Showing posts with label Gene Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gene Simmons. Show all posts
January 1, 2022
September 18, 2018
20,000 Vinyl LPs 148: Kiss X Four
Forty years ago today,
September 18, 1978, the four members of the American hard rock band, Kiss, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley, each released a solo album on Casablanca Records.
This album by Gene Simmons, bassist and co-vocalist of Kiss, was a surprise to me. It's
a very strange one, to say the least. It features choirs and string arrangements as
well as incorporating various musical genres including Beatles-inspired pop, 1970s funk, disco, rock and roll and hard rock.
Radioactive is a fast and syncopated dance song that moves right along! It is the only single released from the album. The song was written by Simmons and produced by him and Sean Delaney. It features Bob Seger and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. Radioactive reached #47 on the Billboard charts.
Simmons sings a version of When You Wish upon a Star, with lyrics by Ned Washington and music by Leigh Harline). It betrays the weakness of his voice but it's fun to listen to him doing something unusual (links below).
Radioactive is a fast and syncopated dance song that moves right along! It is the only single released from the album. The song was written by Simmons and produced by him and Sean Delaney. It features Bob Seger and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. Radioactive reached #47 on the Billboard charts.
Simmons sings a version of When You Wish upon a Star, with lyrics by Ned Washington and music by Leigh Harline). It betrays the weakness of his voice but it's fun to listen to him doing something unusual (links below).
vinyl LP front cover
Cover [Painting]
–
Eraldo Carugati
photo of album cover by Styrous®
The solo album from Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist of Kiss, was produced by Frehley and Eddie Kramer. It featured Anton Fig on drums. AllMusic rated the album 4 stars out of 5 and said, "Of the four Kiss solo albums, the best of the bunch is Frehley's". Jason Josephes of Pitchfork concurred that it was the standout of the Kiss solo efforts, describing it as "a melange of riff rock, power pop, and just a little bit of soul". I agree with them, of the four, Frehley's is my favorite and my favorite song from the album is, New York Groove, written by Russ Ballard.
The song made it to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 late that year, by far the highest charting single from any of the four solo albums. Frehley once told Rolling Stone magazine that his unique take on the song was inspired by his experience with hookers in Times Square (New York City) in the 1970s.
My other favorite songs from the album are Ozone, with its moderate-speed syncopated beat and brilliant guitar work by Frehley, and the instumental, Fractured Mirror (links below).
The solo album by Peter Criss, the drummer of Kiss, includes material originally written in 1971 for his pre-Kiss band Lips. These include I'm Gonna Love You, Don't You Let Me Down, That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes, and Hooked on Rock 'n' Roll. The album also includes a cover of the song Tossin' and Turnin by Bobby Lewis. Reviews for Peter Criss were mostly negative. The album was the lowest charting of all the Kiss solo albums.
I'm Gonna Love You is good, 'ol time rock 'n roll with a great dance beat that gets your feet moving in spite of yourself (links below).
I'm a sucker for rock ballads, I Can't Stop the Rain is one in particular (link below) and it is my favorite song on the album. It has a quiet piano intro that goes into a killer rock ballad. It has the same emotional intensity and modulations as Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill which is one of my all time favorite songs.
vinyl LP front cover
Cover [Painting]
–
Eraldo Carugati
photo of album cover by Styrous®
The solo album from Paul Stanley, the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of Kiss, is the only album of the four Kiss solo albums to feature all original songs, as Simmons, Criss and Frehley each recorded one cover song on their albums.
AllMusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5 and said that it is the most "Kiss-like" out of all the Kiss solo albums.
My favorite cut from this album is, Tonight You Belong To Me, not to be confused with the 1956 song with the same title by Patience and Prudence. It has a quiet, serene 1-1/2 minute intro, but once the intro is over it moves on quite nicely (links below).
For over four decades Kiss
has dominated the rock n’ roll scene with their over-the-top theatrics,
captivating live shows, and fist-pumping anthems. The Starchild, Demon,
Spaceman, and Catman are proud to round out their 45th year as a band
and bring you The KISS Kruise VIII, Decades at Sea!
The Kiss Navy will set sail from Miami on October 31 aboard the Norwegian Jade with stops in Key West, Florida and Nassau, Bahamas. The cruise with run until November 5, 2018 (link below).
My favorite cut from this album is, Tonight You Belong To Me, not to be confused with the 1956 song with the same title by Patience and Prudence. It has a quiet, serene 1-1/2 minute intro, but once the intro is over it moves on quite nicely (links below).
The Kiss Navy will set sail from Miami on October 31 aboard the Norwegian Jade with stops in Key West, Florida and Nassau, Bahamas. The cruise with run until November 5, 2018 (link below).
Viewfinder links:
Aerosmith
Sean Delaney
Kiss articles/mentions
Net links:
Kiss website
Mikeladano ~ Ace Frehley (1978 solo album) review
Ultimate Classic Rock ~
30 Years Later Ace Frehley looks back @ his solo album
Noise 11 ~ Ace Frehley, Melbourne, 20 October 2017 review
Ultimate Classic Rock ~ Paul Stanley Year by Year: 1974-2017 Photographs
Kiss Kruise VIII
Deviant Art ~ Tribute to Eraldo Carugati: A Forgotten Master
YouTube links:
Ace Frehley ~
Fractured Mirror
New York groove
Ozone
Gene Simmons ~
Radioactive
When You Wish upon a Star
Peter Criss ~
I'm Gonna Love You
I Can't Stop the Rain
Paul Stanley - Tonight You Belong To Me
Patience and Prudence - Tonight You Belong To Me
Kiss articles/mentions
Net links:
Kiss website
Mikeladano ~ Ace Frehley (1978 solo album) review
Ultimate Classic Rock ~
30 Years Later Ace Frehley looks back @ his solo album
Noise 11 ~ Ace Frehley, Melbourne, 20 October 2017 review
Ultimate Classic Rock ~ Paul Stanley Year by Year: 1974-2017 Photographs
Kiss Kruise VIII
Deviant Art ~ Tribute to Eraldo Carugati: A Forgotten Master
YouTube links:
Ace Frehley ~
Fractured Mirror
New York groove
Ozone
Gene Simmons ~
Radioactive
When You Wish upon a Star
Peter Criss ~
I'm Gonna Love You
I Can't Stop the Rain
Paul Stanley - Tonight You Belong To Me
Patience and Prudence - Tonight You Belong To Me
February 16, 2016
20,000 Vinyl LPs 51: Action Jackson & Vanity
Action Jackson soundtrack album
cover photo by Peter Sorel
Copyright 1988, Lorimar Productions
photo of album cover by Styrous®
I just discovered Vanity
died yesterday. I was saddened to hear the news and began hearing her
music in my mind. She only made two albums but she made an impression on
me when she was in full swing.
She was a model before Prince discovered her In 1980 and propelled her into the music
scene. She met Prince at the American Music Awards.
Prince renamed her Vanity because, he said, he saw his female
reflection when he looked at her. She first sang backing vocals for his song Free on his 1982 album, 1999; she reappeared on his 1994 album, Come, in the song, Orgasm. In 1982, she sang on the album, Vanity 6, along with Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie, one of many projects produced by Prince. The hit song from the album was the funky, Nasty Girl, which was composed and written by Prince.
Action Jackson soundtrack album
back cover photos by Peter Sorel
Copyright 1988, Lorimar Productions
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid- to late 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). The word funk
initially referred (and still refers) to a strong
odor. It is originally derived from Latin "fumigare" (to smoke) via Old
French "fungiere" and, in this sense, first documented in English in
1620. In 1784 "funky" meaning "musty" is first documented, which, in
turn, led to a sense of "earthy" that was taken up around 1900 in early
jazz slang for something deeply or strongly felt. It was a term used in
the early sixties by the gay community; it was picked up by funk
musicians in the late sixties.
Due to its explicit lyrics, Nasty Girl met with resistance on mainstream American radio, peaking within the U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It did, however, become a sizable hit on U.S. R&B radio and it hit number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart for four weeks in November 1982. The song was knocked off the number one position by Prince's 1999.
Lead singer Vanity, who later became a Christian preacher, subsequently
denounced the song and told members of her congregation who listened to
the song to "keep praying for the Holy Spirit"
Vanity was born Denise Katrina Matthews on January 4, 1959, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Her mother is of Polish descent and was born in Germany and her father was African American. She won the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977 and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978.
In 1980, Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train, which was filmed in Montreal a year earlier. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie, Tanya's Island. At the time of both film roles, she was billed as D.D. Winters. After her music career started, as Vanity she starred in a number of movies, including The Last Dragon, which featured her underground hit 7th Heaven. In 1986 she starred in Never Too Young to Die opposite John Stamos. The film also featured Gene Simmons. She went on to appear in 52 Pick-Up and 1988's Action Jackson, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone.
Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant and Billy Idol. In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe bassist, Nikki Sixx, were engaged; she joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again.
In 1994, Vanity overdosed on crack cocaine and suffered from near-fatal renal failure. She recalled that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. She said that Jesus appeared to her at this time and spoke to her, saying if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. When she recovered, she renounced her stage name and career and became a born-again Christian. In 1995, she said, "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine — interviews, every tape, every video. Everything." She stated that she had chosen not to receive any further revenue from her work as Vanity, and cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in show business.
Matthews suffered from sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, a rare complication of a peritoneal dialysis, and died in a Fremont, California hospital yesterday, February 15, 2016. She was 57.
In 1980, Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train, which was filmed in Montreal a year earlier. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie, Tanya's Island. At the time of both film roles, she was billed as D.D. Winters. After her music career started, as Vanity she starred in a number of movies, including The Last Dragon, which featured her underground hit 7th Heaven. In 1986 she starred in Never Too Young to Die opposite John Stamos. The film also featured Gene Simmons. She went on to appear in 52 Pick-Up and 1988's Action Jackson, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone.
Action Jackson movie poster
Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant and Billy Idol. In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe bassist, Nikki Sixx, were engaged; she joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again.
In 1994, Vanity overdosed on crack cocaine and suffered from near-fatal renal failure. She recalled that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. She said that Jesus appeared to her at this time and spoke to her, saying if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. When she recovered, she renounced her stage name and career and became a born-again Christian. In 1995, she said, "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine — interviews, every tape, every video. Everything." She stated that she had chosen not to receive any further revenue from her work as Vanity, and cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in show business.
Matthews suffered from sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, a rare complication of a peritoneal dialysis, and died in a Fremont, California hospital yesterday, February 15, 2016. She was 57.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
1 - The Pointer Sisters - He Turned Me Out - written by LeMel Humes, Mary Lee Kortes - Producer: Richard Perry - 4:25
2 - Madame X - Action Jackson - written by Bernadette Cooper - Producer: Bernadette Cooper - 5:01
3 - LeVert - For The Love Of Money - written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Anthony Jackson - Producers: Craig Cooper*, Gerald Levert, Marc Gordon - 5:24
4 - Vanity - Undress Me - written by Kim Cage & Jesse Johnson - Producer: Jesse Johnson - 4:10
5 - Herbie Hancock - Building Up "Action Jackson" - written by Herbie Hancock - Producer: Herbie Hancock, Co-producer: Michael Kamen - 4:05
Side 2:
1 - Sister Sledge - Keeping Good Loving - written & produced by: Kae Williams Jr., Kathy Sledge, Phillip Lightfoot - 5:24
2 - Dave Koz & Vanity - Shotgun, Featuring Kareem - written by Autry DeWalt II - Producer: Jeff Lorber - 4:12
3 - Vanity - Faraway Eyes - written by Sue Ann Carwell & Jesse Johnson - Producer: Jesse Johnson - 4:24
4 - Skyy - Lover's Celebration - Producers: Randy Muller & Solomon Roberts Jr. - 3:46
5 - MC Jam & Pee Wee Jam - Protect And Serve - Producer: Stevie Salas - 5:05
Notes:
Some covers are gold stamped as promotional.
Barcode and Other Identifiers:
Barcode (Scanned): 075679088611
Net links:
Action Jackson cast and crew on IMDb
Action Jackson info on Forgotten Flix
Action Jackson Roger Ebert review
Yahoo Obituary
CNN Obituary
Rolling Stone Obituary
Washington Post Obituary
Variety Obituary
NY Daily News Obituary
YouTube links:
Vanity - Faraway Eyes
Vanity - Undress Me
Vanity 6 - Nasty Girl
Action Jackson Official Trailer
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I started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums I am selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. Inquire for information here.
~ ~ ~
Those far away eyes will be missed!
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, February 16, 2016
July 20, 2012
20,000 vinyl LPs 4: The Skatt Brothers - Disco Daze
I started the Vinyl LP series because I have over 20,000 albums I am selling; each blog entry of the series is about an album from my collection. Inquire for more info.
At the apex of the Disco rage, late in 1979, The Skatt Brothers issued an album entitled, "Strange Spirits". The title song was my favorite but it was "Walk the Night" and "Life at the Outpost" that were their big hits. "Walk the Night" reached #9 on the Billboard chart.
(click on any image to see larger size)
The Skatt Brothers was formed in Los Angeles by Sean Delaney. The group was similar to the Village People (remember them?) but never reached the same exposure (notoriety?). It was, however, extremely popular in Australia for some reason. The album was recorded in Toronto, Canada.
back cover detail
photo of album back cover detail by Styrous®
The line-up was:
Sean Delaney (keyboards)
Pieter Sweval (bass)
Richard Martin-Ross (guitar)
Richie Fontana (drums, guitar)
David Andez (guitar)
Craig Krampf (drums)
There is an animated interpretation of the song "Walk the Night" on uTube.
The original 1980 Australian music video for "Life at the Outpost" can also be seen on YouTube. The men dancing in the video are not the real Skatt Brothers but Australian male models (for some reason they did not want to appear in the video). It's fun watching it, however, from this vantage in time (30 years later) it is a bit dated.
The album was released by Casablanca Records; Casablanca was a major label for disco music in the late 70's.
The original 1980 Australian music video for "Life at the Outpost" can also be seen on YouTube. The men dancing in the video are not the real Skatt Brothers but Australian male models (for some reason they did not want to appear in the video). It's fun watching it, however, from this vantage in time (30 years later) it is a bit dated.
The album was released by Casablanca Records; Casablanca was a major label for disco music in the late 70's.
Standard record sleeve
used by Casablanca records.
photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
Casablanca launched the careers of KISS*, Donna Summer*†, Parliament, The Funkadelics*†, Angel and the Village People but also recorded Cher, The Sylvers, Buddy Miles, Giorgio Moroder*†, Santa Esmeralda*† and many others. The Casablanca film division produced the films, "The Deep", "Midnight Express"*†, "Foxes" and "The Hollywood Knights". Casablanca Records was purchased by PolyGram after which the label went into decline. Visit the Casablanca website to see more Casablanca Records videos. Be warned, however, it takes forever to get the pages to open.
The Skatt Brothers vinyl LP label detail, side 1
photo by Styrous®
Sean Delaney would go on to work with members of the hard rock band, Kiss, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss. David Andez would work with The Village People.
When I recently found the videos on YouTube, I wrote to a friend, "I just came across this song [Walk the Night] on YouTube. Although it was played in every gay bar in existence, it was the anthem of the leather crowd in 1979/80. I remember being totally ripped out of my mind with a friend in a bar somewhere and fiercely dancing to it like there was no tomorrow. It [the video] brings back wonderful memories of a new, free and exotic world that seemed to have no end; or so we thought at the time."
*† Another blog entry for this album may come in the future.
The Skatt Brothers vinyl LP label detail, side 1
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - Dancin' For The Man, written by Sean Delaney* - 3:46
A2 - Fear Of Flying, written by W. Morrison* - 3:44
A3 - Midnight Companion, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 3:25
A4 - Walk The Night, written by D. Andez*, Richie Fontana - 3:53
Side 2:
B1 - Strange Spirits, written by Pieter Sweval - 4:21
B2 - Someone's Taken My Baby, written by Pieter Sweval, R. Martin-Ross*, Sean Delaney - 4:29
B3 - Life At The Outpost, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 4:56
B4 - Old Enough, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 5:43
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Phase One Studios
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Manufactured By – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Distributed By – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Published By – Skattsongs
Published By – Ample Parking Publications
Produced For – Three Hats Productions
Credits:
Arranged By [All Arrangements, Vocals Arrangements] – Pete Pedersen, The Skatt Bros.*
Art Direction – Phyllis Chotin
Bass – Pieter Sweval
Design – Gribbitt!
Drums – Craig Krampf, Richie Fontana
Engineer [First] – George Semkiw
Guitar – Richard Martin-Ross
Guitar [Lead] – David Andez
Keyboards – Sean Delaney
Mastered By – George Marino
Performer [Auxialiary Musicians] – Barry Keane, Brian Russell, Carl Marsh (2), Errol Thomas, Michael Toles
Photography By – Dean Tokuno
Producer – Ian Guenther - Willi Morrison*
Producer [Produced With] – The Skatt Bros.*
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Other (Pressing Plant ID): 26
Rights Society (A1, A3 to B4): ASCAP
Rights Society (A2): CAPAC
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Label): NBLP 7192 AS
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Label): NBLP 7192 BS
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching): NBLP-7192-A3-PRC-C-3RE 1-11 MUSIC FOR MISS THING STERLING
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching): NBLP-7192-BS-PRC-C-3RE 1-1 I LOVE PAUL STERLING
Skatt Bros. – Strange Spirits
Label: Casablanca – NBLP 7192
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Pop Rock, Disco
Side 1:
A1 - Dancin' For The Man, written by Sean Delaney* - 3:46
A2 - Fear Of Flying, written by W. Morrison* - 3:44
A3 - Midnight Companion, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 3:25
A4 - Walk The Night, written by D. Andez*, Richie Fontana - 3:53
Side 2:
B1 - Strange Spirits, written by Pieter Sweval - 4:21
B2 - Someone's Taken My Baby, written by Pieter Sweval, R. Martin-Ross*, Sean Delaney - 4:29
B3 - Life At The Outpost, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 4:56
B4 - Old Enough, written by Pieter Sweval, Sean Delaney - 5:43
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Phase One Studios
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Manufactured By – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Distributed By – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Inc.
Published By – Skattsongs
Published By – Ample Parking Publications
Produced For – Three Hats Productions
Credits:
Arranged By [All Arrangements, Vocals Arrangements] – Pete Pedersen, The Skatt Bros.*
Art Direction – Phyllis Chotin
Bass – Pieter Sweval
Design – Gribbitt!
Drums – Craig Krampf, Richie Fontana
Engineer [First] – George Semkiw
Guitar – Richard Martin-Ross
Guitar [Lead] – David Andez
Keyboards – Sean Delaney
Mastered By – George Marino
Performer [Auxialiary Musicians] – Barry Keane, Brian Russell, Carl Marsh (2), Errol Thomas, Michael Toles
Photography By – Dean Tokuno
Producer – Ian Guenther - Willi Morrison*
Producer [Produced With] – The Skatt Bros.*
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Other (Pressing Plant ID): 26
Rights Society (A1, A3 to B4): ASCAP
Rights Society (A2): CAPAC
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Label): NBLP 7192 AS
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Label): NBLP 7192 BS
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching): NBLP-7192-A3-PRC-C-3RE 1-11 MUSIC FOR MISS THING STERLING
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching): NBLP-7192-BS-PRC-C-3RE 1-1 I LOVE PAUL STERLING
Skatt Bros. – Strange Spirits
Label: Casablanca – NBLP 7192
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Pop Rock, Disco
The entire collection is for sale. Interested? Contact Styrous®
Enjoy, Styrous® July 20, 2012
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