Kiss - Alive! Box Set
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Free Music Notes for Alive! Box Set
Free Music Review: Kiss keep on rockin'.... Rehashed but cool stuff
Hit: 4 Stars
Who hasn't got Alive 1 and 2 as 2-CD remastered CD's ? Now remastered AGAIN (how often can you 'remaster' a recordinbg ???) both discs sound as good as ever but both as single discs this time. Alive 3 has a bonus track originally only available outside the USA and the only 'new' thing here is disc 4, the over 6 years old Millennium show. A bit of a disappointment as this disc plays only 1 hour and many more songs from that show could have been included on this CD. The packaging however is something that Kiss is very good in: "How to make old stuff hot again?"... by putting the discs in an amazing packaging with a perfect thick colorfull booklet for a VERY nice price.Free Music Review: Should Be a 5
Hit: 4 Stars
I took away 1 star because of the standard Kiss marketing making me buy 3 albums I already had in order to get the Millennium concert. At least the albums were remastered. The alive albums are terrific, and if you don't own them, then this is the set for you. Too bad they didn't include Alive IV with it.Free Music Review: u drive me wild
Hit: 4 Stars
this is a veary cool box ook u prooly already own alive but who cares u get a three in one package plus a out of print concert which is pretty good this box set is just the alive stuff and if u want another box of kool junk in it buy the 5 disc box set it has demos and suchFree Music Review: Great classics
Hit: 4 Stars
This is what we've been waiting for so long. All hits in a great package and Alive 4 at least. There's no better live band around the world!Free Music Review: Gee! More re-releasing! Never saw it coming...
Hit: 3 Stars
So in the grand world of Kissaholics all over the country, Gene & Co. have graced us with yet another package of songs we already know released in "special edition" packaging with new notation from not only the two mouths of Kiss, but others like Eddie Kramer, Dennis Wolloch, and various people specifically connected to the live discs in this package. Is it worth the price tag? It depends on your point of view.
I won't bore you with all the interesting little details of the live discs you already know and love; yes, this does represent (most of Kiss) at their best, which is in the live arena vs. the studio. Kiss is a visual spectacle as much as an audio; it is hard to capture the magic that makes them what they are on a cd, but Alive! did just that. It will always be the standard by which not only Kiss but all other live metal/rock discs will be judged. Personally, I think there is something to be said for being on the edge of the ledge, knowing you have a 50/50 chance of either making it or falling. That was exactly the case with Alive. They were in the garbage can as far as album sales go, their Label was on the verge of bankruptcy, and this was their last chance for any kind of shot at stardom considering that the only thing keeping them alive was the sellout attendance of the live shows. Sometimes, a dog performs best when it's hungry and doesn't know if food will be coming along.
Alive 2 saw the rich and fat take precedence among their performances- they had conquered the world, they were no longer hungry dogs, and the playing was as standard as what is on the studio albums. I mean, if you compare Peter's solo from Alive! to Alive 2, you can hear the difference. The effort is just not the same. Don't get me wrong- I love Alive 2 because the songs are great, the interior packaging of the original album was grand, and the studio cuts weren't half bad either. Actually, I think Peter's skills on the studio cuts are better than on the live portion. It was a sentiment of the time- by now, the marketing machine had kicked in to full gear, and it was no longer about the music. It was about the money.
Years go by and we are presented with Alive 3- using a completely new line up, things sounded fresh and raw. It was almost as if that hungry dog was back again. Gone were Peter and Ace, and personally, I wasn't happier. You have a great song selection here; enough classics for the die-hards, and enough current material that was a sign of the times. I was lucky enough to see them on the Revenge tour, and let me tell you straight to your face- they never sounded or played better compared to all the bootlegs and live stuff I have heard from them regardless of whatever line up was playing. I think, in total respect to Bruce, it should be noted that he was with Kiss longer than Mr. Original, Ace Frehley, and he is a much better fit with Kiss. He is an excellent guitarist, and he fit in quite naturally with Kiss. It remains a total shame that Gene and Paul never let him become a full member with executive powers because, in my eyes, he most assuredly earned it and deserved it. Equally, you cannot top Eric Singer's performance either- his double bass technique and catchy fills over shadow Peter in every way shape and form. I mean, compare Eric's interpretation of 80's songs to Peter's- you can tell that Eric had respect for the material in the first place. Not only that, but he was faithful to Eric Carr's material as well, Goddess Rest his soul.
So the big to-do about this set is the Millenium Concert- after my first listen to Vancouver Recording, I almost threw the disc out the window of the truck. I guess Gene was right in his summation of Peter's skills from his memoirs, Kiss and Make up- were the fans crying because Kiss were on their farewell tour, or was it due to poor performance? I'll go with the latter. Peter is substandard, can barely keep time, and his less than stellar interpretations of Lick It Up and Heaven's On Fire are insulting to both Erics. It is a travesty that this was actually committed to disc. The only high note on this one is that Ace seems to be right on the mark with his chops and his performance, which is pretty much the only saving grace for this disc. In fact, it sounds so good that I even question if it is actually Ace playing (perhaps a few Tommy Thayer overdubs?). Other than that, you have the usual fare here- Paul sounds great, Gene is full of himself, and if for nothing, it marked the end of the farwell tour which could have been done a lot earlier than the year 2000.
If you are a diehard, do yourself a favor and go pick up the dvd of Rock the Nation- Tommy and Eric are spectacular on it and remain true to the material. If nothing else, this box set serves as an example of the greatest and the worst of Kiss.