Kiss, "Comin' Home"

20 Days to Find a Home



I love Kiss Unplugged. In as dazzling a stunt as any they ever pulled, Kiss latched onto the MTV Unplugged trend and not only didn't embarrass themselves, but came up with their best album since Alive II (and at this rate, their last great new album). Taking cues from the best MTV Unplugged appearances, like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, Kiss eschewed a greatest hits set to focus on their songs that sounded best on acoustics. One wouldn't think that any of their songs (save for "Hard Luck Woman," which they don't even play here) would sound best unplugged, but Kiss took the opportunity to show how suprisingly rich and diverse their catalogue is, from the bizarre, tender and creepy "Goin' Blind" to the relaxed "Sure Know Something" to a song from the concept album everyone wanted to forget ("A World Without Heroes", co-written by Bob Ezrin and Lou Reed??). Kiss didn't have much to prove in 1995, but they were still hungry, and they proved that they didn't need fire, blood, flying, grease paint or explosions to put on a great show.

They opened with "Comin' Home", a deep cut from Hotter than Hell, which probably seemed strange at the time but now looks prescient. Kiss were comin' home to their place as being the biggest band in the universe. A few minutes after "Comin' Home," Ace and Peter would be back onstage with Gene and Paul, each singing their own verse of "Rock and Roll All Nite," and over the next two years they'd be back onstage together, headlining the highest-grossing world tour of 1996 and 1997. The underdogs on Kiss Unplugged evaporated, but thankfully we got a great picture of them on "Comin' Home."

KISS, "Love Theme from KISS"

Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo recently revealed that the first song that his band ever played in public was a instrumental deep cut for a band that's usually not appreciated for their instrumentals or their deep cuts.



That's a shame, because "Love Theme from KISS" is a neat little song, and the only one to be credited to all four original members of KISS. It feels improvised but still sounds tight, like a perfect blend of Ace Frehley's creativity and Gene Simmons' leash. The main riff could easily carry a longer song, but in 1974 KISS were still taking risks, and they were right to keep it short. Simmons and Paul Stanley would later decide it was in their own best interest to fire Frehley and Peter Criss, replacing them with better players who did less drugs. But comparing something as organic as this to "Hell or Hallelujah," one can hear who really suffered from those decisions.

Ten Metal Bands to See Before You Die: The Dillinger Escape Plan

This.



With the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosting a schmancy “Punk: From Chaos To Couture” gala attended by Hilfigers and Kardashians this month, one could be fooled into thinking that all danger has been completely erased from rock n' roll. Then you see a band like The Dillinger Escape Plan. Rock music is going to be OK, although I worry that these guys might not be.

When anything gets burned or broken at a rock show, usually it's there to be destroyed. Notice how Paul Stanley's guitar shatters in the exact same place, at the same time in the show, night after night after night. But when something--instruments, equipment, bones--gets broken or torched at a Dillinger show, one senses that these boys just couldn't control themselves. If Greg Puciato starts running towards the crowd, get out of the way. If he brings out a torch, duck. If there's an encore, you've done something right. Show me someone who thinks that Karen O is insane, and I'll show you someone who's never seen Greg Puciato.

Watching Ben Weinman play guitar reminds me of Jerry Lee Lewis setting his piano on fire, or Kurt Cobain flinging himself into Dave Grohl's drum kit. His ability to make math-rock stay in your head has earned him a spot among today's metal greats, but his performances are in a league with the most dangerous rock legends. I don't know many people who could play "Panasonic Youth" sitting down, much less while swinging the guitar around and violently jerking back and forth. Whoever is in charge of equipment at the Bowery Presents clubs probably begs the promoters to not book The Dillinger Escape Plan.

When I get a chance to breathe, sometimes I wonder how much further these guys can go. There may not be a more musically or physically demanding band in the world. I can't imagine they're getting much compensation, unless blogger admiration counts for something. Every time someone leaves the band, I'm a little disappointed but never too surprised. But whether Puciato, Weinman and the rest of DEP break up tonight (and, considering this month's One of Us is the Killer, that would be a crushing loss), or whether they're as young as Lemmy when they're 65, watching them on any stage is one of music's rarest and most dependable thrills.

People, Let Me Get This Off My Chest: The Very Best of Paul Stanley's On Stage Banter

From a bootleg CD first circulated in 2005. Someone should put this in the MOMA.

Song of the Day: Behemoth, "Conquer All"

This week, the Polish Supreme Court ruled that Behemoth's Adam "Nergal" Darski can be tried for tearing up a bible onstage. This probably won't make much a splash in the States, where prayer in public school cases still go to court and we still have to vote on flag-burning amendments. But if Nergal ends up going to jail, his case is going to need as much support as Pussy Riot's.

In his day job, Nergal leads one of the most intentionally funny black metal bands of all time. His stage banter reminds me of a Satanic Paul Stanley. The American equivalent of the Polish Supreme Court's decision would probably be to prosecute Oderus Urungus.

"Conquer All," from Demigod, made me a fan of Behemoth. The main riff owes as much to Anthrax's "Be All, End All" as Kanye does to "I Got a Woman," but I still love hearing it with blast beats.