Psycho Circus [Enhanced, Import]

Kiss | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 22, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Import
• Label: Universal I.S.
• ASIN: B00000AFDW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (267 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,199 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Talk about the roar of the greasepaint: On this first studio effort together since Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley welcomed back once-exiled mates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley with open talons (was it really almost 20 years? How the pterodactyl flies), the unkillable beast called Kiss reels off a few potent additions to its undeniably, er, prodigious body of work. Still stubbornly plodding through the musical tar pits of their classic-rock youth--a little Beatles harmony here, a little Alice Cooper guitar noise there--the dressed-to-ill foursome makes the clock roll back (if not completely unwind) with the fist-waving "I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock & Roll" and the if-Green-Day-can-do-it-why-not-us acoustic surprise, "We Are One." Better even than the album is the in-booklet merchandise ad, which hawks Kisstory II in all its "440-page, 9-pound" glory, for a mere $158.95. Like they say: size does matter. --Billy Altman

Product Description

Japanese edition of their 1998 album with 'In Your Face'added as a bonus track. 11 tracks total, also featuring thesingles 'Psycho Circus' & 'We Are One'. A Mercury release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately - NOT the original KISS!, October 29, 2001

By 

berg (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psycho Circus (Audio CD)

Fans of the Original KISS saw this album as a dream come true: Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter back together and in the studio cranking out a new KISS album! Great concept, however, the cd is clearly a typical Gene & Paul album with a bunch of studio musicians rounding things out. This has been admitted by each band member by now: Ace and Peter barely played on this. What was the point of that? Go purchase "Asylum" or "Crazy Nights" if you want to hear the 'Gene & Paul Project' that KISS became after Ace and Peter left the band. These guys should have locked themselves in a rehearsal loft like the old days and created REAL KISS music again! What a horrible disappointment this album is.
As for the actual tunes, things get off to a pretty good start with the title track and "Within" (even though this song is clearly a "Carnival of Souls" leftover). From there, we are left with a bunch of self-aware hackneyed anthems about the band, the fans, and what they have meant to each other. The only other redeeming tune is Gene's final song on the album which could have fit nicely onto "Destroyer" back in 1976.
One hopes that before KISS calls it quits, they will make an album that features only Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter singing, writing, and playing. Give us an actual Original KISS album in the incredible tradition of KISS, Hotter Than Hell, Dressed To Kill, Alive, and Rock And Roll Over. Give us the four guys who started this whole thing - there's nothing like Gene, Paul, Ace, & Peter together.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great CD plus package for a true KISS fan., July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Psycho Circus (Audio CD)

By now, every Kiss fan has purchased the original release of the Psycho Circus CD. Some of us really like it and some of us have been let down. Regardless of that we all agree that a new album by the original line-up was something we could not pass up! Kiss fans, if you dare, buy this version of Psycho Circus! Not only do you get the original disc but the bonus disc is priceless. It has almost a Kiss Alive edge to it. Ace delivers a very cool guitar solo, Peter's drumming is super, and Gene & Paul deliver the goods as usual. I feel that this is a sleeper disc because of the split by Kiss fans on this album, but believe me when I tell you it is worth the price. Gene Simmons once said that Kiss has not recorded their greatest effort yet. True. But this is a great CD to buy for your hard earned buck. If you do not have this disc yet, do not buy the domestic version. The import package is a overall better buy for the true Kiss fan!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A revolting chunk o' dung, December 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Psycho Circus (Audio CD)

It seems that Simmons/Stanley have become so full of themselves at their advanced ages that they now believe that extremely weak songs by the 2 of them (Just think "Hot In The Shade" or any of the other embarassing efforts on their collective parts) are much better than anything Peter or Ace may have to offer. In fact, this whole album feels like Paul & Gene saying, "Ace, Pete -- we have the power here, & we're still (...). Our songs are far superior to anything you have a part in, and we're REALLY Kiss, not you!"

Wrong, fellas. Dead wrong.

Ace's sole contribution, "into the Void" is light years beyond the rest of this (stuff). Granted, Pete's song (as sappily penned by none other than Paul) is not good, either, but wouldn't it have been nice to get one last classic KISS album as opposed to Gene/Paul scraps? Guys, you ain't the band by yourselves, no matter what you think. (...), the 4 of them didn't even play together on most of this album. Even a (bad)effort by all 4 throughout would have somehow seemed fulfilling, in a weird, disjointed sort of way -- at least they would have failed as KISS (more Frehley would have prevented this fate, I assure you) instead of Simmons/Stanley's musical rummage sale, which was the product that we actually got (Ace & Peter are FULL members, guys, whether you like it or not).

I grew up a masive, worshipful fan. As I get older, the egos of Stanley/Simmons now overpower what might have been an awesome finish to one of my favorite bands of all time. Don't waste your $$$ on this disc. Buy some classic Kiss & wait for Ace's next solo instead. When they were a band, they (were great). Now, as a simple, corporate entity dominated by 2 bitter members who refuse to forgive & forget, they just (are bad).