How Kiss backed away from the brink of disaster with "Killers"
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 2:10 pm
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-killers/
Interesting take by them. I think it just showed how bad KISS needed Vinnie. The dramatic difference between Killers and COTN is undeniable. The only change from one to the other is the introduction of Vinnie into the equation.
One of the Kerrang articles talks about how those Killers tracks were supposed to appear on COTN. Thank goodness they didn't. None of them are worth a damn IMO.
Bob Kulick also is showing how KISS desperately needed someone with a strong personality. They had no clue what they wanted and it wasn't like MJJ was providing the direction.
Still, he said there was pressure to keep up with a new wave of guitar heroes who had emerged in recent years. "Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, people like that were leaving their stamp as lead players," Kulick remembered in 2018. "I think that Paul and Gene realized they needed to up the ante a little bit."
According to Kulick, trying to follow Simmons and Stanley's muddled creative directions wasn't an entirely pleasant experience. "Nothing seemed like it was good enough for them. That solo on 'Nowhere to Run,' that huge overbend [of guitar notes], that was me being totally frustrated. 'You want something fuckin' different, well, try this on,'" Kulick explained in Kiss: Behind the Mask. "Same with 'Partners in Crime.' 'You can't decide on any notes I play that are good, so let's do some effects with the whammy bar. Does that sound like Eddie Van Halen to you?' I could see the writing on the wall. They were searching for something that wasn't there."
Read More: How Kiss Backed Away From the Brink of Disaster With 'Killers' | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-ki ... m=referral
Most people who try and dismiss Vinnie's contributions forget how bad Killers recording was going and how bad those songs were.
Interesting take by them. I think it just showed how bad KISS needed Vinnie. The dramatic difference between Killers and COTN is undeniable. The only change from one to the other is the introduction of Vinnie into the equation.
One of the Kerrang articles talks about how those Killers tracks were supposed to appear on COTN. Thank goodness they didn't. None of them are worth a damn IMO.
Bob Kulick also is showing how KISS desperately needed someone with a strong personality. They had no clue what they wanted and it wasn't like MJJ was providing the direction.
Still, he said there was pressure to keep up with a new wave of guitar heroes who had emerged in recent years. "Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, people like that were leaving their stamp as lead players," Kulick remembered in 2018. "I think that Paul and Gene realized they needed to up the ante a little bit."
According to Kulick, trying to follow Simmons and Stanley's muddled creative directions wasn't an entirely pleasant experience. "Nothing seemed like it was good enough for them. That solo on 'Nowhere to Run,' that huge overbend [of guitar notes], that was me being totally frustrated. 'You want something fuckin' different, well, try this on,'" Kulick explained in Kiss: Behind the Mask. "Same with 'Partners in Crime.' 'You can't decide on any notes I play that are good, so let's do some effects with the whammy bar. Does that sound like Eddie Van Halen to you?' I could see the writing on the wall. They were searching for something that wasn't there."
Read More: How Kiss Backed Away From the Brink of Disaster With 'Killers' | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-ki ... m=referral
Most people who try and dismiss Vinnie's contributions forget how bad Killers recording was going and how bad those songs were.