Description
Double album on red vinyls with gatefold cover. Limited 500 numbered copies
At the end of the Alive II ! tour the band took a much needed break from touring. They made the Meets The Phantom movie, released a greatest hits package (Double Platinum) and each member released a solo album. Still, all was not well within the band, substance issues where creating a huge void between the band and drummer Peter Criss. When the band reconvened to record their next album, Dynasty, the drummer was not involved and session drummer Anton Fig handled the percussion duties. Criss was back on hand for the tour, billed as The Return Of KISS, but ultimately the tour would be his last with the band until the 1995 reunion. The tour itself saw KISS still playing to large crowds but the mass of merchandising and over exposure was starting to alienate the core audience and KISSmania was on the downswing. This double album was recorded at the Forum in Montreal, Canada on the 6th of August 1979. By this time the band is mid tour so the rust has been shaken off and the rot had not yet set in and the band is in great form and put in a tight and professional performance. The crowd is behind the band from the first notes of King Of The Night Time World, they cheer and clap in time with the band. Early on in the tour there was supposed to be a song from each of the members solo records, by this point only Paul and Ace’s records were represented. Move On from Paul’s record benefits from the looseness of the concert stage, its straight ahead style compliments the band and is a great version and Ace rips in with some killer leads. Speaking of the Spaceman his solo record is represented by New York Groove, the success of the record was a great ego boost for Ace and helped him come out of his shell even more and shine as a musician and songwriter, the song is a classic. Paul has a crazy rap about walking in a hotel and a girl grabs him….you know the rest and it leads into I Was Made For Loving You. Again the song benefits from the concert stage, it has much more of a straight forward rock feel to it. One of Ace’s contributions to the Dynasty record was to cover the Rolling Stones 2000 Man, he gave the track a nice raw feel to it and the space style lyrics fit his persona. The song also is the new vehicle for his guitar solo, he has revamped it to feature some new elements including a little Close Encounters theme that sends him to the outer limits. Paul acknowledges some crazy people in the audience and tell the rest of the audience they can do the same and introduces Love Gun without his usual graphic story ! Love Gun is, as always, great live and one of Paul’s best contributions to KISS, Ace nails the solo to great effect. I was reading through the KISS Alive Forever book as research for this set and was reading how someone compared Gene’s solo to elephant farts, funny as it was it is an accurate summary but the blood spitting must be done as a tribute to the God Of Thunder. Nice and evil and heavy, I never tire of live versions, this one is no different. Peter Criss’ drum solo is sadly not much more than a couple minutes of drum rolls, gone is the inventive use of his full kit that would always have the crowd on its feet. Paul’s intro to Black Diamond has the audience in delirium, they simply go crazy as just before he sings the opening lines, they cheer and shout and someone goes crazy with an air horn to great effect as the audience really pushes the band to the limits. Paul thanks the Montreal crowd before talking about a city in Michigan and they go crazy for Detroit Rock City, the opening riff bowls them over with intermediate explosions, Gene’s “Get Up……Get Down” seem to punctuate the song. The audience is in heat by this point and chant “We Want Kiss” over and over as the opening strains of Beth goes over the PA. Peter’s voice does not sound strong and is as if he is weeping and that he knows he time it the band is coming to a close. The audience gives him a huge ovation and he finishes with “Canada..I love You !”. Paul does a little more speaking in French to the delight of the audience and the break into Rock And Roll All Nite to finish the show.
Track list:
1. Intro
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. Let Me Go, Rock And Roll
4. Move On
5. Calling Dr. Love
6. Firehouse
7. New York Groove
8. I Was Made For Lovin’ You
9. Christine Sixteen
10. 2000 Man
11. Guitar Solo-Ace Frehley
12. Love Gun
13. Bass Solo-Gene Simmons
14. God Of Thunder
15. Drum Solo-Peter Criss
16. Shout It Out Loud
17. Black Diamond
18. Detroit Rock City
19. Beth
20. Rock And Roll All Nite