| Average Rating: |
|
| Sales Rank: | 3241 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $5.03 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Release Date: | 2002-08-27 |
| Label: | Island / Mercury |
| UPC: | 044006312224 |
| Binding: | Audio CD |
| Published By: | Island / Mercury |
| ASIN: | B00006GFAB |
| Category: | Music |
Tracks on The Very Best of Kiss by Island / Mercury
- Strutter
- Deuce
- Got To Choose
- Hotter Than Hell
- C'Mon And Love Me
- Rock And Roll All Nite (live)
- Detroit Rock City
- Shout It Out Loud
- Beth
- I Want You
- Calling Dr. Love
- Hard Luck Woman
- I Stole Your Love
- Christine Sixteen
- Love Gun
- New York Groove
- I Was Made For Loving You
- I Love It Loud
- Lick It Up
- Forever
- God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Album Description
Japan exclusive 'Memorial Edition' of 2002 compilation featuring 21 tracks. Details TBA. Mercury. 2004.
Amazon.com
Sure, Detroit had the MC5 and the Stooges, but Long Island's Kiss threw down their own gauntlet. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss cleaved a spot between glam, punk, waning Woodstock rock, and adult-oriented pop and became a phenomenon in the process. Kiss kept their music simple and, of course, sexual, with the likes of "Hotter than Hell," "Love Gun," and "Calling Dr. Love," paving the way for the waves of pop-metal sexpot wannabes and winning fans in such quantities that they launched the so-called Kiss Army. Their magnetism permeates this 21-song set, with Criss sounding so lonesome he could cry on "Beth," and the fire-breathing, blood-spitting Simmons unfailingly serving up a comical mix of menace and lasciviousness. The version of "Rock & Roll All Nite" comes from 1975's crowd-noise drenched Alive!, cut at the time when live albums were de rigueur. This collection was made smartly enough that only four songs come from the band's post-Dynasty period, making The Very Best of Kiss an essential primer on 1970s rock grandeur. --Andrew Bartlett
Customer Reviews
fine KISS retrospective, especially for the casual fans... - Reviewed on 2007-10-05
2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
KISS created awesome rock and roll music during the 1970s and beyond; this album proves it. Their sound appeals to many and their CDs still sell rather well today.
The track set offers many hits. "Strutter" has great electric guitar and drums for starters; and they perform this number to perfection! "Strutter" explores the experience a man has with a woman who looks attractive but who isn't exactly all that nice. "Got To Choose" also has that great electric guitar from the start and the guitars, drums and percussion carry the bulk of the melody. "Got To Choose" rocks hard as the song explores the story of a lady who has to choose between two men.
We get a fantastic live cut of "Rock And Roll All Night," which was easily one of KISS's greatest hits. They play and sing flawlessly and the tune rocks hard; this is only fitting as the song is about people who want to party all the time! "Rock And Roll All Night" encourages people to celebrate life by partying and having a good time--can't fight them on that score! Great electric guitar, too.
"Beth" is a much softer love ballad about a lonely man who wants a woman he can't have--at least for now. The strings, piano and backup vocals enhance the natural beauty of "Beth." I predict that you will like "Beth" very much. "Calling Dr. Love" runs along the same lines as "Beth," only for "Calling Dr. Love" they rock hard and now it's the man's turn to be the one pursued by the woman. "Calling Dr. Love" is one hit tune!
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" rocks hard from the start with great electric guitar, backup vocals, drums and percussion. They harmonize to perfection and nobody misses a note on "I Was Made For Lovin' You." I especially like the chorus on "I Was Made For Lovin' You." In addition, "Forever" features some more great guitar and this great song deals with a love affair.
The liner notes give us the song credits and the artwork impresses me.
KISS gave us some of the best rock from the 1970s; and their more recent music is pretty remarkable, too. I highly recommend this album for new fans of KISS or casual KISS fans. Diehard KISS fans will already have the tracks on this CD; and I would encourage them to look for a more complete retrospective instead of this one.
Great job, guys! Rock on!
Let Your CD Player Kiss This - Reviewed on 2007-07-09
This KISS compilation is a good record, but not a great one. KISS was a big band in the mid-70s thru early 80s, and this CD gives a good overview of their stuff. Something that keeps this album back is that a lot of the songs, especially in the first half of the disc, sound so much alike, almost just like variants of one song. The good tunes amount to solid rock. Here they are:
Strutter
Detroit Rock City
Calling Dr. Love
Hard Luck Woman - an actual sensitive, acoustic tune from KISS
Christine 16
New York Groove
I Was Made for Lovin You - great song, really moves, lyrics stick in head
Love it Loud - kinda cheesy lyrics, but tune is catchy
Lick it Up - ditto
Forever - ballad from 1990 that's pretty good coming from hard rockers
This album gets stronger toward the end, in large part due to more song variation
* - See Amazon
Product Page for shipping and pricing details.
Book Subjects
- Album Rock
- Arena Rock
- Hard Rock
- Heavy Metal
- Pop
- Pop-Metal
- Pop/Rock
- Pop/Rock Music
- Rock
- Rock/Pop