Dynasty (W/Newpk) [Import]

Ahh, the disco years! Alice Cooper did it, so did the Rolling Stones. Kiss were bound to follow. Paul Stanley admitted that he used to go to disco clubs. He found the music simple but interesting enough to try to write. The result was the now-classic I Was Made For Lovin' You, a song which was so hated for a time that it was out of the Kiss setlist for a decade before finding its way back in.

Dynasty was supposed to be the biggest Kiss album ever, and indeed it spawned their second biggest hit. Unfortunately the band were coming apart at the seams. In order to placate Peter Criss, his solo album producer Vini Poncia was chosen to produce the next album. Poncia proceded to deem Criss not up to the task, and he was replaced on 8 out of 9 songs by Anton Fig, of Ace Frehley's solo album. It would not be Fig's last album with Kiss. This was all kept secret at the time of course.

On the bright side, Frehley had a bunch of lead vocals: The Stones' 2000 Man, Save Your Love, and the story of his childhood, Hard Times. All three are great songs, and dare I say, better than Gene's on Dynasty. I find Gene's songs to be dull and uninspired: X-Ray Eyes and Charisma. Yes, only two songs by the Demon, and there's a reason you've never heard them played live.

Paul, on the other hand, had nothing but great songs: The previously mentioned I Was Made For Lovin' You, the powerful Magic Touch, and the excellent, underrated Sure Know Something. All three are examples of his increasingly skilled songwriting and singing.

That leaves Peter Criss with one song. It would be his last songwriting credit with Kiss, and his last appearance on drums for a long long time: Dirty Livin'. Not a great song by any stretch, and it is one of the most disco sounding tracks on the album. Still it has a street vibe that Criss was known for, and his fans will love it.

Despite the flaws, Dynasty holds together remarkably well. Even the filler fits in the groove for a seemlessly enjoyable listening experience. After all, all four Kiss members sing which was a rare thing that only happens on a handful of Kiss studio albums. (Love Gun, Psycho-Circus, and Sonic Boom.) Ace had more vocals than ever before, and would have lots on the next album too. The band was tighter than ever with Fig on ghost-drums, and they actually make the best of the overly compressed production sounds.

Dynasty might not be as great as the first 6 studio albums, but although cracks were beginning to show, it was still a continuation of the mighty Kiss legacy. What should have happened next was the band getting back to a solid rocker of an album and restoring the faith of the fans who were secretly and openly questioning the integrity of the band. That didn't happen, and Kiss as we knew it was destroyed forever, never to be the same again. The phoenix that rose from the ashes was a different, albeit still powerful, beast.

Don't pick it up first, but do pick it up. Four stars.

This is one album that seems to provoke lots of debate within the KISS Army. I have to say that this is the first album of theirs I owned, and every time I listen to it I am transported back to days of innocence. Back in 1987 I was unaware of the problems that led to the initial break-up of the band (I was 14 and just getting into hard rock/metal), but to me they were mythological giants like the Beatles or Led Zeppelin. My grandmother bought it for me when she took me shopping one day and I listened to it non-stop the rest of the week. As the years went by and I learned more about "KISStory", I was able to put the album into more perspective. True it isn't as heavy and raw as their earlier albums, but there is far more input from all four members as a unit. Ace really came into his own here with "Save Your Love", it did not sound as forced as "Shock Me" did on Love Gun. Even though Peter sang just one track, overall it's a more balanced CD than anything that came out after. Unfortunately it would turn into the Paul & Gene show after this (Ace's three songs on Unmasked notwithstanding). You have to admit, "I Was Made For Loving You" is a great tune. Maybe nostalgia influenced me to give this a 4-star rating, but I still think that is a great CD. Feel free to disagree if you wish............

KISS' 7th studio album (excluding the studio side of Alive II), 1979's Dynasty, has some important "firsts" in KISStory. It was the first album to not feature all members of the band on the entire recording (Peter Criss only worked on "Dirty Livin"). At the time, unknown to the public, Criss was on his way out of the band and had also just been in a car accident that prevented him from performing. Whether or not Criss walked out or was asked to leave is not totally clear although several statements say he was "bought out". Also unknown to fans at the time, the remaining 8 tracks featured David Letterman drummer Anton Fig who had just worked on Ace Frehley's solo album. Later more "shocking" news came out that Gene Simmons only played bass on his two songs while Paul played bass and guitar on his compositions as did Ace. It makes one wonder how often they all saw each other for the recording sessions! It also brings up another question: how long has this been going on? Later on, similiar news in fan circles started coming out about earlier albums like that Ace only played on "Rocket Ride" on the studio side of Alive II and the rest was done by Bruce Kulick's brother, Bob. This might count as the first time an original member didn't play, but another fact that came out in interviews was that Ace didn't play the solo on Destroyer's "Sweet Pain". How much this really matters is up to the individual. Then again, no disrespect to Gene, but would you know if it was or wasn't him playing bass on those songs?

Dynasty also marks the first time KISS worked with producer/co-writer Vini Poncia who was fresh from producing Criss' solo album and would go onto produce the follow-up KISS Unmasked. It's definitely under the direction (some say misdirection!) of Poncia that the KISS sound started to become more polished and radio friendly, but that doesn't mean there aren't some strong tracks here. "I was made for loving you" was a big crossover disco hit for KISS and "Sure know something" might as well have been. There are also 3 vocal appearances (2 penned) by Ace Frehley on one album: "Hard Times", "Save Your Love", and a rocking version of the Stones' "2000 Man", perfect for Ace (Previously Ace had only sang on Love Gun's "Shock Me" and Alive II's "Rocket Ride"). Frehley's solo album sold the best out of the four KISS members and it's obvious as to why that is. It's the most consistent and strongest in terms of the KISS style up to that point. It made all the sense for him to contribute more to the albums. Some other great riffs in tracks like Simmons' "Charisma" and Stanley's "Magic Touch" and you have a pretty solid album.

Dynasty came hot on the heels of another KISS first (actually a music first!). A year earlier, all four members each did a solo album, which were released on the same date. Add to this a popular television movie "KISS meets the Phantom of the Park" and merchandise up the wa-zoo and there's going to be some ego increase. Surely Ace, Gene, Paul, and Peter returned to the studio with even bigger heads than before and wanted to do their own thing. The problem was they were all members of KISS! Ace Frehley would work on two more albums following Dynasty, 1980's Unmasked and 81's Music from the Elder (even though he was on the album covers up to Creatures of the Night). Peter Criss was officially out of the band before Unmasked was recorded where he was temporarily replaced, as he is on Dynasty, by Anton Fig. Music from the Elder would mark the first appearance of drummer Eric Carr, the Fox.

Dynasty only gets underrated when compared to classic albums such as Destroyer or Love Gun. For many fans, the change in style and experimentation was too much. However it did happen to be the last KISS album in a succession starting with 1976's Destroyer to reach over platinum sales. It also features KISS' second gold single, "I was made for loving you" (the first being "Beth"). In my opinon, all of the make-up albums from "KISS" to "Creatures" are classics. Even though the original line-up was starting to break up here, Dynasty is still a worthy addition to your collection, especially if you're a KISS fan, in which case it's essential. I'm also partial to my giant Dynasty wall poster. Just thought I'd throw that in.