Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock-style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of them, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer.
Vincent John Cusano, better known by his stage name Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist. He is a former member of the rock band Kiss from 1982 until mid-1984 during the band's transition out of their 1973–1983 makeup period. Vincent was the last member to wear a unique makeup/costume configuration, as the character of The Ankh Warrior, until he and the band were first shown without the makeup during an interview on MTV in September 1983. He founded his own band, Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which had minor hits in the hair metal genre.
Paul Charles Caravello, better known as Eric Carr, was an American musician. He was the drummer for the rock band Kiss from 1980 until his death in 1991. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss departed. He created the stage name "Eric Carr" and designed his on-stage Fox persona. He remained a member of Kiss until his death from heart cancer in 1991.
Lick It Up is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Kiss. Before its 1983 release, the band members appeared on MTV without their trademark make-up. It was the first public appearance without make-up by the band, and their first for Mercury Records, where they had been signed following their departure from Casablanca Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million units in the US.
Animalize is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Kiss. It was released on September 17, 1984, by Mercury Records. The album marked the only appearance by lead guitarist Mark St. John, who replaced Vinnie Vincent in April 1984.
Asylum is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on September 16, 1985. The album marked a continuation of the glam metal sound of the preceding album Animalize.
Crazy Nights is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr. The album is notable for its pop-metal or glam-rock sound as well as for its use of keyboards and synthesizers - a reflection of popular trends in the commercial rock genre of this time. It was re-released in 1998 as part of the Kiss Remasters series and is the last Kiss album to have been remastered.
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a compilation album by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the fourth hits album overall but the second hits album released by the band in the United States. Of the 15 songs on the album, two were new compositions, and three were released after the band's unmasking in 1983. The remaining 10 were all released during the band's years in make-up.
Vinnie Vincent Invasion is the first studio album by Vinnie Vincent Invasion, released in 1986 through Chrysalis Records.
"I Love It Loud" is a song by American rock band Kiss. It was released on their 1982 album Creatures of the Night. It has proven to be a staple of the band's live show, being performed on almost every tour the band has done aside from the Reunion and Psycho Circus tours.
"A World Without Heroes" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. It is credited as being written by Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Lou Reed and Bob Ezrin, and was originally recorded and released on their 1981 album Music from "The Elder".
"Killer" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. Featured on their 1982 album, Creatures of the Night, the song was released as an A-side single in the United Kingdom. Although "I Love It Loud" was an A-side single in the United States, it would be relegated to the B-side in the UK. It was the first song Vinnie Vincent and Gene Simmons wrote together after the two had met. In addition to not being able to chart at all, Kiss has never performed the song live and it has only been released as a single and on all issues of the Creatures of the Night album.
"Lick It Up" is a song by American rock band Kiss. It is the title track to the group's 1983 album of the same name. The song was released as the album's first single, with musicians Paul Stanley and Vinnie Vincent having composed the track. It was a Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom, although it failed to chart as highly in the band's native U.S.
The Lick It Up World Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Kiss, in support of their eleventh studio album Lick It Up. It was the last tour to feature lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent.
Kiss: Animalize Live Uncensored is a live video by the American rock band Kiss recorded at Detroit Cobo Hall on December 8, 1984, during Kiss's Animalize World Tour. It was originally aired on MTV. The tour featured perhaps the most varied setlist Kiss has ever played, featuring songs from seven of the band's studio releases up to that point. Three songs from Animalize were played, and many of the band's more popular songs were performed. The show was filmed on the same day temporary guitarist Bruce Kulick was named an official member, replacing Mark St. John. As suggested by its title, Animalize Live Uncensored features plenty of profane onstage banter from singer/guitarist Paul Stanley.
"Unholy" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Featured on their 1992 album, Revenge, the song is one of the three Vincent co-writes to appear on the album despite the fact that he had been fired from the band 8 years earlier. The release of "Unholy" signaled the return to a heavier sound for Kiss. The song was played live during the Revenge Tour and was included on the 1993 live album Alive III, but did not return to the live Kiss set list until 2004's Rock the Nation Tour.
"Creatures of the Night" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released as a single from their 1982 album of the same name. It was only released in the UK, where it reached #34. The song was written by Paul Stanley and Adam Mitchell in Mitchell's kitchen. It is not clear who plays what on the track but it is assumed that bass was not played by Gene Simmons, but Mike Porcaro who would soon join his brothers in the American rock band Toto. Lead guitar was not played by Ace Frehley as he was not musically involved with the album and it was not played by Vinnie Vincent either; it was played by Steve Farris, who would go on to become the lead guitarist of the 1980s pop rock group Mr. Mister. Song co-writer Adam Mitchell also played on the final version of the song, replacing Stanley on rhythm guitar in the middle and end of the song.
"Domino" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's sixteenth studio album, Revenge, in 1992. The song was written by the band's bassist, Gene Simmons, and it borrows elements from the song "Nasty Nasty", which Simmons had co-written and produced in 1986 with the band Black 'n Blue. The song was released as a single in 1992, with the album's instrumental, "Carr Jam 1981", as its B-side. Despite being performed on only two tours and during their MTV Unplugged appearance, "Domino" has appeared on several of the band's albums.
"Rise to It" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's fifteenth studio album, Hot in the Shade in 1989. It is the opening track on the album and was released as the third and final single on April 1, 1990. However, it only charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks. The band only performed the song during the Hot in the Shade Tour. It is the final single by the band on which Eric Carr plays drums. He was diagnosed with terminal heart cancer following the supporting tour.
Kiss 40 is a compilation released by Kiss to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.
