Tag: KISS

Kiss – ‘The Best of Kiss: Volume 2 – The Millennium Collection’ – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)

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Kiss is notorious for releasing Greatest Hits compilations and it is both the band and the label responsible for that travesty. Don’t get me wrong, they have a ton of great songs so a few greatest hits compilations are probably necessary. However, this is not one of them even though this one is a little different. On June 14, 2004, the label allowed a second volume in the 20th Century Masters’ Millennium Collection. They released ‘The Best of Kiss: Volume 2 – The Millennium Collection’ and what makes it a little different is that it is only compilation from Kiss that focuses solely on their material from the 1980’s. Well, most of the 80’s as it goes from 1982-1989. It does skip the ‘Unmasked’ (1980) and ‘The Elder’ (1981) albums which Volume 1 doesn’t cover either. So a big miss.

But like Volumes 1 & 3, it is only 12 songs and all are previously released so nothing new here. No remixes, single edits, just album cuts which is easier and cheaper. The look is exactly like the other comps in this set so at least they are consistent. My poor case is cracked, the CD is scratched up and is a bit of a mess, but it was free!! Noble Records threw it in when I bought some other Kiss material at the store. Such a great store!!

“Creatures of the Night” was written by Paul Stanley and Adam Mitchell and had Steve Farris on lead guitar. Steve would go on to play for the band Mr. Mister. Also on the album was Adam with additional guitars and Mike Porcaro on bass as Gene wasn’t available or something. The song starts off explosive with Eric’s drums and then some wicked, heavy guitar riffs. Paul sings with a swagger that he has not had in years. He sounds confident and serious and this is a much heavier and more determined Kiss.

“I Love it Loud” is up next and MTV played it a lot. Every time it came on it was event TV for me. I actually remember having our little black & white TV in the dining room on at dinner one night because I knew the song was coming on. When it did, I stopped eating to watch and made everyone else watch it too. Ace was in the video and I thought Kiss was chugging along just fine. Plus, I loved seeing the Giant Tank stage and Eric was slamming away on those drums. The song was written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent and it was our first glimpse in to Vinnie as a song writer and it was awesome. This was such a heavy metal track and it was the Demon rejuvenated. A massive anthem despite the simple, somewhat stupid lyrics. I love the fade out at the end to then come back again for a few more pointless seconds. Not sure the need, but as a kid, I thought it was cool.

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The Collection: Ep. 24 – A Box of 8-Tracks including Kiss, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin and so much more!!

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The collector in me got the best of me. I bought a box off eBay that was full of 8-Tracks. Of course, why wouldn’t I. I don’t have an 8-Track Player so why not buy a bunch of tapes to never listen to them. Makes total sense. Well, this box had some Kiss, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin and a ton more classic rock 70’s bands…and some not classic rock. So, this special episode is going through 40 8-Tracks…Don’t worry, I make it fairly quick.

So go check it out as it is live now on July 24, 2024 at Noon…because why not!! Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Kiss – ‘The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss (1973-1979)’ – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)

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Back on August 5, 2003, Kiss released, okay, the record company released a greatest hits compilation called The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss (1973-1979). It was the first of three volume set which we will get to the other two soon enough. In a move only a record label would do, the label issued the ‘Icon’ Series with two volumes. The first volume is the exact same track list as ‘The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss (1973-1979)’ and was released in 2010.

In a cash grab kind of move, they changed NOTHING!! The Icon version is the exact same except for crappier cover art and no inserts/liner notes. A very bare bones set. I do not really recommend any of these sets as they weren’t done by Kiss per se. But us collectors buy it all. And as a collector of Kiss albums, I do have it. So for now, let us go through this set and talk about the songs since we are here as there is nothing else good to say about this…wait, have I said anything good yet???

The album kicks off with the first song of their debut, “Strutter”.  The song was written by both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and over the years, this would be a rare experience as they would wind up writing songs by themselves.  The music of the song was based off an old Gene song called “Stanley the Parrot” which was recorded even before there was a Wicked Lester.  The song has a great opening drum fill by Peter and is an uptempo rock song that was inspired by all the sexy women in New York.  There is a great bass riff by Gene why Ace belts out the solo. Paul sings the song and shows all the confidence a lead singer should show.

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The Collection: Ep. 20 – Wrap Up June 2024

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As we end another month, it is time to go back and see what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection. This is June 2024 and we have vinyl, CDs, Cassettes, Singles, DVDs and even a book. So much to go through including not one…not two…but three Noble Record Exclusives. And to top that off we have some Kiss CDs & Cassettes and even a Billy Idol Floppy Disk…you read that right. So much to show for this month so I hope you enjoy the show!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, July 1, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that like to see all the stuff in one shot…here you go…

The Collection: Ep. 18 – Kiss The Casablanca Single 1974-1982 Box Set

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This week were are going to dive in to the a Kiss Singles Box Set. On November 13, 2012, Kiss released the box set, ‘The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982’ collection. It houses all 29 singles the band released on Casablanca Records. The sleeves are from around the globe as we have German, Japanese and even American covers and even a few colored vinyl. Sit back and enjoy as we walk through the box set and all the singles.

So go check it out as it is live now on June 10, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And here is snapshot of it all…

The Collection: Ep. 16 – Wrap-Up May 2024

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We are to the end of another month so it is time to what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection this month. We hit a couple local shops including Noble Records and Mad Jacks. I also ordered some new releases from Amazon and bought a few things off Discogs including one I’d been wanting a while. In fact, had to sell a couple things to be able to afford it. If you like Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Billy Idol, then it is a must see. If not, you should still see all that is in store. We have cassettes, CDs and Vinyl for you this week. Enjoy!!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, June 3, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that like to see all the stuff in one shot…here you go…

The Collection: Ep. 11 – Wrap-Up April 2024

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I can’t believe it is time for another monthly wrap-up of what we added to The Collection. This time around, it is April 2024 and we added a ton of stuff. Somethings we added were actually in their own episode like the Record Store Day purchases and some Kiss Bootlegs. The rest of what we added are on here.

We hit up the local record stores here in Charlotte and even down in Wilmington, North Carolina when we were on our Spring Break trip. We picked up stuff from Discogs, eBay and even from Amazon as well. It is a lot of stuff and so much in fact, there are things still unopened and haven’t been listened to yet. I think that is a sign I bought too much. But like traffic signs, I’m ignoring it too!!

So go check it out as it is live now on April 29, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that wanted the BIG picture we used to put at the bottom of the post with everything in it, here you go…it is back as requested…

The Collection: Ep. 9 – Kiss on Vinyl (Part 4 – The Bootlegs)

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The video is up now for Episode 6 of The Collection. When you have older siblings, their music taste can influence what you like and my brother, Gary, was a huge Kiss fan and that spawned me being one as well. From about 7-8 years old all the way til now at 55, I am still a Kiss fan.

For Part 4, we are tackling my Kiss Bootlegs that I have on vinyl. We put it in chronological order for the year the album or songs were recorded, not when they were released. We start with Wicked Lester and go up to a 2010 show from L.A. We have over 20, so sit back and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this episode which goes “live” right now…Monday night, April 15th at 8pm. Please do leave a comment and I promise I’ll address them as soon as I can! Don’t forget to click “Like” and “Subscribe”. Thanks for watching.

The Collection: Episode 7 – March 2024 Wrap-Up

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We are doing something different with the monthly wrap-ups as they are now going to be done in video form. Since each month I am adding to ‘The Collection’, why not show the new stuff on our show ‘The Collection’. So, if you want to see everything and hear a little more discussion on the items, go check out the video. It is live right now on Youtube, April 1st at 8pm.

You’ll get some of the usual suspects as I always seem to have a new Kiss CD and a Rock Candy CD, but there will so much more like the new Judas Priest, new Scott Stapp, some cool Psych Rock and a whole lot of CDs I picked at one store for only $2.50 each. We have vinyl, CDs and cassettes, but no 8-Tracks this time around…sorry Tim!! And you might even see some something you’d never expect me to buy. Come check it out.

If you do check it out, please hit Subscribe, hit Like and leave a message so I know you were there. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

The Collection: Episode 6 – Kiss on Vinyl (Part 3)

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The video is up now for Episode 6 of The Collection. When you have older siblings, their music taste can influence what you like and my brother, Gary, was a huge Kiss fan and that spawned me being one as well. From about 7-8 years old all the way til now at 55, I am still a Kiss fan.

For Part 3, we pick up with Kiss after the reunion and start with Psycho Circus and go all the way up to today and their latest Anniversary releases. We even through in a few Kiss Adjacent Vinyl. I was surprised by how many were still sealed. And I was surprised by how upset I got on some of their packaging choices. I give my honest opinion and don’t hold back.

I hope you enjoy this episode which goes “live” right now…Monday night, March 25th at 8pm. Please do leave a comment and I promise I’ll address them as soon as I can! Don’t forget to click “Like” and “Subscribe”. Thanks for watching.