NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Fifty years ago, four young New Yorkers dragged their guitars, amps and drums to a loft on 23rd Street in New York, dreaming of becoming the biggest band in the world.
This weekend, Kiss, the band started by those four 鈥� albeit with two different members currently in the fold 鈥� will about 10 blocks north of that loft. Kiss will play Madison Square Garden, having become if not THE biggest band in the world, certainly one of the biggest, one that's redefined expectations for the live concert experience.
Here is a look back at major events in Kiss' history, taken from Associated Press interviews with Kiss members, quotes they gave to other media and material from band members' autobiographies:
1973: who worked briefly as a teacher and loved horror films and comic books, and cabbie who once dropped passengers off at Madison Square Garden to see Elvis Presley and vowed someday he'd be on that same stage, exit their band Wicked Lester and begin searching for bandmates to put together a true spectacle: an act where the show and the visuals were as important as the music. They find drummer Peter Criss, who had placed an ad in a music paper looking for a band, and who showed up at auditions with one red sneaker, one orange sneaker and a guitar.
Each member adopts a specific stage identity: the demon; Stanley the starchild; Frehley the spaceman, and Criss the catman. The band hones their act with tiny club gigs, and by New Year's Eve, lands a support slot on the bill with Blue 脰yster Cult. Simmons accidentally sets his hair ablaze that night while breathing fire. (It would happen many times over the years, to the point where they stationed a roadie with a sopping wet towel nearby.)
1974: Kiss releases its self-titled debut album, and its follow-up, 鈥淗otter Than Hell.鈥�
1975: The band releases its third album, 鈥淒ressed To Kill,鈥� which includes a catchy song called 鈥淩ock And Roll All Nite.鈥� But it isn't until that track's live version comes out later that year as the anchor of Kiss 鈥淎live!鈥� that the band has its first major hit.
1976: Kiss releases what is considered by many fans to be its best studio album, 鈥淒estroyer,鈥� which includes the orchestral ballad 鈥淏eth鈥� that would, quite accidentally, become one of their biggest hits. 鈥淏eth鈥� was the B-side of the hard-rocking single 鈥淒etroit Rock City,鈥� but radio disc jockeys began playing the ballad instead and it took off.
1977: The band releases 鈥淟ove Gun鈥� and a second live album, 鈥淎live II.鈥� The Gallup Poll names Kiss the most popular band in America. The band plays Madison Square Garden for the first time.
1978: In a move unheard of in the music industry, the four members release solo albums simultaneously, each selling over a million copies. But Frehley's is the only one to spawn a hit, with 鈥淣ew York Groove.鈥� NBC airs a two-hour TV movie starring the band, 鈥淜iss Meets The Phantom Of The Park.鈥� Kiss floods the globe with band-themed merchandise far beyond the usual T-shirts and posters, including lunchboxes, vitamins, transistor radios, trading cards, and pinball machines. Later offerings include Kiss Kondoms and Kiss Kaskets.
1979: Kiss releases 鈥淒ynasty,鈥� with the disco-inspired 鈥淚 Was Made For Lovin' You.鈥� By this point, their live show features Simmons seeming to fly into the air and land atop speakers above the stage, in addition to the usual fire-breathing and blood-spitting.
1980: They release the pop-y 鈥淯nmasked" and later hire drummer Eric Carr to replace Criss.
1981: The band releases 鈥淢usic From The Elder,鈥� a concept album that evokes 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� 20 years before that phenomenon began. But the album, with its medieval theme and departure from their typical musical style, does not appeal to many fans.
1982: Reacting to backlash against 鈥淭he Elder,鈥� Kiss releases 鈥淐reatures Of The Night,鈥� a bombastic, drum-heavy masterpiece that remains one of its heaviest albums to date. Frehley is replaced by Vinnie Vincent on lead guitar.
1983: Deciding it's time to forsake the trademark makeup, Kiss reveals what they actually look like on an MTV special, timed to the release of the 鈥淟ick It Up鈥� album. They remain without makeup until a 1996 reunion tour with the original members.
1984-1990: Kiss releases the albums 鈥淎nimalize,鈥� 鈥淎sylum,鈥� 鈥淐razy Nights鈥� and 鈥淗ot In The Shade鈥� as MTV embraces their new look. Guitarist Mark St. John replaces Vincent in 1984, but a painful nerve condition in his hands soon renders him unable to continue. He is replaced by Bruce Kulick.
1991: Carr dies of heart cancer.
1992: Eric Singer, a well-respected drummer for Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Badlands and Lita Ford, is hired, having toured with Paul Stanley's solo band in 1989. The band releases 鈥淩evenge,鈥� and records the album 鈥淎live III鈥� on that tour.
1995: The lineup 鈥� Stanley, Simmons, Kulick and Singer 鈥� is joined by Frehley and Criss during the taping of an MTV 鈥淯nplugged鈥� show, telegraphing an upcoming reunion.
1996-1997: 鈥淐arnival Of Souls,鈥� a grunge-inspired album that had leaked and was already widely bootlegged, is officially released. The original members of Kiss reunite for what would become the top-grossing tour of the year.
1998: The reunited Kiss releases 鈥淧sycho Circus."
2000-2003: Kiss announces its first farewell tour. Soon after it ends, Stanley and Simmons change their minds. In 2002, Frehley is replaced by Tommy Thayer, a longtime band assistant. The band releases 鈥淎live IV鈥� with a symphony orchestra in 2003. Singer rejoins, cementing a lineup that has remained steady since then.
2009-2012: Kiss releases 鈥淪onic Boom鈥� and 鈥淢onster,鈥� their final studio albums. They begin a series of annual autumn 鈥淜iss Kruises鈥� with fans to tropical destinations.
2014: Kiss is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but
2019: Kiss begins its 19 years after its first 鈥渇arewell鈥� tour. Its final two shows are scheduled for Dec. 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden, a five-minute subway ride from where they started.
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Wayne Parry, The Associated Press
