Customer Reviews

New Recordings: Jigoku Retsuden

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Save your money. This CD is scheduled to be released as part of the new Kiss Album "SONIC BOOM" on October 6th, 2009 at Wal mart and Sam's Club. In addition to this re-recorded Greatest Hits CD and new Sonic Boom CD -- the package will also include a DVD containing several songs from the band's recent 2009 performance in Argentina. Price - $12 for the two CDs, single DVD and multi-page booklet!

Over the last 20 or so years Kiss (Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley, for all intents and purposes) have been content to relegate themselves as imitators rather than the innovators they started out as. Taking note of Journey's success with Generations, they attempted to do the same here on KISSology with 15 of their popular tracks. Journey did it with some success because their new singer, Arnel Pineda, gave many of the "standard" songs new life. He could also hit the high notes. I'll always be biased with Steve Perry's versions, but the re-recorded versions with Pineda (arguably) worked. To me, it was interesting hearing how some of these versions were updated over the years and interpreted by a new vocalist.

With KISSology, we still have the Gene and Paul, but we find more often than not that they're not able to hit the high notes as they once did. And boy do their voices sound strained. Paul's inability to hit the notes like he once did are most apparent on "Forever," "I Was made for Lovin' You," and "Lick it Up." It was cringe-worthy for me to listen to these, as I love the originals.

Gene actually sounds better than Paul. "Deuce is pretty good, as is "I Love it Loud," but hearing "Christine Sixteen" sung by a 60-year old sounds more creepy than cool thirty years after the fact.

Eric Singer, who did do a stint with Kiss through the 90's, does a fairly good job with "Black Diamond." He's an excellent drummer, and he's done a great job filling in for Peter Criss during his stint with Kiss in the 2000's, but he's really not contributing here; rather, he's just... filling in.

The same goes for Tommy Thayer. Tommy's a great guitarist, and he plays Ace Frehley, Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, and Bruce Kulick's parts note-for-note, but that's it. In his previous band, Black n' Blue, he was a major contributor; in this version of Kiss, he's just a sideman going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. There are no lead vocal contributions from Tommy on KISSology. I have heard him sing Ace's "Shock Me" in concert, but it's inclusion here would have been a really, really bad idea.

I agree with the many of the other reviewers: Why? I suspect one of the comments I saw might have hit the nail on the head. By re-recording these old chestnuts, Stanley and Simmons no longer have to share the residuals to these songs with Frehley, Criss, and Vincent in the event the songs are used for commercial purposes. Ozzy did this when he re-recorded the bass and drum parts for "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" to spite Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake and cut them out of residual profits. And that went over with fans like a led balloon.

So in summary, what you get with KISSology is a collection of re-recorded, almost note-for-note, Kiss songs with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and the stand in members: Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, playing the parts of Peter and Ace. If this is what you're after, than KISSology is for you. If you're looking for a comprehensive greatest hits collection from Kiss, this is probably not what you want.

First the good news- this is the first new studio recordings in about 10-11 years since 1998's Pycho Circus.
It's not another record company's rereleasing the same old thing. We get to hear Tommy and Eric S. play on a studio cd and I'm sure they are happy getting paid. We all know the songs.
Now the bad news- Can you say Kiss Karaoke? They tried to make their songs sound like the original studio recordings, some are pretty good, but others like I Love It Loud doesn't have the thunder sound that Eric Carr's version did.
Paul can't hit all the high notes, Gene sounds about the same and some are too polished and don't have the raw/roughness to it. Shout It Out Loud's chorus sounds like they are "sing" it out loud- too polished. Eric Singer does a great job on Black Diamond, but I think it faded out too fast.
Also bad is it's only in Japan and so cost an arm and a leg.
Final thoughts-Kiss will do a new album this year so consider this a warm up.
We fans all love Kiss, but we also know now days it's all about the $$$.
That's why they did this album (see what other people wrote on this page).

There seems to be two KISS's in the world. The original four, Frehley, Criss, Simmons and Stanley. Then no make-up KISS, Kulick, Singer, Simmons and Stanley. No disrespect to Thayer or Singer, most of the fans know that Simmons and Stanley are the ones in charge, but this is just bad... Having Thayer and Singer record songs that were originally recorded with Frehley and Criss, is a bad attempt and trying to get fans to think Thayer and Singer are the more than just cover artists... In short, this KISS and ths record, is nothing more than a cover band, or tribute band. Not to mention Thayer, is playing Frehley leads and hasn't played an original lead yet... Also, check out Thayer live perfromances out on You Tube, Thayer seriously cannot play those leads anywhere close to as accurately as Frehley (before he was sober)... P.S. Saw Ace back in March 08 on his Rocket Ride Tour and since he has been sober and has his own band, every KISS song he played was better than this cover band ever did or has done... No joke! I would ask that any real KISS fan use their guts and KISS this goodbye... I would also ask that true fans stay away from any KISS Simmons and Stanley cover band concert with Thayer and Singer... (If not you should be ashamed of yourself!) It is interesting that Criss has been sober since he first left the band over 20 years ago... And Frehley has been sober since he left the band seveal years ago... Maybe with all this crazy, Simmons and Stanley,"We need to be in control," stuff would make us loose our sobriety... One this is for sure to by this album, you cannot be sober...

As a longtime Kiss fan, I took a chance on this CD. The good news is, the playing sounds tight and the songs feel "fresh" for the 2000's. The bad news is, it's still the same old songs. I've faithfully followed Kiss through all their personnel changes - Erics, Vinnie, Mark, Bruce - and have no particular beef with Tommy. But, through all those earlier lineups, there was ALWAYS new music. Not just fresh, but NEW. This disc - intended for Japanese-only release (hence the price) - isn't new. Both Gene & Paul claim that "no one wants new music", but they don't seem to have a problem with inundating their fans with pricey rereleases of the OLD stuff. I'm just tired of spending money on the same stuff, newly recorded (as this disc is) or not (re: the upcoming "Icons" release). Completist fans will be curious to hear this, but trust me: you'll probably end up going back to the originals that you really remember. There's nothing here that you need.

This is a great CD of re-recorded KISS Klassics with the new line up consisiting of Gene, Paul, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer. But, Don't buy it here. Instead, Buy the special 3 disc set of Sonic Boom at Wal Mart. It consists of their new 2009 release, this cd of Klassics, and a DVD of 6 songs recorded off their 2008 Alive 35 tour. It only costs $12.00.

Re-recording such classic Kiss songs as if they needed any type of update is just pointless. And then there's poor Tommy trying hard but he's NOT Ace Frehley and the whole thing ends up sounding like a cover band. Also recording Forever again at this point in time is just sad as it sounds even more out of place here than it did on Hot In The Shade. At least you could just blame the 80's then... Too bad.
I am glad Paul & Gene decided to work on an album of new material now and they say they're writing everything themselves without outside help. The band is better now, as they say. Joke. That's the spirit they should've had back in 1998 when Psycho Circus was recorded.

There's so very little wrong with the original versions of these songs. The re-recordings are nice and clean, but is that good? I'll take the dirty, rough recording of "Hotter Than Hell" any day. Some songs are plodding, even workmanlike. They don't have the energy of the originals. And with all the compilations that have flooded the market, wouldn't re-recordings of lesser-known songs been much more interesting? ("All American Man"..."Danger"...Sweet Pain"...why not?)

At least it's a step toward getting the Paul/Gene/Eric/Tommy lineup into the studio. But unless it's new music, what's the point of Kiss even continuing? Paul's still a great songwriter, Tommy certainly has contributions to make...too bad Gene seems as distant from the real essence of Kiss as he was in the mid '80s. Bottom line demand from a Loooooongtime Fan: Give us new music, or shut it down before the legacy suffers even further. Please.

This cd album is fantastic, coz you could hear the songs in a new kinda way, coz it is old songs that they sing once again and played very well.. And recorded it in 2008, whit the 2 new members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer,,, They play well and have they,re own sound and style that brings this to another level, much respect to Petter Criss , Ace Frehley and Eric Carr, and so on, that also have been making these great songs in the past and of course together whit the co.founders of Kiss,Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley the 2 only kiss members that has been in kiss all the time since the beginning 36 years ago,They are the best rock group of all time, so everybody go out and buy this cd, you wanted the best you got the best the hottest band in the world KISS,,, thanks from Trond J/ FROM FEVIK-29.05.2009- NORWAY

I was sent the wrong item and they were not able to send the correct item. They were very nice and sent me a free postage return mailer and credited my credit card. I can not review the item because I didn't receive it. I would use them again and their service was 4 star.