July 6, 2019
By Ryan Porzl
In my last KISS article, I pointed out the top five worst albums they've done. Now, I'm going the opposite direction. Again, KISS have done at least 20 studio albums (not counting the solo albums) and like any band who have had that many, there are those people love, those people hate, those who people feel are underrated, and those that are overrated. Like any fan, I have my opinions on what is underrated so I decided to do this article to bring up the albums that I feel many fans and even the band themselves don't give enough credit for and why I think they're good. Again, I'm mostly going to look at studio albums and none of these are in any order.
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)- Carnival of Souls is one of those albums that has fans that love it and hate it in droves and for good reason. The album was intended to be KISS' attempt at a grunge style album as it was originally planned in 1993 when grunge was still at an all time high. As a result, a lot of the people who don't like KISS' previous experimental albums probably wouldn't be into this. The album also had horrible timing that killed it namely it being recorded from late 1995 to early 1996 after grunge peaked only to then be shelved due to the Reunion Tour and then wasn't finally released until a year and a half later in October 1997 with no hype, promotion, or tour. It's very unfortunate as KISS did a very good album and one they should be proud of. According to Paul, he didn't feel comfortable writing this style while he felt it was more at home with Gene and you can tell. Most of Gene's stuff is solid to great as Hate is solid while "In My Head", "Seduction of the Innocent", and "I Confess" are pretty good while "Childhood's End" and "I Walk Alone" were great. Paul batted .500 here as "Rain", "Master & Slave", and "It Never Goes Away" aren't really good but he does make up for it with his good stuff which is good to great as "In The Mirror" is good while "I Will Be There" and "Jungle" are great. I would say the four great songs are among some of Gene and Paul's most underrated stuff that should've been played at least in one concert tour especially when it comes to "Jungle". Bruce Kulick also made his singing debut with "I Walk Alone" and does a great job as his singing fits the song. Sadly, KISS never realized what they had and it's potential especially with "Jungle" which, despite getting no promotion, went on to be voted by Metal Edge magazine's Reader's Choice for Song of the Year for 1997 while peaking at #8 on the Billbound Mainstream Rock Charts.
Hot In The Shade (1989)- Hot In The Shade is an album that really doesn't get enough love and it's one of my all-time favorite albums, not just KISS. I honestly don't think there is a single bad song despite having 15 on here, making it one of the longest studio albums in KISStory. Both Paul and Gene are on fire contributing excellent stuff while Bruce and Eric Carr did very well and the album had plenty of talented outside help in genius songwriter Desmond Child, Holly Knight, Adam Mitchell, former Dynasty and Unmasked producer Vini Poncia, and future KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer. "Forever" is an excellent ballad and probably KISS' best. Even casual KISS fans probably know this as I'm sure there's debates over either it or "Beth" is the best ballad like that deleted scene in Pulp Fiction where you have Beatles people and Elvis people. The other singles "Hide Your Heart" and "Rise To It" are also really good especially "Hide Your Heart" which thankfully is brought here after being left out of Crazy Nights. Paul's other stuff is awesome as "Read My Body" and "Silver Spoon" are great songs while "King of Hearts" and "You Love Me To Hate You" are phenomenal. Both those songs deserved more ears and both could've made for great singles. Gene also brought some great stuff as "Betrayed", "Prisoner of Love", "Love's A Slap in The Face", "The Street Giveth and The Street Taketh Away", and "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" are great stuff and among some of Gene's best with "Betrayed" being good enough to have been a single. "Cadillac Dreams" is a fun song that my cousin put best by arguing it's Gene telling his life story. "Little Caesar" is a good song that mostly came from Eric Carr and he does a great job singing it. It's also nice with this being the last album in Eric's lifetime that he got to sing one of his own songs. "Boomerang" was like "Hide Your Heart" in that it came during the Crazy Nights sessions but was thankfully added here though it fits this album much more. It's another song that could've been a potential single and a great way to close the album. Finally, I must point out Hot In The Shade also has one of the greatest covers in KISStory of a postcard with a sphinx wearing giant sunglasses.
Crazy Nights (1987)- Sadly, Crazy Nights is second to Unmasked in that it gets a lot of hate from casuals and even some hardcore KISS fans and for similar reasons which is it's use of pop though in the case of Crazy Nights, it's rock pop with lots of keyboards. Released in 1987, Crazy Nights came in the middle of the hair metal era where the use of keyboards and synthesizers, and power ballads were the norm. Admitally, the songs are at times extremely cheesy but that's not always a bad thing and this album is one of them. One of the things the album nails is that it's very feel good and blood pumping. Gene and Paul have always said how KISS is about celebrating life and the songs "Crazy Crazy Nights" and "Turn On The Night" are both excellent songs that perfectly capture what KISS' music is suppose to be. Paul's "I'll Fight Hell To Hold You" and "My Way" are both cheesy but are also excellent with "I'll Fight Hell To Hold You" is a song I think most with loved ones can get behind and would be a good single. "No, No, No" is a solid song with a great intro and a nice collaboration between Gene, Bruce, and Eric Carr. Gene's "Hell or High Water" is great and could've been a single while "Good Girl Gone Bad" is very good. Gene's "Thief In The Night" is a good song but is recycled as Gene originally wrote it for Wendy O. Williams' 1984 solo album he worked on. Still, it's a good addition and Gene does a good job singing it. The only negatives on the album are Paul's "When Your Walls Come Down" which is lousy while his "Bang Bang You" is decent but replaceable. Even worse is Paul had two excellent songs written for Crazy Nights in "Time Traveler" and "Sword and Stone" which were sadly not used as "Time Traveler" reportedly didn't fit while "Sword and Stone" wasn't liked by producer Ron Nevison. Thankfully, "Time Traveler" found it's way to the KISS Box Set in 2001 while "Sword and Stone" is on YouTube and the band Bonfire did a great version. Still, if you replaced "When Your Walls Come Down" and "Bang Bang You" with "Time Traveler" and "Sword and Stone", there wouldn't be one mediocre or bad song. Nevertheless, Crazy Nights may not age the best but it has some great fun songs that you expect from KISS.
Psycho Circus (1998)- Unfortunately, Psycho Circus is one of those albums that is nowadays crapped all over due to Paul (and I believe Gene) having disowned it, the behind-the-scenes chaos, and the fact it was supposed to be a reunion album when it was anything but. However, if you forget all that stuff and just listen to the music, it's really good and something to be proud of. The title track is both an awesome song and opener for the album. Paul's "I Pledge Allegiance To The State of Rock and Roll" is a solid song while his "Raise Your Glasses" and "Dreamin" were more criminally underrated songs. Paul's "I Finally Found My Way" is another great ballad and it was a great move to have Peter sing it. Not to be outdone, Gene was also on fire, no pun intended. His only ok song was "You Wanted The Best" but still has a nice touch with all four original members singing parts. Everything else was great as "Within" is a leftover from Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions that while it probably fit better on that album was still a great addition. "We Are One" was a nice beautiful song while "Journey of a 1,000 Years" is an almost epic and majestic song that is a perfect song to end the album. Ace's "Into The Void" is a great Ace-like song. Overall, while it's unfortunate Ace and Peter were barely in it and the behind the scenes stuff led to an unpleasant experience for Gene and Paul, that still shouldn't take away from the songs and if anything, it's a testament to KISS being able to churn out such a strong album despite so many things going against.
Paul Stanley (1978)- Paul Stanley is another of the 1978 solo albums. Overall, the album probably doesn't get enough credit. As people have brought up it's the closest to a KISS album and it's true. Obviously, that can be a double edge sword as it can be welcomed by KISS fans but others might consider it "playing it safe". For me, I welcome it as the songs are, for the most part, great. In an interesting bit, Paul decided to use his demo cause he liked the way they sound and I agree with that as his vocals come off really good, possibly more raw. "Tonight You Belong To Me" is a great song and opener that probably should've been a single. The one single "Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart) is a really nice song. The other highlights are "Move On", "Ain't Quite Right", "Take Me Away (Together As One)", and "Love In Chains" are really good while "Wouldn't You Like To Know Me", "It's Alright", and "Goodbye" are solid songs. There isn't a bad song on here so with that I recommend it and it's definitely the first solo album I recommend if you want to get into the solo albums as it has that KISS feel so it's a good first step.
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