Customer Reviews

Kiss Army Worldwide!: The Ultimate Fanzine Phenomenon

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, ok, I'm biased because I'm in the book (page 75) LOL but seriously, I was pleasantly surprised when I got my copy today. I was just expecting a bunch of re-printed fanzine covers and excerpts interspread throughout, but Ken Sharp is a long-time KISS fan who knows what we like. His books are always filled with the type of info we HAVEN'T heard before, or photos we HAVEN'T seen a hundred times over, and the thing is, he knows the pictures we've all seen a bazillion times before, and he goes for the stuff that we can all appreciate. There are some KILLER old KISS shots in here from 1974-76 you have not seen before. It's a beautiful book, hardcover, very well put together. And the fact that Gene & Paul were involved is a bonus that gives it that stamp of legitimacy, which can sometimes be a curse and not a blessing, but in this case, it adds and doesn't detract. It's interesting to read the stories of people, our peers, who also did fanzines.....we saw their names in the classifieds of Circus in the 70s/80s every month, some of us had the fanzines they put out and some, like me, were doing the same thing they were, and it's cool to see the motivations and perspectives of the others, along with personal pics they share. I even found out that a guy named Randy, who used to book my old band Cristeen at Escapades in NJ used to run a fanzine in 1976 called KISSer....what a small world, I had NO idea! This is a welcome addition to any KISS fans collection-highly recommended!

If you're a KISS fan -- this book is for you. High quality hard cover with contents put together by Ken Sharp, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Lots of photos submitted by Gene and Paul that I've never seen published before of every tour from the start thru June of 2009!!! Excellent book and less the $16.

My copy just came in the mail and quite impressed with the book after a just few run throughs...a hardback metallic looking cover, very sharp looking.... Loaded with a lot of on and off stage shots as well as image's of the fanzines from over the years. Lots of reading throughout. A message from Gene & Paul in the front and writing from Ken Sharp...
I can't really say much else since I just got my copy but for the price it may be one of the best buys out there and a must for Kiss fans.......
Rock N Roll All Night!!!
*Update Oct 3-09, have been back through the book a few more times and didn't want to admit that I had some of my images from several Okla Concerts as well as a Kansas City Concert- all 70's but after reading some of the recent reviews I decided why not and perhaps some Oklahoma fans will decide to buy the book for that reason. I counted around 17 images used, many full page down to half page size and I was very happy with how they turned out which I hope is a selling point for the book because the quality is very nice considering the low cost and perhaps the quality you would expect from a higher price book. But I would like to thank Ken sharp and Gene for using some of my images...... and Paul as I'm sure he looked through images as well.
But with that said I highly recommend the book to all Kiss fans, considering how much stuff cost these days ...the book and the new CD/DCD package may be one of the best bargains this year for the money if your a Kiss fan....old or new. and I hope some of my shots added a little to the book..... and even if I had no images in the book I would still recommend it.... it's loaded with some killer Kiss-History

What can be said about a book that brings all the KISS fanzines and the object of their undying affection (the band itself) together? I had the distinct honor of being a part of this incredible effort, via an invitation from Ken Sharp through the KISS Web site earlier this year. He asked for fan submissions and I just felt compelled to send something in, not thinking or believing it would make the final cut. It did!

From cover to cover, this is a collection of the passion KISS fans have always had for the group's music, stage presence and the unique culture it has inspired for three-plus decades. I remember being ridiculed as an elementary school student (fourth grade) by other kids who thought KISS were evil or lacked any talent or were a mystery they had no interest in discovering. I wore those taunts like a true badge of honor and when looking at the pages of this book, I am reminded vividly of why I, and millions like me, never lost faith in KISS. I cannot imagine what my childhood would've been like without them, because they gave a misfit like myself a place to go, be welcomed and celebrated. Quite a gift.

My submission to the book was based largely on my own KISStory, so to speak. But it also had to do with seeing fanzines as something we as the KISS Army could tap into and keep tabs on the guys and their work as a band and in other projects as well. The fanzine I was part of was the brainchild of a guy named Steve Huff. He made it possible for me to write columns and be involved with the fanzine world. I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for that. What you see here in the book is a tribute to that and it's a great thing. So, buy it and enjoy. I think Ken should next tackle a book about KISS tribute bands . . . they're an extension of all this madness we call KISS. Until then, the fanzine book is a must for anyone who loves KISS or the person who digs unique material.

The Ultimate KISS Fanzine Phenomenon was recently released along with Sonic Boom, making this a special time to be a KISS fan. What this book mainly does is it covers the KISS fanzines; you know those magazines done by and for KISS fans? Yeah those. It covers the earliest fanzines like "KISSER" all the way up to more recent ones such as "Clown White" and "Paul Stanley's Paradise". I haven't seen any of those fanzines in my life honestly but I thought they were great. This book covers the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s fanzines. It is also very detailed, for instance it gives the years a fanzine was issued, like say '88-'92. For each fanzine you have an interviews with the author (s), what it was like for them to work on their fanzines, their story, how they got to be KISS fans and more. In some cases they have meet the band members and interviewed them or did a little work for them. There are even some comments by Gene and Paul at the beginning of the book and at other places, there a few yes but it still great to have an opinion from the members of the band themselves. Another great thing about the book is the pages which show many fanzines covers together they are really nice to look at.

Sometime it shows pages of articles and those were quite interesting to read. What makes this a plus is that you read some of those articles but there are also interviews with band members shown. And not to forget those amazing pictures. There were many, many pictures I had never seen before which were great to see. There are even photos from the KISS Alive 35 tour and other recent ones. You can even see at the bottom of a good portion of those pictures "From the private collection of Gene Simmons", he used some his pictures for the book which is great for the fans. A great thing is this book covers the entire KISS history, not just the makeup years and they have quite a bit of history. Ken Sharp had a hand on this so directly then I knew I was in for a treat and this not going to be some cheap attempt at more money or something. If you're a fan this is for you (which I guess you are since you're reading this), great pictures, good content and great quality. There is not that much to say really, it's more of a collector's book and you've got to see it. I agree with the reviewer who said the next thing they should do is a KISS tribute bands book, there are many of those bands and they have great stories to tell I'm sure. Anyway take a look at this book, it's listed at a decent price and is a very good purchase.

How cool is this......... a really nicely put together book from Ken Sharp with some forward input from Paul and Gene that highlights the fans that took time, energy, and money on their own to put out a fanzine on the band they love to listen to and grew up with.

I was one of the editors of KISS Heaven magazine and over the years from '92 - ' 96 we put out a slew of issues on KISS.
Here for the first time we all get the props for creating a phenomenon almost as big as the band itself........

GET this NOW !

NEVER BEFORE SEEN PICS....

NEVER BEFORE TOLD STORIES.....

THE HIGHEST QUALITY IMAGES AND PRODUCT IS WHAT YOU GET WITH THIS BOOK......

NOT THE SAME OLD REHASHED CONTENT... fresh and new.........

Great job to everyone who is in this book and who worked on it ........ oh yeah and get Ken's other book..... KISS : Behind The Mask ..... great read!

I've seen a bunch of lesser coffee table type books for three times as much. I'm almost done, but it sure fools you into thinking you can read it fast, when there is so much there you just can't!!! Well worth every penny and a keeper, plus a lot of fun. I'll have to delve into it with a magnifying glass some time, too!! There's a section with hundreds of fanzine covers, from a collection owned by Gene. He's obviously a big fan too!! That's good, he should be!! It covers all the way from the beginning to this year, and world wide. It is an amazing ride and real treat to Kiss fans of all ages.

Ken Sharp has helped put together a book that really could have only been done by a fan, even with the strong backing of Gene and Paul. KISS has always had a unique fan-base and this book gives those fans who wanted to share their love of the band with others a chance to shine. Lots of old names from the past came forth in this tome (and, yep, I'm one of them as well), making it almost like a high-school reunion for those of us who are or had been involved in fandom. If you ever picked up a fanzine or did one yourself, you will want to get the book immediately. If you had never seen a fanzine, this will give you a great idea of what they were like. If you're a KISS fan, but unsure about a book on fanzines, get the book for the great photos of the band and the fans from over the years (not to mention Gene's discussion of his own fanzine period back in the 1960s). This is a book for all the fans - great production, great photos and great stories. Thanks to Ken Sharp for putting the pieces together and to Gene and Paul for deciding to give the fans something more than just another photo book. Wouldn't be surprised if the fans will be clamoring for "best of" collections of stories and artwork from these fanzines next!

KISS ARMY WORLDWIDE has a ton of full color, never before seen, classic KISS images. Enough photos, in fact, to satisfy regular fans who never cared for fanzines.

This book is an extensive look at a colorful sub-culture within the KISS phenomenon. While missing out on some key publishers (Gary & Leslie Saunders' THE OATH inspired almost every 80's KISS fanzine, and Ron Huiskes' bilingual fanclub THE KISS EXPLORER ARMY was one of the first to go international), it gives KISS fans the story behind most of the magazines they bought, sold, and traded.

Ken Sharpe did a great job, the layout is engaging and comprehensive. It is definitely worth the money, and provides very interesting reading for fanzine subscribers over the years. For everyone else, the photos printed here are worth the $14 price alone.

Aca2001

Amazing. I'm totally excited with this book, 'cause the quality of pics, stories and pages is really awesome! It's a jewel, and you must buy. Trust, you'll never regret when you get it in your hands!!!

PS.- And the most nice is this book has photos from Latin America Tour 2009, including pics from Lima, Perú!!!!!!!!!! Also, we can see photos from SONIC BOOM record session!