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Kissteria: a look back at the 1980 australian kiss tour.

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Kiss / Kissteria: Vinyl Road Case / One music box set to rule them all

By Paul Sinclair

Mercury Records and UMe have gone beyond the call of duty and created a MASSIVE Kiss vinyl box set to celebrate the band’s 40th Anniversary. Kissteria – The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case will contain 34 vinyl LPs alongside a plethora of memorabilia items.

The vinyl LPs include 19 studio albums , five Alive releases and six exclusive pressings for this box:  Double Platinum,  Greatest KISS ,  KILLERS,  You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best,  Smashes, Thrashes & Hits and  KISS Symphony: Alive IV.  All the vinyl packaging will replicate the originals with (where applicable) special features like embossing, sticker sheets, posters, and lenticular covers.

Additional bonus items include twelve large (11”x17”) posters, KISS vinyl cleaning cloth, KISS turntable mat, KISS dominoes set, four band lithos and a numbered certificate of authenticity.

This set is newly remastered and weighs in at almost 50 pounds. It will be shipped in two batches: the Road Case loaded with some of the LPs and the KISS-related merchandise goes out at the end of June and the rest of the LPs, including the ones exclusive to the box, will be send out at the beginning of August.

This ludicrously excessive set has a price to match – $1750!

• •  USA Pre-order:  Kissteria – The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case
• •  CANADA Pre-order: Kisteria – The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case

KISSTERIA The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case details:

Custom ANVIL® Road Case to house 34 KISS LPs and a plethora of extras.

Limited Edition of 1,000 Cases Worldwide

All 28 original Casablanca Records/Mercury Records/UMe albums on 180g audiophile vinyl

All albums have been painstakingly re-created in their original artwork with special packaging highlights noted below where applicable:

• Dressed To Kill – Embossed Front & Back Jacket Covers
• Alive! – 8 Page Color Booklet
• Rock And Roll Over – Sticker Sheet
• Love Gun – Paper Gun with “Bang” Sheet
• Alive II – Tattoo Sheet & 8 Page Color Booklet
• Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss (solo albums) – Set of 4 Interlocking Posters
• Dynasty – 22” x 33” Poster
• Unmasked – 22” x 33” Poster
• Music From The Elder – First Vinyl Pressing with Concept Album Sequence
• MTV Unplugged – 24” x 24” Poster
• Psycho Circus – First Vinyl Pressing Ever will include a 12”x12” Lenticular Cover
• Alive: The Millennium Collection – First Vinyl Pressing Ever
• Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions – First Vinyl Pressing Ever

Exclusive vinyl titles for the Road Case:

• Double Platinum – Embossed front & back jacket covers + Embossed platinum award insert
• Greatest KISS – First Vinyl Pressing Ever. Will combine all exclusive tracks used worldwide into one package
• KILLERS – First U.S. Release Ever. Will combine both Japan and Australia track lists into one package
• You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best
• Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
• KISS Symphony: Alive IV

Exclusive Bonus Items for Vinyl Box:

• First Band Promo Poster
• Hotel Diplomat Concert Poster
• Asylum Promo Poster
• Creatures Of The Night Promo Poster
• KISS 1984 Promo Poster
• Alive III Promo Poster
• You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best Promo Poster
• Smashes, Thrashes & Hits Promo Poster
• MTV Unplugged Promo Poster
• Live 1996 Tour Poster
• Psycho Circus Promo Poster
• Greatest KISS Promo Poster
• KISS Vinyl Cleaning Cloth
• KISS Turntable Mat
• KISS Dominoes
• Four Band Photo Lithos
• Certificate of Authenticity with Exclusive Box Number

 Albums Included:

• Hotter Than Hell
• Dressed To Kill
• Rock And Roll Over
• Double Platinum*
• Ace Frehley
• Gene Simmons
• Peter Criss
• Paul Stanley
• Creatures Of The Night
• Crazy Nights
• Smashes, Thrashes & Hits*
• Hot In The Shade
• You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best*
• Greatest KISS*
• MTV Unplugged
• Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions
• Psycho Circus
• KISS Symphony: Alive IV*
• Alive: The Millennium Collection

*Exclusive to KISSTERIA – THE ULTIMATE VINYL ROAD CASE

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• Dec 6, 2023

No Kure for Kissteria

December 2nd, 2023, a righteous day in rock n' roll history, as the Kings of the Night Time World, the hottest band in the land, KISS , played their last show on their last tour as a group, The End of the Road World Tour . The final stop on the tour landed them at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where the legend that became KISS began.

But as one would come to expect, when KISS says they're done, they're lying right through their grease paint. The band finished the final encore of their final tour, half a century in the making, and exited the stage no longer The Starchild, The Demon, The Spaceman and The Catman, but as Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. But just when the world thought that was the end of the band's Kisstory (bear with me, this will not be the last time I'll have to add 'Kiss' to the beginning of a word), the stage screens shook to life revealing... KISS? Again? The sequel? Scooby-Doo and KISS 2: Return to Kissteria?

To put a ceremonial ellipses (e-kiss-ses?) on their already, well, KISS-sized mythology, the band debuted their state-of-the-art CGI rock avatars with a virtual performance of "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You," further immortalizing the teachings of Kiss-ology in the digital realm. "The fans own the band, the world owns the band," KISS frontman Paul Stanley said in a roundtable interview clip. "The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are."

I'm not going to lecture y'all on Kisstory or anything like that. It's KISS, dude. Hottest band in the land. F*ckin' google 'em. Their cultural footprint is so absolute and irreversibly immortal, there is no other band in the world with the same kind of brand recognition that Stanley and Simmons have built, except for maybe the Stones, but did Mick Jagger star in a blockbuster whodunit with a talking dog ? Righ' don't 'rink so, Raggy!

But again, none of this is surprising in the slightest. As a very kind and wise soul pointed out to me on Reddit earlier this week, who definitely was not CREEM Magazine 's editor, Jaan Uhelszki (for legal reasons, it really was not Jaan Uhelszki), KISS has been trying to crack the secret to immortality since the first KISS dolls released in 1977. But Kisstory aside, does KISS really "deserve" to live on? Does any band deserve to be forever immortalized, cursed with the burden of presiding over the digital realm-- at least until a newer, cooler, younger band with a swankier gimmick comes along with enough new label money to buy a slot on the bill at Lollapalooza 2052: Electric Boogaloo?

But again , this is nothing surprising! KISS is just one of the many bands toying with the digital concert format, and another of a growing number of global acts to use motion capture technology to do so. During prime COVID hours, several artists were broadcasting live on Zoom or on YouTube; Post Malone did a Nirvana tribute , Janelle Monáe pushed the boundaries with her crimson backdrop and smoke machines during the Verizon Pay It Forward Livestream . The Rolling Stones also upped the ante with their One World: Together at Home set , where the late Charlie Watts showed off his Freedrum virtual drum chops during a stripped version of "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Shit, Fortnite was even further ahead of the curve when they began showcasing their digital entertainment skills by inviting Marshmello , Travis Scott and Ariana Grande to perform virtual concerts during the lockdown, and most recently inviting Eminem to do the same on December 2nd-- clearly a big day for digital avatars.

I won't rag on KISS too hard (in this paragraph), the rock avatars can be a force of good, even if they are incredibly masturbatory (Kiss-turbatory?). KISS partnered with Industrial Light & Magic , George Lucas’ special-effects company, in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group , which was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. The two companies also put together the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, a feat of motion capture technology that puts on an entire "live performance" by ABBA, as performed by their rock avatars. “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before,” KISS bassist Gene Simmons remarked about the new avatars, adding, “The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he’s ever done before."

And while adding extra inches to Stanley's vertical would be a musical marvel, the overarching and still unanswered question remains-- is there a need for such a thing? While KISS is currently teasing some kind of virtual concert starring their rock avatars, the ticket to which I have already shamefully added to my Apple Wallet (it's for research, bite me), how immersive can such a thing really be? How long before bands have suckered the TikTok generation into thinking a live set is just paying an absurd amount of money to watch a glorified Pixar short on a the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden? Is it worth sullying the already perennial KISS legacy with a last-ditch effort to recapture a generation that already lives in the wake of your life's work?

Stanley and Simmons think yes, but then again, there's nothing in this world Gene Simmons loves more than his bank account, making their move to the digital realm even lamer and arguably more deserving of ridicule. KISS fans of every age have weighed in on the announcement, yielding a largely negative response. Some fans were even worried for the band's future, as a thoughtful handful of fans pointed out that Tommy Thayer would likely be reinstated as Stanley's pool boy now that he's out of a job. Onlookers also expressed their displeasure with the band for neglecting to acknowledge or even mention founding members Ace Frehley or Peter Criss during their "final performance", or other past members for that matter, including Vinnie Vincent , "The Ankh Warrior," Bruce Kulick , and the late Mark St. John and Eric Carr , "The Fox."

In true KISS fashion, the whole idea is simple and predictable. One of the most recognizable acts the world has ever seen, feigning retirement only to announce that they'll never dam their money flow, all in the name of the same fans they've been accusing of murdering rock . You know why rock is dying, who's really killing it? Stanley, Simmons and all their peers, because they don't know how to retire and they refuse to die. There are hundreds, thousands of young rock bands out there right now that are doing electrifying things for the genre and the culture as a whole.

Maybe this is just my age and blissful youthful ignorance talking, but at some point you gotta let the next generation take the stage. The future is now, old man, and y'all have no part in it. The cure for Kissteria is not more KISS, it never was. We need new bands to treat the symptoms.

Rob Lucchesi

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• Board index KISS Discussion Forums GENERAL KISS DISCUSSION

Limited Availability: MASS KISSTERIA out now

Post by Admin » Jul 31, 23 13:05

Re: Limited Availability: MASS KISSTERIA out now

Post by Mike5477 » Jul 31, 23 16:43

Post by Greasepaint74 » Jul 31, 23 21:54

Post by Admin » Aug 01, 23 0:54

Post by Muroh » Aug 01, 23 1:39

Post by pepperkitty » Aug 01, 23 1:54

Post by Under The Rose » Aug 01, 23 8:10

Post by ejluther » Aug 01, 23 14:17

Post by Admin » Aug 01, 23 20:38

Under The Rose wrote: ↑ Aug 01, 23 8:10 What exactly does “limited availability” mean?

Post by Easy Catman » Aug 02, 23 0:37

Post by Wicked_Chester » Aug 02, 23 2:50

Post by Under The Rose » Aug 02, 23 5:26

NotJulien wrote: ↑ Aug 01, 23 20:38 Under The Rose wrote: ↑ Aug 01, 23 8:10 What exactly does “limited availability” mean?

Post by Where's Drago? » Aug 02, 23 13:24

Post by Admin » Aug 02, 23 13:35

Post by CarJammer444 » Aug 02, 23 15:23

Post by djh » Aug 02, 23 17:14

Post by Tail of a hurricane » Aug 03, 23 7:23

Post by jannep17 » Aug 03, 23 7:47

Post by Supertrooper » Aug 03, 23 8:00

Post by rsauye » Aug 03, 23 8:03

Supertrooper wrote: ↑ Aug 03, 23 8:00 So you cover two years of KISSTORY?! I'll be damned.....How dare you minimize the need for "Magic"?! This is like ruining half of Christmas! Now Ross will have to start all over again, editing and rewriting "Magic"! However, it does look pretty good from the samples.... and nice cover art too ....Maybe I should buy this one after all....and I can always send Ross my money later.

Post by StarChildBlade » Aug 03, 23 8:43

Post by jannep17 » Aug 03, 23 9:15

Post by Admin » Aug 03, 23 14:30

jannep17 wrote: ↑ Aug 03, 23 9:15 Both Swedish venues are misspelled in the tour calendar. Erikdalshallen should be Eriksdalshallen Scandanavium should be Scandinavium Eriksdalshallen is misspelled also in the pages covering that concert. (Scandinavium is correctly spelled there.)

Post by jannep17 » Aug 03, 23 16:16

Julien wrote: ↑ Aug 03, 23 14:30 jannep17 wrote: ↑ Aug 03, 23 9:15 Both Swedish venues are misspelled in the tour calendar. Erikdalshallen should be Eriksdalshallen Scandanavium should be Scandinavium Eriksdalshallen is misspelled also in the pages covering that concert. (Scandinavium is correctly spelled there.)

Post by Admin » Aug 03, 23 16:22

jannep17 wrote: ↑ Aug 03, 23 16:16 Well spotted. Those I can address. There have also been three cut off lines found.

Post by mikeenc » Aug 03, 23 16:46

Post by IrelandCalling4 » Aug 04, 23 0:38

Post by rscott71 » Aug 04, 23 20:42

Post by brianj1974 » Aug 05, 23 0:47

Post by AliveIIside4 » Aug 05, 23 1:04

Post by Rhiannon » Aug 05, 23 3:42

Post by Admin » Aug 12, 23 13:56

Post by Admin » Aug 12, 23 13:59

Rhiannon wrote: ↑ Aug 05, 23 3:42 Hey Julien, have most of your books, Odyssey and Solo Albums are top notch. Who did the pic on the front cover?

Post by Admin » Aug 12, 23 15:43

Post by 7479kiss » Aug 13, 23 16:52

Post by Admin » Aug 14, 23 11:49

Post by crimsonharpoon » Aug 15, 23 17:36

Post by Admin » Sep 18, 23 16:26

Post by Evo999 » Sep 18, 23 18:58

Post by KissKing73 » Sep 19, 23 17:01

Julien wrote: ↑ Sep 18, 23 16:26 "Mass Kissteria" enters its final week of availability. After September 25, the only copies remaining will be leftover stock in various retail channels. Get it now before the eBay vultures feast!

Post by Admin » Sep 19, 23 17:09

KissKing73 wrote: ↑ Sep 19, 23 17:01 Julien wrote: ↑ Sep 18, 23 16:26 "Mass Kissteria" enters its final week of availability. After September 25, the only copies remaining will be leftover stock in various retail channels. Get it now before the eBay vultures feast!

Post by Much Too Soon » Sep 19, 23 17:35

Post by Admin » Sep 19, 23 18:04

Much Too Soon wrote: ↑ Sep 19, 23 17:35 No hardcovers left?

Post by Much Too Soon » Sep 19, 23 18:38

Julien wrote: ↑ Sep 19, 23 18:04 Much Too Soon wrote: ↑ Sep 19, 23 17:35 No hardcovers left?

Post by Admin » Sep 19, 23 21:13

Post by Admin » Sep 27, 23 12:29

Post by Admin » Oct 05, 23 18:49

Post by Much Too Soon » Oct 05, 23 21:28

Admin wrote: ↑ Oct 05, 23 18:49 The second hardcover printing has finally arrived for U.S. orders. Available now while stock lasts! https://dejulien.square.site/product/-m ... rdcover/54

Post by Admin » Oct 05, 23 21:36

Post by strangeways965 » Oct 11, 23 15:53

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Kiss Announce Massive Vinyl Box

Looking for something you can spin on your old-timey turntable while Kiss hits the road with Def Leppard for a 40-date tour this summer? Break open your wallet for 'Kissteria: The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case.'

Part of a major reissue campaign that will see the band's catalog individually reissued on 180-gram vinyl over the course of the year, the Kissteria set comes in an Anvil road case that holds a collector's bonanza: 34 Kiss LPs, a collection of interlocking posters, a vinyl cleaning cloth (very important), a set of dominoes, a turntable mat, band lithographs, and what Rolling Stone is referring to as "other sundry pieces of Kiss merchandise."

On the musical front, fans will find 19 studio albums, all five 'Alive' releases (including the first-ever stand-alone and vinyl release of 'Alive: The Millennium Concert,' a 1999 original-lineup show previously available only as part of a CD box set), the four original Kiss solo albums, and six additional exclusive vinyl discs that will only be offered as part of the box.

Luckily, according to Classic Rock magazine, those six Kissteria-only records are mostly previously-released on vinyl compilations ('Double Platinum,' 'Killers,' 'You Wanted the Best You Got the Best,' 'Smashes, Thrashes and Hits') or live albums ('Symphony: Alive IV'). Only 1996's 'Greatest Kiss' collection is unavailable elsewhere on record.

Billed as "the most insane Kiss offering for MEGA FANS," the set is only being produced in a limited 1,000-case run, and although the price appears to be a secret at this point, buyers can sign up to be notified when pre-orders begin. It's bound to be expensive, but you can at least look forward to free shipping (in the continental U.S.).

For the more budget-minded collector, the band is also planning to release 'Kiss 40,' a double-disc compilation that Rolling Stone says "includes a track from every one of their releases comprising some of their greatest hits, demo and live recordings and previously unreleased tracks." And for those who are looking to cherry-pick from the Kiss catalog for their vinyl collection, or simply trying to round it out with one or two titles, there's also the aforementioned series of individual reissues, which will see 1997's 'Carnival of Souls' and 1998's 'Psycho Circus' appearing on vinyl for the first time, and also treat fans to the "concept album sequence" edition of 'Music from the Elder.'

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KISSteria on Vinyl: Ten’ 70s-era Bootlegs for Records Collectors

Feature Photo: Tony Norkus / Shutterstock.com

For vinyl collectors, the obsession goes far beyond listening. Indeed, it’s about wanting, yearning, searching, and possessing fetishized treasures. To be sure, these treasures come in all shapes and sizes. Moreover, they’re released through various means and outlets, some of which operate in the shadows. If you haven’t guessed, we’re talking about bootleg records, which you’ll know can be some of the most delicious pieces one might aspire to accumulate.

But let’s throw another wrench into the works; the fanatical nature of vinyl lovers is one thing, but how about the ravenous nature of KISS fans? Now, suppose we combine the two. What you’ll get is a hungry beast who now doesn’t only want vinyl but KISS on vinyl. Jokes aside, KISS has always been a heavy concert draw, as evidenced by the fact that they pack houses to this day. But what of the days of yesteryear when four kids from NYC stormed stages across the nation selling their wild oats via rock ‘n’ music without a care in the world?

Those were the days, and fortunately, many of them were recorded via a myriad of tried-and-true techniques. Even more fortunate still is the fact that these recordings have endured and now, mercifully, are making their way onto vinyl. In the spirit of exalted treasures sought out by ever-hungry seekers of illegally sourced music on wax, what follows are ten ’70s-era KISS bootlegs on vinyl for record collectors.

# 10 – KISS at Coventry

Recorded at The Coventry Club on December 21-22, 1973 Queens, NY

As one of the earliest (and rawest) KISS bootlegs, the shows recorded at Queens Coventry Club serve as some of the earliest examples of KISS’s inherent bombast. This show was scheduled after the band’s self-titled debut, so it finds the young foursome brandishing early classics like “Deuce,” “Cold Gin,” and “Strutter.” Their manager Bill Aucoin set up this show to be recorded with a single camera, and it’s from that same audio that bootlegs that have circulated are pulled from. As with most bootleg records, Discogs disallows their sale, but the one to hunt for would be the single slab released by Distant Hymns Ltd., which was limited to a paltry 100 copies.

# 9 – April Fool

Recorded at the Agora Ballroom on April 1, 1974 Cleveland, OH

KISS’s spring 1974 show at the Agora Ballroom was interesting for various reasons; the coolest was that they opened for Irish six-stinger Rory Gallagher. Headline tidbits aside, KISS was firing on all cylinders for this one, with searing renditions of “She” and “Black Diamond” checking in as highlights. The word is that this one was laid to tape via a local Cleveland radio broadcast via WMMS for their Nights Out at the Agora series, and it’s circulated ever since. Also of note, Peter Criss reportedly needed to be rushed to the hospital after the show due to a “lack of oxygen.” Have mercy! Collectors will want to search for the purple, green, white, red, or blue variants on vinyl via Serbian label, Diskoton.

# 8 – King Biscuit Alive!

Recorded at the Wildwood Convention Center on July 23, 1975 Wildwood, NJ

This release is an amalgam of four different shows – Cobo Hall, Music Hall, RKO Orpheum Theater, and the Wildwood Convention Center – but the Wildwood show takes the cake. A lot of retrospective love is heaped upon the May 16 Cobo Hall show, but the truth is those shows, while famous, weren’t as tight as the band’s Jersey shows, which took place just a few months later in July. The fact is that a lot of studio trickery was used to smooth over the tapes used for Alive! , but the Jersey shows seemed to need the least amount. Diskoton was at it again with this release, with a sinful red variant. Go find it, if you can.

# 7 – Alive! In Winterland

Recorded at the Winterland Ballroom on January 31 , 1975 San Francisco, CA

Well known by the KISS faithful, the band’s January 31 show at the Winterland Ballroom is the stuff of proverbial legend. Filmed by the band’s in-house crew and circulated immediately ever since, you’d be hard-pressed to find a KISS diehard who hasn’t seen at least a few minutes of this. As mentioned earlier, Alive! was doctored in the studio, and so, in many ways, a show like KISS laid down in Winterland is the best example of what they truly sounded like in 1975. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are seething with youthful exuberance here, and Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons’s energy are equally infectious. Bootlegs like this make the KISS Army long for a time machine to take them back to the ’70s. In 2020, French label Verne Records managed to press this one to wax, but as is often the case with these boots, we’re talking about limited numbers and, with that, big dollars.

# 6 – Three Nights at Cobo Arena

Recorded at Cobo Hall on January 25-27, 1976 Detroit Michigan

KISS’s famous show at Cobo Hall in ’75 might have been the one that made history, but it’s the band’s return shows in ’76 – in support of Alive! – that found the band a force to be reckoned with. Now armed with a history-making live album, KISS hit the road with the fire of a thousand furnaces fueling their endeavors, and boy, did it show. The setlists for their three-night stand in Detroit are par for the course, but the electrifying energy and deep synergy the band seemed to share with the crowd are apparent throughout. It was at these shows that Casablanca Records presented KISS with their platinum record award for Alive! , and the pro-shot videos taken of the event are the same used to get this show pressed to wax over four glorious discs. Little is known about who pressed this boot to vinyl aside from the fact that they did so from Europe, and only 100 copies exist.

  # 5  – KISS Destroys Anaheim

Recorded at Anaheim Stadium on August 20, 1976 Anaheim, CA

Yet another example of a famous KISS boot, this audience recording has been circulating since the ’70s. Recorded during KISS’s Destroyer Tour and is said to have been a highlight during a tour that saw KISS rise from a band playing clubs and halls to arenas and stadiums nearly overnight. While the most famous is the audience recording, producer Eddie Kramer was enlisted to professionally record this show, too, with those recordings circulating as a CD around 2000. But the original KISS Destroys Anaheim holds the most charm despite their shoddy sound quality and the fact that they reflect an incomplete show. You’ll want to find the initial release from 1976 on Ruthless Rhymes for its sheer collectability.

# 4 – Tokyo 1977 Nippon Budokan Hall

Recorded at Nippon Budokan Hall, April 2, 1977 Tokyo, Japan

As its title suggests, this one was recorded during KISS’s initial trip to Japan in 1977. KISS recorded two show’s this day, one at 3 pm and another at 7 pm. The word is that the 7 pm show was better, so that’s the one that ended up being used for this boot. As an audience recording, it’s not going to wow audiophiles, but it’s not half bad, either. Years later, this show’s video footage surfaced, which was used for the KISSOLOGY Vol.1 DVD set. Readers should note that while these shows were rumored to be recorded for an unreleased version of Alive II , the truth is that an entirely different run of shows at Budokan was used for those purposes. As for this bootleg on vinyl, the audience recordings continue to be used for some reason, and you’ll find this to be true should you pursue Royal Works’ two-disc release from 2015.

# 3 – 50,000,000 KISS Fans Can’t Be Wrong

Recorded at Cow Palace on August 16, 1977 San Francisco, CA

Aside from being known as one of KISS’s finest shows ever performed while they were at the height of their powers, the band’s performance at San Francisco’s Cow Palace is also infamous for taking place the same day that Elvis Presley died. And at the end of the show, Paul Stanley can be heard dedicating the festivities to the King to that end. This one is a soundboard recording, which means the quality is outstanding. But there is one oddity: for some reason, “Beth” is missing from the recording entirely, which has never been explained. Also of note: at the soundcheck for this show, Eddie Kramer recorded the legendary “You wanted the best, you got the best…” introduction used for KISS’s famous Alive II album opener. The man who did the yelling? That would be KISS’s chief of security, Eddie Balandas. If you want this one on vinyl, options are limited, so you’ll want to track down the 2016 version on King Records.

# 2 – The Summit

Recorded at The Summit on September 1-2, 1977 Houston, TX

Widely considered one of, if not the greatest, KISS bootlegs ever to be illegally recorded to tape and distributed, KISS’s two-night stand is the stuff of enduring legend. The electricity in the air here is palatable, with ballistic renditions of “I Stone Your Love,” “Shock Me,” and “God of Thunder” showing the band to be one riding high. Throughout the show, Paul Stanley sends the crowd into a perpetual frenzy, and Peter Criss’s jazz licks on steroids style is in full force to boot. The second night is the one people usually go for, but you can’t go wrong with either. And so, keep a lookout for the only version of this on vinyl, which was pressed to white wax in 2019. The label? None knows. Moreover, you’ll pay and pay big if you can track one down.

# 1 – KISS Rocks Madison Square Garden

Recorded at Madison Square Garden, on December 14-16, 1977 New York, NY

We started this journey in New York, and in New York, we shall end. KISS recorded many shows professionally after they hit the road in support of Alive II , probably with an eye to cash in on a proposed Alive III . And while many soundboards exist, when it comes to KISS’s homecoming shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the audience recordings came through in the clutch. Throughout three nights, KISS sold out the World’s Most Famous Arena, treating audiences to their unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll splendor. The setlist was tried and true, but what’s interesting is both Bob and Bruce Kulick were reportedly in the audience for these shows, which ties some KISStory together quite nicely. This was released under an obviously fake “Casablanca Records & Filmworks, Inc.” in 2020. Imposters they may be, but no one can claim they didn’t do this bootleg justice through a glorious four-disc boxset documenting the entirety of KISS’s MSG stand.

KISSteria on Vinyl: Ten’ 70s-era Bootlegs for Records Collectors article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.

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About the author.

Andrew Daly is a contributing writer at Classic Rock History, and a regular writer for Guitar World, Total Guitar, and Rock Candy Magazine. A guitar junkie at heart, Andrew has interviewed many favorites, including Joe Perry, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Steve Vai, and more. Some of his favorite bands are KISS, Oasis, Blur, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.

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KISS: KISSTERIA – 34 LP Set / Limited to 1000 Box Sets

Christopher Anthony | September 3, 2015 April 11, 2014 | Vinyl Spotlight

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The Friday Fire Track: Strand Of Oaks – “Goshen ’97” (Feat. J Mascis)

2014 record store day staff picks, 3 thoughts on “kiss: kissteria – 34 lp set / limited to 1000 box sets”.

Just pick up the first six albums and call it a day. Kiss, Hotter Than Hell, Dressed To Kill, Destroyer, Rock ‘N Roll Over and Love Gun are stupid fun. All the rest are just stupid.

And those solo albums? Yikes! Horrible. That said, they are deserving of induction in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall Of Fame.

Here’s who should be next:

Yes Moody Blues Pixies Deep Purple Judas Priest Iron Maiden The Cure Cheap Trick The Smiths Jethro Tull Kraftwerk The Zombies Roxy Music GUIDED BY VOICES

Just a quick question, Dollar Man… Do you ever form your own opinions, or do you simply adopt popular opinion as your own?

Just because the music KISS released after Love Gun wasn’t as commercially successful as their earlier material, is hardly any reason to write it off as “stupid”. You opinion of their 1978 solo offerings, spare Peter Criss’ offering, is simply wrong. Stanley, Simmons, and especially Frehley, each turned out quality albums. Some expert critics have even stated they view the solo works as being superior to anything the band did collectively.

I’d also like to mention the fact many consider 1992’s “Revenge” to be KISS’ finest hour. In my opinion, and many, many other’s, Revenge is far superior to the usual go to, when talking about the greatest KISS album, 1976’s Destroyer. Please take into consideration that Revenge is always present in any mention of the five top KISS albums.

I’m sure you haven’t listened to much post ‘77 KISS, but anyone who follows your advice will miss out on the excellent albums, Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up, and Revenge. Personally, I consider both “Dynasty” and “Unmasked”, to be top-quality pop-rock albums. “Asylum” is one of my favourite KISS albums, and by far one of their heaviest offerings. I also feel that 1989’s “Hot In the Shade” is a strong effort, along with 1997’s “Carnival of Souls”.

I’m sure like most who share your unenlightened opinions, you either are a person who stopped listening to KISS in 1978, when many others did, or became a fan later, and took the advice of a fellow unenlightened individual, not to give anything post-1978 a fair chance.

I’m telling you that you really should… Although, with you seemingly closed mind, I’m sure there’s little chance of that happening.

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