KISS: IKONS was quietly released on 10/21/08 in the States save for the couple of KISS news websites, which alerted the typical KISS army.  When I read about this release, it was faintly stirring due to the unusual format of this hodgepodge re-release of Klassic KISS music that we, the fans own already five or six times over.  This release is a fantastically priced (usually about $30) box set of four CDs, with each of the four CDs devoted to each of the four original members of American rock band KISS.  Each CD contains 14 songs, the first is dedicated to bassist and lead vocalist Gene Simmons, the second is solely Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) music, the third is for Ace Frehley (KISS lead guitarist), and the last is committed to original drummer Peter Criss. 

Within the beginnings of KISS (1974), and recently the band would perform exclusively inside their alter-ego make-up designs. In late 1983 after two of the original members (Ace & Peter) left the band, KISS finally removed the make-up to show the world what they really looked like and remained this way until the reunion in 1996.  Ace and Peter were received back into the KISS fold, and the band found an easy way to please the fans and make tons of cash by touring and ultimately releasing an album of new music in 1998 (Psycho Circus).  The band's make-up designs stayed basically the same over the years, but their iconic alter egos had never wavered.  Gene Simmons was always the Bat Demon, Ace Frehley the spaced-out Space Ace, Peter Criss was the Cat Man and Paul Stanley the Star Child. 

After Psycho Circus, Gene Simmons stated over the passed ten years that he has no designs on recording a new KISS album filled with new songs, since KISS cannot be as compensated as they once were due to P2P software and the like, so for the passed twenty years KISS's record companies have issued more ‘greatest hits' and anthology compilations to satisfy the contract.  Some of them have been somewhat imaginative, but IKONS in my estimation is a fine idea.  Many KISS fans have already created many discs like this with their Roxio software, so why not make it official.

I think the idea was to not only dedicate a disc to each alter ego, but also include songs that own up to the image to some extent.  None of them came as close to achieving this as much as Gene Simmons had done.  With such klassic cuts like the monstrous Almost Human, originally found on the Love Gun album or the slick almost disco Charisma from the 1979 release Dynasty, the tracklisting sums up what we do know of the demon; a horrific creature with an overactive libido.  Yet no other song defined Gene's demonic ikon as much as Paul Stanley's God of Thunder, originally found on the 1976 album Destroyer.  ♫I was born on Olympus, a modern day man of steel, I was raised by the demons, trained to reign as The One♫
This is one of Paul's greatest songs, and mostly due to the gothic delivery Gene gives.  For proof, you can check out the less-than-stellar demo by Paul on their box set from 2000.  Aside from the usual suspects found on every KISS compilation disc (Calling Dr. Love, Rock and Roll All Nite, Cold Gin, Christine Sixteen), there are a couple of cool songs included like Plaster Caster and Larger Than Life.  Both songs were originally released in 1977; the first is off of the Love Gun album, which is an ode to a roadie who enjoyed taking plaster caster replicas of rock star penises for her collection.  Larger Than Life is from the Alive II album as one of the five studio tracks tacked on the end of this live album. 

As the liner notes say in the box set, Paul's "star child" is a vague concept, yet he made it work.  It even seems to make sense within some of the songs.  His over-sexed songs like Love Gun, Take Me, Mr. Speed and I Was Made For Lovin' You seem to give meaning to the Star Child concept somehow.  Just about all of Paul's songs have appeared on the rest of the compilation discs a million times over which I suppose is a testament to Paul's penchant for writing the band's more commercial songs.  Out of the fourteen songs attributed to the Star Child, only Mr. Speed, All American Man, and Wouldn't You Like To Know Me were never on any compilation discs.   The latter is the only song here off of his 1978 solo album; it's a loud emotional rocker full of ego and vibrato.  All American Man lyrically comes from that same place, and it even features the same lead guitarist (Bob Kulick).  On the downside, out of all the different versions out there of Detroit Rock City, these dimwits actually used the original Destroyer version which would segue into another song, but instead just cuts off way too abruptly. 

Ace Frehley's disc is a bit more coherent than Paul Stanley's; ikon-wise anyway.  What we know of the Space-Ace from the Bronx seem to illustrate nicely from tracks like New York Groove, 2000 Man, Rocket Ride, Hard Times and Into The Void.  Ace wasn't a major song-writing contributor in the same way that Paul and Gene were especially in the early days of KISS.  It's no wonder than that the single from his 1978 solo album, New York Groove was written by another artist Russ Ballard, a commercial funky rock song that appears to fit the image of Frehley.  For those Rolling Stones fans out there, you may recognize the title for 2000 Man, and that it's a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  This was originally found on the 1979 Dynasty album, and the straight-ahead rock and roll track 2000 Man seemed somewhat futuristic and spacey at the time for sure. Hard Times is another track from Dynasty, and album where Ace had actually outdone Gene Simmons' creative output, 3 to 2 was actually written by Ace.  It's one of his best vocals put down on disc, and the autobiographical nature of the lyrics delves into the dark and difficult life Ace had lived before KISS.  Most of the tracks here are from his solo album from 1978, and aside from New York Groove, there is Speedin' Back to My Baby, What's On Your Mind, Snow Blind, and Rip It Out.  A highlight for me here is the inclusion of Into the Void, a song found on the Psycho Circus album.  On this last studio album from the band, there was a conscience effort to write lyrics that deal with the alter egos and Into the Void is probably the best one for Ace out there. 

Ironically, it seems that the last disc, dedicated to the Cat Man is the most enjoyable.  It is for me anyway, since these are the KISS songs that I have listened to the least over the years, it sounds the most fresh and it includes the most surprises.  Peter had written even less songs that have made it onto KISS albums than Ace had.  Four out of the fourteen songs are lifted from his 1978 solo album: I Can't Stop the Rain, Don't You Let Me Down, That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes and Easy Thing.  Years later Gene Simmons had said retrospectively that he hated Peter's solo album.  I believe Gene's tastes were strictly confined to the hard rock that KISS were known for making.  I like Peter's solo album, and especially these songs.  Peter's voice sounds the best it's ever had, and the songs were totally unforeseen, then and even now from a member of KISS.  Peter gave us a mix of early rock and roll, mixed with Motown and a smidge of disco, and it still stands up today 20 years later.  Don't You Let Me Down is one of all-time favorite KISS songs; That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes is very catchy early 60's style rock and roll, and Easy Thing is a wonderful ballad filled with an addicting ambiance.  Peter's big hit Beth is included here from the 1976 Destroyer album, a schmaltzy orchestrated mush that gives some KISS fans goose pimples, and me nausea.  I love that the Love Gun song Hooligan is included, and also a very underrated couple of tracks Dirty Livin' and Baby Driver feel fresh here.  Both songs have a hard rock edge mixed with Motown style vocals.  Finally there is a song that Paul had written for Peter for the last studio album Psycho Circus, I Finally Found My Way.  Paul perhaps trying to recapture the success that Beth had had 22 years before, he was unsuccessful, and the song isn't the best KISS song by a long shot, but on this Cat Man disc it sounds great.

Obviously this is basically a box set that only KISS fans would understand and/or appreciate.  The packaging itself draws in the run-of-the-mill KISS fan, with its black cover and silver circular ikonic symbols of each member.   When you open up the package, it unfolds into almost two and a half feet of classic KISS pictures, a green disc for Peter, a blue for Ace, a purple for Paul and a red for Gene.  There is a small 23 page color booklet with liner notes for each song, a foreword from Curt Gooch and Jeff Subs (??), and great klassic photos of the four members who make KISS.  Sure, by now most of these songs sound staler and staler as time goes by and nothing new from the band is created.  Yet as far as yet another KISS compilation album, at least this one feels imaginative and not without effort (on the part of the record company).


Disc One: The Demon
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 Two: The Star Child
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 Three: Space Ace
New York Groove
Shock Me
2000 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 Four: The Cat Man
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 Kinda Sugar Papa Likes
Easy Thing
I Finally Found My Way

Recommended: Yes