How One Album Saved KISS: The Story Behind the 'Lick It Up' Cover Art.

[@davidzabel5195]

Lick It Up is easily my favorite Kiss album cover. The plain white background is perfect for their first unmasked album.

[@kingfisher-theemptinessout3582]

I agree. The simplicity hits the bull’s eye. I also love the Animalize cover.

[@richardsampson7163]

NOOOOOOOO!!!!Alive

[@AdamKing-m6x]

Every time you say PAUL STANLEY of KISS, it kills me man, hilarious!😂

[@jakecamp12]

My first KISS show was Asylum at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. I saw every show KISS did there through the Farewell show. They never sold out until the 96 Reunion Tour.

[@ericcurry-pitcher5493]

This is the type of content, no one does better. Thanks bro, good stuff.

[@victorblack6995]

I remember watching the Kiss unmasking reveal special on MTV in 1983. This was the first time kiss fans would see the band without make up, and for me it was a little anticlimactic, because Eric and Vinnie were in the band by that time and there had been 10 years of build up to see Kiss without makeup, (after the tease of the Unmasked album) and there was no Ace and Peter! They were the favorite members of Kiss, out of everyone I knew back then, especially Space Ace, and they were nowhere to be found. It was like they never existed! Looking back now, I think that was the day I quit the Kiss army. Somehow it was never really Kiss again after that day, and would never really be the same again for me.

[@tproudboomer5965]

I remember thinking the same thing. Without all four originals, the MTV makeup publicity stunt was underwhelming and only served to accentuate the fact that half the band was gone. IMO they should have just kept it quiet and surprised people with the new album cover.

[@paulaitix77]

paul sthtanley of kissth said at one point the ticket sales were so low that when he tossed his guitar pick in the crowd it landed behind them hahaha

[@mikewilson3581]

With his makeup removed we were all blessed with the beautiful features of Paul Stanley. He'll tell you that himself.

[@tproudboomer5965]

🤮

[@tproudboomer5965]

God love Ace, but without the makeup both he and Paul look like they fell out of the “ugly tree” and hit every branch on the way down.🥴

[@joeylyons4549]

Genes no beauty either

[@sarcastanaut]

When you stopped and said "PAUL THANLY" I spit my coffee across the room. 😂

[@tproudboomer5965]

At the time it was released, I hated the Lick It Up album cover because of the plain white background, but years later I figured out why they did it that way. The plainness offset their new makeup-free faces and lower key clothes, making the change a little easier to get used to.

[@jameswest4259]

Lick It Up is the best non makeup Kiss album easily and Vinnie was the second best Kiss guitar player who helped save their asses with his song writing! Great video that I will now share, we love you Ralph!

[@BillDollar777]

Technically, Vinnie would be the best. He's a shredder from hell.

[@MichaelGreen-dm2ov]

Lick it Up Rules and so does Creatures. Put them together and best studio 2 Kiss albums back to back. Great video sir. Smack...a...ma...God

[@tproudboomer5965]

I thought Creatures and Lick It Up were the first kick-ass back to back albums since RARO and Love Gun. Unfortunately Lick It Up was also their last kick-ass album period.

[@Mark-from-Melbourne]

I'm with you Ralph, Lick it Up is a better album than Creatures of the Night - it's also the best non make up album.

[@dr.roberts4508]

It's the last big move for Kiss . At that moment

[@youtoo2233]

Looking back yeah it probably was the right decision since all the hair band movement was coming in and Kiss needed to reinvent themselves after the big 70s craze, if I remember right Kiss had been kind of been slipping for a few years and this is just what they needed to do

[@themobseat]

I've always thought that Kiss abandoning their makeup right as MTV was gaining popularity was a huge mistake.

[@mr.brenman2132]

They released two albums in makeup after MTV started. It would make sense that makeup era KISS would be perfect for MTV. It just didn't work out that way. KISS was passe at the beginning of the decade. The unmasking on MTV was just another gimmick that boosted them back up for a few years.

[@richardthompson6366]

​@@mr.brenman2132For a few years, here we are forty years later.

[@mr.brenman2132]

@@richardthompson6366 Unmasking allowed them to remask for the reunion tour in 96'.

[@zandig666]

Ya me too man ! They should've carried on with new characters. And no imposters F the money even reunion which I saw 2wice was sortve hoaxie

[@zandig666]

​@@richardthompson6366barely hanging on for many yrs

[@tproudboomer5965]

I think if they had combined the best songs from Asylum, the best songs from Animalize, and hired someone like Bob Rock to produce; they might have pulled off an early eighties hat trick.

[@LEIFanevret]

Right on the spot! Review! All honors! 🙋

[@marcsegal1658]

Lick It Up rules! Love all the songs. Great album cover. Very iconic with the white background and Gene's tongue 👅

[@tonyponchopeters]

I think my favorite pic ever is Paul Stanley holding up the bottle of Alcohol 😂 Was this when he was cussing on stage to try and fit in with the contemporary bands of the time?

[@tproudboomer5965]

#poserpaul

[@Colin-o9t]

Great vid, you should trade mark " Pawl Thtanley of Kith", you own it Ralph!

[@davidisbell4033]

Lick It Up absolutely RULEZ! Creatures is a close tie! Some days I have to flip a coin. Unpopular opinion, but Monster is right there with them in third place for the best of the KISS heavies. SHMACKEMAGOB!

[@rtt1961]

Good one, Dr F!

[@StephenHennessy-Stone-ee5fy]

It's funny how this debate over KISS non make up era from 1983-1996 still goes on fans hate it while other fans love but yeah lick it up is the best KISS album because it was hard raw in your face and the best thing about this album no power ballads

[@willardwayne3]

The sync it up err I mean lick it up album cover was pieced together. I believe Vinnie's photo was cut from another one and placed in.

[@thebluesrockers]

Lick It Up My two, favorite no-makeup, era tunes "Young & Wasted & Not For The Innocent" And these two tunes can stand toe to toe with over 90% of the original Kiss lineup. But Ace's solo's are better. "Exciter" I hate that tune, but that guitar, solo was awesome. Thank "Rick Derringer" for that. Mob Rules. It wasn't produced as well as "Destroyer" but it's a way better album. Not a bad tune on it. I can't say the same about "Destroyer."

[@newavatar2947]

I wonder what would have happened if they made up new characters: Gene the Parrot Paul the Hamster Vinnie the Vampire and Eric the Tiger

[@pituophisart6916]

😂Gene in a big bird style outfit

[@tproudboomer5965]

If they were a new band in 2024, God only knows what they might have concocted.😬Paul would have probably stuffed things in his bra instead of his pants. 😂

[@vernongriffith8308]

Bailed on KISS as kid after Dynasty. Took me a few years to circle back to Unmasked, Elder, Creatures and LIU. Couldn't get into the rest of the non-makeup years (even though I'd argue Kulick and Carr provided their best lineup musically).

[@JRGSQUAD329]

Ralph, when you’ve said you don’t like the song lick it up, I think you’d like it if you listened to the alive 4 version, it’s heavier and stronger.

[@jerrucampanian6874]

What saved Kiss was the reunion tour. Period!

[@robertthorn8233]

LICK IT UP RULES!,.. Great Album,.Bitchn Tour…I WAS THERE…X

[@joeylyons4549]

Paul Thanley of Kith

[@gabriellavalentine17]

Lick It up is a great Album! Exciting to say the least!

[@stephenmchugh822]

Lick it up is an Awesome album but I Love Creatures more. not that it matters but wasn't crazy nights album supposed to be called who Dares Wins? I heard that they changed the name.

[@stanleybroniszewsky8538]

Maybe it's me. But there's some pictures of Gene where he looks like Frankenfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[@MysticSpank]

i dont think he found a post makeup look that suited him until Revenge.

[@deathmetalrob5563]

The Hollywood's snort Auditorium

[@thunderstruck6585]

Not my favorite 80's Kiss album, but I like it a whole lot better than anything after through the 90's and 2000's. Same with the cover art.

[@tinajones552]

My granddaughter likes Kiss and the song lick it up she knows when Paul jumps when he is on stage she's 12 years old

[@KISSbestfan]

Hey, have you seen latest Gene Simmons Band live video? People were all like "oh damn, he still rocks" and stuff, but man, its easy to realise that its all big fat BS. You can hear Ace and Peter playing style quite clearly, and to top it off even Paul Stanley of KISS screaming "dew it". Its most probably audio from Bklyn Bridge 1996 matched to new video.

[@tonictonetomrockstar1931]

It is better than creatures, just not the album cover.Creatures album cover is amazing.

[@t.w.7477]

i agree with you lick it up is better it never gets old

[@jonnyriggs4372]

They musically got back on track…briefly 🤦🏻‍♂️🙄

[@michaelrublesky2178]

Great album ... tour not so much .. I saw them in Philly. .Accept opened. dare I say more? Revenge tour ROCKED!

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

Helix opened when I saw them in Germany, again not a packed venue but it was okay. Just read that .38 Special opened for them briefly on the tour in the US, unusual opening band for them.

[@robertthorn8233]

Hilarious shOt of the band where you can see their legs on Lick it Up,.Paul wearing his women’s suit pants and high heels is F@ckn Hilarious!..Dude looks like Lady that looks like a Dude!..Haha..X

[@jerseyjoe1677]

Vinny maybe a scumbag but he’s incredibly talented. He’s solo stuff before hair metal is pretty good IMO

[@herbertcamplin3734]

Fits like a glove is my favorite song off lick it up, all hells breaking loose being my the one that i don't like.

[@Duqsteel1115]

Yeah, I like Creatures Of The Night just barely over Lick It Up which was the first tour that I saw Kiss. And YES, the Crazy Nights show was VERY bland. I was never a big fan of the album either. On Crazy Nights, they played at the OC Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, CA. Not a very big venue back then. Anthrax opened the show and the place was about 90% full. When Anthrax was done, the place looked like 70% full. I feel that the Hot In The Shade tour had a better turnout though.

[@kevinbrown1680]

A buddy of mine saw that tour in Phoenix and said Anthrax sat on the edge of the stage/crowd and clowned Kiss while they were on stage...and the crowd was on their side.

[@giraffesareselfish9563]

Crazy Nights was my first concert and saw them on back to back nights on Hot In The Shade. Didn't see them again until 1999.

[@giraffesareselfish9563]

​@kevinbrown1680 I don't believe that, Paul and Gene would have kicked them off the tour immediately

[@BillDollar777]

I bailed after Love Gun.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

Their last real album featuring the original four.

[@BillDollar777]

@@LarryFleetwood8675 I saw that tour and then heard Van Halen 1. I was done with Kiss after hearing that album.

[@timepoet77]

As much as I respect Kiss for the removal of the make-up, I found their musical output to be a bit of a mixed bag.

[@renatamalvern670]

After they removed the make up, it just wasn't the same for me, too many changes in the band. Some of the albums were ok, but still prefer seeing Kiss with their make-up on. But that's just me. !! 🇦🇺

[@joebrezel]

Paul Sthanley of Pithss thinks yer a VEWY nawty boi, Ralphie... 😉😉😉🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤣🤣🤣

[@Dico6]

I think you're being too hard on Hot In The Shade. Sure every Gene song is a stinker but there are some OK tracks.

[@quit293]

Should've kept makeup on but wore regular clothes.

[@quit293]

@@canisXsapien lol they just went all in on glam look in 80s.

[@stevew6910]

They definetly had some tough years , They managed just enough hits to cripple through

[@realmarixstone]

KISS clearly lost their vision and sound with Lick It Up. Especially for me after seeing them in 1975- 1978 when they ruled the World. Lick It Up just sounded like another Paul Stanley solo effort. No disrespect to Eric or Vinnie.

[@Unutter8ball]

LIU is definitely superior to COTN...

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

I agree, their last truly great album start to finish.

[@BeauWorldWinnipeg]

Lick It Up is WAY better than Creatures. "Not For The Innocent" is the quintessential Gene song. "A Million To One" and "On The Eighth Day" and "Exciter" are classics. Creatures is boring. Only two good songs: the title track and "War Machine."

[@richardthompson6366]

Maybe if the new members didn't have such lame makeup and characters the makeup could have lasted. No one can come close to the original four characters and the makeup they had, a home run.

[@nicholaskruger9460]

Lick it up was the worst song ever. I wanted nothing to do with kiss because of the dumb song lol

[@renatamalvern670]

PLEASE, put the make-up back on, Not a fan, Just saying ...

[@Totalfreedomliving]

Lick It Up is a phenomenal album, though I can’t stand the title song. Young and Wasted is easily the best song on it. Vincent’s sound, riffing and solos cut like a razor, and VV is my favorite replacement member in the history of the band.

[@dr.roberts4508]

It's the last big move for Kiss . At that moment

[@dr.roberts4508]

It's the last big move for Kiss . At that moment

[@dr.roberts4508]

It's the last big move for Kiss . At that moment

[@dr.roberts4508]

It's the last big move for Kiss . At that moment