We are going to take a little break and highlight a couple singles I have in my collection. This is a little bonus material for you in the series. First up is the 12″ single for the band’s first single off ‘Crazy Nights’. It is the title track, but called “Crazy, Crazy Night” because one crazy wasn’t enough. The single was released on August 18, 1987 and was the highest charting song for the band in the UK hitting at #4 and selling over 200,000 copies (that would be the 7″ single I am sure). In the US, it only reached #64 on the Top 100 songs, but I do remember seeing the video on MTV a lot.
This 12″ single does come with 4 songs, but I can’t find much about this release at all. It does not appear that any of these songs are anything other than the album release version. I do know this version is the UK release and was not in the US so glad I was able to find a copy. The picture sleeve is nothing new as it is basically the album cover. The cool thing about it are those Vertigo Labels. Strange not seeing Mercury or Casablanca.
“Here’s a little song for everybody other there”…The first track is of course “Crazy Crazy Nights”. The song was written by Paul Stanley and Adam Mitchell who Paul and Gene have both worked with quite a bit. It was a different opening track for the band as was really upbeat, kind of pop sounding yet anthemic at the same time. It wasn’t an out and out rocker like most of their albums. Paul didn’t sing so much as speak the verses and is overall it is quite cheesy. It is the only song that the band has played live after this tour. They picked it back up due to demand back in 2010 and started adding it to shows.
“No, No, No” explodes out of the gate with a guitar solo by Bruce and this song is all Bruce and Bruce at his best. He freaking tears it up and then throw in that destructive double bass drum of Eric and what a song. We are finally to Gene’s first song and not a moment too soon. The song is written by Bruce, Eric and Gene and with original titles like “Assume the Position” and “Down on All Fours”, I wonder what this was about!! This might be the heaviest song on the album and is probably my favorite Bruce song for sure and one of my favorites of Gene’s in a long, long time. Bruce gets two guitar solos and he has so many fills and riffs thrown in that is a Bruce showcase song for sure. He was a gunslinger with that guitar.
On the flip side, the band goes back in their recent past and pulls out one classic and one not so classic. First up is the song “Lick It Up” from their 1983 album of the same name. “Lick It Up” is the band’s first single and first video without make-up and the song only went to #66. It opens with a nice little riff and a little scream from Paul. This is a pure 80’s, melodic rock song and no wonder it still gets played a lot. The video was so 80’s as well. Real cheesy and had the band in a post-apocalyptic world. It is a little comical watching it now. The song, however, is about a guy trying to talk his girlfriend in to doing the nasty so doesn’t really fit with the video.
The last track is the mot vulgar song that Paul has done called “Uh! All Night”. Listen to the song to know what the “Uh!” means. It was written by Paul, Desmond Child and Jean Beauvoir (Plastmatics) who also plays bass on this one. I think Paul took Gene’s playbook and tried to come up with the most absurd lyrics you can possibly imagine for a sexually driven song and he succeeded. You know what, who the hell cares. It is a fun and a stupid song and I sadly love every minute of it. I hope the #MeToo movement can forgive me for this one. When I was a teenager, I almost felt guilty for liking this song and as an adult I do feel guilty, but I like it nonetheless.
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it.
Next Up: Kiss – “Reason To Live” (1987) – 12″ Picture Disc (Bonus Edition)
Check out the rest of the series if you have time!!
The Kiss Review Series:
- Wicked Lester and the Progeny Demo Sessions (Bootleg)
- Kiss – Kiss (1974)
- Kiss – Hotter Than Hell (1974)
- Kiss – Dressed to Kill (1975)
- Kiss – Alive! (1975)
- Kiss – Destroyer (1976)
- Kiss – “Flaming Youth” 45 Promo Single – Bonus Edition (1976)
- Kiss – Special Kiss Album For Their Summer Tour (1976)
- Kiss – The Originals (1976)
- Kiss – Rock & Roll Over (1976)
- Kiss – Love Gun (1977)
- Kiss – Alive II (1977)
- Kiss – Double Platinum (1978)
- Kiss – Paul Stanley (1978)
- Kiss – Gene Simmons (1978)
- Kiss – Peter Criss (1978)
- Kiss – Ace Frehley (1978)
- Kiss – Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park Movie (1978)
- Kiss – Dynasty (1979)
- Kiss – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” (1979) – 12″ & 7″ Singles (Bonus Edition)
- Kiss – Unmasked (1980)
- Peter Criss – Out of Control (1980)
- Kiss – Music From The Elder (1981)
- Kiss – Killers (1982)
- Kiss – Creatures of the Night (1982)
- Kiss – Lick It Up (1983)
- Kiss – Animalize (1984)
- Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984) (Bonus Edition)
- Kiss – Animalize Live Uncensored (1985)
- Kiss – Asylum (1985)
- Kiss – “Tears Are Falling” 7″ Single (Bonus Edition) (1985)
- Kiss – Creatures of the Night (1985 Re-Issue)
- Vinnie Vincent Invasion – Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986)
- Black N’ Blue – Nasty Nasty (1986)
- Ace Frehley – Frehley’s Comet (1987)
- Kiss – Exposed VHS (1987)
- Kiss – Crazy Nights (1987)
- Kiss – “Crazy, Crazy Nights” (1987) – 12″ Single
The Bootleg Series:
- Kiss – ‘Accept No Imitations’ (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ASYLUM TOUR)
- Kiss – Look Wot You Dun to Me (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (CRAZY NIGHTS TOUR)
- Kiss – The Summer of Satan: The Devils Ride Out! (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DESTROYER TOUR)
- Kiss – Return to Capital Center (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DYNASTY TOUR)
- Kiss – With Fire & Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (HOTTER THAN HELL TOUR)
- Kiss – Northhampton PA March 19th, 1975 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DRESSED TO KILL TOUR)
- Kiss – The Hottest Show On Earth (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE HOTTEST SHOW ON EARTH TOUR 2010)
- Kiss – All the Way to the Ball Room (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (Australian Tour 1995)
- Kiss – Kiss of Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (The Rising Sun Tour 2006)
- Kiss – Agora Ballroom 1974: The Cleveland Broadcast plus Bonus Cuts (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE KISS TOUR)
- Kiss – Hotter Than Hell: Radio Broadcast 1976 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ROCK & ROLL OVER TOUR)
- Kiss – The Tickler (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (LICK IT UP TOUR 1983)
- Kiss – Barbarize (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – North American Tour)
- Kiss – They Only Come Out At Night (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – EUROPEAN TOUR)
- Wicked Lester and the Progeny Demo Sessions (Bootleg)
Kiss – The Box Set:
- The Box Set (Part 1 of 6)
- The Box Set – Disc One 1966-1975 (Part 2 of 6)
- The Box Set – Disc Two 1975-1977 (Part 3 of 6)
- The Box Set – Disc Three 1976-1982 (Part 4 of 6)
- The Box Set – Disc Four 1983-1989 (Part 5 of 6)
- The Box Set – Disc Five 1992-1999 (Part 6 of 6)
Gene Simmons – The Vault:
- Part 1 – The Grand Opening
- Part 2 – Disk 1
- Part 3 – Disk 2
- Part 4 – Disk 3
- Part 5 – Disk 4
- Part 6 – Disk 5
- Part 7 – Disk 6
- Part 8 – Disk 7
- Part 9 – Disk 8
- Part 10 – Disk 9
- Part 11 – Disk 10
- Part 12 – The Bonus Disk
- Part 13 – The Best Songs of the Vault
- Part 14 – The Worst Songs of the Vault
- Part 15 – The Final Verdict
I like 12 inch singles because you get some of the back catalog included on Side B.
Whitesnake did pretty good with their 12 inch release singles from the 87 album.
At least the first two opening tracks on each side rocked out of the gate
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I like it when you get different mixes entirely or even unreleased tracks myself. It makes them a little gold mine.
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It only occurred to me now how different Kiss from the unmasked era sound so different from the masked era. I think the makeup gave them more of an edge, while the non-makeup years made them look like all the other bands from the 80s! You’re right about the Lick It Up video being cheesy. I don’t know what’s worse, their lip-synching or the scene where the women are feeding them with whatever junk they could find?!?!
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I would agree with that except for Lick it Up, it still had some edge. Now when we get to Revenge, that edge comes back in full force.
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Oooh, I do like Revenge…
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The review is coming on January 28 so you have a while to wait, but it will be worth it.
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You schedule things that far in advance? Daaaaaamn…
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I have been off work this week and plugging away. Outside of the Friday New Release post, January is done except the You Pick It! Review and the Month End purchases. I will have around 40 posts done and scheduled by the end of this weekend. I have been in the mood to write and have had the time.
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HOLY SMOKES! Man, I live by the seat of my pants, day to day (and on a 238-day streak), yet here you are getting so far ahead. Impressive, most impressive. You are a Jedi!
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Nope. I’m just nuts.
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I don’t think so! Awesome, more like it.
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Thanks.
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The song “Lick it Up” felt too poppy for me, but I’m no Kiss expert so I could be wrong! Revenge was badass, I’ll give you props for that!
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The song is a little poppy, but the album isn’t.
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I’ll have to do a double-take on that one then!
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Merry KissMas!
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Ha! Good one…Merry KissMas to you too!
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Pretty cool find here Snowman. I bet if Heart and Ann Wilson sang Crazy Nights this song would have climbed higher than 64! lol
Paul must have felt defeated in that no singles caught on in North America and he had Desmond Child riding shot gun with him.
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I would like to hear their version for sure. I am sure Paul was not quite happy with the way things were going, but he at least kept the train moving.
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True, Paul did keep the KISS bus on the road.
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Cool find!
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Thanks. Any Kiss 12″ I can find is awesome.
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Er, that’s what she said? Haha
Are there many more you need?
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LOL!!
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Off Topic…I have an Everclear song I was going to cover next week…would you mind if I linked your review of their albums to it? I always ask someone before I do that. I’ll say something like check this post out and I’ll link to it.
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That is absolutely fine. I have no problem with that. Thanks so much. can’t wait to read it.
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Thank you I really appreciate it!
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At that time, Kiss gave us very little incentive to spend our allowances on any of their singles!
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Nope, I never bought them. Now, I grab without even looking at the price.
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Yeah funny how our priorities change!
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