Psycho Circus (CD - 1998)

Kiss: Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley (vocals, guitar); Gene Simmons (vocals, bass); Peter Criss (vocals, drums).

Recorded at A&M Studios & One On One Studios, New York, New York.

"Psycho Circus" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Kiss: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Personnel: Kiss (vocals); Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar); Peter Criss (vocals, drums); Gene Simmons (vocals); Shelly Berg (piano); Bob Ezrin (Fender Rhodes piano).

Audio Mixer: Mick Guzauski.

Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (01/1998-04/1998); One On One Studios (01/1998-04/1998).

Photographer: Glen LaFerman.

Arranger: Shelly Berg.

When MTV refused to air Kiss' one and only video from their 1998 reunion album, the title track from Psycho Circus (for reasons unknown), the masters of merchandising saw another golden opportunity to rake in the cash. The official Psycho Circus Video includes the 3-D video (plus 3-D glasses), and also comes with a CD-single which features the title track as well as a non-album song, Ace Frehley's "In Your Face," plus a screensaver, and software to connect to Kiss' official website, Kiss Online. And knowing full well that there are some Kiss fanatics that need to buy every last piece of merchandise ever issued, each CD-single comes with a cover of a single bandmember. In other words, completists will have to buy the Psycho Circus Video 4 times in order to get a complete set! The featured video clip itself is pretty entertaining - the bandmembers perform against various computer-generated backdrops, while images of their best-known gimmicks are also featured (Gene Simmons drooling blood, etc.). Still, the Psycho Circus Video will be of interest to hardcore fans only. ~ Greg Prato

Since the 1996 reunion tour was a blockbuster success, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons decided to keep Peter Criss and Ace Frehley around for a little while longer -- long enough to record a full-fledged reunion album, Psycho Circus. Anyone expecting a stylistic breakthrough from a reunited (allegedly revitalized) Kiss would be unfamiliar with the band's history. Throughout the years, the only real change has been in the guitarists and drummers; the band's sleazy, big, dumb pop-metal has remained the same. The problem is, it's the kind of music that sounds more convincing when it's performed by a young, hungry band that makes records on the cheap. That way, the albums really sound as sleazy as the men who make them. As the band pushes 50, Kiss no longer sound young, hungry, or sleazy -- they sound like professional dirty old men. And since they're professionals, they can turn out some catchy hooks when called upon, but Psycho Circus ultimately feels worn out, more of a huge advertisement for an impending tour than a full-fledged record. Certainly, they're crafty enough to toss out a few anthems to please fans ("I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock & Roll," "You Wanted the Best"), and that may be enough to appease fans longing for an album by a reunited Kiss, especially since Frehley is a better, more charismatic guitarist than anyone else that has floated through the band. But cynics (i.e., anyone who isn't a hardcore fan) will probably view it as pandering. Which raises an interesting question: who is more cynical, Kiss for writing fan-baiting rock & roll anthems simply to sell records, or the reviewers who call them on it? ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It's 1978 all over again! Comeback kings Kiss reunite the original lineup for their first album in 19 years, and it's as if time had not moved. Following a mega-successful tour in 1996, the grease-painted warriors give the Kiss army something to sink its teeth into. But rather than copy its past, the album is more of a continuation. From the power chords of the opening title track, the listener is drawn into this R&R Barnum and Bailey world. Keeping things current are "Within," a Gene Simmons track left over from 1997's CARNIVAL OF SOULS, and "Dreamin," co-written by Bruce Kulick (from the CARNIVAL era lineup).

The rest of the songs are direct descendants of Kiss circa '75-'79. "Into The Void" features a stellar Ace Frehley guitar solo in a track reminiscent of "Rocket Ride." "I Finally Found My Way" is a touching Peter Criss ballad that resembles "Beth" and "Journey Of 1,000 Years" holds up to "Great Expectations." The band is tight and the album leans toward good-time hard rock anthems that stress unity with their fans. PSYCHO CIRCUS continues the grand tradition of this innovative rock group that has sold over 75 million albums and shows no signs of stopping. minimize