The 2020 Rock Comeback That Could Have Been: Top 12 Tours We Lost

  In late 2019, something interesting happened in the world of rock n’ roll…

A bunch of big bands who hadn’t been active in many years started announcing reunion tours and/or co-headlining tours with other big bands. While reunions and co-headlining treks were nothing new by this point, it certainly seemed like an unusually large amount of them were about to happen all at once. For people like me, this was a pretty huge deal! I knew deep down that the reason for it all was just because the world economy was better than ever at the time, and all of these dinosaur-aged, nostalgia-act has-beens wanted to take advantage of that. But I didn’t care! I was just happy that a bunch of bands that I admired were coming back and/or teaming up in new and unique ways.

And then of course, 2020 happened, and I think you know the rest of the story from there…

Some of these would-be rock revival tours have since been canceled, while others have been delayed indefinitely. Maybe they’ll still happen someday, or maybe not. That being said, whatever the future holds, I thought it would be fun to take some time to look at all of those 2020 rock comeback tours that could have been, and also evaluate what the future could hold for all of these different acts, and what they’re all doing in the meantime. Think of this as a sort of “what if” and “what can still be” glimpse, if you will…

Also, for what it’s worth; I know that artists of pretty much all other genres were impacted by the pandemic as well, but I’m not really as passionate about other genres in the way that I am about rock music in particular (and I don’t even listen to much music at all these days, to be fair). I have respect for all of those different styles of music, for sure, but they just don’t really “get me going” in the way that rock does (bar a few exceptions, of course). I used to be a snob about that sorta thing, but these days I try to keep more of an open mind. Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll actually like another genre more than rock n’ roll. But alas, today is not that day…

So, without further ado, here are the Top 12 rock comeback tours of 2020 that never were! Starting with…

12.Kiss Farewell Tour (For Real This Time…?)

In 1996, the original Kiss line-up reunited. Then in 2000, they embarked on a farewell tour (“The Last Kiss” Tour), saying that they “wanted to go out on a high.” Pretty much as soon as the tour was over, founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons replaced guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss with hired hands, even giving them the same makeup designs and everything! Further touring and recording resumed not too long after that, and this infamous new line-up of Kiss still continues to this very day. I suppose the 2000 tour was still a “farewell” to the original line-up, at least. Nevertheless, if Paul and Gene’s goal was to “go out on a high,” they certainly failed (and that’s coming from someone who actually likes 2012’s Monster album). The group kicked off a new farewell tour in 2019 (dubbed “The End of the Road”), and were caught lip syncing at pretty much every single show right up until the pandemic shut everything down. Currently, the Europe leg has been rescheduled to early summer, which means it’ll probably be delayed by yet another year (they’re already confirmed for Download Fest 2022 in the UK anyways). Same can probably be said for the South America leg in the fall. The late summer North America leg and the winter Oceania leg might still happen though, if I had to guess. I suppose if you’re a diehard fan and don’t mind lip syncing then it’s worth going to see the band while you still can. For the rest of us, though? Hard pass…

11.Motley Crue Reunion Tour (w/ Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)

When Motley Crue completed their 35th anniversary tour in 2015, they claimed that all four members had signed a contract promising that they would never perform live under the Motley Crue name ever again. Then their 40th anniversary came around in 2020, and it was announced that they’d be embarking on a massive trek of stadiums (simply titled “The Stadium Tour”), alongside three other household names. In short, they admitted that the whole contract thing was bullshit (but we all knew that anyway). On one hand, I think it’s shitty that they didn’t stick to their word, despite the fact that everyone saw it coming from a mile away. On the other hand, this tour intrigues me just because of it’s rather unique nature alone. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a non-festival rock tour of this magnitude. Four massive bands from the annals of rock history, touring gargantuan football stadiums across America. If you’re just looking for nothing but a good time (pun intended) and want to pretend like you’re back in 1989, I’d say it’s worth checking out. I’m probably gonna pass though, as I feel that Crue has aged rather poorly. All of the summer 2020 dates have been rescheduled to 2021, from June to September to be exact. My guess is that at least the first five or six shows might still get canceled and/or delayed again though, while the post-Fourth of July shows probably have a better chance of happening still…

10.Guns N’ Roses “Next Chapter” Tour (w/ The Smashing Pumpkins and Gary Clark Jr.)

After 23 years of estrangement (pun intended), Axl Rose and Slash buried the hatchet and embarked on their big reunion tour from early 2016 all the way until late 2019. No new music came during this time, apart from a handful of old demos that the band dusted off in mid 2018 for the 30th anniversary of Appetite for Destruction. It seemed like 2020 would finally bring about a new era for the band though, as the upcoming tour was being labeled as “the next chapter,” with slogans such as “the next chapter is about to begin” scattered all over the marketing. The band actually did the first show of the tour in Mexico, in mid March, right when the coronavirus was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Needless to say, the rest of the tour was postponed indefinitely and the band flew home right after that. Interestingly enough though, during the soundcheck right before the Mexico gig, the band rehearsed a new song called Hard School (the demo of which leaked a few months prior, along with many other unreleased songs). Even Axl took part in that rehearsal (which he rarely does). Who knows? Maybe they really were finally on the verge of something new…

As of now, the South America leg of the tour is canceled entirely, while the Europe leg is delayed to summer 2022 (after having already been delayed from summer 2020 to summer 2021). The North America and Oceania legs are still scheduled for the fall/winter of this year (after also suffering a year-long delay). Those will probably still happen. Not sure about new music, though. Wouldn’t be surprised if the band has just given up at this point, knowing them. And if that’s the case, I don’t really care anymore. If they wanna just be a nostalgia act from now on, fine by me. I got to see them when the reunion started in 2016, so I don’t really need to see them again (unless new music really does happen, or even just another boxset of old demos for the Use Your Illusion 30th anniversary). I actually had tickets to see them in 2020, but that’s only because The Smashing Pumpkins were gonna be the opening act, and I thought it’d be cool to see both bands together (even though I already saw The Pumpkins in 2018 as well). That being said, The Pumpkins have since dropped out of the tour entirely (to focus on their upcoming 33-song double album, a “sequel” to Mellon Collie and Machina), so I refunded my tickets. Not a major loss for me, so it’s whatever.

9.Hella Mega Tour (Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy)

From what I can tell, Green Day is one of the most divisive bands of all time. Some people love them, and some people absolutely loathe them. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I like their popular albums, 1994’s Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot, but don’t really care for anything else, apart from the occasional single here and there. Apparently they made their most recent main album, 2020’s Father of All Motherfuckers, a bad album on purpose, cause it was the last record they were contracted to deliver to a major label. While I admire the “statement” there, I think making bad music on purpose is still a pretty shallow thing to do, but that’s just me. They also recently released the album Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!, the sequel to 2003’s Money Money 2020, both under the pseudonym The Network (one of many pseudonyms which they use). 2020 also saw the release of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s first ever solo album, No Fun Mondays. Seems like Green Day enjoys escaping the stigma of their own name every now and then, which I can understand, though I still think Father of All was a mistake (I heard parts of it when it first came out, and it was a tough listen). Weezer is another band where I’ve only listened to a few of their records in full. That being said, I admire their persistence. They released an acoustic album earlier this year called OK Human, and are about to release a new electric album in a few weeks from now called Van Weezer (notice the theme?). I never paid attention to Fall Out Boy, so I won’t comment on them one way or the other. As far the dates go; the Asia and Oceania legs have been canceled entirely (the latter of which is surprising, cause Oceania is actually doing okay right now), while the Europe leg has been delayed to early summer 2021 (half of the shows are still missing new dates though) and the North America leg has been delayed to late summer 2021. My prediction is that the Europe shows will get delayed again, if not canceled entirely. The North America shows are probably the only ones that’ll still happen. A world tour downgraded to a domestic tour. Sad, but it is what it is…

8.My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour

I don’t actually know much about this band, other than that they have a pretty big fanbase, so I imagine a ton of people must’ve been pretty thrilled when they announced their reunion after a decade of inactivity. Sadly, they only got around to playing one show before the pandemic kicked into high gear. All of the other shows are delayed to 2022 now (after being delayed to 2021 first, of course). No sign of new music from these guys either, as far as I know, though I imagine that’s because frontman Gerard Way is busy working on the third season of Umbrella Academy, among his other writing projects.

7.The Rolling Stones Tour (Yes, They’re Still Around)

Imagine traveling back in time to 1962, when The Rolling Stones first formed, and telling them “In the year 2020, you guys will have to delay an entire tour leg due to a global plague. And yes, you guys are still around in 2020.” What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the band had already been touring consistently for a few years leading up to the pandemic. As a matter of fact, they only had one leg left to go, in North America. As of now, that leg is still in limbo. No dates have been rescheduled yet, but no cancellations have happened either. If I had to guess though, I think we’ve really seen the last of The Stones on stage this time. At their age, and with the paranoid world we live in now, I really can’t see these guys playing live ever again, apart from maybe a big 60th anniversary show in the UK next year. But as sad as that may be, the fact that they were able to tour for 57 years (with some years off here and there, of course) is nothing to balk at! Plus, they released a new covid-inspired single last year, along with some old demos that never saw a proper release until now. The band also recently hinted at a new album on their social media pages. Assuming that really does come to fruition, it’ll be their first new studio record since 2005’s A Bigger Bang (not counting the 2016 covers collection Blue & Lonesome). So at least there’s that to hopefully still look forward to!

6.Aerosmith Vegas Residency, Anniversary Show and Farewell Tour

When the pandemic hit, Aerosmith were in the middle of a series of residency shows in Las Vegas, which itself was part of their supposed farewell tour that’s been going on since 2017, but still has no real end in sight. The band was also scheduled to play a big 50th anniversary show in their hometown of Boston in the fall of 2020, but that show has since been pushed out an entire year, while the remaining Vegas shows are still in limbo, and all other shows have been pushed all the way out to summer 2022. This all happened at an interesting time for the band, as they had just patched things up with original drummer Joey Kramer, whom they had kicked out of the band a year prior after he had been with them nonstop for 49 years (I don’t know the specifics of the drama there). They also were apparently about to start work on a new album, their first since 2012’s Music from Another Dimension, but I’m not sure if that’s still happening or not. As far as touring goes; my guess is that the Vegas residency is toast now, but all of the other dates will probably still happen (though they’ll likely be Aerosmith’s last).

5.Genesis Reunion Tour

At the beginning of 2020, literally right before the world went to shit, Genesis reunited and announced a small run of UK shows for the fall. It would have been their first time touring since 2006-2007 (which itself was their first time touring since 2000). The band has since delayed all of the shows by an entire year (smart move). Frontman Phil Collins recently said that there’s no plans for new music, but added “never say never.” Collins himself hasn’t done a record with the band since 1991’s We Can’t Dance, and the only other record they’ve done without him is 1997’s lackluster Calling All Stations. New music would be interesting, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

4.Faith No More Reunion Tour (w/ Korn)

In 2009, Faith No More reunited and toured for the first time since 1998. Then in 2015, they released the album Sol Invictus (their first record since 1997’s Album of the Year). For awhile, it seemed like the band was really here to stay this time. But then in 2016, after performing a pair of small shows with original vocalist Chuck Mosely, the group faded away once again. Mosely then died in 2017, while primary vocalist Mike Patton moved on to various other projects (like he always does). Then in late 2019, the band shocked their fanbase by announcing yet another reunion tour for 2020, with Korn as their co-headlining act. Interestingly enough, around this same time, Patton also reunited with his other big band, Mr. Bungle, who have since released their first studio album since 1999 (with another album potentially on the way now too). Sadly, things haven’t worked out as well for Faith No More. The tour with Korn has been canceled entirely now (apart from two shows next month), and the string of European festival dates they have booked for this summer are likely to be canceled too (if I have to guess). The Oceania leg of their tour is scheduled for early 2022. My bet is that this is the only leg that’ll still happen (at least for now). No sign of new music either. I could be wrong, but it seems like Patton just sees Faith No More as “the touring band that pays my bills,” while Mr. Bungle serves as his true creative outlet.

3.Red Hot Chili Peppers Classic Line-Up Reunion Tour

In 2007, after the Red Hot Chili Peppers completed the tour for their 2006 double album Stadium Arcadium, classic-era guitarist John Frusciante began to drift away from the group. It wasn’t the first time, as he had already been out of the band once before, from 1992 to 1998. He confirmed his second departure in 2009, and was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, a longtime friend of Frusciante’s who had already been serving as a touring member since 2007. Apparently Frusciante saw this as a betrayal, and his friendship with Klinghoffer has been strained ever since. The band went on to make two more studio albums, I’m With You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), as well as one b-side album, I’m Beside You (2013). While all of these records were a modest success, none of them were ever able to reach the heights of the Frusciante-era stuff. So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that when Frusciante expressed interest in returning once more in late 2019, the band relieved Klinghoffer of his duties. Personally, I really liked Josh. He seemed like a nice guy in interviews, and I felt he really came into his own as a guitarist by the time the band got to The Getaway. He was apparently going to tour with Pearl Jam as a solo act, before the pandemic hit (he even collaborated with them a bit). Hopefully that still happens, once the world is back to (mostly) normal. I wish him well.

That being said, John Frusciante is fucking John Frusciante. There’s just no one else like him. He truly is one of the most unique guitarists of all time. So if there’s an opportunity for the band to bring him back so that they can make a true follow-up to Stadium Arcadium, then I say they should go for it! They’re not getting any younger, so it’s now or never! Out of all the potential future rock albums and/or tours, this is easily the one I’m most excited for, by far. The band did actually manage to play a one-off show last year (their first with Frusciante since 2007), but were then forced to cancel the string of Europe and North America festival dates they had on the books. Currently, there are no rescheduled dates on their roster, but it seems like the new album is coming along, so at least we have that to look forward to! Also, for what it’s worth: Yes, I know the Chili Peppers and Faith No More have feuded with each other often in the past. I didn’t mean to put them right next to one another on this list. That was just a coincidence.

2.Rage Against the Machine Reunion Tour (w/ Run the Jewels)

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha quit the group to work on a solo album which, believe it or not, he’s still working on to this very day. In the meantime, the remaining members went on to form Audioslave with Chris Cornell (RIP), and the short-lived, ill-fated Prophets of Rage not too long after that. RATM has actually already reunited once before, from 2007 to 2011, but they only did a handful of shows each of those years. The 2020 tour would’ve been their first “proper” tour in twenty years (hence why it’s so high on this list). Once the pandemic hit, all shows were pushed out to 2021, and now 2022. I’m sure all of the dates will still happen, eventually, as I have a feeling the only reason de la Rocha reunited with the rest of the band in the first place is because he needs the money. I doubt new music will happen though, but I’m sure the shows will still be full of energy.

1.AC/DC Classic Line-Up Reunion Tour

The album-and-touring cycle for AC/DC’s 2014 record Rock or Bust was turbulent, to say the least. First, before work on the album even started, founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young was forced to leave the band in 2013, after being diagnosed with dementia. His nephew Stevie ended up taking his place (Malcolm, sadly, succumbed to his illness and died in 2017). Then in 2014, just after the album was released, longtime drummer Phil Rudd was charged with possession of illegal drugs and attempted murder (yikes!). He was quickly replaced with Chris Slade, who had already served as the band’s drummer from 1989-1994, when Rudd was out of the group due to other drug-related issues at the time. Then in early 2016, when the Rock or Bust Tour still had two more legs to go, singer Brian Johnson blew out his eardrums after standing too close to racing vehicles without hearing protection. The smart thing for the band to do would’ve been to just cancel the rest of the tour at that point, but as lead guitarist and central member Angus Young put it: “You can’t call the album Rock or Bust, and then bust!” In an interesting turn of events, the band recruited Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to fill in on vocal duties for the remaining dates, right when the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour had just started as well! For the next few months, Rose alternated back and forth between both bands, until all of the remaining AC/DC shows were complete. Immediately after, longtime bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement, saying that the band “didn’t feel right” anymore due to all of the sudden line-up changes that had occurred from 2013-2016. 

For awhile, it seemed like the AC/DC story was over. Then in 2017, Johnson was able to get his hearing restored after meeting a doctor who had been developing new hearing technology with a group of scientists. Later that year, he appeared on stage with Muse to prove that he was back to performance-ready shape. Then in 2018, Rudd was cleared of all charges. How? I don’t know! But not too long after that, all four classic surviving members (Brian, Angus, Cliff, Phil) and Stevie were spotted entering a studio in Vancouver. Throughout all of 2019, there were rumblings of a new album on the way. The big rumor was that it would drop in early 2020, around the 40th anniversary of the legendary Back in Black album. Then, of course, the pandemic happened, and it was radio-silence for the next several months after that. Finally, towards the end of the year, the new record, titled Power Up, saw the light of day! The band confirmed shortly thereafter that they had wanted to tour in support of it, but that everything was now up in the air due to the pandemic, and they didn’t want to sit on the new music any longer. Shame about the tour, really. Hopefully they can play at least one or a few shows in their homeland of Australia. They owe it to themselves and their diehards to celebrate at least one last time, especially after such a triumphant return…

    Well, that’s all I got!

Peace!

UPDATE: In a similar vein to this post, it’s funny how a bunch of bands broke up or retired from touring in 2024 (Rage Against the Machine, Hall & Oates, Jeff Lynn’s ELO, Jane’s Addiction, REO Speedwagon, Aerosmith, Sum 41, etc.). Furthermore, it’s also funny how a bunch of bands changed drummers in 2025 (Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, The Who, Kiss, Oasis, Rush, etc.).

Related: List Repository

The Good & The Bad: KISS (Non-Original Lineup Studio Albums)

        A few weeks back I did a run-through of the Kiss studio albums made by the original line-up (for the most part, at least). So I figured that now it made sense to also go over all of the other studio albums that Paul and Gene went on to make without Ace and Peter (again, for the most part). And just as a reminder; this review series does not involve any form of ranking, rating, etc. I just simply state the things I like and dislike regarding each entry.

So, without further ado, let’s just jump right in:

1.Music from “The Elder” (1981)

THE GOOD: So when I first listened to this album, I made the mistake of listening to the original track order that was mandated by the record label, against the band’s wishes, and didn’t like it at all. The reason that was a mistake on my part is because this is supposed to be a concept album, where the songs need to be heard in a specific sequence in order for the overall narrative to make sense. Thankfully, the band was able to eventually do a reissue of the album, with the correct order restored. I listened to that version shortly after, and instantly went from hating it to liking it. Is it as stellar as concept records made by the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, or The Who? No, of course not! But for those new to the whole concept album listening experience that may be looking for something a little “simpler” to digest, this is a solid starting point.

THE BAD: While I like the record overall, there are still a solid handful of clunker tunes on here that drag it down a bit, sadly. Paul’s “broadway” falsetto voice on tracks like Just A Boy still doesn’t really work for me. Odyssey goes on for way too long. And while I don’t mind the opening instrumental Fanfare (it “sets the tone”), I can see it giving most listeners a pretty bad first impression, and sometimes, first impressions really are everything…

2.Creatures of the Night (1982)

THE GOOD: Whoa! Holy crap… Now we’re talking! After the band’s last few records were poorly received (despite being looked back on as cult classics now), they decided to return to their hard rock roots here, and the result is fantastic! Also, as diehard fans know, while Ace appears on the cover art, he actually doesn’t play on this album at all, as he had already decided to quit after The Elder. Therefore, Paul and Gene decided to use this record as an opportunity to secretly “audition” various potential replacements. All of the uncredited guitarists who play on here were definitely determined to bring their A-game to the table, and it shows! All of the guitar work on this album is absolutely top-notch!

THE BAD: The song Saint & Sinner is definitely the weak link here (it grew on me, though). Also, the track Keep Me Comin’ sounds a bit like a Led Zeppelin ripoff, but a good Led Zeppelin ripoff, at least! Similarly, Killer is a ripoff of Highway Star by Deep Purple, but again, that never bothered me.

3.Lick It Up (1983)

THE GOOD: While Creatures received critical acclaim upon release, it still sold poorly, so the band wiped the makeup away to regain some public attention (shock value sells, after all) and made what could basically be seen as “Creatures 2.” Though not quite as strong as its predecessor, this is still a very solid release! And the guitar work is just as great as last time, Sadly, this is the only record to feature axeman Vinnie Vincent as a full member (which makes sense, since he's a raging asshole), but even though he was only in the band briefly, at least he made his time count.

THE BAD: The last three songs are all crap, and basically ruin what would otherwise be a perfect album, in my opinion. Funny enough, all three of those tracks happen to be written and sung by Gene, so it doesn’t surprise me that they suck, since this was around the start of when Gene prioritized his acting career over his music. As you could probably guess, the whole acting thing didn’t really work out for him, and by the time the 1990’s came around, he was back to focusing mostly on music (along with other business ventures, of course). Shame it took him that long to snap out of it… Another factor to take into account is the fact that, much like how Dynasty represented a shift towards appealing mainly to kids, this record represented a shift towards appealing more so than ever towards teens and adults, which only served to make things even more confusing than they already were!

4.Animalize (1984)

THE GOOD: The first two tracks, I’ve Had Enough (Into The Fire) and Heaven’s On Fire, serve as a solid start, and the rest of the songs all grew on me a bit over time too (expect While The City Sleeps, that shit still sucks).

THE BAD: While I no longer hate this record as much as I used to, it still feels a bit “flawed” to me. Why didn’t it work? I think part of it has to do with the fact that this was technically Paul’s first time producing on his own, and he clearly still had a lot to learn in that regard (the whole album sounds like shit, from a production perspective). Also, one-time guitarist Mark St. John (RIP), despite being talented, just didn’t fit with the band, I’m sorry to say. I’m not surprised that this ended up being his only outing with them…

5.Asylum (1985)

THE GOOD: After stumbling on Animalize, the band got back on track with this album. Paul improved a ton as a producer! Guitarist Bruce Kulick made his “official” debut here, and made sure to deliver the goods! The singles Who Wants To Be Lonely and especially Tears Are Falling are some of my favorite songs in the band’s entire catalog (terrible music videos, though, since the band outfits were atrocious during this era!). And there are plenty of other underrated tracks on here, most notably I’m Alive (seriously, why isn’t that one talked about more?!). EDIT: I don’t like this album as much anymore.

THE BAD: There are three tracks on here I don’t like. Two of them are Love Is A Deadly Weapon and Secretly Cruel, both of which are sung by Gene who, once again, was still phoning it in a bit at this point. The other track I dislike on here is Radar For Love which, like Keep Me Comin’ from Creatures, sounds like a Zeppelin ripoff, only this time, not a good one. Some of the other Gene songs like Any Way You Slice It and Trial By Fire aren’t necessarily bad, but still far from his best. Also, Uh! All Night is catchy, but a little too cheesy.

6.Crazy Nights (1987)

THE GOOD: So I actually avoided listening to this one for a long time cause I saw that it was ranked either dead-last or second-to-last on most people’s rankings, and I also heard it described as “Kiss Jovi” (and I’m not really a Bon Jovi person). I finally listened to it recently and while I understand why most people rank it so low, at the end of the day, I’d still much rather hear Gene and Paul sing than Jon Bon Jovi…

THE BAD: Aside from a few of the Gene songs (Hell Or High Water and Thief In The Night in particular), the rest of this record sounds very dated. Which is surprising, since Gene was apparently still focusing mainly on his movie career, at this point. I think on stuff like The Elder and Carnival of Souls, he was the one concerned with chasing trends, whereas on this record, it was Paul. Also, a bunch of label executives apparently gave this album a standing ovation when they first heard it. I guess I can see why it would’ve sounded cool way back in 1987, but it certainly hasn’t aged well…

7.Hot in the Shade (1989)

THE GOOD: This album, the last to fully feature drummer Eric Carr (RIP), is certainly a standout in the band’s catalog, with one of the biggest reasons being that it’s basically just a bunch of demo recordings with some “polish” on them. Most people would see this as a bad thing, but I actually kinda like it! The lo-fi quality helps the record to feel much more unique, when standing next to the rest of the band’s discography. This album also marks a nice return-to-form after Crazy Nights and those two god-awful bonus songs they did for that compilation in 1988!

THE BAD: At fifteen tracks in total, this record is certainly long in the tooth. Almost half of these songs would’ve fit better as b-sides, rather than album tracks proper, and Read My Body (a shameless ripoff of Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me) should've been deleted from existence altogether…

8.Revenge (1992)

THE GOOD: Damn! With Bob Ezrin returning to the producer chair, and Vinnie Vincent briefly back (as an outside songwriter), the band were able to recapture their “hard rock roots,” just like they did a decade earlier with Creatures (too bad neither record sold well, though). And once again, the result is fantastic! I love this album! It’s still not quite as strong as most of the makeup-era records, of course, but it comes pretty damn close, as far as I’m concerned! A nice return to form.

THE BAD: Parts of the song Spit sound like a ripoff of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, but that song was also a ripoff, so who cares? The only tracks I really dislike on here are Heart Of Chrome (who thought singing two different choruses at the same time was a good idea?) and Every Time I Look At You (most generic ballad ever). 

9.Carnival of Souls (1997)

THE GOOD: Recorded in early 1996, but shelved for a bit to avoid conflict with the original lineup reunion at that time, this is Kiss’s “grunge” album (they were still chasing trends, at this point). They even went as far as to recruit Toby Wright, producer of Alice in Chains’ seminal Dirt, which is funny since AiC have cited Kiss as an influence, in more ways than one. Most people see this record as a step too far, but I actually like it! Is it because I grew up on grunge? Probably, but at the end of the day, all I really care about is whether I like something or not. I try not to concern myself too much with the politics behind something…

THE BAD: Rain is a ripoff of AiC’s Rain When I Die, but once again, in this case, I don’t really care. There are only three tracks on here I truly dislike. Two of them are Childhood’s End and Seduction Of The Innocent (both sound really “desperate” to me). The other one is the closing track, I Walk Alone, which guitarist Bruce Kulick sings, and quite frankly, his voice sounds terrible. To be fair, I’ve never heard him sing anything else, so maybe his voice has improved since this recording…

10.Sonic Boom (2009)

THE GOOD: These last couple of records are gonna be hard for me to talk about cause they were made by “Scab Kiss.” For context, when the original lineup reunited in 1996, they also put the makeup back on. Eventually, Ace and Peter were replaced again by other people; the band’s tour manager Tommy Thayer and a returning Eric Singer, respectively. Only this time, Paul and Gene had the two of them maintain the makeup and costume designs that Ace and Peter once wore. I can only speak for myself, but I have very mixed feelings about this, but it would be too much to go through here, so I’ll save that for another day… As far as this album itself goes; I enjoy about half of the songs (mainly on the second side). I surprisingly like All For The Glory, which Eric sings. He did a good job capturing the “spirit” of Peter there, in my opinion.

THE BAD: Aside from Modern Day Delilah and Hot & Cold, all of the songs on the first side of this record sound like total trash. There’s also a song on the second side I dislike, and that’s When Lightning Strikes, which Tommy sings. Unlike Eric, I think he failed to capture the spirit of Ace (at least on this album in particular, he failed)…

11.Monster (2012)

THE GOOD: Wow… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the “scabs” actually made a decent album here. Guess they needed to make a “practice record” in the form of Sonic Boom before finding their own chemistry as a band for this one. Even Tommy finally figured out how to properly capture Ace’s character on the track Outta This World, while Eric continued to channel Peter’s character on For The Love Of Rock & Roll. On top of that, Paul and Gene sound full of energy here! Even the bonus track Right Here, Right Now kicks ass! This ended up being the last studio album before the band announced their farewell tour (I’m pretty sure they mean it for real this time). Not a bad way to end things, I’d say…

THE BAD: Back To The Stone Age is a ripoff of MC5’s Kick Out The Jams, but once again, I don’t really mind. The only track I legit don’t like is The Devil Is Me. It’s not bad, necessarily, just kinda boring, is all… Also, I enjoy Wall Of Sound, for the most part, but I also feel like something is missing on that track, in particular…

So there you have it! Overall, I like all of these other versions of Kiss too. While I complained last time about Kiss “chasing trends,” in a way, I’m kinda glad they did so, particularly on these records. It allowed each release to “stand out,” while also showing the band’s persistence to grow and evolve. I respect them for that. It’s sad that none of the lineups ever got more recognition for their actual talent…

It was also while listening to these specific records, however, when I started to notice just how repetitive Kiss can be sometimes. The older records had this sense of repetition as well, but at least Ace and Peter were also there to “balance it out.” Eric Carr was a good vocalist too. I kinda wish they would’ve had him sing more, back in the day. Maybe that would’ve helped. Oh well. Too late now…

Peace!

The Good & The Bad: KISS (Original Lineup Studio Albums)

        I thought it’d be good to do some “fun” posts, while this blog is still in it’s infancy. With that, I welcome you to my new review series: The Good & The Bad!

In case the title didn’t make it clear, I’ll be discussing things I both like and dislike regarding a specific topic. Something that I feel isn’t highlighted often enough (at least not in my social sphere) is the fact that both positive and negative attributes can be found in, well, pretty much anything. I feel like there’s a lot of people that either blindly love something too much or blindly hate it too much (sometimes both). I’ve been guilty of this toxic thought process myself in the past, and part of my goal for this blog is to try to move myself as far away from that mindset as possible.

Furthermore, there will be no ratings, rankings, etc. I used to do rankings and whatnot all the time, but I’ve recently grown more towards the attitude that art can’t really be “quantified” like that. Besides, my opinions on things change often, so who am I to tell you what to like and what not to like?

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s dive into today’s topic; the hottest band in the land… Kiss!

Ah, Kiss… I remember the first time I laid eyes on these characters! It was the early 2000’s. I was a little kid, watching a copy of Austin Powers 2 on VHS that my parents had lying around (probably by accident), when suddenly a trailer for the Detroit Rock City film came on during the previews section of the tape. I remember being blown away by the very sight of Gene Simmons, but what blew my mind even more was the song that was playing; Rock And Roll All Nite…

And so, my fascination with this band began! Like most fans, however, I went through my “phase” of thinking of them as a joke when I was a teenager. Now as an adult, however, I’ve learned to appreciate them and what they represent for rock history more than ever. Not only that, but with more time on my hands during quarantine now, I’ve actually made the effort to explore all of their albums in full for the first time ever (I had only really been familiar with the hit singles before). And fuck, was I missing out!

Many people seem to think of this band as nothing more than a “gimmick” with a few good songs here and there, but once you take the time to actually dive deep into their work, you begin to realize that they’re so much more than that! As a matter of fact, I chose this band specifically as my first to review in the hopes that I can highlight their massively underrated catalog to at least one other person out there (if not more than one).

For today, we will just be looking at the studio albums from the original lineup. I’ll probably go through the non-original lineup albums, the 1978 solo albums, and the live albums (or at least the Alive! ones) in separate posts. Before we begin, however, there are a few quick caveats to address:

1. Yes, I know Peter Criss only plays on one song on Dynasty and no songs on Unmasked, and he and Ace only play on a couple of songs on Psycho Circus. However, those were all still “marketed” as original lineup studio albums, hence why I am including them here.

2. Like with many rock bands from times of old, some of Kiss’s lyrical content can be seen by today’s standards as a little bit, well, “racy” (for lack of a better term). My advice to those exploring their deep cuts for the first time would be to just not really take any of it too seriously, in that regard (it was a different time, after all).

3.Yes, I know these guys are pretty much all assholes, in some way or another. Newsflash: We all have flaws. Sometimes you just gotta separate the art from the artist…

So, now that we finally have all of that out of the way, let’s jump right in!

1.Kiss (1974)

THE GOOD: Every song on here (yes, even the controversial cover of Kissing Time and the bizarre instrumental Love Theme From Kiss) showcases a promising start to a great and important legacy!

THE BAD: Some songs here probably sound a little too similar to one another. That being said, this is still one of my favorite studio albums of theirs.

2.Hotter Than Hell (1974)

THE GOOD: They wanted to get heavy, and heavy they got! Some of my favorite tracks are on here (the title track, Parasite, Watchin’ You and Strange Ways, just to name a few). In some ways, this album can be seen as a “grunge prototype,” of sorts.

THE BAD: While I particularly enjoy the “proto-grunge” production style on this record, I could see it being a bit of a turnoff for some. Thankfully, a good portion of these songs were redone for the acclaimed “live” album Alive! (1975) with much better production, courtesy of Eddie Kramer.

3.Dressed To Kill (1975)

THE GOOD: Once again, some of the band’s best songs are on here (Come On And Love Me, She, Rock And Roll All Nite, etc.), but they would all go on to sound much better on Alive!. This album also features the underrated gem Love Her All I Can, which unfortunately never appeared anywhere else.

THE BAD: The writing and recording process of this entire album was rushed due to tight record label demands, which led to a very “raw” production that may be off-putting at first (it grows on you, though!).

4.Destroyer (1976)

THE GOOD: After finally achieving success with Alive!, the band needed to prove that they could get “big and epic” in the studio as well, and with the help of producer Bob Ezrin, they pulled it off! As a matter of fact, I even kinda like the “weird” songs on here like Great Expectations and the minute-long “satanic” track Rock And Roll Party. Sure, the album is a little too “commercial,” and not really an authentic representation of the band’s “true” sound, but still a solid “entry point” for general audiences who may be trying to get into the band for the first time... Oh, also, check out the Destroyer: Resurrected remix album from 2011. In some ways, I actually like that version better than the original one!

THE BAD: Many die hard fans would argue that Ezrin’s influence prevented this record from sounding like “true Kiss.” Personally, I feel like this was absolutely the type of record they needed to make after Alive!, but I can only speak for myself, I guess.

5.Rock And Roll Over (1976)

THE GOOD: While I think some people these days are too hard on Destroyer, I’m still glad it was poorly received when it first came out, or else we wouldn’t have ever gotten this brilliant follow-up. Basically, it was here on this album where the band found a way to combine the “raw” sound of their earlier records with some of the songwriting techniques that they had learned with Ezrin on Destroyer, proving to everyone that they could deliver the best of both “feels.” One need look no further than the seminal ballad Hard Luck Woman, which is pretty much what Beth would’ve sounded like had it been done for one of the earlier albums, instead of Destroyer. Nearly all of the other tracks on here kick ass in pretty much the same way.

THE BAD: Love ’Em and Leave ’Em is a little boring.

6.Love Gun (1977)

THE GOOD: Almost everything that was great about Rock And Roll Over was carried over onto this album. Furthermore, we finally got to here Ace on lead vocals, and what better way to introduce his voice to the world than on the flagship track Shock Me!

THE BAD: In ways I can’t quite explain, you can kinda already hear the band “dying” a little bit on this LP. After all, this was the last full album that all four original members actually made together, and honestly, I’m not surprised. I don’t know what it is, but there was just some sort of “chemistry” that they had on all previous albums that just isn’t quite as palpable on this one… Oh, also, whoever had the idea of including the gender-bent cover Then She Kissed Me on here needs to be punished!

7.Dynasty (1979)

THE GOOD: An album chock-full of guilty pleasures (for me, at least)!

THE BAD: Unfortunately, this album also marks the start of when Kiss began trying way too hard to market themselves to little kids (well, technically the Phantom of the Park movie and the comic series and merch that started running a year prior was the start of that, but this is where the phase began as far as the albums are concerned). From this point onward, it seemed as though they didn't really know who their audience was anymore. Furthermore, this album also marked the start of when Kiss began trying (and again, way too hard) to chase whatever genre was “trendy” at the time. That meant trying to go disco, for this album in particular. If you’re one of those people that absolutely loathes disco, then this album probably isn’t gonna work for you.

8.Unmasked (1980)

THE GOOD: There’s a few good tracks here and there… The songs Easy As It Seems and Naked City have always been favorites of mine, in particular, and tracks like Shandi and What Makes The World Go ‘Round are guilty pleasures.

THE BAD: The thin production leaves a lot to be desired. Also, all of the lyrics here are extremely cheesy, even by Kiss standards! The “cheesy-ness” of the lyrics on all the previous albums felt intentional (as if the band was “in on the joke”). Here, almost all of the lyrics are just downright embarrassing! Even Ace feels like he’s being forced to sing lines that sound more “poppy” than what he would really like to be singing...

9.Psycho Circus (1998)

THE GOOD: This “reunion” album of the original lineup has some underrated gems; those being the title track, the song that Ace sings, the song that ripped off Alice Cooper, the closing track, and the Japanese bonus track.

THE BAD: Unfortunately, the rest of the songs sound like a bunch of failed attempts at trying to be the Kiss version of Queen’s We Are The Champions. Don’t get me wrong, I like that song… But not when Kiss is trying to do their own “version” of it, let alone six times in a row! Different band members blame different people for this. I don't know who to believe anymore, and at this point, I don't really care.

So there we have it! All in all, the original lineup of Kiss is a band that started out very strong, but unfortunately lost the plot, and then never quite found it again. Nevertheless, their good records are really good, and definitely deserve a spin! If you were a skeptical non-believer before, hopefully this post has helped you to recognize the fact that maybe this band is actually more than “just a gimmick,” as everyone says.

Peace!