Review Summary: A great live album done by one of the greatest live bands in the history of music.
KISS - Alive III
Recorded In 1993 on the "Revenge Tour"
KISS formed in 1973 in New York City. Since then they have been rocking the world with their fire, explosions, and other amazing special effects on stage. Before this, KISS had released 2 Live albums;
Alive! and
Alive II. Both were great live compilations from KISS. After the album
Dynasty, Peter Criss (Drummer) and Ace Frehley(Lead Guitarist) left the band, both not returning until the 2003 Live album Alive IV, which included a symphony. This was the first and only live album without the original members of KISS.
The Band
Gene Simmons(Vocals, Bass Guitar) - A talented singer with a voice like a demon. Though no expert on Bass guitar, he gets the job done. An original member of KISS.
Paul Stanley(Vocals, Rhythm Guitar) - A very emotional singer and an exceptional Rhythm guitarist. An original member of KISS.
Brue Kulick(Lead Guitar) - Recruited by KISS in Seotember 1984. Perhaps the most talented guitarist of the few who went in and out of KISS' lineup after Ace Frehley left.
Eric Singer(Percussion) - Joined KISS for the Revenge album., taking Eric Carr's place permanantly after Carr had died of Cancer.
The Track By Track
Creatures of the Night - Sadly, this concert starts sans the famous introduction, "You Want the Best, You got the Best, the hottest band in the world, Kiss!" Instead, Singer's drums come pounding along with a guitar slide and explosion, and Alive III begins. This song has nice guitar in it with Paul Stanley singing with emotion. Then comes the fantastic chorus with an "Ooooooo.." After the first chorus comes another verse and then the chorus again. After this, the solo kicks in, not really anything to write home about, but it is nice. After the solo, we go back to the first verse and then the chorus again.This ends the song.
5/5
Deuce - Immediately after Creatures of the Night ends, Deuce, a KISS original, starts with Gene. The instruments are fairly good in this song, and the chorus is catchy. After the chorus, comes a small solo. Then a verse and a chorus. Another solo comes after the 2nd chorus. The chorus comes once more and a solo ends the song.
4/5
I Just Wanna - The song starts with Paul singing, then comes in guitar. The verse is short and leads into the chorus, which is very catchy, singing about wanting to forget a girl. Another verse comes along then, again, leads straight into the chorus. After the chorus is a solo that fits the song perfectly. After the solo comes a great bridge with Paul and backup vocals singing. After the bridge comes another verse. Then all music stops except for drums and Paul asks the audeience to sing along with him and chant the word "***" a few times. Then the instruments all come back in and another chorus is played. The song then ends.
5/5
Unholy - This song starts with Gene on bass and it slowly builds up to the beginning of Unholy. A great guitar riff starts this song and Gene starts singing about being an Unholy being. The Chorus comes in and Gene sings along with backup. Another verse starts and again goes into the Chorus. A great solo then follows, leading into another verse with Gene singing more powerfully this time. Another solo comes in with Bruce soloing in the backround and brings us to the end of Unholy.
5/5
Heaven's on Fire - Paul Stanley wails to start this song. The verse is very catchy with guitar in between his words. Then comes the catchy chorus that'll have you singing too. The comes another verse with Paul singing "Baby don't stop, take it to the top, eat it like a piece of cake!" The pre-chorus then sounds again and leads us again into the chanting chorus. Except this time, at the end they sing "Ooooh, Heaven's on Fire!" After this chorus comes some slight guitar then Paul yelling to the audience. Another chorus then comes with only drums this time. They then chant "Ooohooh, Heaven's on fire" till the end.
4/5
Watchin You - A kickass riff comes in to start Watchin you and shortly after Gene starts to sing with guitar in between. The chorus then comes in with backup vocals and the words "Watchin You!" Gene then sings another verse about obviously watching a beautiful woman in secret. The chorus comes in again after this, then leads to an instrumental break, then to a mediocre solo. The sing the chorus one more time before the song ends.
3.5/5
Domino - This song starts with Gene speaking over guitar in the background. Gene continues half singing the verses about a girl nicknamed Domino. A small solo fallows the chorus and back into verses we go. Singing "She's a bad habit to break!" We then go into another chorus then a solo. After the solo Gene speaks again and leads us into the chorus. The song then ends with the guitar fading.
3.5/5
I Was Made For Lovin You - The hit song of off KISS' "Disco" album. Chugging guitar comes in and KISS starts chating the vocals to the song. A verse then starts with Paul singing. They then go into the incredibly catchy chorus. Verses about him wanting to have sex with a girl start. The chorus is then repeated twice and it leads into guitar and Paul singing every once in awhile. The chugging then continues as explosions are heard in the background, Bruce starts to solo for a short time, then the chorus starts again. Except this time with explosions. The chorus is then sang once more and the song ends with an explosion.
4/5
I Still Love You - Undoubtedly the worst song on the album. Though it is listenable. Paul sings with emotion for the verses and then the chorus breaks out out with Paul singing even more emotionally. A small solo is played by Bruce after the chorus and it leads into more verses. The song then breaks down and an emotional solo is heard. The audience surely had their lighters up for this one. This song could be shorter, it didn't need so many verses, as they get boring after awhile. Paul sings " I love you!" in the background for the rest of the song with Bruce soloing int he background.
2.7/5
Rock And Roll All Night The Most famous song in the history of KISS. Sang both by Paul and Gene, this song defines what KISS is all about. The song is, as the title says, about Rocking all night. The chorus is very very catchy, and even if you don't like KISS, you know the words to the chorus. A simple solo then kicks in and with the chorus repeated several more times, this song ends.
4.5/5
Lick It Up - After the Rock And Roll All Night, immediately this song kicks in with Paul singing "Don't Wanna Wait Till You Know Be Better!" The Guitar then comes in before he sings the next line. This song is about, go figure, "Licking it Up". I'll give you 3 guesses as to what that means. After a couple more lines the simple chorus comes along. Another verse starts after the chorus then back to the sing along chorus. Some guitar is played after the 2nd chorus leading into the solo. They then sing "Lick it Up!" a few more times before the song ends.
3/5
Forever - This is the 2nd ballad of the album. Paul sings emotionally about a girl he wants to be with Forever (Hence the title of the song.) The chorus is catchy as Paul sings "Forever!" Then comes an acoustic solo followed by a verse and the chorus repeated till about he end. The song then eds with some acoustic playing.
4/5
I Love It Loud - The song starts immediately with drums pounding and Gene singing to the audience. Then comes the chant of "Hey Hey Hey Hey Yeah!" a couple of times and leads us into the verse, singing about loving it loud. The verses are very catchy and had me singing along. Then comes a short chorus. We're then slung back into a short verse, followed by the chorus yet again. Gene starts chanting to the audience for a little bit. A short solo comes and goes and they sing a verse and a chorus yet again. The song is then ended with another chorus.
5/5
Detroit Rock City - Another one of KISS' most popular songs. This song tells the story of a fan dying in a car crash on the way to a KISS concert. The song leads in with the signature riff, and shortly after, Paul starts singing. The popular Chorus then follows. Antoher verse and Chorus then leads us into guitar for a little while. Yet another verse and chorus are played. A drumroll then leads us into Detroit Rock City's solo, played both by Bruce and Paul. A verse is sung about the person about to die followed by the chorus sung once more. The song then ends with a plethera of explosions.
5/5
God Gave Rock And Roll To You II - A song made famous by the movie
Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey. A wonderful song that you wouldn't expect to come from KISS. This song sort of makes the bogus claims that KISS stood for "Knights In Satan's Service" invalid. Singing from both Paul and Gene is in this song and they do in beautifully. The last real song on Alive III ends with a break down and silence.
4/5
Star Spangled Banner - KISS ends this wonderful concert with the Star Spangled Banner. Not much to be said here except for it is done fantastically.
Overall this is a great live album, even without Ace and Peter. In my opinion, a big step up from Alive II. 4/5
Recommended Tracks
Creatures of the Night
I Just Wanna
Unholy
Heaven's On Fire
Rock And Roll All Night
I Love It Loud
Detroit Rock City
This is my first review so tell me how I did.
