Description

Double album in miniature lp sleeve featuring printed innersleeves and a four page insert with liner notes from Ron Rozzburgh who ran an old KISS 80’s fanzine called Firehouse.

When Kiss made the decision to remove the make up, their plan of it re inventing the group in the publics eye was a calculated move that paid off in spades. While their previous effort, Creatures Of The Night was an extremely strong record, the band could not buy publicity, the album released sans make up went gold, the first one since 1980’s Unmasked and proving what Paul Stanley said on numerous occasions, people hear with their eyes. While the media exposure was positive, the band was on MTV and a strong new album but this did not equate to ticket sales and surprisingly the tour was one of the band’s poorest in terms of attendance. In hindsight, Lick It Up is what saved Kiss music career and a pivotal moment in Kisstory, and now we can take a look back in time, more than thirty years ago to 1984. The subject of this release is a recording from late in the Lick It Up tour, at the Forum in Montreal Canada on the 13th of March 1984, in fact they had just two dates left after this one. With the majority of recordings from this tour focusing on the Soundboard recordings, there are a scant few from the audience, so this is a much needed, and welcomed release. This audience recording is very good, near excellent, a bit distant with a good balance of instruments and vocals, there is a small amount of hiss during quieter moments and the frequency range is great, do not hesitate, turn this up loud for the full effect. The War Machine release is sourced from the master tape and includes a couple unique bonus tracks, first the radio ad for the concert, and secondly is an interview supposedly done by the taper with Paul in the afternoon prior to the concert! The radio ad is excellent, I can remember recording such things off the radio all the time (as well as cut concert adds from the paper) and this is an excellent way to start the show! The band hit the stage with a stunning salvo of Creatures into Detroit Rock City. Kiss Mark III was a power house, the enthusiasm of the new blood help bring the 8 year old classic from Destroyer to a metallic life it had not know prior. Paul speaks a bit of French to open up to the crowd and does a cool rap based on the weather to intro Cold Gin. While the arena is only half filled, the ones who are there sound loud enough to make the arena sound full, they are passionately behind the band as they crank through a blistering Fits Like A Glove and Firehouse. Paul takes his solo first, and does a bit of improvised audience participation to the willing fan base. Vinnie takes his solo during Gimme More, I am a huge fan of his time in Kiss, In my opinion he was the only guitar player after Ace to really put his own style into his playing, while I like the others who followed him they kind of kept close to the feel of what Ace did, Vinnie threw the book out of the window so to speak, his solo is a perfect example. An always heavy War Machine follows, full of balls and swagger the band play into its nice deep groove and the song together with I Love It Loud sandwich a Gene solo and the heaviest part of the show. Vinnie lays a killer solo on the former. I really like Gene’s solo on this tape, he goes through a couple riffs versus a bunch of elephant fart noises and is the perfect segue into an equally heavy I Love It Loud, the audience roar their approval. Out next is Paul’s dark power ballad I Still Love You, again what a great song and while the band are at the end of the tour, the energy and passion is in every note. Then comes the metallic sound of a tank that starts, fans know they used the same set as the previous tour that consisted of a tank motif with Carr’s drums as the turret. Eric plays a simply wonderful solo, he goes all over his kit with great long fills accented by all these little beats making for a percussive smorgasbord. Gene and Vinnie do a call and response thing in Young And Wasted that is pretty cool, Paul does a classic rap about going to the Doctor as a prelude to, you guessed it Love Gun. As we have heard, the band’s set is made up of about two thirds of newer material, with good reason. Seven of the ten songs on Lick It Up would be included in the set list at one point or another, a song that made the second half of the tour was also the second single, All Hell’s Breakin Lose, not only does the audience love it, it is great live, the band keep it the same tempo and also get into a bit of a sing along also. Paul plays a snippet of the Rolling Stones Angie, just fooling around a bit before playing the first notes of Black Diamond. Eric gets a lead vocal for the song that is played at a bit faster tempo with Vinnie again ripping a killer solo amid the furious drumming of Eric Carr that makes for a powerful version of the set ending Klassic. Paul and Gene both thank the audience, Paul gives a heartfelt thanks to the loyal fans prior to the first encore of Lick It Up and Rock And Roll All Nite finishes the concert in typical Kiss fashion. A very well played and enjoyable concert. The interview with Paul Stanley clocks in at just over 19 minutes and sounds like it is done backstage as there seems to be some activity going on in the background. The interviewer asks Paul some really interesting questions with subjects including the recent tour, The Elder (where Paul has some positive comments on the record), filming of live concerts including the 76 Anaheim concert, possible acting gigs in the future (an interesting question since Gene was starting a film career), their musical influence on the then current music scene, European tours, and some of the now famous bands that had opened for Kiss in the 70’s. A really nice interview with Paul who speaks very eloquently and down to earth, this is a very nice edition to this set. Last words, get this and turn it up LOUD!

Track listing:
1. Radio Commercial
2. Introduction
3. Creatures Of The Night
4. Detroit Rock City
5. Cold Gin
6. Fits Like A Glove
7. Firehouse
8. Guitar Solo – Paul Stanley
9. Gimme More
10. Guitar Solo – Vinnie Vincent
11. War Machine
12. Bass Solo – Gene Simmons
13. I Love It Loud
14. I Still Love You
15. Drum Solo – Eric Carr
16. Young And Waysted
17. Love Gun
18. All Hells Breakin Loose
19. Black Diamond
20. Lick it Up
21. Rock And Roll All Nite
22. Interview With Paul Stanley