The KISS problem

[Kaos]

Serious question.

Did the makeup prevent people from taking them seriously at all?  Did it cause radio stations to immediately dismiss them? 

I've heard several KISS songs that I think could/should have been considered among the regular rotation of classic rock stations yet even in the days they truly ruled the planet radio play was hard to come by.  Oh, RnR All Night is overplayed.  And you'll occasionally get Beth.  But...

Black Diamond - Great guitar work and solid vocals by Peter.

Hard Luck Woman - If Rod Stewart releases this, it is a standard on classic stations now.  In fact, when radio thought it WAS Stewart it got solid play. Vanished when they found out it was KISS

There are tons of songs that hold up IMO. 

I just heard Paul Stanley's Live to Win (a solo effort) on an iTunes station I created.  It was a solid song. No idea why other crap that isn't as good makes it and his album was essentially ignored/forgotten. 

I know they're my boys and whatnot, so I'm biased, but still....  seems snobbish to ignore them.

[WiregrassTiger]

Serious question.

Did the makeup prevent people from taking them seriously at all?  Did it cause radio stations to immediately dismiss them? 

I've heard several KISS songs that I think could/should have been considered among the regular rotation of classic rock stations yet even in the days they truly ruled the planet radio play was hard to come by.  Oh, RnR All Night is overplayed.  And you'll occasionally get Beth.  But...

Black Diamond - Great guitar work and solid vocals by Peter.

Hard Luck Woman - If Rod Stewart releases this, it is a standard on classic stations now.  In fact, when radio thought it WAS Stewart it got solid play. Vanished when they found out it was KISS

There are tons of songs that hold up IMO. 

I just heard Paul Stanley's Live to Win (a solo effort) on an iTunes station I created.  It was a solid song. No idea why other crap that isn't as good makes it and his album was essentially ignored/forgotten. 

I know they're my boys and whatnot, so I'm biased, but still....  seems snobbish to ignore them.

I think that you've answered your own question. If Rod Stewart had released it, yes, it would be a classic. But, KISS was the GWAR or Insane Clowns of the 70's. Novelty Band. And the program directors realize that their fanbase is spending so much money at Star Trek conventions that they have little disposable income left to spend on the products that their station promotes for their advertisers. So, KISS is a no-go for classic rock.

Also, most radio stations don't have 8-Track players anymore.

[Kaos]

I think that you've answered your own question. If Rod Stewart had released it, yes, it would be a classic. But, KISS was the GWAR or Insane Clowns of the 70's. Novelty Band. And the program directors realize that their fanbase is spending so much money at Star Trek conventions that they have little disposable income left to spend on the products that their station promotes for their advertisers. So, KISS is a no-go for classic rock.

Also, most radio stations don't have 8-Track players anymore.

I'd buy that EXCEPT..

More records sold than any band in American history (American band). 
Highest grossing concert tour of 1996 (twenty years after they started)
One of the biggest tours of 2014 (nearly 40 years after)
Rock Hall of Fame

Ignored by radio for the most part, though.  What's weird to me is that often if you play the music and don't tell people who it is, they like it fine.  As soon as you say "Oh, that's KISS"  do they start saying it sucks or sounds shitty. 

There's also this

[jmar]

I can't wrap my head around the enigma that is Nirvana. The original material and body of work just aren't there. Liked some of their songs. Really enjoyed the Unplugged concert which is what puzzles me so. Who decided that  they would be the group to perform that Unplugged concert? How is it that they were chosen before so many other deserving groups for an up close and personal concert? A third of the songs were covers but it was phenomenal. That one evening made them legendary, further endeared them to the public and catapulted them into the R&RHOF.
HOW?

[Kaos]

I can't wrap my head around the enigma that is Nirvana. The original material and body of work just aren't there. Liked some of their songs. Really enjoyed the Unplugged concert which is what puzzles me so. Who decided that  they would be the group to perform that Unplugged concert? How is it that they were chosen before so many other deserving groups for an up close and personal concert? A third of the songs were covers but it was phenomenal. That one evening made them legendary, further endeared them to the public and catapulted them into the R&RHOF.
HOW?

A mosquito

[bgreene]

A mosquito

A libido

[Saniflush]

Serious question.

Did the makeup prevent people from taking them seriously at all?  Did it cause radio stations to immediately dismiss them? 

I've heard several KISS songs that I think could/should have been considered among the regular rotation of classic rock stations yet even in the days they truly ruled the planet radio play was hard to come by.  Oh, RnR All Night is overplayed.  And you'll occasionally get Beth.  But...

Black Diamond - Great guitar work and solid vocals by Peter.

Hard Luck Woman - If Rod Stewart releases this, it is a standard on classic stations now.  In fact, when radio thought it WAS Stewart it got solid play. Vanished when they found out it was KISS

There are tons of songs that hold up IMO. 

I just heard Paul Stanley's Live to Win (a solo effort) on an iTunes station I created.  It was a solid song. No idea why other crap that isn't as good makes it and his album was essentially ignored/forgotten. 

I know they're my boys and whatnot, so I'm biased, but still....  seems snobbish to ignore them.

I'm not sure why they never really hit the stratosphere as far as radio play.  I think a lot of it had to do with radio stations being at an in between period of what they were going to play. 
Example, In Montgomery in the 70's the flagship station was Y102 but you were not about to hear Kiss.  It got about as heavy as the Eagles and not much more.  Everything else on the FM dial was either country or closer to disco.  If I wanted to hear Kiss or anything close to harder rock I had to go to the AM dial.  I just don't think the rest of their catalog got the exposure that it needed and probably rightfully deserved in a lot of cases. 
Then there's this....

[jmar]

Carried my sisters to their first concert which was KISS in Birmingham, maybe 1978 or '79. The aisles were packed with mostly young teens but the crowd was far younger overall than any concert I had ever attended. The sound was deafening and the makeup made it a little strange for me personally  but I'm guessing this was the advent of anthem rock. The indoor acoustics just couldn't support it.
ZZ Top was a loud band at the BJCC but nothing like KISS.   
Seems the FM stations were playing Fleetwood Mac, The Cars, Jackson Browne and yes, the ever commercial Rod Stewart at that time so yes, KISS was definitely a shock to the system.
*Commodores and EW&F were staples on FM also.

   

[Catphish Tilly]

I can name with confidence only two songs sang by KISS. Rock and Roll All Nite and Calling Dr. Love. And I only recall the second one after a google search and remembering that Dr. Pepper commercial from a few years ago.

[Kaos]

Carried my sisters to their first concert which was KISS in Birmingham, maybe 1978 or '79. The aisles were packed with mostly young teens but the crowd was far younger overall than any concert I had ever attended. The sound was deafening and the makeup made it a little strange for me personally  but I'm guessing this was the advent of anthem rock. The indoor acoustics just couldn't support it.
ZZ Top was a loud band at the BJCC but nothing like KISS.   
Seems the FM stations were playing Fleetwood Mac, The Cars, Jackson Browne and yes, the ever commercial Rod Stewart at that time so yes, KISS was definitely a shock to the system.
*Commodores and EW&F were staples on FM also.

   

In terms of deafening, nothing topped AC/DC.  Saw them in BJCC in about 1988 or 1989.  Was on the floor and they dropped cannons down from the roof when they did For Those About to Rock.  Those things went off a dozen times or more.  The sound was something you felt as much as heard.  it would hit so hard it made my chest hurt. 

It was two weeks before I could hear well again.  For four or five days everything I heard was tinged with "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"  I'm not sure my hearing ever completely recovered honestly. 

[War Eagle!!!]

In terms of deafening, nothing topped AC/DC.  Saw them in BJCC in about 1988 or 1989.  Was on the floor and they dropped cannons down from the roof when they did For Those About to Rock.  Those things went off a dozen times or more.  The sound was something you felt as much as heard.  it would hit so hard it made my chest hurt. 

It was two weeks before I could hear well again.  For four or five days everything I heard was tinged with "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"  I'm not sure my hearing ever completely recovered honestly.

That's because the music sucks. They have to do a bunch of other shit to distract you from the shitty music.

[Saniflush]

That's because the music sucks. They have to do a bunch of other shit to distract you from the shitty music.

[WiregrassTiger]

I still here them on the Satanic stations pretty often.

[dallaswareagle]

I still here them on the Satanic stations pretty often.

When my XM is down I hear them on the oldies station.

[War Eagle!!!]

I still here them on the Satanic stations pretty often.

Knights
In
Satan
Service

[jmar]

I say Hollywood did irreparable harm to music. You people were drawn in by Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy.
And Travolta still blows!

[Snaggletiger]

I say Hollywood did irreparable harm to music. You people were drawn in by Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy.
And Travolta still blows!

You take that back.  This here is real acting.

Sissy, I’m hardheaded, and I’m prideful. I want to apologize clear back to the first time I hit you.

[jmar]

You take that back.  This here is real acting.

Sissy, I’m hardheaded, and I’m prideful. I want to apologize clear back to the first time I hit you.

It's a damn good thing that Vinny didn't come out of the closet back then or you would all be gayer, speaking Russian and still dancing to the Bee Gees.

[Snaggletiger]

I do still dance to the Bee Gee's.  Naked.

[WiregrassTiger]

In terms of deafening, nothing topped AC/DC.  Saw them in BJCC in about 1988 or 1989.  Was on the floor and they dropped cannons down from the roof when they did For Those About to Rock.  Those things went off a dozen times or more.  The sound was something you felt as much as heard.  it would hit so hard it made my chest hurt. 

It was two weeks before I could hear well again.  For four or five days everything I heard was tinged with "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"  I'm not sure my hearing ever completely recovered honestly.

whatever. I heard Burl Ives do a Christmas Show in Atlanta at the Fox one year and you could practically see the chandeliers shaking during Rudolph. It was crazy and loud.