KISS - UNMASKED Album Review!
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Reviewing and Re-Ranking the KISS albums, one album at a time, one song at a time.
This week...1980's UNMASKED.
To see my original KISS Album Ranking video:
• Ranking the KISS Albums!
To view the full KISS Album Ranking playlist:
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I do love this album from beginning to end. It could have been heavier, for sure, but I enjoy every little bit. Ace's solos are fantastic!
The cover is brilliant, very tongue in cheek, humorous. You could spend hours looking at the details.
I have never not liked this album.
"Naked City" is not entirely a Gene song. It was co-written by Bob Kulick, the elder brother of Bruce.
I fuckin love this album.
This album is what happens when you listen to the studio people.
Still has some catchy tunes.
Shandi....OH NO ! Wild that a band that had a history of great songs then presented their fans with this. I guess that's the way it goes ?
@@keithleeuwen877 😆
Kiss are Kiss.......Their music is not like other bands. It is Kiss music. PERIOD.
What a profound statement. Profound, that is, if you’ve had a lobotomy. 😂😂
I'm not sure, but I think that you are stinking drunk. Unmasked is my favorite KISS album~ SO full of love songs (especially by Paul). Great review~
I'd have to say my all time best ace tune.... what's on your mind??
Am too drinking Natural lite!
Unmasked was not a great Kiss album. But it's better than I remembered. They were not a heavy rock band anymore. Kiss had become a pop-rock band by this time.
You have to put into context, that Kiss was riding high on the success of Dynasty, and Soft Rock was in vogue in 1980. Kiss felt this was how to stay relevant. Yes, this was the album that would have Kiss lose legions of fans, but like I said, I get why they made it.
I was never a big fan of this.... Had a promo copy of this
actually...in a quirky way I like Unmasked (definitely more than Dynasty) & Gene's solo (the most out of all 4 solo's...or as I call them 'the swelled egos are outta control shitfest')
my memorable 1980 records...Permanent Waves by Rush & Back In Black by AC/DC; Unmasked is in the mix but not the top of the heep...heel...
worst Kiss disaster...The Elder! WTF were they thinking?!?
Wo😮. Slam back another one. If I were you I wouldn't be in any hurry to review this either. All I can say is glad I didn't know what was going on with the group. I received this LP as a gift and by the time I did Peter was already out of the band. Basically I didn't get introduced to KISS until 1981. I like the Ace Frehley tracks on here except for Torpedo Girl - 2 ⭐'s. What was he thinking while he was drinking 🥴🤷? Talk To Me is his best effort after Dynasty. His vocal confidence really increased. Gene really back slid on this. His songs were awful 😞. Paul Stanley did write some good material but I can't stand Is That You. The live version from Australia is brutal. Overall for me - 2 ⭐'s with Ace saving the record with Two Sides of the Coin and Talk To Me.
Yeah, I wouldn't argue with a thing you said here. Lol. And some KISS fans will defend this album with their dying breath. And while I "like" it okay once in a while, am not one of them.
The most poignant fact is that they released this the very year other bands came out with some of their signature material. UNMASKED obviously can not hold a tea lite candle to those records. If there is a bright spot to the album, it was more globally welcome and it was a spark for them to return to their tried and true in COTN and LIU. Fun review, Dave.
Enjoyable video as always, but I so disagree with you. I thoroughly enjoy this album despite it being a pop album. Whenever we bought albums, we’d usually find that there were three great songs. We would be pleased about it. Here, you did give three songs five stars!
@eugenehewitt2917, it's tricky doing these sometimes, I admit. I enjoy listening to the album when I do, I just don't as often as others.
And I don't see the album as a failure at what it IS, it just isn't what I wanted it to be. But I can still admit that it's fun. And yes, there are definitely great songs there. A few of my longtime favorites, in fact.
When I look at it "big picture," though, I see an album that did real damage to the band and its fan base. I would argue, in fact, that Unmasked did more damage than Music From The Elder, because most people I knew had already stopped listening after Unmasked and never even heard The Elder until years later. Whether I enjoy listening to it or not, I feel like if I'm going to talk about these things I have to consider those facts, as well.
I love that you defend the album, though. Absolutely! And I love that you go straight to the heart of the matter to do that - by celebrating the songs!
No matter what I may ever say about them in these reviews, if it's vintage KISS, I LOVE the songs! Because they were SO much a part of my life from such an early age, and still are.
Do I love them all equally? Probably not. But I do love them all. And you certainly don't need anyone's approval to love the ones you do. I'm not trying to shame anyone's taste here. I'm the guy who gave "Great Expectations" five stars! 😆
Thanks for watching! And for speaking your mind, too! Hope to hear from you again!
In Australia we call football cards "footy cards".
I like the cover, and loved the poster. Maybe it's because I was 9 yrs old when I got it.
The album IS pretty shit though
Again, I pretty much agree with most everything you had to say, although I don’t rate anything one star, but I agree that there are a few bombs here. Rick Astley and Wham😂😂😂 I remember buying this at Kmart (8 track!), bringing it home and just feeling screwed over, I really didn’t like it, but would listen to it now and then. All of those albums you mentioned are bonafide classics, unmasked isn’t what it could have been. I bought the remastered cds in the mid 90’s and re-discovered it. Like the Peter, and Gene albums, I appreciated them so much more than I did , especially since 15 plus years had passed. Thanks for your review.
You're gonna need a bigger boat of beer for this one!!!!! 😂
😆 Totally.
It is a Wham! album. I've listened to Rick Ashley songs. I have always decided that a good pop album is one that you can take the songs and change the genre tone and it is a good or better album. Wake me up before you go go can only be done as a corporate pop song. Never gonna give you up can work as a pop, metal, country, etc.
I agree with Talk To Me - Ace wrote a lot of good songs but they usually have something missing or a clunky lyric. This song is a perfect pop tune and should have a been a huge hit along with Shandi. Overall, I like this album.
Great album.......and artwork...Kiss rule because of their changes!
Here’s where the wheels came off IMO. Compare this to other hard rock bands releases in 1980! Embarrassing. I don’t get the love for album. Even Paul admits it’s a pretty “crappy album”.
I personally put this album high on my list; because it’s the first album I got the day of release! I was 6 yrs old and just loved everything kiss! My older brother had got me into the band! He was pretty much done by this point, so I got all his kiss stuff lol! I totally dig the cover and poster! Just takes me back to that day getting it! Looking at it now, the guitars are to mid range and the bass is weak! The songwriting is really good on the album, Paul and Ace were in great form! I do dig naked city, best Gene song on the record! Great review, 🤪🤘🏼
Great comment again, Les, thanks!
Yeah, I definitely believe it all depends on where you came in with the albums. I started with RARO, then Destroyer, so this one was a bit of a weird shift for me. But I definitely agree with you about Ace and Paul's songwriting! Fantastic stuff here! I just wasn't crazy about the way it was recorded.
@@HARDROCKreverie Totally agree, I wish Eddie Kramer could get the master tapes and fix the guitar sound! Take the keys out and add some bottom end to the overall mix!
@@leswadley6792 Amen!!!
I think Unmasked is okay without being great. I love Naked City , Shandi and Is That You are good and She's So European , Talk To Me and Tomorrow are okay. The rest however is pretty ordinary.
Nice Beer drinking.
As you may know many German Dudes are known for being able to drink 12 Beers (6liters or 1.585 Galons total) on one night...I'm a German Dude and I'm able to do this too.
In fact the most I've drank was on an Rock Festival. There I've drank 18 Beers on one day. But I have do say I've already started drinking at morning.
Is it usual in America too, that Dudes can drink that much beer?
Haha! What a great comment.
Hmmm, can American dudes drink that much? If they have to listen to Unmasked all day I bet we can! Lol
if Kiss could have combined their albums from Unmasked to Lick it up and threw away the garbage, they would have had 2 great albums, I was born in 62 by the way and after Rock and Roll Over I kept expecting something great, I use to write bands names on my jeans in Jr. High School and Kiss was everybody's band, I saw them with Rush many times and they did do a great fun show, I've enjoyed your rankings very much and I thank you, I think I would leave Creatures of The Night alone, it's a great album on its own but I'm a Legend Tonight should have been the first song when they put down the make-up.
Dang, I really like this album! Respect your thoughts though, fans always have different opinions :) and I love the artwork! Shandi is probably one of favorite songs from any band, Is that You is great! Love Naked City!! Talk to Me is excellent! Oh well :) I love nearly everything Kiss did before removing their make-up 3:)
docmonster100, I know it probably comes across like I hate Unmasked, but I don't. I love it. I really do. Just not as much as I want to.
Thanks for watching!!
To really appreciate the LP Cover you would need to be an artist and into comic books and the music, well you have got to a fan of music in general . . . That is why Peter didn't do much after KISS because he is a jazz and swing drummer at heart and his fan base would never let him be anything but the KISS drummer.
You lost the plot mate
Natty Light 🥴
😆
The cover is bad but I have seen worse. Iron Maiden's Dance Of Death is a terrible cover.
As for the album, it reminds me of what happens about 20 minutes after eating Taco Bell. Intense gut pain followed by a massacre, then left with nothing but existential dread afterward.
Lmao 🤣! I've been to Taco Bell, too, and you'll get no arguments from me.
I like the cover.
Terrible cover. 2 members in full costume. 2 members in leotards. What gives?