Tag Archives: peter criss

KISS Celebrates 50 Years of “Strutter” with Limited Edition Gold/Gold-Plated Playable Collectibles

February 18, 2025 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

The Press Release:
The #1 most Gold-awarded U.S. artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame© Inductees KISS, proudly present “Strutter” on a limited-edition, playable gold records in honor of 50 years of the single available now. KISS partners with Precious Sound to produce two versions—the ultra-rare Pure Gold Edition and the Gold-Plated Edition. Order, HERE.

As the ultimate KISS precious metal collectible, the world’s first-ever Pure Gold Edition playable disc will be limited to only 5 copies worldwide pressed from eight ounces of pure .999 24-karat gold. These 5-inch records are specifically remastered for gold playback on any manual turntable system. The A-side boasts the playable grooves, a rim engraving with each record’s unique edition number as well as the KISS logo adorned with Swarovski crystals and the B-side celebrates the original Casablanca single label etched into the gold with proof-quality finish. The package features a luxurious coffee table display case bound in sustainable faux leather with gold foil accents and a Swarovski crystals KISS logo. The two-drawer case is hand-crafted to preserve this everlasting record for a lifetime. One drawer houses a protective sapphire crystal glass capsule and the other holds an exclusive book signed by Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley. Other accessories in the set range from the gold-accented pen utilized to sign the respective book, a laser-engraved and numbered metal certificate of authenticity, a custom-made cork record mat for optimal playback, and a microfiber cleaning cloth. Each pressing is made-to-order.
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Features, PiercingMetal Says

Pophouse Announces Acquisition of KISS Catalog, Brand Name and Likenesses

April 4, 2024 Ken Pierce 2 Comments

The Press Release:
Pophouse, the pioneering global entertainment and music investment firm, announces the acquisition of the music catalogue, brand name and likeness – including the world- famous face paint designs – as well as trademarks of the iconic American rock band KISS. This groundbreaking partnership will enable Pophouse to further develop and amplify the unique KISS legacy worldwide: preserving their iconic music, enigmatic personas, and expressive imagery for generations to come. Plans for a biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS themed experience are already in the works. KISS will remain active and play key roles in the development of the projects, working closely together with Pophouse.

band photos, kiss, kiss photos, barry levine photography — KISS in 1976 by Barry Levine

Pophouse has today concluded a landmark agreement with the iconic band KISS. Pophouse is the Swedish entertainment and music investment firm renowned for its development of brand-building activities in music and entertainment, such as the groundbreaking ABBA Voyage show in London, in which Pophouse is the founding investor.

Pophouse has acquired KISS’ artist share of the master recordings and publishing rights.* Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
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Film and Television, Pop Culture

Tonight: “Biography: KISStory” on A&E TV (6/27/2021)

June 27, 2021 Ken Pierce 1 Comment

Members of the KISS Army best make sure that they have their DVR’s programmed or even the VCR for those who have stuck with the vintage stuff for some reason because tonight the A&E Television Network will premiere “Biography: KISStory”, a two-part documentary about the history of “The Hottest Band In The World” KISS!!! You’ll need to check your local listings for the exact time but here in New York City it airs at 9PM.

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Events, Reviews

KISS @ Madison Square Garden (7/25/1979)

July 25, 2019 Ken Pierce 2 Comments

Artist: KISS
Venue: Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
Opener: New England
Date: 7/25/1979
Label: Casablanca Records

Today is a day for me to celebrate a personal Music Milestone and while we have a section devoted to such things here on PiercingMetal.com, the overall narrative will be filed in our Event Reviews area as it’s a milestone of a concert review. You see, it was forty years ago today that I would attend my very first concert ever and it would be the second night of the return of KISS to Madison Square Garden. In 1979 I was just past my fourteenth year and after some major begging had convinced my parents to take me to the concert. It took some doing and I think by the time that I had gotten my Dad on the same page that the first night was sold out. I was fine with the second night since at that point in my young life I had no idea about how to be about a concert. This was going to be my first time seeing the Hard Rock superheroes that I had been loving on record, in comic books, on trading cards and in action figures. Now it was time for the real deal spectacle as the guys would be touring for their “Dynasty” album and doing two shows in their hometown.

The ”Dynasty” album was getting a lot of radio play on the Rock Stations of the time thanks to the signature hit “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” which as you know was also more of a Disco number. That style of music was still riding high in 1979 and pretty much inescapable for those who wished to hide from it. Fortunately, my friends and I would find solace in radio stations like WNEW and WPLJ who were all Rock all the time. Anyway, so after a journey into the city braving the subway line directions from my parents, my friend and I met up with them and I guess we had something quick to eat before the show. I don’t recall that much but considering our age and the proximity, it was very likely McDonald’s. We entered the cavernous Madison Square Garden and I remember being floored by the amount of merchandise with the bands logo and faces on them. I didn’t manage to buy anything that night but I wanted the tour book and discovered that I could order one from the KISS Shop after the show so I would do that a few weeks later.
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Music, Reviews

“KISSWORLD – The Best Of KISS” by KISS

March 23, 2019 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

Artist: KISS
Title: “KISSWORLD – The Best Of KISS”
Label: Universal Music
Release Date: 1/26/2019
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

Lo and behold my friends, there is yet another “Greatest Hits” compilation for the legendary masked men of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal – The Hottest Band In The World KISS!!!! This one is entitled “KISSWORLD – The Best Of KISS” and it hit the streets in late January and I’ve finally got a copy of this in my hands. As a lifer in terms of KISS releases, I will be most likely purchasing another 50 hits packages if they come out and my main interest in this one was to see what sort of booklet might be included in the packaging. I’ll return to that topic later on but first let’s take a quick glance at the “20” tracks included on the release. From top to bottom there doesn’t seem to be a single track of “filler” and instead are all go to songs in the now massive KISS catalog. I found it interesting that the release began with “Crazy Crazy Nights” because when that song first hit I was aghast but now so many years later have found it to be enjoyable Rock and Roll.

There aren’t any omissions in terms of the necessary staples as “Love Gun”, “Detroit Rock City”, “Shout It Out Loud” and of course the seminal “Rock and Roll All Nite” are included. The latter one being the original studio track as opposed to the one that we often find on such a release that hails from the essential “Alive” album. There are NO live tracks on this compilation. The post-makeup years are well represented with the most notable tracks from the era such as “Tears Are Falling”, “Lick It Up” and “Heaven’s On Fire” in addition to the album opening “Crazy Crazy Nights”. I think I would have liked to see “Who Wants To Be Lonely” here but it is not.
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