Customer Reviews

Show Business

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

 

 

That is what it is. With one good ballad that features a cello solo. This is an interesting record because Kix knew going in that it may be thier last, and until now it is. They also knew it probably wasn't going to sell or see any airplay, and it didn't. All of this somehow turns out to be for the better. If track #3 (fireballs) every saw the light of day we'd all know that it is just AC/DC's Highway to Hell with different lyrics. Still a great song, but a rip-off. Other stand out tracks are Book of Hypnotize (best song on the disc) If you Run Around (the ballad), Baby Time Bomb, and She Loves Me Not. I don't like too much basic rock and roll, but these guys still bring it too the table here.

I have all of Kix's albums (CD's) and they are so underrated. It's a real travesty. I'll never know why they weren't so much bigger than it turned out. With the possible exception of Hot Wire, I think this is their best album. "Book To Hypnotise" is worth the price of this disc alone, but the rest of it holds up as well. If you need to do a lot of housework and vacumming, throw a few of these guys albums on and you'll be done in no time!!

This album doesn't rock as hard as it could've and it isn't exactly yer typical rock/metal record in the vein of BLOW MY FUSE or HOT WIRE, but it's interesting to hear the band mix it up, putting a some funky-@$$ grooves in the album like they did on their debut. This album is just as good as any other KIX album, from the AC/DC-like "Fireballs" (Some people have told me they actually thought it WAS AC/DC when I played it for them!) to the cool vocal melodies by Steve Whiteman who is starting to sound rough and gravelly, the bad side of, by now on "Put My Money Where Your Mouth Is", and then there is the piano-driven ballad, yes better than ...Eyes "If You Run Around", and the almost dancy-sounding "Book To Hypnotize" Here, the band comes at you with a varied musical direction, not steering too far from hard rock but like I said before opening up their former minimalist sound with some catchy beats and interesting guitar work. So props to the band, in 1995 they still managed to make an album rock and make it rock well, but for the absolutely stupid "9-1-1" and unneccessary "Ball Baby", I can only give this 4 ol' stars. This isn't the best place to start, but before you're done with KIX, give this a spin. You won't be surprised and you will not waste your money here.

Disclosure upfront: I'm the kind of Kix fan who turns up their hard-rockin' songs, and suffers through or skips over their occasional slow song or ballad.

Got this on cassette. Listened to Side A. Hot stuff! Kix still had it right up to the end -- sharp-edged riffs, aggressive vocals, hard-rockin' tunes, some of which the guys in AC/DC might well cover if they ever needed to fill out an album. The fifth track, "Book to Hypnotize", drops the pace a little, but it has a fun "Poison Ivy" vibe, and at that point I was ready to give the album five stars.

(I gotta ask, though, did Donnie Purnell get into a rut naming the songs? "Ball", "baby", "fire", and "bomb" are included in the titles of two tracks each. And even more of an aside, does it seem odd, or at least interesting, to anyone else that Purnell had co-writers on most of his songs, but they were rarely the other guys in the band?)

Anyway -- then I flipped the cassette and listened to Side B. Whoa, surprise, and not in a good way! "Put My Money Where Your Mouth Is" tries to pick up the pace again, but the title is kind of awkward and the choruses slow the song down. The next song is slower again and a fair bit too long. "Fire Boy" is faster paced, but like "Book", with a retro/60's feel. "I'm Bombed" is more funk than rock, and the closing track, "If You Run Around", goes orchestral -- or at least has prominent strings -- and is unrecognizable as a Kix tune. It sounds as if for the second a-little-more-than-half of the album, "the dirty boys of Kix" cleaned up, toned down, dialed back the energy level and slowed the pace. Sure, the band has put a ballad or slower song or two on some (most? all?) of their previous albums, but c'mon -- is there anyone out there who's a Kix fan primarily because of "For Shame" or "Don't Close Your Eyes"?

I'd say, if you don't have them, go grab HOT WIRE, BLOW MY FUSE, MIDNITE DYNAMITE, LIVE -- all good albums. SHOW BUSINESS is a mixed bag; whether it's worth picking up depends on how much you feel like paying for about half an album's worth of the Kix we love the most.

While not a classic Kix album, this serves as a pretty decent swan song for the band's career. Some of the stuff ranks among their best, including the highly energetic "Baby Time Bomb" the fun midtempo "Book to Hypnotice" and the slow and sultry "She Loves Me Not." On the other hand, this album also includes some incredibly mediocre tunes such as the opener "Ball Baby" and the even more AC-DC ripoff than usual "Fire Balls." If you like Kix, you likely will like this album, but don't expect the consistency of "Blow My Fuse" or "Hot Wire."

I DONT UNDERSTAND THE DOWN REVIEWS ON THIS CD. IT DOES ROCK ! AND I MEAN ITS GREAT TO LISTEN TO. YEAH YOU CAN HEAR ACDC INFLUENCES BUT THIS CD IS BAD FUN. I LIKE THAT 3 CORD POWER ROCK STUFF I DONT CARE WHO IT COMES FROM. I LOVE ACDC AND MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE SOME OF THESE SONGS AND EVERYONE WOULD BE RAVING ON
THIS AS A GREAT ACDC DISC...BUT THEN ITS NOT ALL THAT WAY BECAUSE ITS KIX.
THIS ONE IS GOOD AND IT WILL BE OUT OF PRINT ONE DAY AND ONE OF THOSE THAT GOT AWAY. DONT LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU. ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY. NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS HOTWIRE BUT EQUAL TO BLOW MY FUSE IF NOT BETTER. HEY
GOOD MUSIC IS GOOD MUSIC. DONT LET THE COVER FOOL YOU. ALSO TRY STEVE WHITEMANS LATER RELEASE WITH HIS BAND FUNNY MONEY AND THE CD STICK IT I GUARANTEE YA IF YA THROW A PARTY AND THROW ON SHOWTIME , STICK IT , AND HOTWIRE YOU'LL GET THE GIRLS DANCING THEIR BUTTS OFF , THE GUYS HEAD BANGING, AND EVERYONE WILL HAVE THESE GREAT BIG SMILES ON THEIR FACES. ROCK ON !!!

The CD is great!! If you are a fan of the Baltimore "Dirty Boys" KIX then you'll love this CD.

The reviewer that thought this album rocked must have had a massive coronary when he listened to Kix' other albums. Outside of 9-1-1 this album is garbage. It bears almost no resemblance to the terrific albums that came before it. If you're looking for an awesome rock band (I've always thought they would be a great opening act for AC/DC) you've found one but not on this record. Buy anything else from Kix and you'll be happy.

If You Run Around is a great ballad. Put My Money, 911, Baby Time Bomb, Hypnotize, and I'm Bombed all rock. A graet live band so purchase the Kix Live cd also

These guys rocked for well over 16 years. After six studio albums and a live set, Kix call it quits in 1996. SHOW BUSINESS is the typical "last album." Many great bands, like Kix, end there careers with matterial like this. Don't get me wrong, SHOW BUSINESS has its high points, but to play it from beginning to end is tough sometimes. Steve Whitemans's new band, Funny Money has an indy CD out that sounds like SHOW BUSINESS should have sounded. The last time I saw Kix live was in August, 1995 at the Hagerstown, MD fair grounds. One of the best shows ever! One things for sure...Kix on stage never lost the magic!