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KISS - Dynasty
- I know. I know. How could any self-respecting hardcore Kiss fan look in the mirror and say, "I really like this album," without getting a dishonorable discharge from the Kiss Army? But I do really like it. It isn’t anywhere near as horrible as others make it out to be. Did Kiss experiment with a disco sound? Yes, of course they did, but so did the Rolling Stones with "Miss You" and Rod Stewart with "Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?" Does that make it bad? No it doesn’t. And I don’t think this album should be stuck with the label of "stinker" or the even more derogatory "Kissco" just because they did something different. It did sell over three million copies so I can’t be the only one that liked it.
Most Kiss fans are familiar with the strife and inner turmoil the band experienced at this point. They had just come off the recording of solo projects in late 1978 to keep everyone’s ego in check, when the band regrouped to begin recording the "Dynasty" album, which was highly touted as "The Return of Kiss."
The legions of loyalists were expecting another "Destroyer," and I couldn’t deny that this was a curve ball thrown at the masses, but it’s not without its hard rock merits. Though misguided, "Dynasty" really showcases a motivated Ace Frehley—on a cover of the Rolling Stones’ "2000 Man"; on "Hard Times," a hard rocker in the classic Kiss vein; and on "Save Your Love," the merits of which some might dispute. The Gene fans get a paltry two songs—"Charisma," which I like a lot and which has Gene in full bombast; and "X-Ray Eyes," which is an ok song. Like most fans, I feel that there wasn’t enough of the demon growling on this record.
The most reviled parts for the long time fans are obviously the disco inspired songs like, "I Was Made for Lovin’ You," which I think is a great song that stands the test of time as being one of Paul Stanley’s best. There is also his very underrated "Sure Know Something," which has a cool guitar riff. And to top off everything is Peter Criss’s only contribution, the foot stomping "Dirty Livin’."
With the explosion of Kiss merchandising, the backlash from hard-core fans was inevitable. Sadly, this was the death knell of the original line up, as Peter Criss and Ace Frehley left the band soon after.
Reviewer: bobby blades
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7
Reader's Rating: 8.87
Reader's Votes: 16
Added: 26-Nov-2004
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