Some bands—through a magical combination of talent, timing and luck—stake a claim to musical immortality almost immediately. That was not the case with KISS. For a long time, the band members themselves—Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss—were KISS’s biggest fans. They invented onstage alter egos, crafted do-it-yourself, glittery logo T-shirts, and played any club that would have them with absolute commitment. The result: fame and riches, which was pretty fortunate, because for KISS there was no plan B. Today the band has sold more than 100 million records—30 of their albums have gone gold and 14 went platinum. Many critics used to consider the band a joke—a carnival sideshow of smoking guitars, over-the-top pyrotechnics, cartoonish costumes and blood-spitting. But with the passage of time, KISS has come to represent something much more meaningful. Beneath the makeup, smoke and mirrors, that trifecta of determination is what KISS has always been about. This is their story.
INTRODUCTION WHY WE LOVE KISS • Beauty is more than skin deep
CHAPTER 1 WICKED LESTER • THE BAND—BY ANY OTHER NAME—JUST WASN’T KISS
CHAPTER 2 IF LOOKS COULD KILL • THE ORIGINS OF KISS’S ICONIC STYLE
CHAPTER 3 ALIVE AND KICKING • BOLD AMBITION CARRIED KISS TO THE TOP
CHAPTER 4 KISS AND TELL • OVER 50 YEARS, KISS RELEASED 29 STUDIO AND LIVE ALBUMS. HERE ARE NINE OF THE BEST
CHAPTER 5 KISS IS ALL AROUND • FROM TOYS TO LUNCH BOXES AND BEYOND, KISS MERCHANDISE REMAINS IN HIGH DEMAND
CHAPTER 5 OPENING ACTS • KISS HAS SHARED THE STAGE WITH SOME MONSTER BANDS
CHAPTER 7 PARTY EVERY DAY • KISS CHANGED WITH THE TIMES, THEN BECAME AN INSTITUTION OF ROCK
KISS - 50 Years of Rock’s Greatest Showmen!
PHOTO CREDITS