Kiss

Was there ever a more perfectly outrageous rock ’n’ roll concept? Sex, sleaze, face paint, fake blood, the mother of all platform boots . . . and huge, hook-filled tunes. From their beginnings way back in ’73, KISS has delivered brilliant, camp rock ’n’ roll theatricality — seemingly the result of an orgy involving Alice Cooper, the New York Dolls, and a busload of make-up girls — unmatched by any other band. Grounded by core members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, KISS has led a 35-year head-bangers’ riot, which began in earnest with the release of Alive! in 1975, featuring live classic single “Rock ’n Roll All Nite.” The band’s first Top 10 hit, “Beth,” would shortly follow. KISS rounds out the ’70s with a pop-rock classic, in Next Steps.

The true KISS fan of the late ’70s was not simply devoted to their insane and theatrical take on rock ’n’ roll, but was also an avid collector of the band’s merchandise, which ranged from lunch boxes to comic books. So long as the music was kickin’ ass — like the hard punchin’ “Plaster Caster” from 1977’s Love Gun — the extras kept flying off the shelves. By the time Dynasty came along in 1979, the band was dripping in platinum and started to take a few chances with its sound: this experimentalism may have prefigured the dip in popularity that would follow in the early ’80s, but in “Sure Know Something” KISS gave us a soulful, pop-rockin’ gem. Strip off the make-up, and you’ll see that the quality of KISS is unblemished . . . in Deep Cuts.

Lick It Up (1983) is a landmark KISS LP: the first album packaged without their trademark make-up. Fact is, the lack of greasepaint worked, breathing new life into the band and refueling their assault on the ’80s. On the back of infectious, high-voltage tracks like “Exciter,” it remains the gold standard of their unpainted output. More than a decade down the line — in August 1995 — another greasepaint-free KISS highlight took shape under the MTV: Unplugged banner, as the band, expanded to a six-piece for “Nothin’ to Lose” including all four original members, reminded us that there was way more to them than mere nostalgia.

KISS was never just a band; the group is nothing short of an experience, a movement, a lifestyle — essentially everything that’s good, bad, ’n’ lusty about adolescence. You can bang your head to the music, test your skills on the KISS pinball machine, snack on the sandwiches that Mom packed into your KISS lunchbox, and — if you follow the band your whole life — you can even say farewell in a KISS Kasket: that’s right, a coffin, the band’s single most outrageous addition to their extensive merchandising lineup (Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell was buried in one of them). Despite their revolving lineup, KISS originals Stanley, Simmons, Frehley, and Criss have cemented their status as rock ’n’ roll superheroes. Time to raid your sister’s makeup box all over again. Here’s KISS.