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  • KISS To Release Yet Another Compilation- KISS IKONS

    Gene Simmons wants to pluck some more dollars out of the fan’s wallets with the announcement of yet another Kiss compilation album which is going to be released on October 21st.  It will be four Disc set with each disc featuring the influential songs from each of the four members on vocals.  The die-hard KISS fanatics are going to buy it even though there isn’t anything remotely new on here.  Instead of perhaps taking off the make-up and recording new music with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, KIss just keeps cranking out these pointless compilation albums.  I’m surprised Gene and Paul didn’t have Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer rerecord the Ace and Peter songs to attempt to shit on their former bandmate’s contributions.  I will be a devoted member of the KISS army until the day I die, but the shit Gene Simmons has been doing really makes me embarassed to be a KISS fan.  Anyhow, my full-on KISS fant is due for another day.  Here is the information for anybody foolish enough to buy this compilation.

    Click to enlarge

    Disc 1: Gene Simmons

    ‘God Of Thunder’, ‘Almost Human’, ‘Calling Dr. Love’, ‘Ladies Room’, ‘Christine Sixteen’, ‘Deuce’, ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’, ‘Cold Gin’, ‘Parasite’, ‘Larger Than Life’, ‘Love ’em And Leave ‘Em’, ‘Plaster Caster’, ‘Radioactive’, ‘Charisma’.

    Disc 2: Paul Stanley

    ‘Detroit Rock City’, ‘Love Gun’, ‘Take Me’, ‘Strutter’, ‘C’mon And Love Me’, ‘Hotter Than Hell’, ‘100,000 Years’, ‘Rock Bottom’, ‘Do You Love Me?’, ‘All American Man’, ‘Mr. Speed’, ‘I Stole Your Love’, ‘Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me’, ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’

    Disc 3: Ace FrehleyClick to enlarge

    ‘New York Groove’, ‘Shock Me’, ‘2,000 Man’, ‘Rocket Ride’, ‘Snow Blind’, ‘Speedin’ Back To My Baby’, ‘Talk To Me’, ‘What’s On Your Mind’, ‘Rip It Out’, ‘Save Your Love’, ‘Hard Times’, ‘Two Sides Of The Coin’, ‘Dark Light’, ‘Into The Void’.

    Disc 4: Peter Criss

    ‘Hard Luck Woman’, ‘Baby Driver’, ‘Hooligan’, ‘Beth’, ‘I Can’t Stop The Rain’, ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Mainline’, ‘Don’t You Let Me Down”, ‘Dirty Livin”, ‘Getaway’, ‘Strange Ways’, ‘That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes’, ‘Easy Thing’, ‘I Finally Found My Way’.

  • In Memoriam: Norman Whitfield

    Most of today’s generation have no clue who Norman Whitfield is, but the Detroit native was one of the most important producers of the late Sixties and early Seventies. He was the main catalyst from turning Motown Records from a freshly-scrubbed pop-friendly label into something a little more psychedelic and sinister. While he wrote and produced nearly every song during the Temptations phenomenal post-Smokey run (“I Wish It Would Rain”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”), his most treasured composition is undoubtedly “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”, a song whose definitive version was provided by Marvin Gaye, but has been rerecorded by everyone from Creedence Clearwater Revival to the frickin’ California Raisins.

    That string of hits alone would have been enough to ensure Whifield’s legendary status, but he went on to discover and produce well into the disco age. His most popular discovery of that era was Rose Royce, who scored chart hits with “Car Wash”, “I Wanna Get Next to You”, and the classic “Wishing on a Star”.

    At a time when most current pop music sounds alike, it’s important to remember the originals, and Norman Whitfield was a true original.

    Here’s The Tempts performing “I Wish It Would Rain”, one of my all-time favorite songs. Below it, a little bonus from Amy Winehouse and Paul Weller.

  • Infatueighties: #87/#86: “Yah Mo B There”/”Still a Thrill”

    The cover of Jody Watley's 1987 single "Still a Thrill"

    Remember on “American Top 40” when Casey Kasem would skip over songs that had been on the charts forever and a day? Well, since I already discussed “Yah Mo B There” here, there’s no point in rehashing. It pops up at #87 on my list.

    Now, song #86 is probably one of, if not the least-known song on this whole countdown. Most of you know Jody Watley as 1/3 of bubbly pop/disco group Shalamar or as the fashion plate who delivered post-Janet hits like “Looking for a New Love” and “Real Love”, but this song, while not a huge hit, served as her finest moment.

    Not only is Jody almost unrecognizable vocally-rocking a tone so deep you wouldn’t be out of line if you thought a man was singing, but this song has a nasty funk groove. The chicken scratch guitars and popping bass were provided by a guy named Andre Cymone. Prince fans may know Cymone as the Minneapolis Wonder’s original bass player (he left right before “1999”) and his de facto brother-Andre’s mother took Prince in as a teenager and the two boys grew up together. Andre had a fairly forgettable solo career, but scored a handful of hits as a producer, working with everyone from Jermaine Stewart to Adam Ant to Jody, who at the time of this song was his girlfriend and later became his wife. The two divorced at some point in the mid-Nineties, reportedly under a fair bit of acrimony, and Andre has become something of a recluse. Jody, however, still regularly scores hits on the dance charts and tours the country. Her most recent album, “The Makeover”, was released last year and scored a minor hit with a cover of Madonna’s “Borderline”.

    Oh, you’ll also find Andre fairly prominently featured as the love interest in this video.