“Remember rock ’n’ roll? You guys used to rock ’n’ roll real good.” - Creem Magazine Dynasty Review

#kiss #kissarmy #threesidesofthecoin #teamkiss #genesimmons #paulstanley #petercriss #acefrehley #podcast #tommythayer #ericsinger #brucekulick #vinnievincent #markstjohn #creemmagazine #dynasty
Episode 588. We go back to October 1979 and read and react to the Creem Magazine review of Dynasty…
“We had some good times, but now they’re gone. So long,.”
-Ace Frehley,
“Save Your Love”
So long, Ace, it’s been good to know ya.
And, uncool as it may be for someone my age to admit it, y’know, five years ago I held high hopes that you guys would ultimatey transform yourselves into the great American white (faces) rock ’n’ roll hope. But hey, Ace, the Ramones now have that title-and they don’t even wear make-up. But they sure can rock ’n’ roll, eh?
Remember rock ’n’ roll? You guys used to rock ’n’ roll real good. As a matter of fact, Dressed To Kill and Rock 'n' Roll Over still rank, along with side four of your second live album, as your supreme studio moments (and that’s not even considering Hotter Than Hell's “Parasite,” which features your most homicidal guitar solo ever). I mean, the original Alive! still packs enough punch to render Helen Keller senseless.
But then something went wrong, beginning with the dreaded (for the wrong reasons) Love Gun, foreshadowed by the equally ominous (again, for the wrong reasons) Destroyer. And Ace, what happened to the much-vaunted “Strutter 78” which appeared on the Double Platinum album? It was actually weaker than either of the original -’74 or live '75 versions. Then came the glut of solo albums, TV specials and comic books- each new enterprise a coin in the coffer and a nail in the coffin.
By this time, Ace, the low points were beginning to greatly outnumber the highs. Somewhere along the line, you guys lost your demons.
And I miss that. There just aren’t any demons on your new album, Ace. Why don’t you leave the pop diddling to Abba and the disco stuff to Giorgio Moroder? You guys were born to rock ’n’ roll and, although I know you think you’re making a good move career-wise by recording this stuff, believe me, you’re making a lot of your vintage fans (you know, the ones who put you where you are today) angry and-even worse-sad.
Go back to Eddie Kramer and tell him you want to rock ’n’ roll. He’ll know what you mean.
Jeffrey Morgan
Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.michaelbrandvold.com
Since launching in 2012 Three Sides of the Coin has been viewed or listened to over 8,000,000 times. Three Sides of the Coin has been joined by special guests including Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Ace Frehley, Bruce Kulick, Vinnie Vincent, Blackie Lawless, Rob Halford, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Dennis DeYoung, Buck Dharma, Lydia Criss, Eddie Trunk, WWE/AEW Superstar and lead singer of Fozzy Chris Jericho, Angel lead guitarist Punky Meadows, Five Finger Death Punch members Jason Hook and Jeremy Spencer, Vinnie Vincent Invasion and Slaughter lead singer Mark Slaughter, Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider and Jay Jay French, comedian Craig Gass, KISS’ former business manager Chris Lendt, KISS art director Dennis Woloch, Head of KISS Security Big John Harte, the Black Veil Brides Andy Biersack, Ron Keel, Frank Munoz associate producer for Ace Frehley's Anomaly album, award-winning songwriter Adam Mitchell, Ed Kanon (Peter Criss' drum tech), Kevin Valentine (drummer on KISS' Psycho Circus album) and many, many more.
It's only our opinion... it's neither right nor wrong.
Three Sides Of The Coin is unofficial & unsanctioned and has no affiliation with the band KISS.

[@saultrockcity]

Another awesome episode to put on my TV, as I'm working out, so thank you again for making my stationary 60 minute bike ride easier. Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder disappointed me big time back then, as I still followed KISS and bought the albums, but I started discovering other bands who were playing the Rock I loved when KISS were getting soft and going in other directions, so it was Judas Priest, AC/DC, The Scorpions, Riot, Saxon, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Triumph, Foghat and so many other great bands playing hard Rock. While I appreciate Dynasty now, back then it was too different from the KISS I loved. Unmasked is fine with me now as well, but The Elder just doesn't do it for me, although I do like a few songs on it. I always wonder to myself, what if the 4 originals had gotten along, kept the same vision they started out with and avoided the alcohol and drug problems, as I wonder how many more great songs and albums they could have had. In conclusion the Creem critic was spot on, as Dynasty ventured into new territory and us KISS fans who grew up with the early Rockin' albums found it soft and poppy, although I still remember staying up all night to watch KISS perform on the Jerry Lewis Telethon lol. Turning 59 next month, I've lived long enough to realize everything happens for a reason and we can't change history, so I look back and see how much joy KISS gave to me throughout my life and realize KISStory is a big part of who I am today, along with music in general. Great show guys !!!

[@HappyMachorino-bd8no]

Without "Dynasty" I wouldn't know KISS. I wouldn't know "Rock and Roll Over" etc. As a "bad era" fan with "Dynasty" I became aware of this band. The Creem critic Jeffrey may be right, but from the nostalgic point of view. To your question at 1:05:10. What was a "bad era" for their career was a good era for me. And why should I be embarrassed for what I like? When I saw other good bands in concerts I couldn't love them. Good for KISS 💋.

[@Starman2112ofKings]

The article was absolutely spot on. I even remember going to the Alive II tour in December of 77. Wore my concert shirt to school and most and especially the older kids were yelling crap about KISS saying they are a cartoon band and suck. I also remember our bus driver allowing kids to bring boomboxes. They would play Zeppelin, Bad Company, Foghat, Boston etc….. and when I wore my shirt they would say this is real music not that stupid fire blowing, blood drooling suck band. So I went to the Dynasty tour even though I really didn’t care for the album. No way was I buying a tour shirt and going through that crap again!!!!! 😁

[@SONORSQ2guy]

My brother and I saw them in 77 afterwards our minds were so blown away Two years later we saw them during the dynasty tour afterwards we both experienced such great disappointment. Talk about digression over two years time.

[@paulgarza1386]

I was just happy to see KISS had a new album out. I saw it at the record store, asked my grandmother if she would buy it, and she did. Nothing like Grandmother's love. I didn't critique it at all. Just played it and enjoyed it.

[@vegasraiderspetef9883]

Great album sure know something ,I was made,even ace stepped up

[@garym6688]

I think Mr. Morgan's review was spot-on, but I also think that even if it had reached Kiss, it would have fallen on deaf ears. And that's because by then, Kiss didn't view their competition as Van Halen, AC/DC or The Ramones ... they were competing with Mickey Mouse, Superman and Ronald McDonald. They were unconcerned with rock and roll, per se, and more concerned about making the biggest commercial impact to the general "pop culture" audience. And that's precisely why they made a disco song the album's first single. Sure, the Stones may have given disco a bit of rock cred via "Miss You," but Kiss didn't do disco because the Stones made it okay, they did it because the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was the biggest selling album ever released at the time and they wanted a slice of that pie for themselves. If they were really concerned about the opinion that Mr. Morgan put forth in Creem (on behalf of many Kiss fans at the time), they would have not opened side one of the album with IWMFLY and most certainly would have chosen a different first single. This was their first release as a BAND in nearly two years, and they went with a disco song? They did it because they thought they were, for lack of a better word, above hard rock/heavy metal by that point. I distinctly remember Gene saying "we want to be all things to all people" and that was their mindset - not to rock as hard as Motorhead, but to sell to the widest demographic as possible. And it worked ... at least for a little while.

[@acorn-yy1gi]

Spot on comment, amigo. Well put. They definitely grabbed some short term gain at the price of long term pain. Gene especially turned a deaf ear (sorry, Paul) to the rock audience. He thought being with Cher was a credibility enhancing development. Gene thought other bands would love to sell lunchboxes and pop-guns, if only they could. Ronnie Jams Dio said year ago that metal fans are the most loyal fans. In contrast, pop fans are fickle; they easily move on to the next fad. KISS went chasing the kind of people who read their newspaper on New Year's Day to see "What's In/What's Out."

[@rexsmetzer]

Another great episode guys!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 And Mark you are right, I get so excited everytime I get something from Alain!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 He does great work!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@steveandersen469]

Thumbs 👍 up from me!! AEROSMITH ALERT ⚠️ in the 34th minute!! 'In the 34th minute, people!!' 'Would you look at the time ⏲️?' AEROSMITH ARMY REJOICE!! This is your moment. No Gene, no Paul, no Eric, no Tommy = No problem. Forget the KISS 💋 Army, you won 🏆!! Blue Kool-Aid Drinker. Peace out from the Southern Tip of Vancouver Island 🏝, B.C. Canada 🇨🇦

[@johnboy5177]

You’re right Tommy l saw them July 25 at Madison Square Garden

[@lowbodyfat6707]

This was a great episode I was 4 in 1979, but do remember vividly playing with a kid whose older sister had kiss posters plastered all over the walls in her room. I remember being enthralled and having a Gene Simmons Metco. Found them again when I bought Crazy nights 10 years later, then rented kiss exposed…… I was hooked forever. I wish I would have lived through it like you guys did… very cool. As far as the review on dynasty …. I guess they were pretty spot on, but I do like the album, it’s just very different, Unmasked was even more different with its pop rock.

[@thsbulldawg82]

Just checked out Mac Saturn. That's pretty sweet! Never heard of them. Thanks

[@Pamplemousse82322]

I was 10 in 79, I was so excited to put Dynasty on my turntable that i put side 2 on first by mistake. Flipped it, needle down, what the hell is that lol

[@drivingrain8536]

Great episode. Thanks

[@MaxBrand-v7e]

Dynasty was Kiss's best sellers up to that point which was a departure of being a hard-core band as we know of but thus eas the beginning of the spiral for Kiss which went on for a decade till the reunion.

[@MichaelBrandvold]

The spiral ended with Lick It Up. The 80s were quite successful for the band.

[@Gordon-i6v]

Dynasty was a good album good songs what's the production would have been heavier at least at 7😮

[@MichaelBrandvold]

We aren’t looking for your review of the album.

[@planetcool2240]

Aside from "I was made for loving you" , the other songs were decent and well written actually. As with Gene, that song drives me nuts. Overall on the album, the bass sounded good but the guitars seem to sound was so so but the guitar playing and riffs were good. Sound production wise, it was so so and not sure why but it just never sat with me as a good sounding album. When you hear the live versions of the songs from this album later in their career, they sound really good which says that the song time aside from the 1st track is the test of time. Charisma live is so much better especially right now with Gene playing it live. As with Mike said about 1980, yes that was a good year for heavy rock music.

[@markwendt3838]

Rock and roll hell off of creatures of the night is the song I love to play in my car & home unfortunately hearing it live at the Rockford metro center December 31st 1982 just didn't work

[@kendetulio4009]

I got this album for my 11th birthday. Total disappointment after living with Alive II for 2 years.

[@Clyde_Lewis]

Fantastic episode! Yes, I remember being disappointed gradually, starting around Alive 2, just because the mix, the band sound kept getting a little lighter with each album. The songs still rocked to a point, but the mix was getting a little lighter. Also, it was disappointing getting Paul's 45 single and it being the ballad. By the time Dynasty came out, it was maybe not as disappointing as the pure ballad stuff, but it was a little too much like Donna Summer (maybe a Cher influence?) I guess I was about 10, and it wasn't easy to get the money to buy the stuff and then be disappointed. Probably by late 77 or early 78, I began to seek out heavier alternatives, but still loved Ace's solo album and other Kiss stuff. Mark is dead on right about 1980, and I was also getting into Pat Travers, big time. Styx and Queen had Elder-esque moments, and somehow Queen survived Hot Space by not touring the U.S. anymore. 😞 Kiss learned their lesson and I don't think they sunk so low again.