![]() These would eventually give way to the Jackson 5 and then Elton John and various 45s from a glut of one-hit wonders. Spinning it several times in my hands, as one would examine the details of a rare stone, I place it reverently onto the tiny turntable of a child’s portable record player-a cheap mono thing made for sing-along tunes and Disney soundtracks, as so many had been played before. Yes, the blessed sacrament beckons.Īs I pull the disc from its sleek protection and let it shimmer in the light of the late afternoon, the grooves reveal several shades of ebony casting a glow beneath the blue-and-white Casablanca Records logo spread across the label. I want to read on, but there is the music to consider. They begin defiantly, an impatient exaltation for life to commence anew, far beyond the walls of my secret den of masquerades, by clutching the wheel of a car cruising at incredible speeds across an infinite blacktop into night. The burned-orange/yellow mélange gives way to lyrics below the title, Detroit Rock City. The twin lightning-bolt S’s summarize its intent. On the back, the deep black is assaulted by a glorious logo: the balanced fulcrum of the mighty K, which expands out from left to right as puckered lips to the single monolithic I, as insolent as a single index finger poised to the sky or a middle one mocking the world. ![]() A blazing hot red, yellow, and white KISS Army shield rests above four words written boldly across the top: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD. Once the sleeve is freed from its wrapping and slipped from its casing, it is hard not to be transfixed by the shiny black exterior, grainy to the touch with an exhilarating lure of having come from another realm. Their faces emblazoned with a stark white: the Demon, the Star Child, the Space Ace, and the Cat Man. Next comes a scrupulous perusing of the cover: four cartoon figures in near-flight from atop a ragged mountain, the smoldering blue haze of a razed city behind them. Suddenly the intoxicating aroma of freshly pressed wax fills my head. The unsheathing of a mystical siren set aloft by strange creatures resembling men, but so much more somehow. Sweet vinyl salvation-a sacred ritual.Īh, the tingles, as I carefully run a fingernail across the shrink-wrap on the sleeve opening-a hallowed prelude to the unveiling of the disc itself. This is the special time: the opening of a new record album, fueled, as ever, with unrivaled anticipation. A freshly minted, freckle-faced, greasy suburban teen is sequestered in his upstairs bedroom. It is the sweltering summer of my thirteenth year. The Songs, Part Two: CollaborationsĬHAPTER 16. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.įor Scarlet, my little rock-and-roller I dream my painting and I paint my dream. Omissions can be remedied in future editions.Īcknowledgments of permission to reprint previously published materials are here, which constitutes an extension of this copyright page. ![]() No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.Įvery reasonable effort has been made to contact copyright holders and secure permissions. ![]() New interviews with major principals in the making of an outrageously imaginative rock classic animate this engaging tale. ![]() Extensive research from the period and insights into each song are enhanced by hundreds of archived materials and dozens of interviews surrounding the mid-'70s-era Kiss and its zeitgeist. Shout It Out Loud is a serious examination of the circumstance and serendipity that fused the creation of the band's seminal work, Destroyer – including the band's arduous ascent to the unexpected smash hit, Alive!, the ensuing lawsuits between its management and its label, the pursuit of the hot, young producer, a grueling musical “boot camp ” the wildly creative studio abandon, the origins behind an iconic cover, the era's most outlandish tour, and the unlikely string of hit singles. But if not for a few crucial months in late 1975 and early 1976, Kiss may have ended up nothing more than a footnote. How does an underground oddity become a cultural phenomenon? For over 40 years, the rock band Kiss has galvanized the entertainment world with an unparalleled blitz of bravado, theatricality, and shameless merchandizing, garnering generations of loyally rabid fans. ![]()
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