Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'N Roll

1978

I've never been able to get into this one like. They're a great band and there are great songs on here. It's not as engaging as Rising where I can really get into that one, and even more of the first. This feel like background music that's pleasant enough to listen to while I'm doing other stuff. Not really feeling The Shed or L.A. Connection...I don't get stoked on this one like the first two. It's still Dio, which also makes it better than A lot of other bands. Sensitive to light, I don't know man this album feels like quite a slide from Rising. Rising was like they were charging into the future pushing the boundaries. This is a step backwards...except for, you know, Kill The King and Long Live Rock 'n Roll.

Ace Frehley - Ace Frehley

1978

     This is one of my favorite albums ever. Of the 30 or so Kiss albums, I have the most attachment to this one. This is the strongest set of songs that resonate with me personally. 

Peter Criss - Peter Criss

1978

    I was dreading re visiting this album. I don't have any good memories of this, not when it came out. Not of the last time I listened this, which was probably in the 90's.

     It's bad right away. Stays bad. 

     Six songs in before I could find something even remotely listenable, Easy Thing. Wimpy ballad.

     There's nothing on here that I can enjoy ironically. Nothing here so bad it's good. Just bad. 

     Kiss The Girl Goodbye might be the second sort of listenable song. A really lazy ballad.

     The last song, I Can't Stop The Rain is probably the best on the record. It sounds very 70's Ballad. Something that Neil Diamond would sing I guess.

     I think he's going for a really light weight Jazzy funky Soul thing mixed with 70's adult contemporary ballads...and a light dash of 50's rock.

     

Paul Stanley - Paul Stanley

1978

      Opener is pretty awesome. Tonight You Belong To Me. This song is not to far away from something like I Stole Your Love, but much more dramatic. I would say this is one of the very best Kiss songs of the 70's. Certainly better than half the songs of each previous record with much better production.

     Move On. I don't know, it's pretty cool I guess. I like the dramatic slow vocal parts. Catchy, but getting away from the straight ahead hard rockin of earlier Kiss albums.

   Then one...I forget.

   Wouldn't you like to know me. Big production precursor to Joan Jett's I Love Rock and Roll, but more balladry.

     This song and the one earlier, that I forgot remind me of Shandi that would come later. This one is pretty dramatic. Together As One. Then it gets Big, like Queen or Zeppelin or something. Then quiet again. and it's like you're out on the plains. Reminiscing. Then BIG! Bluesy guitar.  Sheeeout. Big production of drama! It's like the outro of Stairway to Heaven. Almost. 

     Next song starts out like Mr. Speed. then sounds like the upcoming Sure Know Something. And sounding very pop rock for the late 70's. Pretty catchy.

     Next song sounds like a 70's TV show theme/coffee commercial. Sad.

     Love in Chains is a rocker, Hendrix style. Kind of. Really ready for the radio and hinting at riffing that would show up Lick It Up Era. 

     This is the second best solo album and really is just as good as anything Kiss had done since Destroyer.

     This album isn't very far away from anything Kiss had done up to this point. Which would lead you to believe he was pretty much in charge and the band was going in the direction he wanted.

Gene Simmons - Gene Simmons

1978

     I dreaded the thought of going back and listening to this. When I finally did, I had to force myself. I've been revisiting Dynasty lately after listening to the earlier Kiss discography. Dynasty is the best album they had put out up to that point in their careers. So, being suaded by that I started in and realized that Radioactive was not really any worse that the songs he had done with Kiss recently. 

      Radioactive has a cool intro bit as well.
      Burning Up With Fever sounds pretty slick and generic and polished and aimed at the general population. It still sounds like Kiss, other than the Motown type back up singing during the chorus. Oh! Is this the one where Donna Summer sings?! I think it is! 

     The third song is shooting hard for placement in the Starskey and Hutch falling out of love scene. Catchy seventy's style shooting for the top 40. Killer light, light weight pop. 

     Forth song.I don't know what I missed, I kinda tuned out, but the fifth song True Confessions steps off in to pure crap. It's like Meatloaf or something. This is the farthest thing in the world that you want to hear as a Kiss fan. This is Gene swinging for the fences in search of some mega hits that reach the lowest common denominator in the biggest pop sense. 

   Livin in Sin is really really bad if you are a 14 year old Kiss fan...un listenable in the most disappointing of ways. and it just gets worse...

    Next song has an Elder vibe going on. Mysterious. Is it cheese? Wait, it's getting dramatic!  In a Golden Slumbers kind of way. Then full on Hey Jude.

   Man of a Thousand Faces. This is where it goes fully bizarro if your a Kiss fan. This is not what you signed up for and this does not match the album cover, in a Sgt. Peppers outro kind of way.

      Mr. Make Believe full on attempt at some type of Beatles thing, very much Beatles thing. Again, this is nothing you want to hear as a 14 year old Kiss fan. This is Gene selling out in the biggest way he knows how. This is some fancy production. I see what he was going for here. 

    Then a remake of See You In Your Dreams that sounds almost identical to the original. By the end though that the production is much more lush.

    Then When You Wish apon A Star. Which is pretty insane.

Paul's ends' up sounding very much like Kiss, which would lead you to believe Kiss wasn't holding him back from anything he wanted to do. The other guys either felt restrained, or maybe in the case of Gene used at as an exercise to really shoot for the top 40 in the most pop way he could think of.

     

     

Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight

1978

Aerosmith - Live Bootleg

Like most all live albums it's pretty much a greatest hits deal with a couple oddities tossed in. The good thing about this album is it came out in 1978 so it's not bogged down with a bunch of crap. Aerosmith probably has six or seven greatest hits albums at this point and I would rather listen to this than any of those. This sounds more "live" than most live albums from this era...you know Kiss Alive 2 or Double Live Gonzo. There's some feedback here and there and a couple grand finale type things. I'd stick to the proper albums, but if your in a greatest hits mood this should satisfy that urge.Good not great. The strength is this was Aerosmith at the top of their game. Mostly recorded 77/78. The weakness is that this is them at their most wasted so the live shows maybe were not always the best...It's a real good bunch of songs. It's not overproduced and super cleaned up with a bunch of overdubbs, which is pretty cool, but probably the reason I don't pull this one out too often. Best in small doses.

Foreigner - Double Vision

Sorta like Bad Company. Good songs mostly.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die

Not their best, but after you've listened to your other Black Sabbath albums for the one millionth time you could check this one out. The last with Ozzy. Of the original eight albums with Ozzy there's at least six others you want to check out before this one. If I had only a thumbs up or a thumbs down to choose from, I would have to go with the tumbs down. You know, overall as an album.

The Who - Who Are You

The Who changing with the times instead of leading the charge, but doing a pretty good job of it. Their last gasp.

Fun Facts: Their last album before Keith Moon died.