Customer Reviews

Greatest Kiss

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'll start off by saying that I am a huge KISS fan. I am getting a little tired however, of "best of" compilations. While there are some classic songs here; "Detroit Rock City," "Hard Luck Woman'" "Deuce" and "Cold Gin" there are also some songs that should never grace a "best of" collection; "I Was Made for Loving You'" "Flaming Youth" and "Two Sides of the Coin." And for the love of all that is good, is it necessary to have "Rock & Roll All Nite" on another album? It is already on 1. Dressed To Kill, 2. Alive!, 3. Double Platinum, 4. Killers, 5. Smashes, Thrashes and Hits, 6. Alive III, 7. MTV Unplugged, and 8. You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best. This will make album number nine.

I'm also disappointed with the remixes here. The only difference (that I notice) is that the snare drum sounds much different now (shallow, with reverb.) It really doesn't do the songs here justice. I am also upset that there are no selections from the Hotter Than Hell album, as it is full of classic KISS.

I guess if you don't have any KISS albums, this will give you some of their good, old stuff. But I promise, there are better compilations out there. Unplugged is excellent, and Double Platinum is the best collection of early KISS music.

"Double Platinum is undoubtedly the BEST Kiss album ever to come out, and it also has a lot of songs overlooked in the making of this album. I love all of these songs, but they do get tired and weak after a while (especially after you hear "Rock and Roll All Night" a trillion times.) Songs that should have been on here but weren't include: God of Thunder, Love Gun, Black Diamond, ect. Songs that probably shoudn't have been on here but were: Two Sides of the Coin(I love this song to pieces, but come on................should it have gone on this album??????), Flaming Youth(it didn't do so well when it came out, so why put it on a greatest hits album?????), ect....... Buy it if you've liked previous Kiss albums.

Since Kiss was never an album band it is convenient for a newcomer to the band to start with this album or maybe Double Platinum, then the first Alive! album. I mean, just look at the long line of classics: Calling Dr. Love, Do You Love Me, Beth, Rock and Roll All Nite, Shout It Out Loud, Sure Know Something, and, of course, Detroit Rock City. A fan looking to get acquainted to the band should probably start here.

Talk about overkill!! What is going on here? Without a new studio release since 1992, KISS has offered up an Unplugged album, a live album, and now a greatest hits collection. With the obligatory "new" song (or rather, an audio clip of the opening reunion tour video for Shout It Out Loud), all that we have on Greatest KISS is another mishmash of makeup-era hits. Enough already! We're happy that KISS has reformed but with Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, Double Platinum, and the live albums, WE HAVE THE SONGS!!! I guess we can thank the suits at Polygram for this release because surely the band realizes that this is just too much. The label hoped to make a few bucks from the hype of KISS touring again. Plain and simple. Some good early reunion photos in the package though.

Unlike Double Platinum and Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits, GREATEST has no remixes. Whick makes it better. Also it was a nice surprise to find "Sure Know Something", "Two Sides Of The Coin", and "Shout It Out Loud" from the opening night of the reunion tour. Several classic here like DETROIT ROCK CITY, I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN YOU, and DEUCE. The KISS albums to get are :

KISS, HOTTER THAN HELL, DRESSED TO KILL, ALIVE, DESTROYER, ROCK N ROLL OVER, LOVE GUN, ALIVE II, CREATURES OF THE NIGHT, and REVENGE.

I hope that Gene and Paul have a COMEBACK TOUR in a couple years or so. If not we have the memorys. But hopefully...ROCK ON!

Try to find the European version, it's better than the American version IMO.

Here is the European track listing:

1. Detroit Rock City 2. Black Diamond 3. Hard Luck Woman 4. Sure Know Something 5. Love Gun 6. Deuce 7. Goin' Blind 8. Shock me 9. Do You Love Me 10. She 11. I Was Made For Lovin' You 12. Shout it out loud (new video version) 13. God Of Thunder 14. Calling Dr. Love 15. Beth 16. Strutter 17. Rock And Roll All Nite 18. Cold Gin 19. Plaster Caster 20. God Gave Rock N' Roll To You

This is my first REAL introduction to Kiss as an adult. I was a minor Kiss fan as a kid based on the success of I Was Made For Lovin' You and they were my first concert (Roanoke, VA 1979). This CD surpassed all expectations. With the exceptions of Flaming Youth and Two Sides of the Coin, every song really rocks and holds up over time. I never get tired of this CD. Buy it whether you're a new fan or a time-tested army member. Thanks to Dr. Tom Butt(aka The Singing Dentist aka One of A Kind) for taking us to that show in '79!

I'll start off by saying that I am a huge KISS fan. I am getting a little tired however, of "best of" compilations. While there are some classic songs here; "Detroit Rock City," "Hard Luck Woman'" "Deuce" and "Cold Gin" there are also some songs that should never grace a "best of" collection; "I Was Made for Loving You'" "Flaming Youth" and "Two Sides of the Coin." And for the love of all that is good, is it necessary to have "Rock & Roll All Nite" on another album? It is already on 1. Dressed To Kill, 2. Alive!, 3. Double Platinum, 4. Killers, 5. Smashes, Thrashes and Hits, 6. Alive III, 7. MTV Unplugged, and 8. You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best. This will make album number nine.I'm sure ive missed some.
I wont even mention all the videos it is on.
I guess if you don't have any KISS albums, this will give you some of their good, old stuff. But I promise, there are better compilations out there.

Or to end up, perhaps, if you just want one Kiss disc in your collection. But be vewy careful...I'm hunting wabbits! No, that wasn't it. But make sure you get the 20-track import version; it deletes one or two mediocre songs from the 16-track US edition, adding Kiss classics like "Love Gun" and "God Of Thunder" instead.

This 76-minute compilation brings together 20 songs representing Kiss' entire (pre-1998 "reunion") career. And it's not "pop go Kiss"; "Greatest Kiss" is a balanced mix of the band's trademark pop metal and genuine hard rock. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons had a knack for pairing big hooks with big riffs, as is evident on songs like "Strutter", "Deuce", and the classic "Detroit Rock City".
Simmons roars like the demon he used to be on the awesome heavy metal stomper "God Of Thunder", and how can you not love a big, dumb shout-along rocker like "Shout It Out Loud" or "Do You Love Me"? The melodic "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You" was an MTV hit in the early 90s, and Gene Simmons' lewd "Plaster Caster" about a groupie who used to make, well, plaster casts, is one of his best and wittiest songs.

A couple of these reviews were obviously written about the lesser US version of this album...there is no "Flaming Youth" here, thank goodness, and as far as this being "rehashing", yes, well compilation albums aren't really made for those fans who already own the material, are they?
Kiss' three "Alive" albums remain the best way to hear almost all of their best songs, but this is a very good collection in its own right.

Overall it is a good collection, but I was surprised by some of the songs chosen. If the price is under $10 it is a good value...