KISS: The Early Years [Paperback]

Gene Simmons (Author), Paul Stanley (Author), Waring Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

Join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as they take you on a wild ride through the early years of kiss
with rock photographer Waring Abbott.

• With 250 photos of the hottest band in the world!
• Rare, behind-the-scenes pics of Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, and Eric!
• Stories from Gene and Paul about life on the road, makeup tips, publicity stunts, and much more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

GENE SIMMONS and PAUL STANLEY cofounded KISS in 1973. They live in Los Angeles. WARING ABBOTT is one of the music industry’s premier photographers. He worked closely with KISS for eight years and has photographed many other high-profile musicians, including Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Elvis Presley. He lives in upstate New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1ST edition (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609810286
• ISBN-13: 978-0609810286
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff - the best so far, January 24, 2003

By 

Clay Davis (Shreveport, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: KISS: The Early Years (Paperback)

This is a great collection of photos - even better than Barry Levine's "The Kiss Years" book. That book merely showcased outtakes from famous Kiss sessions from the 70's. This book feels a little more like a peek into the band's history, crammed full of photos I'd never seen before.

Most of the photos are from the band's earliest years, before they broke into the mainstream. You get to see a lot of backstage and pre-concert stuff, like the band applying makeup and suiting up for a performance. These days, we see Kiss and it's just "seeing Kiss" again, but looking at the pictures from around 1974 of the band strolling around the streets of New York City, you are reminded of how shocking they were in full regalia back then. And that's what made them great. The early tour footage and the Cadillac High School footage are impressive as well.

The big treat for me were the pages of photos from the "Elder" era. This was, for me, one of the band's most visually interesting periods, though because the band treats the period with such disfavor, not many photos seem to exist. Here, finally, are a number of great photos of the band in their most streamlined look - including rare performance footage, a video shoot for "World Without Heroes," and some of the Studio 54 footage.

I give it four stars instead of five for two reasons. One, through no fault of the photographer - whose work is absolutely excellent - there are no samples of the band's "Dynasty" era, their MOST visually stunning. I'm still anxiously waiting for a full book with this kind of quality, but with some Dynasty photos. The other slight drawback is that the photo selections seem to favor - what a shock - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. I would've liked to have seen a little more of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

That said, this is the best book of Kiss photos that's ever been published. Get it now.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good historical book...from Gene and Paul's view, January 22, 2003

By 

Mario G. Perez Fonseca "Gerry Blue" (Guitarland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: KISS: The Early Years (Paperback)

If you buy this book be prepared to get more of Paul and Gene's bashing Ace and Peter, more self-indulgence and lots of Gene's "we are the greatest band in the world" and Paul's "Women love my hairy chest" and all that stuff. On the good side, the pictures presented here are amazing. From a walk on Central Park in full makeup! circa. 1975, to a session of facials the band got in a beauty parlor, the rare pics are worth the price of the book alone. You will read this book in an hour and certainly will enjoy the dozens of pictures Waring Abbott shot from 1974 to 1981. I would have liked for the leaders of the band and writers of the book to comment more on each individual photo and also invite Ace and Peter to give their two cents on the shots. Anyway, a good book on Kiss at a not so high price. Great for any fan of the band.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars KISS The Early Years Waring Abbott, December 15, 2005

By 

W. Briere "Ballsey Dog" (Lowell Mass) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: KISS: The Early Years (Paperback)

I recieved this book yesterday & I must say I am impressed! The book is the a great representation of KISS during their formative & most vibrant years together- It also takes look at the Music From The Elder time period which the band & fans alike respond with mixed feelings. KISS has always been & will remain a visual group. This being said, it is made quite clear through the pages within that the attraction to KISS music is the attitude that the band has sustained for over 3 decades as a band. The commentery from Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley is a nice touch but I do wish they would do a project like this with Peter Criss & Ace Frehley since they were there & lived it with Gene & Paul-