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After this set back Gene and Paul decided that they needed to develop a group that was more visual, more theatrical. This started to come together when they answered an ad in “Rolling Stone” and met drummer Peter Criss. While the chemistry didn’t work immediately they decided to rehearse until they worked as a unit. Eventually, with the music coming together, they auditioned for a lead guitarist in late 1972. Legend has it that they heard at least 50 guitarists before Ace Frehley arrived, his playing and appearance suited the band perfectly – he was hired.
With everyone in place the only thing remaining was the image and it’s here that Kiss differ from virtually all other bands. Rather than playing live and developing an image over time, Kiss decided to develop an image before playing life. It was with full face paint therefore that the newly created Kiss appeared live for the first time in 1973 at the Popcorn Club in Queens, New York – there were only 3 people in the audience but it was the first step on the way to mega-stardom. Determined to take the music world by storm Kiss then rented out a hotel in New York at which they played management showcases, while this must have seemed audacious at the time it certainly worked as within two weeks they were signed by Casablanca.
With a record deal in place the group developed their stage technique through constant gigs and started to introduce the theatrics for which they were famous. By the end of 1973 their stage show was in full flow, they were opening for Blue Oyster Cult and Iggy Pop & the Stooges and Gene was setting light to his hair while breathing fire.
Their self titled album was released in February 1974, making number 87 on the US charts, and led to their first appearance on television playing on Dick Clark’s In Concert program. They toured constantly around the US and promoted themselves at every opportunity, opening for groups such as Aerosmith their stage act becomes tighter and wilder. By April 1975 they had released three albums and built a significant fan base across the US. Their approach was Glam Rock in excess but unlike other groups in the genre it was based on playing live and albums rather than chart singles. This is shown by the album that truly broke them into the big time - their fourth album was culled from their numerous concerts. Entitled “Alive” it hit the Top Ten on its release in the autumn of 1975. Their following album “Destroyer” did even better the following March, going platinum and containing a top ten single. The group had finally become what their image on stage had always portrayed them as – Rock Gods.
Kiss now moved into hyperdrive, live concerts coupled with constant promotion and merchandising resulted in Kissmania hit the US. Their first comic book was released by Marvel (complete with red ink mixed with their blood), Kiss make-up and masks became the rage, you could play the Kiss board game or the Kiss pinball machine, you could become a member of the Kiss Army and you could even watch them as they starred in the TV movie “Kiss Meet The Phantom of the Park”. All of this and and they were still never to be seen without their makeup. Outside of the US things were less fraught with Kissmania being rarely found with the exception of Japan, Kiss toured here for the first time and the crowds went wild – it’s like Beatlemania but for guys in makeup and platform shoes!
While the prominence of Kiss on the US music scene has continued ever since, this level of exposure has never been matched. The final years of the seventies saw them each release a solo album before they returned with yet another platinum album, “Dynasty”, in 1979. The classic lineup ended in 1980 with Peter Criss leaving followed in 1982 by Ace Frehley. They eventually lost the permanent makeup but they still continued to tour and have chart hits. Their time as the ultimate rock group was however over in terms of critical success.
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