Why was the band KISS so successful?

[Saint Guinefort]

You're tripping!

I take it you don't remember the 1970's personally?

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Satan isn’t real

I take it you don't remember the 1970's

 

[evince]

I take it you don't remember the 1970's

Yes I remember the 70s


Satan wasn’t real then either

 

[Cypress]

Gene Simmons, the lead singer was not an idiot. He recognized what sold and played to an audience of idiots. Come on, Simmons has advanced degrees, speaks several languages, and is anything but stupid. He was willing to do what it took to sell to a market.

Even the wiki entry shows this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Simmons

The guy was another PT Barnum.

They set the standard for live performance.

While the Grateful Dead and Steppenwolf just stood around on the stage in bell-bottoms and jeans, Kiss put on a visual and audio performance that was unprecedented in it's day and still is.

I saw The Who, Rush, Grateful Dead, Kinks, Police, Bad Company, and I have to admit that Kiss were better performers and showmen than any of them.

They were competent rock musicians and rock singers and had just enough catchy tunes to rank them in the upper pantheon of rock acts. I used to want to believe they were just a joke and write them off, but eventually I couldn't deny the mountain of evidence.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Yes I remember the 70s


Satan wasn’t real then either

So you didn't get the joke.

 

[Margot]

I take it you don't remember the 1970's personally?

You gots a Satan complex!

 

[Saint Guinefort]

You gots a Satan complex!

Jeezly pete you people are humorless drudges. It was a joke. It was a big thing back in the 70's when people saw evil in all the rock and roll. All the backmasking stuff and the Knights in Satans' Service was quite the fear-mongering thing in the Midwest.

I wish you weren't such a drudge. Maybe if you lightened up a bit and maybe actually paid more attention you wouldn't seem so dull.

 

[Celticguy]

Was it their music or their look?

Maybe it was their live performances.

They were certainly different at the time.

Mostly a high energy performance. It certainly wasn't the music which was forgettable.

 

[Tinkerpeach]

Mostly a high energy performance. It certainly wasn't the music which was forgettable.

Much of it is very catchy.

It's simple to be sure but still good party songs.

 

[Margot]

Jeezly pete you people are humorless drudges. It was a joke. It was a big thing back in the 70's when people saw evil in all the rock and roll. All the backmasking stuff and the Knights in Satans' Service was quite the fear-mongering thing in the Midwest.

I wish you weren't such a drudge. Maybe if you lightened up a bit and maybe actually paid more attention you wouldn't seem so dull.

Soda is Pop in the Midwest

 

[Celticguy]

Much of it is very catchy.

It's simple to be sure but still good party songs.

true enough. but there was always so much better music there throughout their time in the spotlight.

 

[Tinkerpeach]

true enough. but there was always so much better music there throughout their time in the spotlight.

Isn't that subjective?

 

[Lightbringer]

Was it their music or their look?

Maybe it was their live performances.

They were certainly different at the time.

It was their beat. They were relentless. Perfect example is War Machine. They were tailor made for teenage headbangers.

 

[Tinkerpeach]

It was their beat. They were relentless. Perfect example is War Machine. They were tailor made for teenage headbangers.

I have to admit I've always like the Gene Simmons songs better than the Paul Stanley ones.

 

[Lightbringer]

Those drums tho...

 

[Tinkerpeach]

Those drums tho...

One of their best.

 

[BartenderElite]

They only have a few good songs, but "Rock & Roll All Night..." is one of the top rock anthems of all time.

And they upped the game on theatricality in the genre, and really putting on a show. They inspired a lot of good & great bands that followed. Their place in rock history is secure, despite the lack of great material.

 

[Celticguy]

Isn't that subjective?

Well kinda.

If you ask musicians, they will not argue the point.

Teenagers or younger, maybe so.