Kiss – The Box Set – Album Review (Part 1 of 6)

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I didn’t buy this when it originally came out as I was not a in a good music place at the time.  My music buying was limited.  So, now that I wanted it, I had to search for it, find one in good condition and find it at the right price as some of the prices were RIDICULOUS!!!

Lo and behold, I was at a record show here in Charlotte and a guy had one for sale.  Actually, he had two.  One was in the guitar case, CDs still sealed and had the hard back book, but I didn’t want to spend that much dough, when I could get this version for a fraction of the price. Plus, I wasn’t paying a premium for sealed CDs as the seal doesn’t last long on my collection. I listen to my music.  As much as I want the guitar case version, my wallet decided this was the better way to go. Sometimes my wallet is smart and other times, he wants to spend, spend, spend.

The Box Set by Kiss was released on November 20th, 2001 and consists of 5 CDs spanning their entire career (up to that point) and a paperback photo book which we will get to in a minute.  I will review all 5 CDs individually over 5 different posts over the next couple of months.  For now, we will talk about the overall box set and the packaging.

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The CD’s span different eras of the band and there are 5 discs full of music.  The Box Set includes 94 tracks,  which consists of 30 previously unreleased band and solo demos as well as outtakes and live recordings.  The other 64 tracks are songs selected from each of the band’s albums except for Gene’s solo.  From that one you get a demo.

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That is a lot of stuff.  Here are the discs…

Disc One: 1966-1975

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Disc Two: 1975-1977

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Disc Three: 1976-1982

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Disc Four: 1983-1992

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Disc Five: 1992-1999:

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PHOTOBOOK:

You also get a 120-page color booklet that contains track-by-track commentary by the band, detailed track information, photos and essays.  I loved the commentary and getting all the tidbits of information on the songs.  The pictures are stunning and the book is really high quality as it is with everything the band does.

Here are some pictures…

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I had to have my daughter hold it open to take the pictures as the book hadn’t really been viewed and was nice and stiff.  I was able to edit out her fingers.

The package comes in a nice box with a red velvet insert to hold the disc.  It is really a nice little set up.

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And then on the spine of the box, the Kiss logo is in engraved into the fabric for a nice shiny feel.  You can feel the grooves.

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For the packaging and the photobook, I will give the set a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars.  It is what you would expect from a Kiss Box Set. Now for the music, I will review over the next 5 posts and rate each disc separately and then a final Overall Score on the last post.  There will be 6 parts overall (this is part 1) to this series and I hope you enjoy them all as much as I will going through them.  Thanks for stopping by and until next time, have a great day!

The 6 Part Series:

  1. The UnBoxing
  2. Disc One: 1966-1975
  3. Disc Two: 1975-1977
  4. Disc Three: 1976-1982
  5. Disc Four: 1983-1992
  6. Disc Five: 1992-1999

The Cars – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

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The Cars.  What can be said about them that hasn’t already been said.  They are one of the greatest new wave bands to ever come along and an inspiration to many.  Their brand of power pop ruled the airwaves from the Debut in 1978 all the way to 1984 before they started to fade away from the scene, but never faded away from our hearts.

The band was inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 and the band was all there except for Benjamin Orr who died in 2000.  It was really cool to see the band together again and play a few songs.  The classic line-up consisted of the following members:

  • Ric Ocasek – Vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Elliot Easton – lead guitar
  • Greg Hawkes – keyboards
  • Benjamin Orr – bass, lead vocals
  • David Robinson – drums

We most recently we lost Ric Ocasek in 2019.  As I did when Orr died, upon Ric’s death I pulled out The Cars catalog and went through it over and over again.  It reminded me of how great these guys were and what a catalog of music they left behind.  As a result, I decided to do an album ranking to see what was the worst album all the way up to the best. Let’s see where they stack up.

WORST – PANORAMA (1980):

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My Sunday Song – “Keep Your Eyes Open” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #168, we are going to discuss one of the band’s more popular songs called “Keep Your Eyes Open” from the 2011 album ‘The Reckoning’. The song was released as a single and even as a 5 song E.P. with two versions of this song, one being acoustic, and 3 bonus tracks, two of which end up on the vinyl release of the album.  And one of those bonus tracks we discussed as the first one in this Needtobreathe series.

The song can be interpreted in many ways.  I look at it as a song of encouragement that no matter how bad things get, keep soldiering on and pushing toward the light.  Keep those eyes open for whatever positive might come along.

It also seems to be about depression and that God is there for you if you keep those eyes open and accept him in, but I don’t think it is that easy.  Depression is a powerful force and although I think God can help maybe keep you on this side of heaven, he is not the be-all, cure-all solution as I know someone very close to me that suffers from depression and it is tough road to travel even with God fully in their life.  Okay, I might burn in hell for saying that, but sorry that is how I feel.  Unless you have been through depression or know someone who has, you don’t know the daily struggle they face.  I prefer the song as a shining example of hope and encouragement that can help you push through those dark days.

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Friday New Releases – November 1st

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Here we are the 1st day of November and do we have a lot to be “Thankful” for this week with the new releases?  Depends on your taste.  There are some juicy ones this week for me, but nothing I am going to run and buy…however, streaming will do nicely here.  My choices are highlighted in Blue.  Let me know what you are digging this week and if I missed anything.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

  • 518jRU2pYmL  Miranda Lambert – Wildcard – (Vanner Records/Sony):  I don’t like Country music that much, but I like Miranda.  She’s fiesty, she’s firey and she’s kinda hot!!  She is someone my whole family likes and we enjoy listening to her in the car as a whole.  And I am just glad my kids don’t have me on video sining “Little Red Wagon” from her earlier work…it is quite embarrassing as I add my own flair to that song that the kids find quite funny.  But that ain’t this album.  I haven’t heard anything yet, but have heard good things so I will check it out.

  • download-4.jpg  Hootie & the Blowfish – Imperfect Circle – (Capitol Records):  After 14 years, Hootie & the Blowfish are BACK!!  Darius Rucker is taking a break from his very successful Country career to reignite the Hootie light.  And kids from the 90’s rejoice!!  Their blend of Pop Rock was a huge hit in the 90’s.  Can it translate into something cool in the 21st Century?  We will have to see.

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October Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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I realized I have been making a lot of purchases and yet not everything makes its way on to the site.  I figured I would do a wrap up each month of all my purchasing I have made even if they made it on the site during the month or even might make it on to the site down the road.

And this month started out with a bang!  A brand new record store opened up in Charlotte, NC called Noble Records.  They opened on October 5th which was a Saturday and because of that I got their bright and early.  Not grand opening 10am early, but I got there before 11am.  I had to take my daughter to her tutoring class at 10 and family comes first…then vinyl…sorry then God, then vinyl!!  Okay, maybe more order is skewed, but you get it.

I found two album I have been wanting and I had to grab them as I don’t seem them that often and one was a first pressing (not the RAGE album).

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Rage Against the Machine ‘Renegades’ and The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East (1st pressing pink label)

I then found two more albums one I for some reason didn’t have in my collection as it is one of the most popular albums of the 70’s and the other is a 12″ Single from Stryper just in time for Christmas.

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Meat Loaf ‘Bat of out Hell’ and Styper’s single “Reason for the Season”

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Needtobreathe – ‘Insiders LP, Vol 2’ – Album Review

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As you know if you visit my site, one of my favorite bands is Needtobreathe.  I have everything they have put out on vinyl and now I am going after everything they have released on CD (that they don’t have on vinyl).  And the CDs I want the most are the exclusive fan club CDs they release each year.

If you join the Needtobreathe Insiders fan club (for $60 a year), you get a Live CD of tracks collected from the band’s live performances. (among other things such as a T-shirt and a free live track download ever month – that is 12 more songs).  Needtobreathe actually records every show they put on so they have a ton of tunes to choose from.  They have released 5 volumes and number 6 will be coming in December.  I have never joined so getting my hands on these has not been easy as it is not cheap. I am looking for the right price and most of the time it is too high.   I finally grabbed my first one at a price less than the membership fee.

Who is the band and the musicians on this album?  Easy enough, they tell you that…

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The first one I got a hold of is ‘Insiders LP, Vol 2’.  It is a collection of 14 live tracks from around world and let me tell you it is fantastic.  The band has spent some time with these and the production quality is amazing.  They put as much time in to them as they would a normal studio album or live album release to the general public.  The mix is done so the songs blend in with each other perfectly and it feels like a complete show.

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The Original vs. The Cover – “Come Together”

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For this version of The Original vs. The Cover, we are going to discuss a Beatle’s Song, “Come Together”.  I have always been nervous about talking about the Beatles because it is holy ground and plus what hasn’t already been said about them.  However, I love this song and there are some great versions out there and I thought it was about time I did something on them. So we are going to compare the two versions of “Come Together”, the Beatles and Aerosmith.  Two heavy weights in the music world.

“Come Together” came about because Timothy Leary wanted Lennon to write a campaign song for him off this phrase, but Lennon was unsuccessful and a good thing to as Leary’s campaign run for California governor came to an abrupt end when he was arrested for pot possession (hell, he would be celebrated today).  He might have been unsuccessful with the campaign song, but he did succeed with this version of the song.

An interesting story behind the song, Lennon was sued by Big Seven Music Group which was the publisher of Chuck Berry’s song “You Can’t Catch Me”.  They argued that the song was too similar to the Berry song and I am guessing the lawsuit had some merit as the band settled out of court.  Now there are no writing credits other than Lennon & McCartney on this song still today so it must have been all about the money up front.  Too bad they didn’t fight for a writing credit.

THE BEATLES

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My Sunday Song – “Don’t Bring That Trouble” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #167, we are playing “Don’t Bring That Trouble” by the band Needtobreathe.  The song is off their 2016 album ‘Hard Love’ which saw the band’s sound change a little adding a little more dance/pop elements without losing that signature Needtobreathe feel.

“Don’t Bring That Trouble” is the most rocking track on the record.  It has a great guitar riff opening and sound. The drum beats come banging in and though not real drums, the electronic beats pick up the pace of the song and drive in to a more rocking track than the rest of the album.  There is even a southern rock/country vibe thrown in with it as well.  Overall, it is pure fun and enjoyment and sometimes you need to let loose and let it fly and this does that.

Lyrically, there is not much substance like a lot of their songs I have featured.  The song is basically talking about how he is broken and he is trying to fix his life and problems and if you are coming along for the ride, don’t bring any trouble as he doesn’t want to deal with that anymore.  For me, it doesn’t matter as I want to crank it up and dance a little.  Sometimes, lack of substance is fine with me!!!

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Friday New Releases – October 25th

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We are to the final week of October and Halloween is right around the corner.  I don’t see any scary releases this week except maybe Lea Michele’s Christmas album…that one looks truly frightening and I will stay as far away as I possibly can from that one.  Me, i plan on scaring up a couple for sure and maybe give two others a try.  They are marked in Blue.  Let me know what interests you and what I might have missed.  I hope you find something and have a great weekend!

  • 9113CV5UhSL._SS500_.jpg  Airbourne – Boneshaker – (Spinefarm Records):  The boys from down under are back with another earth shattering, bone rattling rocker.  I have this one on order and the vinyl should be there when I get home. I have everything else they have done on vinyl so why not this one.  If you like AC/DC, you will like this.  They are loud, aggressive and fantastic.  Turn it up and let them blow your ears right off.

  • 91uELDXSA5L._SX522_.jpg  James Blunt – Once Upon a Mind – (Atlantic Records):  And if you want something a little more in the pop arena you won’t find anything better than James Blunt.  His unique voice, great story telling and song writing are always entertaining and worth quite a few spins.  Plus, the man is hilarious.  I saw him live and his self-deprecating humor really made me a fan.  HIs last album, ‘The Afterlove’ was amazing and so I have high expectations for this, his 6th album.

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The Darkness – ‘Easter is Cancelled’ – Album Review

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The Darkness return with ‘Easter is Cancelled’.  It is their 6th overall album and third in just 4 years.  I haven’t had much interest in the band since their debut ‘Permission to Land’ in 2003 and its follow-up ‘One Way Ticket to Hell…And Back’ in 2005.  Yes, I listened their releases after that, but nothing has grabbed my attention as their first two releases. Well, that was until now.

The album harkens back to the early days of the band I enjoyed so much.  The ingredients of which are a dash of the flamboyance of Glam Rock sprinkled with hints of 80’s Hair Bands and a splash of heavy metal all mixed together with a sense of humor that is purely tongue fully implanted in cheek.

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The band opens with what I think is a contender for song of the year, “Rock And Roll Deserves to Die”  It has a grand epic feel to it and Justin Hawkins delivers a commanding vocal performance.  The falsettos he hits are high enough to shatter glasses and windows all over the world.  It is both grandiose and bombastic as well as calm and serene.  A journey worth taking.

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