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by Ian Carroll (Author)
KISS are the ultimate 'stack-heeled superheroes' made flesh. A cartoon of a band, but with the tunes and attitude to back their image up. If Marvel comics did a comic strip series on a mean and dirty rock 'n' roll band, KISS would be it - luckily enough the band came first and then Marvel DID produce a comic with them as the main stars. Their music has now spanned five decades and they don't appear to be ready to end it just yet. Their paint daubed faces, similar in design to the Japanese Kabuki players, have spawned a legion of tribute acts and the KISS Army, a fan club of dedicated fans, following their every move. With such a dedicated fan base, it's no surprise that KISS are a highly collectible commodity with so many products available. From the Mego figures of the '70s via lunch boxes, t-shirts, books, comics and even coffins plus condoms, to the ultimate, in the Bally Pinball machines, KISS are a band with a 'product' that fans clamour for - name another band that are as collectible and I'm sure they still won't be as popular as the KISS based business empire. But for all the collectibles that are available, through the cards, the figures and more, it all boils down to two things - the music and the live concerts. You will never find a better example of showmanship. Even people, who aren't massive fans of the bands music, will watch and enjoy their performances at a festival or a 'county fair'. They are the ultimate showmen, they ARE glitzy glamour and rock 'n' roll combined and as I prepare myself to see them again - in a short few weeks in the UK - I give you this book, to enable you to relive the memories and the music through the people that count and who have propelled them to the heights of their success, the worldwide legion of FANS (This is the Version of the Original Book only covering the 1980's)
