Alive! Essex Junction VT

Alive!

KISS

Casablanca Records, 1975

http://wwww.kissonline.com

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/30/1998

Since its release in 1975, fans of rock music have fawned overKiss's Alive! as one of the best live albums ever released. They'veclaimed that this album captured the true energy of a live showfeaturing Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and PeterCriss.

Had I been a rock critic in 1975 (which would have been tough,seeing that I would have been four years old), I probably wouldhave questioned why a band would release a live album after onlythree studio efforts, all of which came out in less than a two-yearspan. (Then again, I think that very little in the music industrywould surprise me.)

All that said, Alive! is indeed an accurate portrait of a typical Kissshow, and is still enjoyable 23 years after it came out, though I'mnot ready to elevate it to sainthood like other fans.

Capitalizing on the success their single "Rock And Roll AllNite" had started to earn for the band, Kiss came out with theirfirst live effort, beginning what is considered the glory periodfor the band. And from the sound of things, it sounded like theyknew how to put on a great rock show back then. (I was fortunateenough to catch Kiss during their 1996 tour - son of a gun, italmost felt like I was in the audience during the taping of Alive!)