Jeff: Kiss - Double Platinum

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    If I were heading to a desert island, I’d have to bring some KISS with me. Choosing just one studio album feels impossible—I’d miss out on too many essential songs. That’s why I’m going with the 1977 compilation Double Platinum. As a double album, it lets me bring classics like “Strutter” and “Detroit Rock City,” two songs that have meant a lot to me over the years.

   This greatest hits collection is packed with highlights: “Do You Love Me,” a brilliant collaboration between Paul Stanley and Bob Ezrin; Gene Simmons’ masterpiece “Calling Dr. Love”; and the high-octane “Love Gun”,  it includes flawless choices like “Deuce,” “Cold Gin,” “100,000 Years,” and “Black Diamond" from their debut album. And of course, there’s “C'mon and Love Me,” one of the very first KISS songs I ever loved.

   That said, Double Platinum is a controversial pick among fans. Many of the tracks were remixed, tweaked, or edited by Sean Delaney, and not always for the better. Interestingly, despite choosing this album for the island, I probably have more complaints about it than praise.

   Let me break down my grumbles. First, while the shiny silver cover grabs attention, I’ve never liked the embossed band portraits on the inside. I would’ve preferred photos inside showing KISS throughout the years.

   Second, the track order feels off. If the songs were arranged chronologically—like the Beatles did on their red and blue albums—it would’ve made for a more cohesive listening experience. For example, putting “Hard Luck Woman” as the third track on side one just kills the momentum.

   Third, the song selection itself could be better for me. I’d make a few radical swaps: replace “Hard Luck Woman” with “Take Me,” and while I’m at it ditch “Beth” for “I Stole Your Love,” and—controversial as it is—I’d drop “Rock and Roll All Nite” I’ve just heard it too many times. I’d much rather have “Rock Bottom” in its place, the full song not just the snippet that they used to intro "She". I can’t stop myself! Might as well replace “God of Thunder” with “Strange Ways”!

   Fourth, a few of Sean Delaney’s choices are just baffling. “Firehouse” didn’t need to be sped up. And while I don’t mind throwing out the slowed ending of “Black Diamond,” but making it repeat after “Hit it!” and fade out was a poor decision.

   In the end, Double Platinum still makes the cut for my desert island picks. Alongside the Beatles and Alice Cooper, KISS is one of the three most important bands in my life—artists I still treasure to this day.

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Kip: Asia - Asia/Armed to the Teeth

 

     If I am going to a desert island, I'm going to miss my family dearly. My pick this month is therefore my brother's albums with the band Asia. I picked double live albums for my first two selections, so I'm going to cheat and say that I'm bringing my CD that includes both their debut album and Armed to the Teeth. I was 14 when the debut album came out and was very close with my brother, so I saw all that went into the writing and developing of the songs on these albums. Because Mike English had been the singer in my brother Mike's earlier White Wing band, he had become like another big brother to me and Larry Galbraith, who I had known from his days in Free Flite, has subsequently become like another big brother to me in recent years, especially following my brother's death. The drummers on the albums, John Haynes and Doug Johnson, are both super talented and kind people who were very tolerant of a zitty little teenager hanging around all the time and talking their ear off as I rode with them to shows. Both albums are very strong, with varied, complex songs. Mike was an absolute monster guitarist and both Larry and English were startlingly talented singers. Haynes and Doug were both strong drummers. I always thought Haynes sounded like Bobby Caldwell from Captain Beyond. Mike really liked complex, multi-faceted compositions, so each album features the requisite 70's epic: “The Taming of the Bull” on the first album and “Genghis Khan” on the second. Both are lyrically challenging, as well as requiring ridiculous instrumental dexterity. Playing these two live had to be daunting. Both feature ravers to open the album, “Thunder Rider” and “Love May be Gone” and both demonstrate immediately that this will NOT be hair band/pop rock stuff. Both albums did feature radio friendly singles in “Paladin” and “Road of Kings” which are easy on the ear and have affirming lyrics (plus Larry's impossibly beautiful voice) but even they are certainly not the typical commercial fare of the times. It was SO cool to be riding in a car when one of those two came on the radio! The song I would turn to most often on the island, though, would be “A Better Man for Leaving.” Lyrically it is one of the most impactful songs on me personally ever and it features every talent of the band. Described by English as a “train song, that builds from the slow opening to the runaway feel of the guitar tradeoffs at the end.” English's bass playing really pushes this song (oh that P-bass growl) and Haynes's monster foot is on full display. It features my all-time favorite (which is really saying something) guitar lick of my brother's. When Asia regrouped for the South Dakota Hall of Fame gig in 2017, this was one of the two originals they played (“Khan” was the other.) I'm tearing up writing this remembering kneeling in front of my brother after we helped him off stage (he was in TERRIBLE health) and gushing about how good they had been. He responded, “Sorry, I couldn't do it.” I told him that they had KILLED it. He said, “No, I couldn't play YOUR lick.” Well, it's perfect for eternity on the album. It will be nice to have all these people I love on the island with me.

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Mark: Bad Brains – I Against I

   Making decisions is hard… deciding on desert island music is real hard. I’m thinking, I love this album, and I gotta take this one, or what would JoJo think of me if I didn’t bring this one? because JoJo knows. Ok, so I’ll shove this one in my survival backpack right next to the chupacabra repellent and the mini Moon Pie’s. I need something heavy in my exile. It’s got to hit hard, it’s got to say something cerebral, but not lofty. It’s got to be slamming and different.

   Bad Brains “I Against I” is the obvious choice. If Mahavishnu Orchestra bought a bag of weed from say like Peter Tosh and smoked it hookah style for a good couple of weeks…to my ear this would be the album they made (minus the keyboard and fiddle and with the vocals). When this album came out it fueled my distaste for what was happening in the guitar universe. Everyone was some sort of Eddie Van Halen or Metallica mutation. To me guitarist Dr. Know was a revaluation, a beautiful new sense of guitar freedom. He played notes in slabs with flurries of chaos, no holds barred. He played melodies I’d never heard before. Bassist Darryl Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson are this spastically grooving force. Tight! But not too tight. Baby bear just right. Vocalist H.R. is a one of a kind. I’ve never heard anyone sing, scat, rap, wail, emote the way he does. He’s one of the greatest front men I’ve ever seen. The whole band is wow…just WOW! The songs are fast and complicated. Just on the verge of careening off the edge of the world to who knows what end. And in the middle of all this they ease you down into a righteous reggae dub so exotic, it’s as if you’re falling into your lovers’ arms.

   Now as I sit on the beach, toes in the sand and JoJo the chimp giving me a good once over (I guess I have flea and tick infestation).

Did I make the right choice with the Bad Brains? Well JoJo seems to think so. He gave it a 4.5 out of 5 coconuts! And two opposable thumbs up! I did good. “Hey JoJo pass the hookah!”

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