Forty years ago, the four founding members of KISS surprised fans by announcing a quartet of solo releases, all scheduled for release on the very same day: September 18, 1978. The four albums were all marketed and branded under the KISS imprimatur by Casablanca Records, and each album would be truly "solo" in that no other KISS member other than the artist would play on the record. Casablanca invested $2.5 million in the marketing effort, and announced that five million copies would be
Gene Simmons has never shied away from theatrics--and his newly-announced solo box set is a testament to the power and excess of rock and roll. The Gene Simmons Vault is absolutely what it claims to be: an actual safe (38 pounds!) including the deepest possible dive into the KISS bassist's personal archives, from his first songwriting efforts as a teenager in 1966 to recordings made last year. The set, three years in the making, promises 150 recordings over 10 discs, including "songs I've
KISS is firing up its Love Gun once again. The sixth studio album from the hard-rocking band featuring Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss, Love Gun will arrive in a newly-remastered 2-CD or digital edition on October 28 adding rare and previously unreleased material to the classic, platinum-selling album. The 1977 album, with its cover artwork from artist Ken Kelly, is notable as the first to feature lead vocals performances from Ace Frehley and all four original band