The year is 1974, Neil Bogart started a new label called Casablanca Records and the first band he signs is decked out in black leather, studs, platform heels, and kabuki makeup. Sam Loomis has uploaded some video nuggets that perfectly capture the early essence of KISS at the earliest stage of their professional career.
July 11th and 12th were two of the quieter days as of recently for a KISS fan since no uploads were seen on the Sam Loomis YouTube channel. Even on a day with no fresh content, fans were still rejoicing over what has been seen with more speculation on what they are wanting to see. Sure enough, after a small bout of silence, Sam delivered a triple hitter of fantastic footage.
If nothing else, Frehley’s Comet holds the distinction of almost becoming Megaforce Records’ first gold record…almost. But pull back the curtain, the backstory surrounding the Spaceman’s 1987 return to the world of rock amounts to so much more.
Sam Loomis is an individual with many tricks up their sleeve. Sure, some of the footage they’ve been dropping is a bit familiar to some hardcore collectors (Detroit, Houston and Anaheim ‘76) and then there are some pleasant surprises (Detroit and Largo ‘75). Get ready for this, because now we are going further back in KISStory!
Peppy Castro’s journey to the epicenter of rock music began from humble origins in the Bronx, NY, as a teenager with stars in his eyes, and a biting desire to succeed beyond all presumed expectations.
KISS fan circles are still buzzing over the astounding video discoveries of Largo and Detroit 1975 that made their way onto YouTube recently. It’s a complex story of lies and vengeance but the gratification from the KISS Army seems to be reigniting the spark for what made people fall in love with the band for the first time almost fifty years ago.
On July 3rd, a crown jewel in the KISS video canon emerged on YouTube: Cobo Hall 1975. Ask any KISS diehard fan about this particular show and they will go into great detail about what entails.
If KISS was going to pull off the improbable, they needed a formidable force at the helm, and while a few were considered for the job, after a fateful conversation with super-manager, Doc McGhee, for lynchpin members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, the choice was clear, KISS was going to shock the world in ways fans could never imagine.
With Hot in the Shade (1989) already in the can, Mazer’s impact was immediate, and through shrewd business decisions, and a willingness to take chances, Mazer ruddered KISS toward its first top-ten single, and ushered them onto the road to undertake what amounted to perhaps their most legendary stage production yet.
The 80s would be an interesting time for KISS, a decade defined by lineup instability, the near-death of the band, the removal of their trademark makeup, and a return to gold and platinum level success. Yes, in rock’s glitziest decade, once gain, KISS found themselves in a familiar, yet frustrating position as a band who needed to prove their worth to both critics and fans alike.
