-out Kiss show in Detroit.

The next month, the group worked in collaboration with World Championship Wrestling to produce a Kiss-themed wrestler known as The Kiss Demon whose face was painted to resemble Simmons. The group performed "God of Thunder" live on WCW Monday Nitro to debut the character. The band got $500,000 for the one-night, one-song performance. The character was short-lived, as all ties to Kiss were cut by WCW when its head, Eric Bischoff was relieved of his duties in September of that year.

Kiss announced in early 2000 that they would be launching a U.S. Farewell Tour in the summer, which was to be the band's last, although it was last for the original line up; the tour kicked off on March 12, 2000. The group quickly added dates to the tour, which ran through April 2001. 2001 also saw the release of a computer game, Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child.

Post-reunion (2001-2008)

On the eve of the Japanese and Australian leg of the Farewell Tour on January 31, 2001, Criss suddenly left the band once again, reportedly unhappy with his salary. Taking his place was previous Kiss drummer Eric Singer who, in a move that was controversial among longtime fans, assumed Criss's Cat Man persona as the Farewell Tour continued. Simmons and Stanley own Criss's makeup designs (as well as Frehley's), so there was no way for Criss or Frehley to prevent this.

With the band scheduled to call it a day supposedly by early 2001, a career-encompassing collection entitled The Box Set (94 tracks on five CDs) was released in November of that year, while the summer saw perhaps the most outrageous item of Kiss merchandise yet - the Kiss Kasket. In introducing the Kiss Kasket, Simmons quipped, "I love livin', but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good."

On December 4, 2001, Kiss was one of the honorees at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences ("The Recording Academy") Heroes Award ceremony, at the NARAS New York Chapter. NARAS has 12 chapters throughout the United States, hence 12 ceremonies throughout the year, with the honorees each being honored by the chapter closest to their residence. By receiving this honor, which NARAS has renamed the "Recording Academy Honors," Kiss effectively received NARAS' second-highest career honor, right behind the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.

Kiss was relatively quiet through the rest of the year, but 2002 started with some controversy as Simmons took part in a controversial interview on National Public Radio, where he criticized NPR and berated host Terry Gross with sexual comments and condescending answers. In February 2002, Kiss (with Singer on drums and Frehley on lead guitar) performed during the Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was Frehley's final performance with Kiss to date.

On March 6, 2002, Kiss performed a private concert at a resort in Trelawny, Jamaica. Frehley, who was no longer under contract, did not perform with the group. He was replaced by Tommy Thayer, who donned Frehley's Spaceman makeup and costume for his first live appearance with Kiss. That month, the band (with Thayer) taped an appearance on the American sitcom That '70s Show. The episode, "That '70s Kiss Show," aired in August 2002. Thayer again performed with the group in April 2002, when Kiss performed "Detroit Rock City" (with pre-recorded music and live vocals) for an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand 50th Anniversary show, which aired on May 3.

In February 2003, Kiss traveled to Australia and recorded Kiss Symphony: Alive IV with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Etihad Stadium (formerly known as Telstra Dome) in Melbourne. Thayer once again replaced Frehley, while Peter Criss returned to the group. This album was the first released on Sanctuary Records, which has since been sold to Universal Music Group - owners of the rest of Kiss's catalog.

Despite claims made prior to the Farewell Tour that it would be the group's last, Kiss announced a co-headlining tour with Aerosmith in 2003. Frehley announced that his departure from the band was permanent, stating that he believed the Farewell Tour would be Kiss's last, and that he did not want to open for Aerosmith. He was permanently replaced by Thayer, as Kiss moved into a post-reunion phase that saw the band easing into a new line-up, permanently featuring Thayer as "Space Ace" and Singer as "the Catman". On this tour, still featuring Peter Criss, the group introduced the "Platinum" tickets package, with the most expensive packages costing USD $1,000. This package included a seat in the first five rows, a meet-and-greet with Kiss after their performance, and a photograph with the band. The tour earned more than US$64 million in 2003, which ranked #7 for the year.

Simmons and Stanley did not renew Criss's contract when it expired in March 2004. Criss, on his website, stated that "No one, again no one has called me, or my attorney about an extension for future touring. As a founding member I find this to be disrespectful to me, and to the fans that have made us one of the biggest bands in the world." Criss stated in a radio interview in 2004 with Eddie Trunk that Simmons and Stanley were going to start a new Kiss, and thought he was getting too old to play for two hours (even though Criss is only 4 years older than Simmons). Criss was permanently replaced by Singer at this point.

During the summer of 2004, Kiss headlined the Rock the Nation 2004 World Tour, with Poison as the opening act. The tour ended in August with a sold-out show in Mexico City. Selected dates on the tour were filmed for the Rock the Nation Live! concert DVD, released on December 13, 2005. Stanley, who had been experiencing increasing difficulty with his hip, had his mobility limited during the tour. He has already had two hip surgeries performed, with more likely in the future.

After the conclusion of the Rock the Nation Tour, Kiss performed only sporadically for a number of years. The group played two shows in 2005, and another six in 2006. Four of the 2006 shows were July concerts in Japan, including two dates (July 22 and 23) as a headlining act at the 2006 Udo Music Festival. Kiss performed four July 2007 concerts, three of which were dubbed the Hit 'N Run Tour. Prior to the final show on July 27, Stanley was hospitalized with an extremely rapid heartbeat. In his absence, Kiss performed in concert as a trio for the first time ever. This was the first Kiss concert Stanley had missed during his then 34-year tenure with the group.

Kiss (along with Queen, Def Leppard, and Judas Priest) were honored at the first annual "VH1 Rock Honors" event, held May 25, 2006 in Las Vegas. On April 9, 2006, the Associated Press announced the event by saying "the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks to be getting some competition." A tribute band, consisting of Rob Zombie (vocals), Slash (guitar), Scott Ian (bass), and Supernova bandmates Tommy Lee (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar), performed "God of Thunder" with Ace Frehley.

In June 2006, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley attended the opening of the Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. On October 15, 2006, Simmons, Stanley, and Criss were inaugural inductees into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, along with performers such as Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Louis Armstrong, The Ramones and Tony Bennett.

Stanley released his second solo album, Live to Win, on October 24, 2006, and undertook a brief solo tour in support. On October 31 the same year, the group released Kissology Volume One: 1974-1977, the first of ten possible DVD sets featuring complete concert footage, interviews, and never-before-seen clips. As of January 2007, the set is certified 5X platinum in the United States. A second volume was released on August 14, 2007. It was certified 6X Platinum by the R.I.A.A. on October 24. What seemed to be the final entry, Kissology Volume Three: 1992-2000, was released on December 18, 2007 and has been certified 8X Platinum by the R.I.A.A. Stanley insisted that there are more volumes forthcoming in an interview with Norwegian broadcasting in the summer of 2008, but no details have been given.

In April 2007, tragedy struck Kiss again. Their former guitarist, Mark St. John, died from an apparent cerebral hemorrhage at age 51. After being fired from Kiss in 1984, St. John formed the short-lived glam metal group White Tiger. In 1990 he briefly collaborated with Peter Criss in a band called The Keep, which only performed once and released no recordings. St. John largely dropped out of public view in later years, but did make occasional appearances at Kiss fan conventions.

Though Kiss has been eligible for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (whose rules state that an act is eligible 25 years after its first release) since 1999/2000, they were not nominated until 2009. While this snub displeases some fans, Stanley and Simmons maintain that it is meaningless to them. Nevertheless, a group of about 200 Kiss fans held a protest rally in front of the Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on August 5, 2006. It was the first known organized demonstration seeking the induction of a band into the Hall. On December 15, 2009 it was announced that Kiss would not be among the Hall's 2010 inductees. Kiss fans were unhappy that ABBA had been inducted, arguing that ABBA were not a rock band. Despit fans' protest, the hall stuck to its decision.

In 2007, a new comic book series featuring the band was released by the Kiss Comics Group in association with Platinum Studios. Entitled "Kiss 4K: Legends Never Die," the first issue came out in a regular size and a giant 1.5' x 2.5' size, dubbed the Destroyer edition. Kiss were scheduled to play in Whistler in mid September, but the concert plans were cancelled late August because of passport problems.

2008 saw the band picking up the pace, doing their first proper tour of Europe for nearly a decade. On January 30, 2008, guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley confirmed that Kiss would launch the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour, playing arena and stadium shows in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. On March 16, 2008, Kiss closed the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit - Melbourne, Australia as well as performing in Brisbane and Sydney as part of this tour. Kiss played at the Rock2Wgtn two-day festival held in Wellington, New Zealand on March 22 and 23rd 2008; a festival which also featured Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Poison, Alice Cooper, Lordi, Sonic Altar and Symphony of Screams with special effects provided by WETA Workshop of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame.

Throughout the summer of 2008, Kiss headlined festivals as well as their own shows and played to a record audience of about 400 000 people. As part of this tour Kiss headlined the Download Festival in Donington, England, on June 13. Three days later they headlined the Arrow Rock Festival in Nijmegen, Netherlands. On June 28, Kiss headlined the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. It was the last show in the European leg of the 'Alive 35' tour. Monday, Aug. 4th, Kiss played at Rockin' The Rally at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as part of the tour. South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds proclaimed August 4, 2008, to be "Kiss Rock and Roll Day" in South Dakota. In September 2008, both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley confirmed rumors that the Kiss Alive/35 Tour would continue with a big tour of North America in 2009.

Sonic Boom (2008-2010)

Late 2008 saw the band take another unexpected turn. Over ten years after their last studio album, and following years of denials about ever wanting to do a new album, Stanley and Simmons changed their minds. In November 2008, Paul Stanley stated to rock photographer Ross Halfin that a new Kiss album was in the works. Stanley himself would be the producer, and the album would have a "real 70's Kiss sound" to it. Later that month, Simmons and Stanley both publicly confirmed the information about a new Kiss album.

The band appeared on American Idol in May 2009 performing with Adam Lambert singing "Detroit Rock City" and "Rock and Roll All Nite".

In July 2009 Paul Stanley announced a release date of October 6, 2009 for the new album Sonic Boom. It included a CD of new material, re-recorded versions of famous Kiss hits (previously released as Jigoku-Retsuden, a Japanese exclusive album in 2008) and a live DVD in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In support of the new album, Kiss appeared live on the Late Show with David Letterman on 6 October 2009 and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 7 October 2009.

On 25 September 2009, the Kiss Alive/35 North American Tour kicked off at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI; both nights were filmed for future DVD release. These were the band's final performances there, as the venue closed in 2010. The tour was originally scheduled to conclude on December 6, 2009, at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas, TX, however, several additional shows have been added and the last performance is now scheduled for December 15 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Kiss headlined Voodoo Fest 2009 held at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana on Halloween Night.

During their performance at the MTS Centre on 9 November 2009 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of the lighting trusses caught on fire from a pyro cue. The truss had to be lowered in to have the fire put out. During the 5 or so minutes it took to extinguish the fire, the band broke into the song "Firehouse". No one was hurt and the show continued on.

Kiss will be starting the European leg of the Sonic Boom tour during May 2010 by the name "Sonic Boom Over Europe: From the Beginning to the Boom." The tour will include their first UK arena show in eleven years and their first visit to Slovakia. Kiss will also do 2 dates in US cities Cheyenne, Wyoming and Minot, North Dakota in July 2010.

Next album (2010-present)

In March 2010, Paul Stanley revealed to Metal-Rules.com that Kiss will begin work on their next album and that it would likely be released in the next twelve to eighteen months, in early to mid 2011.

Musical style

Because of the ambiguity in the distinction between "hard rock" and "heavy metal", Kiss's music has always been labeled one or the other. But shortly after the band's formation, critics called them "thunderockers". Their music is described by Allmusic as "a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock, driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars, cloying melodies, and sweeping strings. It was a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop-metal that dominated rock in the late '80s." Its first critical review described Kiss as "an American Black Sabbath" in Rolling Stone. "With twin guitars hammering out catchy mondo-distorto riffs and bass and drums amiably bringing up the rear," said Stone of "Hotter Than Hell", "Kiss spews forth a deceptively controlled type of thunderous hysteria, closely akin to the sound once popularized by the German panzer tank division." At the same time, Bennington Banner from Rock Music magazine said, "with its members bizarre, Kabuki-like makeup, studded black leather costumes and arsenal of on-stage firepower - both musical and literal - Kiss represents the most extreme form of hard rock in 1974."

Gene played around with his image for a while, but it somehow always centered around a demonic look. In early variations of his make-up, starting out in late 1972 when he just painted his face white, and added some red eye shadow. Over the next few months the make-up evolved into the demonic character we know today.

Spring of 1973, by then the look was slowly coming together, even though it would still be refined some more times. From the hairline and down his forehead, there was now a black triangular shape, resembling Bela Lugosi's hairstyle in the original Dracula movie. And the batwings around the eyes had also begun to take shape.

Late summer 1973, and now the batwings had started to look like they do today, even though the tips were bending back, but soon they started to point upwards by the fall of 1973.

Fall of 1973, and the upper tips of the batwings were now bending upward. More interestingly Gene now had three lower tips at the corner of each eye (you'll have to look very closely to see that!)

The start of 1974, when KISS officially signed their contract with Casablanca Records, the batwings are much more angular, and the tips are moved away from the forehead.

February 1974, The shape of the batwings are now more like we know them, even thought the upper tips are still moved pretty far back. Now there is only one tip at the side, this one pointing upwards.

For the European tour in 1976, Gene had added another point down to his make-up. This was altered slightly over the next year or so, ending up like the one we know today . The three outer points (one up, two down) had become broader, instead of the thin points
There is another variation from the Love Gun tour. Many people has wondered why Gene's make-up looks different on the cover of Alive II.

Gene had dropped the two upper point at the brink of his nose. The rumor has it, that Gene also extended the two downward tips on the nose, to under the tip of the nose, where they were joined! It is hard to determine if this is true... I have not seen any photos where the connection is clear, and it is usually hard to see, since the part of Gene's nose is usually in shadow!! This was apparently only for the shows in Los Angeles in August 1977 when Alive II were recorded, and the reason was to be able to pick out photos from this occasion.

The make-up stayed more or less the same as it does now, for the rest of Gene's career, with a few small variations. For the 1979 and 1980 tours Gene broadened the make-up a bit more. But by the Creatures Of The Night tour, the make-up had again been slimmed down, to look like the 1977 variation.

When KISS jumped back into the costumes and make-up for The Grammy Awards Show 1996, Gene had seemingly forgotten what his make-up looked like... his make-up resembled the style used before the European tour in 1976!! It was only at the Grammy Show that his make-up looked like this. For the rest of the Reunion tour and the Psycho Circus tour the make-up looked like the 1977 variation.

For the Farewell Tour, Gene altered the make-up just slightly. If you look closely, you'll see that the two tips at the brink of the nose had now been extended a great deal.

Gene played around with his image for a while, but it somehow always centered around a demonic look. On pictures 1 to 5 you can see early variations of his make-up, starting out in late 1972 when he just painted his face white, and added some red eye shadow (picture 1). Over the next few months the make-up evolved into the demonic character we know today.

Picture 5 shows Gene in the spring of 1973, and by then the look was slowly coming together, even though it would still be refined some more times. From the hairline and down his forehead, there was now a black triangular shape, resembling Bela Lugosi's hairstyle in the original Dracula movie. And the batwings around the eyes had also begun to take shape.

Picture 6 is from the late summer, and now the batwings had started to look like they do today, even though the tips were bending back, but soon they started to point upwards (see picture 7 underneath here, taken in the fall of 1973).

Picture 7 is from the photo session for the debut album's cover (which would be the fall of 1973), and the upper tips of the batwings were now bending upward. More interestingly Gene now had three lower tips at the corner of each eye (you'll have to look very closely to see that!)

Picture 8 is from January 8th 1974 (according to the Farewell Tour book), when KISS officially signed their contract with Casablanca Records. The batwings are here much more angular, and the tips are moved away from the forehead.

Picture 9 should be from around February 1974. The shape of the batwings are now more like we know them, even thought the upper tips are still moved pretty far back. Now there is only one tip at the side, this one pointing upwards.

On Picture 10 another point had been added, one just under his eye, pointing outwards. This photo is from the Spring of 1974.

Picture 11 shows the progress of this: a little later in 1974, Gene had started to paint the last point downwards instead. The make-up pretty much stayed this way until early 1976!

Picture 12 is a very rare variant of the make-up! I have only seen a few photos of this variation, from around the summer of 1975. Look closely and you'll see that Gene has TWO small tips at the brink of his nose, instead of just one!! Most photos I have seen is from an outdoor photo session in front of The Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, but I have also seen a few concert photos!

For the European tour in 1976, Gene had added another point down (picture 13) to his make-up. This was altered slightly over the next year or so, ending up like the one we know today (picture 14). The three outer points (one up, two down) had become broader, instead of the thin points on picture 13!

There is another variation from the Love Gun tour. Many people has wondered why Gene's make-up looks different on the cover of Alive II. As you can see in picture 15, Gene had dropped the two upper point at the brink of his nose. The rumor has it, that Gene also extended the two downward tips on the nose, to under the tip of the nose, where they were join! It is hard to determine if this is true... This was apparently only for the shows in Los Angeles in August 1977 when Alive II were recorded, and the reason was to be able to pick out photos from this occasion.

The make-up stayed more or less the same as in picture 14, for the rest of Gene's career, with a few small variations. For the 1979 and 1980 tours Gene broadened the make-up a bit more (picture 16). But by the Creatures Of The Night tour (picture 17), the make-up had again been slimmed down, to look like the 1977 variation.

When KISS jumped back into the costumes and make-up for The Grammy Awards Show 1996, Gene had seemingly forgotten what his make-up looked like... as you can see in picture 18, his make-up resembled the style used before the European tour in 1976 (picture 11)!!

It was only at the Grammy Show that his make-up looked like this. For the rest of the Reunion tour and the Psycho Circus tour the make-up looked like the 1977 variation (picture 14).

For the Farewell Tour, Gene altered the make-up just slightly. If you look closely at picture 19, you'll see that the two tips at the brink of the nose had now been extended a great deal.

Late 1972, when Paul had just joined the band. Paul's make-up so far is just whiteface, with blueish eye shadow, and his eyebrows painted black. According to rumors he had also tried to paint his entire face red, making him look like a longhaired tomato.

Early 1973... Paul had dropped the whiteface for a while, and now used red eye shadow.

A little later in 1973, Paul had settled on the Starchild make-up design, even though he was still not wearing red lipstick at this time, just as the left eyebrow is unpainted.

Of course, there was another make-up variation... the bandit make-up. The first version of the bandit make-up, was just a black Lone Ranger mask, with silver edges, and silver around the eyes, while the second version was more diamond shaped than the first version. There were also white make-up around the eyes, with black eyeliner. Paul became The Bandit in early 1974, for a photo session, and a couple of shows, before returning to being the Starchild!

The make-up we know today... a black star around the right eye, heavy black eyeliner around the left, with the left eyebrow painted black, and the lips bright red.

But in 1976 Paul wanted to bring his cheekbones out, and started to add some gray shadow on his cheeks. According to Barry Levine, KISS' favorite photographer, this made it hard to light Paul properly, and he was soon persuaded to drop it.

Picture 1 is from late 1972, when Peter had just joined the band. Paul's make-up so far is just whiteface, with blueish eye shadow, and his eyebrows painted black. According to rumors he had also tried to paint his entire face red, making him look like a longhaired tomato.

Picture 2 is from early 1973... Paul had dropped the whiteface for a while, and now used red eye shadow.

Picture 3 shows Paul at The Daisy a little later in 1973, and as you can see, Paul had settled on the Starchild make-up design, even though he was still not wearing red lipstick at this time, just as the left eyebrow is unpainted.

Of course, there was another make-up variation... the bandit make-up (picture 4 and 5). The first version of the bandit make-up, was just a black Lone Ranger mask, with silver edges, and silver around the eyes (see picture 4), while the second version was more diamond shaped than the first version. There were also white make-up around the eyes, with black eyeliner (picture 5). Paul became The Bandit in early 1974, for a photo session, and a couple of shows, before returning to being the Starchild!

Picture 6 shows the make-up we know today... a black star around the right eye, heavy black eyeliner around the left, with the left eyebrow painted black, and the lips bright red.

But in 1976 Paul wanted to bring his cheekbones out, and started to add some gray shadow on his cheeks (seen very clearly on picture 7). According to Barry Levine, KISS' favorite photographer, this made it hard to light Paul properly, and he was soon persuaded to drop it.

Ace joined the band in January 1973. It is easy to see, that KISS were very inspired by The New York Dolls at the time... Ace is a dead-ringer for Dolls' Johnny Thunders.

Summer of 1973, Ace had his make-up design perfected already by this point. Well, almost... he hadn't got as far as to apply the whiteface make-up yet, but would just paint his silver design around the eyes. Ace didn't wear any lipstick, he had painted his lips black. It is rumored that Ace is allergic to the silver make-up, and he had already started to use eyeliner at this point, to avoid the silver paint getting in touch with his eyes.

January 1974, The silver design (without eyeliner) and whiteface, with black lipstick.
But Ace still had trouble with the silver, and started to use other colors around the eyes. Early 1975, and at this point he painted his eyebrows black, with a brown shadow over the eyes.

Ace then tried to paint a black border around the eyes, like he had done in the early days in 1973. He first followed the eyelid, and made a rounded border. But then he perfected it a bit, and gave it more style. Also note that Ace had a new look for the mouth... instead of the basic black lipstick, applied to the lips (like Paul would), the design had a more futuristic design.
This design got perfected over the next couple of years. Note that the black now has a brown patch again, but this time strongly separated, and not blended together.

With the release of the solo albums in September 1978, it was decided that every member of the band should have their own signature color: red for Gene, purple for Paul, green for Peter, and blue for Ace. It was then suggested that Ace, like Peter, incorporated his signature color into his make-up. So by the release of Dynasty in 1979, Ace was wearing blue eye shadow, instead of the brown. There were however, still a small patch of brown on the eyelids.

Ace in 1980, Here the brown part above the eyes are more evident, and you can also see that the eyebrows were painted with more care.

Ace made another change when the band entered the "The Elder" era in 1981. The eyelids, were now painted black instead of brown!
But Ace changed it again for the European promotional tour in November 1982... the eyelids were now painted both brown and black!! Why Ace bothered to change his make-up one more time, when he technically had already left the band, is quite a mystery to me!!
Ace did make a few minor changes to his make-up for the Reunion tour in 1996. A photo session in early 1996 (i.e. before the tour!), Ace now used a black eyeliner around the eyes. The eyebrows were also lesser in size, but now ended with a point, pointing downwards at the corner of each eye!

Summer of 1998, when the band was gearing up for the release of Psycho Circus. Here the black eyeliner had become more evident, and the tip at the corner of the eye, now extended all the way down toward the eye.
During the Farewell tour in 2000, another change was added. The black eyeliner around the eyes now extended to the edge of the silver part of the mask, with the blue in between also stretched out.

Picture 1 shows Ace just after he joined the band in January 1973. It is easy to see, that KISS were very inspired by The New York Dolls at the time... Ace is a dead-ringer for Dolls' Johnny Thunders.

Picture 2 and 3 were taken in June or July 1973, and also shows that Ace had his make-up design perfected already at that point. Well, almost... he hadn't got as far as to apply the whiteface make-up yet, but would just paint his silver design around the eyes.

In picture 2 Ace didn't wear any lipstick, while on picture 3 he had painted his lips black. It is rumored that Ace is allergic to the silver make-up, and as it can be seen in picture 3, he had already started to use eyeliner at this point, to avoid the silver paint getting in touch with his eyes.

Picture 4 was taken in January 1974, and shows the make-up, as it had been for the previous four or five months. The silver design (without eyeliner) and whiteface, with black lipstick.

But Ace still had trouble with the silver, and started to use other colors around the eyes. Picture 5 is from early 1975, and at this point he painted his eyebrows black, with a brown shadow over the eyes.

Ace then tried to paint a black border around the eyes, like he had done in the early days in 1973 (picture 3). As you can see in picture 6, he first followed the eyelid, and made a rounded border. But then he perfected it a bit, and gave it more style (picture 7). Also note that Ace had a new look for the mouth... instead of the basic black lipstick, applied to the lips (like Paul would), the design had a more futuristic design.

This design got perfected over the next couple of years, to what is seen on picture 8. Note that the black now has a brown patch again, but this time strongly separated, and not blended together like on picture 5.

With the release of the solo albums in September 1978, it was decided that every member of the band should have their own signature color: red for Gene, purple for Paul, green for Peter, and blue for Ace. It was then suggested that Ace, like Peter, incorporated his signature color into his make-up. So by the release of Dynasty in 1979, Ace was wearing blue eye shadow, instead of the brown (as seen in picture 9). There were however, still a small patch of brown on the eyelids.

Picture 10 shows Ace in 1980. Here the brown part above the eyes are more evident, and you can also see that the eyebrows were painted with more care, than in picture 9.

Ace made another change when the band entered the "The Elder" era in 1981. In picture 11 you can clearly see, that the eyelids, were now painted black instead of brown!

But Ace changed it again for the European promotional tour in November 1982... the eyelids were now painted both brown and black (as seen in picture 12)!! Why Ace bothered to change his make-up one more time, when he technically had already left the band, is quite a mystery to me!!

Ace did make a few minor changes to his make-up for the Reunion tour in 1996. Picture 13 is from a photo session in early 1996 (i.e. before the tour!), and here you can see that Ace now used a black eyeliner around the eyes. The eyebrows were also lesser in size, but now ended with a point, pointing downwards at the corner of each eye!

Picture 14 is from the summer of 1998, when the band was gearing up for the release of Psycho Circus. Here the black eyeliner had become more evident, and the tip at the corner of the eye, now extended all the way down toward the eye.

During the Farewell tour in 2000, another change was added, as seen in picture 15. The black eyeliner around the eyes now extended to the edge of the silver part of the mask, with the blue in between also stretched out.

Unlike the others, Peter did not come up with his alter ego, The Catman, right away. He went through many variations, and the make-up has continued to evolve ever since.

Peter joined the band in late 1972. Like Paul and Gene he wore white face make-up, with painted eyebrows and eye shadow. It is hard to make out what color the eye shadow actually is, but it looks like a blue or purple color.

January 1973, when Ace had just joined. Peters make-up resembles early Alice Cooper.

But then Peter started to put his Catman persona together. An early variation, with the black/silver nose we know today, but otherwise nothing resembles the finished design.

He dropped the black and silver paint on the nose, and did an entirely black cat nose for a while. Summer of 1973, He had now added a number of thin whiskers, pointing slightly upwards. The make-up around the eyes was now a round shape, with two points. There were also a differently colored area around each eye... again it's hard to make out the color, and I can't say if it was green, as it would become later on, already at this point.

For the cover of "KISS" Peter let a professional make-up artist put his make-up on, which made an interesting variation. The design around the eyes were still roundish, still with a few points. The black and silver design on the nose is back, while there were only two large whiskers on Peter's cheeks. The whiskers were now three-parted, and pointed slightly downwards. Peter's lips were now painted a bright red (like Paul's), here with points out on the cheeks, one down to his chin, and one very thin one up towards the nose.

Late 1973, for a promotional appearance where KISS signed a record deal, with Neil Bogart also in full make-up. Peter's nose was again entirely black, while the whiskers were now two-parted, and were again pointing upwards. But the designs around the eyes were now roughly the same shape, as the finished design. January 1974, Peter was rather indecisive about his look in this period. Video footage from February 1974, shows Peter again wearing make-up very similar to the make-up where Peter's nose was still black, but now Peter had added a black "split-lip" design under the nose. The two whiskers were now in one piece, while still pointing upwards. The design around the eyes was slightly grayish, and a square shape.

Peter's design around the eyes had finally become, what we know today. A slightly diamond-like shape, with a point upwards (under the hair), and two in the corner of each eye. The nose was again black and silver, but the "split-lip" part was gone again. Instead there was a red point coming up from the upper lip, like on the cover of "KISS". The whiskers was now broader, and pointed slightly downwards.

Later in 1974, Peter finally came up with the look we know today. The black and silver nose, with the "split-lip" design, and two larger whiskers.

This make-up would still be refined a few more times... first in early 1976, when the two lower whiskers was joined up with the "split-lip" under the nose, and later in 1976 (first seen in the Paul Lynde's Halloween Special) green eye shadow over the eyes. This was the look for Peter until he left KISS in early 1980.

Peter put on his make-up again for the release of his mini-CD "Criss" in 1993. But he didn't get it quite right (or was it because KISS owned the right to the original make-up?). The shape of the design around the eyes was more squarish, the nose was entirely silver, and both whiskers were joined up to the "split-lip" under the nose.

Obviously Peter joined up with KISS again in 1996, and put the make-up back on. But the lack of practice was at first very obvious. At the Grammy Awards Show in February 1996. The design around the eye was much smaller, and narrower than usual. And the green areas around each eye didn't go out to the edge. This was dropped quickly, however, and Peter settled on the more squarish design. Peter was the only one to change anything about the make-up, when KISS reunited. And there were a few more variation: First the green area didn't extend under the eyes, but ended just at the lower eyelid, which was now painted black and that the lower eyelid was green in 1977.

For the European leg of the tour, in November and December 1996, Peter had added a thin black line around the lips. This was dropped soon after, however.

A final change was made on the final leg of the Farewell tour in September and October 2000. Peter added a teardrop under his right eye. Fans disagreed over the meaning of the tear, some thinking it signaled that the Catman were sad the tour (and KISS) was at an end, while other figured it signaled that Peter was sad that the band couldn't get to an agreement about the final part of the tour, a rumor that was going around at the time. This was only speculation, though... as usual KISS were tightlipped about what really went on behind the scenes!!

THE OTHER CATMEN:

There were two additional Catmen!!! It has often been rumored that other people stood in for Peter Criss during the '70's, whenever Peter weren't able to perform, or didn't show up! This was always strongly denied by KISS, who says that they never put anybody else in the Catman make-up and costume in the '70's! But after the reunion in 1996, it has happened twice!
First time was on April 5th 1997 in Columbus, OH., USA. Peter started having problems with his arms during the long and demanding tour, and couldn't perform at the Columbus show! Peter's drumtech Eddie Kanon jumped into the Catman costume and make-up! Eddie hadn't had a chance to rehearse with the band, so it sounded a bit off from time to time, but he really did a great job at such short notice.

Second time came recently, when KISS and Peter couldn't reach an agreement about the last part of the Farewell tour in Japan and Australia. If rumors are correct, Peter were unhappy that he had been offered less money than Ace to do the tour and bowed out!

KISS then hired their old drummer Eric Singer to come in and play the drums for that part of the tour. The decision were met with rather unhappy responses from the fans, not so much because of Eric, but more the fact that poor Eric had to wear the Catman make-up/costume, instead of something original! But it seems the decision had something to do with the contracts signed with the promoters... something about KISS has to deliver a show with the four original characters!!
Picture A was the first published picture of Eric in the Catman get-up, which also were met with tons of hateful responses on the internet!

Eric in full costume at the first show in Yokohama, Japan, March 9th 2001, the costume is identical with Peter's... Eric is also wearing the platform boots, but probably only because he's taking a bow for the audience. I doubt he also played with them!! Eric was wearing a sweat band around each wrist, and that Eric's tattoos has mysteriously disappeared!!! This confused a lot of fans... did Eric have them removed for the tour??? Not so... when Eric toured with Alice Cooper in Europe in May 2001, the tattoos were back where they had always been! They had simply been covered with skin toned tape for the KISS shows! WHY? Well, that is a very good question!!!

The Hawk had originally been designed for Eric Carr in 1980, before The Fox came to be... but the original design were clumsy looking, and Eric Carr were extremely unhappy with it! Eric Singer had joked several times, that he would be The Hawk because of his nose, and Mike Rutherford's artwork really shows how this could have been done... it certainly looks far better than Eric as the Catman.

Unlike the others, Peter did not come up with his alter ego, The Catman, right away. He went through many variations, and the make-up has continued to evolve ever since.

Picture 1 shows Peter as he had just joined the band in late 1972. Like Paul and Gene he wore white face make-up, with painted eyebrows and eye shadow. It is hard to make out what color the eye shadow actually is, but it looks like a blue or purple color.
Picture 2 is from January 1973, when Ace had just joined. Peters make-up resembles early Alice Cooper.

But then Peter started to put his Catman persona together. Picture 3 shows an early variation, with the black/silver nose we know today, but otherwise nothing resembles the finished design.

Funnily enough he seemed to drop the black and silver paint on the nose, and did an entirely black cat nose for a while. Picture 4 is from one of the bands performances in the summer of 1973. He had now added a number of thin whiskers, pointing slightly upwards. The make-up around the eyes was now a round shape, with two points. There were also a differently colored area around each eye... again it's hard to make out the color, and I can't say if it was green, as it would become later on, already at this point.

For the cover of "KISS" Peter let a professional make-up artist put his make-up on, which made an interesting variation. The design around the eyes were still roundish, still with a few points. The black and silver design on the nose is back, while there were only two large whiskers on Peter's cheeks. The whiskers were now three-parted, and pointed slightly downwards. Peter's lips were now painted a bright red (like Paul's), here with points out on the cheeks, one down to his chin, and one very thin one up towards the nose.

Picture 6 was taken late in 1973, for a promotional appearance where KISS signed a record deal, with Neil Bogart also in full make-up. Peter's nose was again entirely black, while the whiskers were now two-parted, and were again pointing upwards. But the designs around the eyes were now roughly the same shape, as the finished design.

Picture 7 and 8 are both from January 1974, and shows that Peter was rather indecisive about his look in this period. The look on the others in picture 7 would indicate that this was taken before picture 8, but video footage from February 1974, shows Peter again wearing make-up very similar to the make-up on picture 7.

Peter's nose was still black, but now Peter had added a black "split-lip" design under the nose. The two whiskers were now in one piece, while still pointing upwards. The design around the eyes was slightly grayish, and a square shape.

On picture 8 Peter's design around the eyes had finally become, what we know today. A slightly diamond-like shape, with a point upwards (under the hair), and two in the corner of each eye. The nose was again black and silver, but the "split-lip" part was gone again. Instead there was a red point coming up from the upper lip, like on the cover of "KISS". The whiskers was now broader, and pointed slightly downwards.

Later in 1974, Peter finally came up with the look we know today, as can be seen in picture 9. The black and silver nose, with the "split-lip" design, and two larger whiskers.

This make-up would still be refined a few more times... first in early 1976 (picture 10), when the two lower whiskers was joined up with the "split-lip" under the nose, and later in 1976 (first seen in the Paul Lynde's Halloween Special) green eye shadow over the eyes (picture 11). This was the look for Peter until he left KISS in early 1980.

Peter put on his make-up again for the release of his mini-CD "Criss" in 1993 (picture 12). But he didn't get it quite right (or was it because KISS owned the right to the original make-up?). The shape of the design around the eyes was more squarish, the nose was entirely silver, and both whiskers were joined up to the "split-lip" under the nose.

Obviously Peter joined up with KISS again in 1996, and put the make-up back on. But the lack of practice was at first very obvious. Picture 13 was taken at the Grammy Awards Show in February 1996. As you can see the design around the eye was much smaller, and narrower than usual. And the green areas around each eye didn't go out to the edge, as on picture 11. This was dropped quickly, however, and Peter settled on the more squarish design seen on picture 14. Peter was the only one to change anything about the make-up, when KISS reunited. And there were a few more variation:

First the green area didn't extend under the eyes, but ended just at the lower eyelid, which was now painted black (take a close look at picture 11, where it's easy to see that the lower eyelid was green in 1977.

For the European leg of the tour, in November and December 1996, Peter had added a thin black line around the lips, as seen in picture 15 (if you look carefully). This was dropped soon after, however.

A final change was made on the final leg of the Farewell tour in September and October 2000. Peter added a teardrop under his right eye (as you can see on picture 16, with a close-up of the tear on 17). Fans disagreed over the meaning of the tear, some thinking it signaled that the Catman were sad the tour (and KISS) was at an end, while other figured it signaled that Peter was sad that the band couldn't get to an agreement about the final part of the tour, a rumor that was going around at the time. This was only speculation, though... as usual KISS were tightlipped about what really went on behind the scenes!!

THE OTHER CATMEN:

There were two additional Catmen!!! It has often been rumored that other people stood in for Peter Criss during the '70's, whenever Peter weren't able to perform, or didn't show up! This was always strongly denied by KISS, who says that they never put anybody else in the Catman make-up and costume in the '70's! But after the reunion in 1996, it has happened twice!

First time was on April 5th 1997 in Columbus, OH., USA. Peter started having problems with his arms during the long and demanding tour, and couldn't perform at the Columbus show! Peter's drumtech Eddie Kanon jumped into the Catman costume and make-up! Eddie hadn't had a chance to rehearse with the band, so it sounded a bit off from time to time, but he really did a great job at such short notice.
The pictures above shows Eddie without make-up (on the left!), and on the right Eddie in concert during the Columbus show!

Second time came recently, when KISS and Peter couldn't reach an agreement about the last part of the Farewell tour in Japan and Australia. If rumors are correct, Peter were unhappy that he had been offered less money than Ace to do the tour and bowed out!
KISS then hired their old drummer Eric Singer to come in and play the drums for that part of the tour. The decision were met with rather unhappy responses from the fans, not so much because of Eric, but more the fact that poor Eric had to wear the Catman make-up/costume, instead of something original! But it seems the decision had something to do with the contracts signed with the promoters... something about KISS has to deliver a show with the four original characters!!

Picture A was the first published picture of Eric in the Catman get-up, which also were met with tons of hateful responses on the internet!

Picture B (in the middle) is Eric in full costume at the first show in Yokohama, Japan, March 9th 2001. As you can see, the costume is identical with Peter's... Eric is also wearing the platform boots, but probably only because he's taking a bow for the audience. I doubt he also played with them!! Two other things you'll notice on this picture is that Eric is wearing a sweat band around each wrist, and that Eric's tattoos has mysteriously disappeared!!! This confused a lot of fans... did Eric have them removed for the tour??? Not so... when Eric toured with Alice Cooper in Europe in May 2001, the tattoos were back where they had always been! They had simply been covered with skin toned tape for the KISS shows! WHY? Well, that is a very good question!!!

Picture C is not actually a photo, but a photomontage by talented artist Mike Rutherford, which shows what could have been: Eric Singer as The Hawk! The Hawk had originally been designed for Eric Carr in 1980, before The Fox came to be... but the original design were clumsy looking, and Eric Carr were extremely unhappy with it! Eric Singer had joked several times, that he would be The Hawk because of his nose, and Mike Rutherford's artwork really shows how this could have been done... it certainly looks far better than Eric as the Catman in my opinion... but what do I know??

Eric Carr joined in June 1980, and the first job was to find an image for him. At first they came up with The Hawk. Eric has painted his nose like a beak and those tailfins down his chins are placed differently, for the Hawk costume. It would have made Eric look somewhat like a certain character from Sesame Street. KISS: The Demon, The Starchild, The Spaceman, and... Big Bird? I don't think so!! Thank God this never happened... Eric would have looked ridiculous.

According to the legend Eric came up with The Fox in the last minute (to avoid being called Big Bird, presumably). There was two variations of the original make-up, one of which was only used for one show (the New York Palladium show in June 1980). Eric had painted an area around each eye brown, and the tip of the nose were painted gold. The entire mask was outlined with silver.

By the time KISS arrived in Europe for their tour, in late August, the make-up had changed. The silver outline was gone, and so was the golden nose tip. Instead the area around the nostrils were painted silver, and a large white area had appeared on the brink of the nose. Many of the photos in the tour book for that tour, was of Eric with the original version of the make-up, and had to be retouched to bring them "up-to-date"!
Another small change came in late 1982, when Eric dropped the little sneer at the edges of the mouth. This was just for a while though, as some picture with Vinnie had Eric in the "sneer" make-up.

It's difficult to find pictures that shows the full make-up, because of Eric's enormous hair doo!

Eric Carr joined in June 1980, and the first job was to find an image for him. At first they came up with The Hawk. Picture A is the original sketch of the make-up (probably by Paul Stanley), while picture B and C are the only known photos of the make-up. Sadly picture B is in black-and-white, while a color version can be seen in the "KISS My Ass" home video!

Picture C shows a slightly different variation of the make-up in full color. You'll have to look carefully to see the differences, but Eric has painted his nose like a beak and those tailfins down his chins are placed differently.

Picture C shows the prototype of the Hawk costume. It would have made Eric look somewhat like a certain character from Sesame Street. KISS: The Demon, The Starchild, The Spaceman, and... Big Bird? I don't think so!!
Thank God this never happened... Eric would have looked ridiculous.

According to the legend Eric came up with The Fox in the last minute (to avoid being called Big Bird, presumably). Picture E and F shows two variations of the original make-up in close-up, which was only used for one show (the New York Palladium show in June 1980).

Picture E is one of the earliest photos, which shows all details of the make-up.

Picture F is almost the same make-up, this time in color. The only difference between the two is the way he painted the mouth (as far as I can see).

As you can see Eric had painted an area around each eye brown, and the tip of the nose were painted gold. The entire mask was outlined with silver.

By the time KISS arrived in Europe for their tour, in late August, the make-up had changed to the one seen in picture G. The silver outline was gone, and so was the golden nose tip. Instead the area around the nostrils were painted silver, and a large white area had appeared on the brink of the nose. Many of the photos in the tour book for that tour, was of Eric with the original version of the make-up, and had to be retouched to bring them "up-to-date"!

Another small change came in late 1982, when Eric dropped the little sneer at the edges of the mouth (picture H). This was just for a while though, as some picture with Vinnie had Eric in the "sneer" make-up!

It's difficult to find pictures that shows the full make-up, because of Eric's enormous hair doo!

Vinnie's make-up was designed by Paul Stanley, and continued the mystic theme of the costume. It was a golden ankh (an ancient Egyptian cross) across Vinnie's forehead, and down the bridge of his nose. Black make-up around the eyes, and black lipstick completed the most short-lived make-up in the history of KISS (aside from Eric's Hawk and Paul's Bandit make-up, that is). In Kiss the last time he wore the make-up was at the Brazilian shows in 1983. He did put back on the make-up for 2 unofficial Kiss-Expos in March 1996 in Atlanta, GA (USA) and Stockholm, Sweden. As soon as Kiss found out, their lawyers stopped him to appear in make-up immediately.

Vinnie's make-up was designed by Paul Stanley, and continued the mystic theme of the costume. It was a golden ankh (an ancient Egyptian cross) across Vinnie's forehead, and down the bridge of his nose. Black make-up around the eyes, and black lipstick completed the most short-lived make-up in the history of KISS (aside from Eric's Hawk and Paul's Bandit make-up, that is). In Kiss the last time he wore the make-up was at the Brazilian shows in 1983. He did put back on the make-up for 2 unofficial Kiss-Expos in March 1996 in Atlanta, GA (USA) and Stockholm, Sweden. As soon as Kiss found out, their lawyers stopped him to appear in make-up immediately.