Customer Reviews

Unmasked

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

It's a funny thing this record...
Unmasked as you all know was sensationally received in Australia and taken for what it is - superior pop/rock with occassional apologies to disco. The problem for the following that KISS had built to this point was that they were sold an image and loved it. The new concession to a younger, more pop focused audience outraged the fans of the earlier albums. The truth is, this album stands up well in their catalogue but you first have to be willing to accept a few home truths. KISS are a marketing machine and have never generated truly challenging, breathtaking rock. They are a lot of fun, but cannot be compared to, for example Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Steely Dan etc. Those guys are musicians. Now seriously guys, watch 'Spinal Tap' and then try and take seriously songs like 'Love Gun', 'Great Expectations', 'I Stole your Love' etc. They're heaps of fun, but they're silly. We all just dug the image of a bunch of Kabuki theatre personas, cranking out something approximating hard rock. So 'Unmasked' - what is it? It's an enjoyable pop album. Shandi is a great rock ballad; 'Is that you?' has some real bite, 'Naked City' is atmospheric and Ace's tracks work so well because he has the tongue planted firmly in cheek - this is a band to enjoy, not to put on a musical pedistal. And this album is not boring, it's heaps of fun, full of pleasant catchy pop - it just exposed a band that was always there for the fantasy, for the audience - the musical approach was always just part of the formula - and the old fans found that reality hard to cope with.

WHAT? Did he say that? Yes. I have been a KISS fan all my life.... all eras. I love metal... but, I also love pop, rock and other things. To me, Unmasked... the album where they first took off their masks to reveal their real makeup... lol... is sonic perfection. The production is top notch, the songs are great. Gene Simmons even contributes very solid songs and singing for a change (not that he wasnt good on Dynasty as well, but lets face it, he is the KING of c-sides, songs not even good enough to be B-sides). The album is a pleasure to listen to start to finish and really is quite the eye openner compared to what most people expect of KISS. If you like things like Foreigner, Loverboy, Pat Benatar, The Cars, and Rick Springfield... this is KISS in a style that fits more with that group than with any of the metal bands they are usually associated with. Fans who like only the heavy stuff probably should avoid this album. But, if you like melodic rock and great songs... this album will not disappoint. Yeah, Peter Criss isnt on this album... so instead, you get truly OUTSTANDING drumming from Anton Fig (David Letterman's drummer for many years) and no Peter Criss song to ensure that there is something worse than the worst Gene song on the album. Pauls songs on this are top notch... Aces are catchy and humorous... Genes are nearly as solid as Paul's... and no Peter song. GREAT! Its just a shame that KISS was so constantly overlooked and blacklisted in the radio world... many of these songs should have been top 40 smashes and really fit well with the pop-rock songs of that era.

Most of you people who give it a 1 star review just don't listen to the album as an album! You listen to it as a KISS album. If you really like a band, you don't expect him to play the same thing over 30 albums, you just follow his mood, and enjoy the variety of his talent. So the ones who critisize Kiss since Dynasty because they were gone much slower were just keepin' them from makin' what they had fun doin'. I agree this is not Destroyer, but give it a try without thinking this is Kiss. This could have been the culminent point of any artist, but because it's kiss and that they have done so many good albums, we're tempted to say that it's bad, but it's not! Just think of rockin' numbers like "Is That You?" or "Two sides Of The Coin", melodic masterpeices "Shandi" or "Tomorrow"... Ace Frehley keep the old KISS sound while Paul and Gene are experimenting in a new style, so this album has everything to please.

OVERALL: Great and melodic production, Exellent songwriting, few ordinary numbers but we forget them since there are oustanding songs to make the ballance, great variety of styles, fake publicity by puttin' Peter Criss on the album and big maturity in performing.

I must agree. This was a sign of what happened to KISS in the 80's. Kind of like Bell-Bottoms. Everybody loved it at the time. But in hindsight funny as h*ll. Now I'm a die-hard KISS fan. And I find it interesting if only due to being a die-hard FAN.

Is That You? - The opening cover song by Paul is the SHINNING Star to this disk.

Shandi - As much as I have a tendency to love Paul's sappier songs. This was a waste of tape regardless. It means well I suppose. But it's really NOTHING LIKE ANYTHING THAT SHOULD EVER BE ON A KISS ALBUM.

What Makes the World Go 'Round/Tomorrow/Easy as It Seems - Too POP but a lot better then SHANDI

Talk To Me/Torpedo Girl/Two Sides of the Coin - Ace's contributions to "Unmasked' roughly sound like throw off's his KISS Solo. Which is their saving grace.

She's So European/You're All That I Want - If you listen it has tinges of an earlier KISS Sound? Maybe just me? I think the HAPPY little Harpsichord could have been left off "European" though?

Naked City - And early sounding 'Lonely Is the Hunter' from `Animalize'? A little softer played too close to a DISCO BALL?

You MUST be a FAN to like this Album. Listen to anything in the '70's FIRST from KISS (Even `Dynasty') before venturing into this material. Not Truly a BAD Album. Just take it from the KISS Fan's. This is NOT THEIR BEST. I think had the Band not been in the middle of falling apart at the time. Most of this material was salvageable. And still is worth the money. If they could only get in a magic time machine and go back and kick out the keyboards and gave SHANDI to Donnie Osmond. It would have been a more rounded KISS Album in my mind anyway?

KISS ended the 70s on a high note with their disco-pop tinged "Dynasty," (1979) which contained the massive hit "I was Made for Lovin' you." By the end of their first decade KISS were one of the world's biggest bands, with millions of loyal followers. And in addition to their mostly adolescent male following, the mainstream public were buying KISS albums and going to shows as well. KISS concerts were now family friendly and KISS were no longer feared or dangerous. But while KISS hit a homerun with "Dynasty," and reached the pinnacle of their commercial fortunes, the cracks in the foundation were beginning to show. As KISS entered the new decade they hit a crossroads as to what KISS meant and for whom were KISS playing?

While "Dynasty" was a smash, the KISS ARMY was growing disenchanted with the band's overtly commercial direction. "Dynasty," for all the criticism it received, was fairly successful at balancing commercial pop with hard rock, the follow-up album, however, "Unmasked" (1980) titled the scale in the direction of the former.

Simply put, with "Unmasked," KISS didn't make an album that their loyal fans wanted to hear, and they probably didn't make an album that they themselves wanted to make. With "Unmasked," KISS made an album that they thought the general, record buying public would want to hear.

While other KISS albums have embraced trends (pop-metal in the 80s, grunge with "Carnival of Souls" (1995)) KISS has usually written memorable songs that rock. It is not the case however, with "Unmasked."

While "I was Made for Lovin' you" was an obvious attempt to jump on the flavor-of-the-month bandwagon, the song was so incredibly infectious with such a great hook, it worked. In addition, most of "Dynasty" rocked pretty hard, so KISS is given a free pass for their one trend-hoping single. "Unmasked," however, is filled with nothing but lightweight, disco-pop. The entire album sounds forced and disingenuous. To be fair, most of the songs are well-written and crafted, but the over-the-pop glossy production, Tom Jones cringe-worthy lyrics, and lack of any real hard-rocking songs makes "Unmasked" a very mediocre album. Add to that the fact that by 1980 disco was on its way out. In short, KISS was a day late and a dollar short to make such an overtly-trendy album as the disco-pop pap that is "Unmasked."

Perhaps KISS's biggest mistake in writing/recording "Unmasked" was their decision to collaborate with Vincent Poncia and have him produce the album. While many of these songs have potential, they are ruined by Poncia's unwelcome and undeserved input. You can bet that if past KISS producers Bob Eznrin or Eddie Kramer had been at the helm "Unmasked" would have been a much stronger album.

"Unmasked" actually starts out on a strong note with the cynical, forceful "Is that you," (McMahon) which is one of the only songs on the entire album with any real balls. While "Shandi" (Stanley/Poncia) was a moderate hit and somewhat of a fan favorite, I don't particularly care for it. It represents everything wrong with this album; overly glossy, commercial, saccharin drivel. Ace Frehley's "Talk to Me" isn't bad, as it's well-written, but much like the rest of the album is a casualty of a slick overproduction. "Naked City," (Simmons/Bob Kulick/Castro/Poncia) along with "Is that you" is one of the album's highlights, as it rocks pretty hard with a good hook. "What makes the World go Round" (Stanley/Poncia) is another clunker, sounding like something Olivia Newton John would have recorded and is somewhat of a rehash of "I was made for Lovin' You." "Tomorrow" (Stanley/Poncia) is a decent pop song and an obvious would-be single. Ultimately, however, it's just forgettable. Frehley's "Two Sides of the Coin" is one of the album's better songs, although it lacks the bite of Ace's past contributions. "She's so European," and "Easy as it seems" (Stanley/Poncia) with their unwelcome synthesizers, disco-trimmings and corn-ball lyrics are embarrassingly awful. Frehley's "Torpedo Girl" is another song with potential, but is ruined by its glossy production. No small wonder that Poncia is credited as co-writing the song. While the closing number "You're all that I Want" isn't a KISS classic, it's not bad. But what would be filler on "Love Gun" stands-out on "Unmasked." Still, Simmons singing the lines "My heart belongs to you and no one else" and "You're the only women that I ever loved" is as insincere as it is laughable.

While "Unmasked" went gold (5000, 000) copies, it was the band's first album since "Dressed to Kill" (1975) that failed to reach platinum (one million) status.

While "Music from the Elder," (1981) "Crazy Nights" (1987) and "Carnival of Souls" (1997) have all had their detractors, and are said to be the band's weaker offerings, I have always stood by those albums. In this writer's opinion, "Unmasked," along with "Hot in the Shade" (1989) are the weakest albums KISS ever made. Poncia's slick production and unwelcome contributions, the band's obvious attempt to jump on a dying trend, and just plain lack of good songs make "Unmasked" fall far below KISS's usual standard.

It should be noted that although Peter Criss is credited as the drummer, he did not play anything on the album. Ghost drummer Anton Fig filled in for the Catman's shoes.

If you are just a casual fan, give this album a pass, as it's only recommended for die-hards and fans wanting to complete their KISS collections.

Kiss' Unmasked was recorded in 1980. After the release of "Dynasty", Peter Criss had left the band even though he was still on the cover. Kiss began to expierence inner turmoil after the song "Beth" was released in 1976. Peter Criss's head got too big and he forgot what he really was, a drummer.
The solo albums are a good indication of a band falling apart.
Peter had told his bandmates he wanted to go solo and leave Kiss. Gene and Paul begged him not to leave and they suggested that they all do solo albums just to make him happy and keep him in the band.
When "Dynasty" was about to be recorded Peter again threw an ultimatum at Gene and Paul and said he would leave the band again if they didn't use Vinnie Poncia (Peter's solo album producer) to produce the album. Gene and Paul let Peter have his way.
Peter left the band after the "Dynasty" world tour and Kiss was left to pick up the pieces.
"Unmasked" is a very strange record for Kiss. The sound is very poppy, very radio friendly.
Some of the songs on it are good, but they just don't have that Kiss sound like "Hotter Than Hell" or "Rock and Roll Over".
I am a huge Kiss fan. I love Kiss, but when all is said and done and rock and roll history is written, "Unmasked" will not be remembered as one of their best. If you love Kiss, buy this album. If you want a good Kiss album let me suggest "Alive" or "Destroyer"

(My review scale: 1- Bad, 2- Average, 3- Good, 4- Very Good, 5- Excellent/Classic)

1980's Unmasked was difficult for the KISS Army to swallow back twenty-five years ago. In 2005, people need to get a little perspective and for god's sake, LET IT GO!

Unmasked is not KISS' best album by a longshot, but it contains some pretty catchy tunes and beats the hell out of a lot of the junk that is coming out these days. Very 70's sounding, Unmasked was recorded, as other reviews have pointed out, during a period where Peter Criss was pretty much out of the band, and Ace really only participated when he felt like coming in. Still, Ace's songs are really the strongest on the album. "Talk To Me" "Torpedo Girl" "Two Sides of the Coin" all are very catchy in that "Ace" sort of way. Simple, relaxed vocals, and kind of odd lyrics. That was always the charm of Ace's tunes. Paul has a few of his light hearted rockers in "Is That You?" and "Tomorrow" which are good. And he lays out one of his finer ballads in "Shandi". Really the bad moments on Unmasked are from Gene. "She's So European" has a grooving bassline and beat, but his other songs on the album are all pretty forgetable.

What people tend to forget about this album is that in 1980, KISS was nowhere nearly as popular as they were in 1977, and they were trying new things. While this was treason to members of the Army in 1980, really, in 2005 it's time to just listen to the album and enjoy some pretty good pop-rock tunes.

I feel no shame in saying this is a good album and you could do worse....mainly by buying 90% of the garbage being put out today.

Unmasked, though similar sounding to Dynasty, blows it out of the water. The disco/pop sound is still there but the songs are infinitely better. Without a Peter Criss song to be found, that instantly boosts my liking of the album. Ace really shines on Unmasked as he takes the mike on 3 songs: Talk To Me, Two Sides of The Coin, and Torpedo Girl. These are all great songs that unfortunately have not been given due credit in my opinion though the inclusion of Two Sides of The Coin on Greatest KISS was a pleasant surprise. Shandi, though very catchy, is nothing more than a sped-up version of Beth, but Tomorrow, Is That You?, Easy As It Seems, Naked City, and What Makes The World Go 'Round fall into the category of forgotten songs that were overlooked during an otherwise bad time for KISS. You're All That I Want and She's So European are the token throw-away tracks on an otherwise excellent album. Though Unmasked is by no means a classic KISS album, it is nowhere near as bad as anyone seems to think it is. The comic strip album cover is also one of KISS' best and most original (and heavily criticized). I think that fans needed KISS to drop the pop and get back to some rock tunes at this point however the band didn't see it until it was almost too late. With their next outing, KISS planned on returning to their roots: a kickin' hard rock album. But......

In Kiss's first album of the 80's, we see the band not parting from their hard-rock/metal mayhem per se, but rather flipping it into a solid album of tough, hard, rugged and edgy melodic rock. In the early days of Kiss, you didn't see as much of this, but their 1980 album "Unmasked" perhaps speaks for itself. The title may indeed be a welcome into the melodic side underneath all the rugged metal they are known for. I enjoyed this album immensely. I'm surprised that more hit singles were not spawned from this album in fact. I think this album is for hard rock and classic rock fans alike.

"Is That You?" - Great way to start the album off. A jamming pure rock sensation about trying to recognize someone that looks "halfway dead." Shuffling Peter Criss drums and edgy vocals from Paul Stanley.

"Shandi" - One of my favorites from the album and one that will probably appeal to the female Kiss fans anyway. This is a sensitive song with a driving melodic edge from the whole gang. Check out that wailing guitar from Gene Simmons and the overall harmonizing from Gene, Paul and of course Ace Frehley. A song to rock hard put softly to.

"Talk To Me" - Demanding throughout. Punchy and rugged. Someone talk to them already! Sheesh!

"Naked City" - This is a pretty cool song. Catchy harmonic main chorus with the characteristic edgy drive.

"What Makes The World Go `Round" - Edgy drivin guitar and hardcore lyrics about a certain girl that makes the world go `round for this band. Powerful and foot-stomping hard rock.

"Tomorrow" - One of my favorites. Another melodic hard rock number with awesome harmonizing amongst that trademark power punch. Very catchy song.

"Two Sides Of The Coin" - I believe Ace Frehley has the lead vocals on this one. He kind of has that rebel, just-coming-out-and-saying-it kind of voice, which goes nicely here. This is another one of my favorites and the sole hit that came from the album. Again, we get hard and edgy with intense harmonies. Another very catchy song and lets you know why it became a hit. Which side of the coin will you choose?

"She's So European" - Ah yes, many a man's fantasy seems to be that they have a one of a kind European girl. Hard with the edgy need to express the feeling of having a European girl. Kind of a down and dirty song.

"Easy As It Seems" - This is my favorite song from the album. The beat is so catchy and the edgy, melodic guitar chords are addictive. Great harmonies and a very forceful song. This is a prime example of why I love melodic hard core rock and roll.

"Torpedo Girl" - I found this song funny. Starts out with some torpedo signal sounds as if you were down in a submarine. I got a kick out of it. Very catchy shuffling beat with very groovy but hard guitar chords amongst those Frehley vocals. This is Kiss's fun song from this album. Listen to the lyrics. Hilarious!

"You're All That I Want" - Just rugged, down and dirty. Nothing spectacular; just a hard rock demanding song.

I love this album. It's just solid throughout and seems to have a little of everything that is desired in a hard/semi-metal album. It's fun, it's rugged, it's, edgy, it's harmonious and melodic, it's drivin and demanding; it's just an awesome album. Great guitar riffs and hooks; punchy, melodic and down and dirty. Oh yeah. This band was huge in the 1970's, but I think they disappointed some of their fans by going a bit lighter with their disco-like 1979 album, "Dynasty." But in 1980, they got back to basics with this album, "Unmasked." I great way to start the decade. And check out the Kiss comic strip album cover. Awesome. They were back! So anyway, `nuff said. If you're a classic rock head like me, you need "Unmasked."

Didn't these guys realise that enlisting Vini Poncia as your producer and co-writer can officially kill a career as fast as Ringo Starr can release 'Rotogravure'?

It always surprises me that KISS fans stayed loyal to the figure-head KISS, that being Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley. As a younger fan, I bowed out of the KISS game when this album came out, and for good reason. By this time, the only guy in the band writing KISS songs was Ace Frehley, and that is true with DYNASTY as well. Here's a brief synopsis of 1978 to 1980 to let you know what Simmons & Stanley sold to KISS fans:

1978 is the big year for KISS in general, ALIVE II goes crazy with sales, marketing of the KISS ARMY in full swing, KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park is up for an Oscar for Best Robots. Then someone had the bright idea (I think it be being Paul) to release solo albums. Something unexpected happens. Reviews start coming in about . . .. Ace Frehley's solo album. People who had no clue who KISS were, or thought they were just clowns in makeup, realised one of the guys had some talent. Top 40 radio starts hearing about KISS through Frehley, and all those people who listened to 1978 AOR radio, full of disco and ballads and Mulls of Kintyre, started checking out who KISS were.

Stanley & Simmons, being the smart businessmen they are, realise Ace has just increased their audience accidentally, and so capitalising on the success they had worked very hard to achieve, they started writing disco songs, and pop ballads, and melodic rock, where a year before they're talking about Love Guns and Plaster Casters. From depravation to sophistication in a year or so. Unfortunately, Stanley & Simmons aren't good at it. They never were. They're philosophy has always been chicks and rock and roll, giving birth to the 80's hairmetal cult which proliferated the airwaves, savagely killed around 1988 by rap and alternative rock. Dynasty suffers because of it, Unmasked gets buried for it.

And all that time, Frehley was still writing about how lucky he was to be there. 'Hard Times' off of Dynasty saves that album from Afterschool Special soundtrack boredom, and the 3 songs provided by Frehley for Unmasked aren't his best, but compared to Shandi, She's So European, Easy As It Seems, Is That You, and the various Poncia 'flavourings', Frehley's tracks stand out as still being KISS when Stanley & Simmons forgot about it. If you notice on the 'comic strip' cover, Ace is the only one really doing most of the talking. Coincidence? Or was he the only thing of value in a band stuck in adolescent fantasy? If KISS had immersed themselves more fully in their mask personas, you might have had an interesting amount of song subject matter, but Stanley & Simmons are just not that imaginative enough for that.

Buy Unmasked for the Frehley stuff if you have to, but you're better off buying his solo album from 1978. At least he played the guitar on that one, and didn't try and sell you ALIVE II's studio cuts as a KISS recording. And even though the only song Frehley plays solo on in those studio cuts is 'Rocket Ride', you KNOW that that is the best song of the 5 songs from ALIVE II studio. Frehley gave credibility to KISS where there was none to be had in the two main writers of the band.

.... and by the way, the three stars I give for this album are for the three Frehley tracks. You know, the KISS songs on this album.