#richie wise

[rolandrockover]

Young and Parasited

About a few years ago, when I wrote a few lines on a kinda notorious fan forum that is mostly about our favorite band, about the striking similarity between the riffs of Young and Wasted (1983) and Parasite (1974), a well-meaning supporter of this observation reached out to me to point out that this was a bold thesis in these fans' circles.

In his minority position, as far as today's matter is concerned, he cited above all the slightly different rhythms of the two songs, which probably constituted the main argument against his own assertion, and hoped to find at least one ally in this regard. A venture that didn't really prove fruitful in the long run.

Whatever one may think of this, at least this wonderful little introduction has come out of it for me, which naturally makes me a grateful person (1).

So all that remains to be said is to ask you to activate the two links below, one after the other, let them run for 10-20 seconds, and then nod your head in agreement that, whether it was Gene Simmons in person or his then still trusted Vince Vincent, has not only made a little use of Ace Frehley's shredderish output in, let's say, a somewhat parasitic manner.

The result is like one twin to the other, so who exactly cares if one of them has bigger ears or a different haircut, right?

Side Note:

(1) So, my thanks to the statistics department for that.

Young and Wasted (1983)

Parasite (1974)

[jt1674]

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[rolandrockover]

Hell Off

This one I only noticed recently, just the other night, lying in bed and right before falling asleep… you know the game.

And no, I don’t constantly think about our favorite band when I go to sleep, but it does happen every now and then for a few minutes here and there, simply because its fun. Of course, that adds up over the course of days.

But let's better get right to the heart of today's matter:

The vocal verses of Take It Off (1992). And those really have it in them, literally, by which I am very much referring to the vocal verses of Hotter Than Hell (1974). Is there anyone here who doesn’t also pick up a paraphrase from Hotter Than Hell in the verses of Take it Off? The melody, the attitude, or the flow?

And if not, then I guess I’ll better eat my hat - with mustard, and a small salad. And even though I reckon the salad sounds tempting, I’m pretty confident that it won’t have to happen.

But since were on the subject of food, maybe it’s just me because I’m starting to get hungry, but Take It Off’s and Hotter Than Hell’s verses are a bit like a sandwich in relation to a whole baguette, both topped with the same favorite ingredients, except maybe that Take It Off has some tasty extras to offer that add some variety to the flavor profile. I'm sure you get the idea.

The kind of twisted thing about this, and what I personally really dig, is that a while back I drew a comparison between Take It Off and a very well known Paul song from Animalize (1984), which, by the way, is the exact same track I’ve already drawn analogies to in today’s Hotter Than Hell - only of a completely different nature.

I truly believe that this band will never stop to amaze me.

Just klick on those highlighted links... before my mind also gets kinda dirty:

Take It Off (1992)

Hotter Than Hell (1974)

[rolandrockover]

Save-a-Way

Today, my fellow enthusiasts, I have a little Ace Frehley double feature for you, centered around a small, clashing to stomping, slightly circular riff-pattern.

Both of todays pieces, despite their quite different approaches, convey a distinct sense of finality. Save Your Love (1979), our first conclusive candidate, gets pretty much straight to the point from the first beat, actually even before the song begins, sending its clear message along the lines of: Never! You better get that out of your head, girl! which kinda provides the ideal contrast to the light-footed yet determined aural dynamism of the rest of the song.

With our second contributor, Strange Ways (1974), things look a bit different. Here, our riff serves as the final act of liberation against something that much feels like a lengthy, dark, and nerve-wracking process to which it had been subjected for far too long. In this context, the riff’s dynamic is striking in its urgency to put an end to the openly perverted goings-on once and for all - until there is finally peace.

Two very dissimilar songs, one riff—albeit just overlappinga little, but still. Besides, I always enjoy it when one song picks up right where the other leaves off, because that’s a tradition here, and tradition can also be a delightful thing, sometimes.

This makes me wonder, what would Tradition actually be called in Kiss-speak? Kradition? Trakission? Kissdition?

Save Your Love (1979)

Strange Ways (1974)

[rolandrockover]

Looser Than All

You know when this certain oriental feeling creeps into some Kiss songs, most prominently on Hotter Than Hell (1974)? With that final part that sounds like a cross between Neil Young's Cinammon Girl (1969) and Black Sabbath's Iron Man (1970) and drags on to the very end?

It always makes me think of the Sahara, the pyramids, and of course the… Sphinx. Which could easily bring us to Hot in the Shade (1989) and its Leon, but today we're not so much talking about his accompanying album (1), but rather about a track from Lick It Up (1983), more precisely All Hell's Breakin' Loose, which contains a comparable oriental sound environment, and that in more than one respect.

For starters, I could mention that more than one way of Lick It Up's lead to Hotter Than Hell anyway (2), but to stick to all Hell's Breakin' Loose, just look at its bridge to the chorus in which both guitar in two-stroke with the backing vocals brings out a kindred feel to that somewhat sweaty impressionism mentioned above, resurrecting some of this specific Kiss vibe of that very early and important period.

Throw in the second half of the guitar solo, which would make a great soundtrack to a showdown in the labyrinth right before King Tutankhamun's burial chamber, and considering that it's performed by Ankh guitar-deity Vince Vincent himself, what more could you ask for on a silver platter to find prove for my agenda?

I don't know, maybe the confirmatory signatures of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons directly below this text block? It's not such a big deal anyway.

Side Note:

(1) Of course, I could just as easily include Seduction of the Innocent (1997), but this one is just as little the subject today.

(2) Taken as complete albums, not just the title tracks.

Hotter Than Hell (1974)

All Hell's Breakin' Loose (1983) (Bridge)

All Hell's Breakin' Loose (1983) (Solo)

[jt1674]

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[jt1674]

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[julio-viernes]

Dust, "power trío" neoyorquino, súper grupo con dos álbumes en su haber formado por Richie Wise, Kenny Aaronson y Marc Bell (a.k.a. Marky Ramone). El segundo de ellos, "Hard Attack", en una onda proto metal con algunos cortes más suaves como es el caso de la excepcional canción "Thusly Spoken".