Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CXLII--Kiss: Rock and Roll All Nite

I remember a couple of years back when I'd heard that Kiss was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and being more than a little surprised.  Don't get me wrong--I have a greatest hits LP of theirs and six of their songs are on my Ipod favorites playlist, but still, Kiss?  I mean just how hard up could the Hall be for new meat?  But in the end the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn't about greatness but about entertainment, and if there's anything that Kiss was, it was entertaining.

Formed in 1973 in New York City, Kiss (made up of Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss) earned early kudos for their stage shows which featured the band in make up (as I watched the video for this week's tune it dawned on me that Kiss might have been the original hair band), each with his own persona, and concerts filled with fireworks, pyrotechnics, and blood spitting.  Alas, for whatever reason the excitement from their live shows didn't translate to the studio so the band released a double live album, Alive!, and unleashed the commercial whores that Kiss would become.  One could become a member of the Kiss Army (no, thanks), buy Kiss lunch boxes, see a Kiss superhero movie (Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park), a movie collaboration with the folks who brought us Scooby Doo, and even all four band members releasing a solo albums on the same day--all of this in addtion to the multiple platinum albums and sold out world tours, As is often the case, fame brought with it the usual band tensions and by the early eighties Criss and Frehley had gone their separate ways (until the obligatory reunion tour in the mid 90's).  Simmons and Stanley, though, kept cracking the whip and in numerous incarnations the band has continued to this very day, releasing 24 studio albums (over 75 million sold), enough compilation albums to choke Willy of Free Willy fame, enough tours to embarrass the Rolling Stones, and the creme de la creme, their induction into the Rock Hall.  In the end, commercial whores or not, they brought lots of joy to lots of folks and there ain't much wrong with that.

Originally released as a single from their Dressed to Kill LP, "Rock and Roll All Nite" didn't go much of anywhere, only reaching #68 (weak bullet) on the Billboard Hot 100.  But when the live version from the aforementioned Alive! LP was released, it gained a new life and would reach #12 (much better bullet!) on the Hot 100.  It remains Kiss' signature song, and has closed every live show they've done since 1976.

"Rock and Roll All Nite" is proof positive that sticking to the basics has its merits.  It's power chords, a catchy chorus, Simmons half sung, half shouted gravelly vocals, and power drums.  It's simple (really just an exhortation to the band's fans to join them in their rock and roll odyssey), but in the end it's F-U-N--I had a smile on my face the whole time I was watching the 900 year old video of the band ripping through their biggest hit.  Throw in a section of the chorus where the guitar playing stops and you just have Criss' drumming and a bunch of what sound like hand claps, and you have musical magic moment #142 on our regular Friday (or Wednesday) night journey.

Fun Fact #1:  The members of Kiss released their solo albums in 1978, and each sold over a million copies.  Less than five years later I purchased all four for a quarter apiece, brand new, making suckers of all those folks who paid $4.99 per LP (gather round boys and girls, and the old fart will regale you with tales of when music was cheap) when they were originally released.

Fun Fact #2:  My kid brother originally thought the chorus ("I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day") was "I wanna rock and roll all night and discuss a debate."  Who says there's no intellectualism in rock and roll?

Liner Notes:  "You say you wanna go for a spin/The party's just begun, we'll let you in..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee