Somewhere, recently, we talked about 1990s tribute albums and I forgot why I love "If I Were A Carpenter" and "Saturday Mornings" but have forgotten about "KISS My Ass". So I fired it up on YouTube.
Jeebus.
It starts out well enough, with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder(!?) doing "Deuce" and Garth Brooks' "Hard Luck Woman," but dag.
First problem: KISS doesn't have that many great songs. The truth of the matter is their strength is like the Greatful Dead: They put on an amazing live show. So pretty soon you're looking at the playlist and counting the minutes until you get to Toad the Wet Sprocket doing "Rock & Roll All Night (And Party Every Day)". Because that and "Detroit Rock City" are the big KISS songs. And you remember Toad the Wet Sprocket being a notable band. And then it gets there. And they do an upbeat rocker as a blissed out stoner funeral dirge. It literally kills the album. Shut off before the 2nd verse. Christmas Day and nothing to do, so I'm firing up to get through the rest of the album and they fuck up "Dr. Love" and "Strutter." Neither's a particularly good song, but if you tear into them with energy and keep the momentum going, they're fine.
Ah well, that's about it.
For NOW...
[edit] Oh thank FUCK The Mighty Mighty Bosstones did not fuck up "Detroit Rock City." Too bad they didn't start with it and end with a non-shitty cover of "Rock & Roll All Night."