Kiss and their never ending best-offs

What's the story with Kiss and their best offs? I see more best-offs then albums in the stores.

Shouldn't these guys be thinking about releasing a new album? I think it's about time they do.

And please, once again, enough with the best offs...

ordinarily it's more the record company's doing rather than the bands. this is Kiss however, & they love to wh*re themselves.

mc666 wrote:

ordinarily it's more the record company's doing rather than the bands. this is Kiss however, & they love to wh*re themselves.

Wh*re themselves. That's excellent dude!!!

Gene needs more money, that's what.

This is the record labels doing this. Kiss doesn't own that music. However, they do endorse it. Those best-ofs would come out even if Kiss were 100% against it, though.

It isn't just KISS but the Doors, the Rolling Stones, and we could go on and on. Alot of bands keep getting comp after comp released, and the reason they keep getting released is they are cheap to make and more importantly they keep selling, at least to the casual rock fan.

A bunch of comps is OK. I hate The Doors comps that use photos all from the same photoshoot. Sure, they are iconic photos, but can I get a picture of that band just once?

Kiss are no worse than any other big band from the 60's or 70's. Aerosmith has tons of "best of" albums available, as does Ted Nugent, UFO, Judas Priest, Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, etc. Motorhead are the kings of "best of" compilations. I doubt any band has as many compilations CDs as Motorhead.

It's even happening to 80's bands now. How many compilations does Megadeth have out now? Anthology, Greatest Hits, Hell Wasn't Built in a Day, Capitol Punishment. Stryper has really only released five full length albums yet they have two or three "best of releases". Twisted Sister are the same way. They have five full length albums studio albums out and yet they have five or six "best of" albums available.

Iron Maiden have been putting out one studio album to every live album
in recent years, on top of putting out a bunch of compilation albums.

It's just the way it is with big record companies and band's with large catalogs. The record companies have to squeeze as much money out of their band's as possible and they know music fanatics like us will buy all their stuff and all they have to do it throw one unreleased song or some rare b-side on it.

Spectrefate for years every Doors album featured only Jim Morrison on the cover and that only stopped recently.













The irony is when Jim Morrison was alive, Elektra records released a comp album entitled "13" , when Jim Morrison saw the cover he was pissed since they had larged his picture, and to top it off it was a picture from 2 years ago. When it came time to release LA Woman, Jim refused to shave his beard and slouched down to appear smaller than his band mates.

Anybody knows whether kiss are planning on releasing a new studio album soon?

Gilbert this from our KISS thread and this was originally posted by Addy but so far this is only news we have received regarding any possible new KISS studio album:

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Kiss has reversed course and decided to hit the studio next year to record its first new album since 1998's "Psycho Circus."

"It's going to be very much a vintage, classic, '70s KISS album without much regard to what's happened since then; it's back to the roots," said singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, who will produce the album.

He told askmen.com in a recent interview that the band planned to hit the studio shortly.

In recent years, bassist Gene Simmons has been vocal about his lack of enthusiasm about making a new album, which he attributes to the state of the business.

"The record industry is in such a mess," he told Billboard last year. "There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free?"

It's unknown how Kiss will distribute the album, which will feature original members Stanley and Simmons alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

"Psycho Circus," a Mercury Records release nominally featuring original members Peter Criss on drums and Ace Frehley on guitar, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, but quickly slid down the chart.

Following its 35th anniversary tour, which primarily played Europe this summer, Kiss is expected to hit North America at some point in 2009.

Compilations are the cheapest possible product a record label can release. Many bands will release a best of disc to get out of contracts they no longer want to be in.

Kiss should make something good before releasing anything called best off...

I remember hearing somewhere, in the case of all the Hendrix comps, that it's his father pressuring the record companies to keep repackaging and releasing these compilations. Hendrix actually has only 3 studio albums and a Live album or two, but nearly 2 dozen comps.

detuned wrote:

Compilations are the cheapest possible product a record label can release. Many bands will release a best of disc to get out of contracts they no longer want to be in.

Which doesn't make sense to me. In this age of down-loading, people just make their own "best of" comps/play lists anyway. Well, whatever. I can't remember that last KISS album I purchased. Gimme a solo Ace disc anyday.

the sentinel wrote:

I remember hearing somewhere, in the case of all the Hendrix comps, that it's his father pressuring the record companies to keep repackaging and releasing these compilations. Hendrix actually has only 3 studio albums and a Live album or two, but nearly 2 dozen comps.

Actually, that's not accurate. Once the Hendrix family regained control of his music (instead of the shameless Alan Douglas) they took all the unauthorized stuff from the market. Most of those compilations were from back in 70's. There are actually only 3 Hendrix compilations currently legally in print:

Smash Hits (the only compilation release while Hendrix was still alive)
Experience Hendrix (1 disc)
Voodoo Child (2 discs)

All the other discs contain material that was either never available or only via bootlegs and unauthorized releases.

Website here: http://www.experiencehendrix.com/catalog/index.html

That's why you can't trust anything a radio DJ says. LOL. Thanks for the info, detuned.

the sentinel wrote:

I remember hearing somewhere, in the case of all the Hendrix comps, that it's his father pressuring the record companies to keep repackaging and releasing these compilations. Hendrix actually has only 3 studio albums and a Live album or two, but nearly 2 dozen comps.

That was not Hendrix's dad that was Alan Douglas and a company that had swindled Jimi Hendrix's father out of his songs legacy, it took Al Hendrix 20 plus years to win back the right to son's work and legacy with the help of a Microsoft bigwig who paid for the legal expenses. Between 1971 til 1994 this company would not only repackage Jimi Hendrix's music over and over but they would erase original drum tracks recorded by Mitch Mitchell or Buddy Miles and replace them with session guys and on Voodoo Soup release with the dude from the Knack.

Once the familiy won the estate back they have removed alot of those albums from the offiicial discography, remastered them using the original master recordings and have done an excellent job, I am only giving a not very good cliff notes version of legal drama that unfolded after Hendrix's death but there is more depth look at on these two books, that would highly recommend:

Roomful of Mirrors By Charles R Cross



and the reissues and newly revised 'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky by David Henderson

A favorite quote of an old school chum who more than likely stole it from someone half famous: "Greatest hits packages are for twelve year old girls and housewives"

I remember an album "The Best of Black Sabbath" at Wal-Mart. The album was, if I recall correctly, entirely Tony Martin-era songs.

Required Fields wrote:

I remember an album "The Best of Black Sabbath" at Wal-Mart. The album was, if I recall correctly, entirely Tony Martin-era songs.

I used to have that. It was actually a good representation of the Martin era.

I personally donot mind greatest hits packages I own alot of these types of albums usually for the reason ULT stated, because they have an unreleased track, of course in the digital age you could just download the track, but I would rather have the CD.

Cinderella haven't released a studio album since 1994. But they have released, between comps and live stuff, about 15 albums. I remember years ago, Tom Kiefer said there was nothing they could do. One label owned the rights to their songs, put out a comp and live album, then sold the rights. Then the next owner did the same thing. And that's how it goes. Someone buys the rights, tosses together some cheap comps or live albums, then sells the rights to the next guy, who in turn does the same thing.

Eyesore wrote:

Cinderella haven't released a studio album since 1994. But they have released, between comps and live stuff, about 15 albums. I remember years ago, Tom Kiefer said there was nothing they could do. One label owned the rights to their songs, put out a comp and live album, then sold the rights. Then the next owner did the same thing. And that's how it goes. Someone buys the rights, tosses together some cheap comps or live albums, then sells the rights to the next guy, who in turn does the same thing.

Deep Purple has had same issue where repackage their first three albums with different covers, etc, I am sure this has hurt Deep Purple when a kid picks up a Deep Purple CD because he has heard so many good things and than he buys a cheap comp that sounds like crap, I am sure that will be the last time that kid revisits that DP for years.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING has been repackaged more than Alice Cooper Live in Toronto 1969. That thing has a billion different issues.

http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/toronto69/toronto69.php