Soft Rock is Cancer
KISS – Hard Luck Woman
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Disappointed? Definitely.
Should I have known better? Absolutely.
Who’s fault? Mine.
Exhibit A: Eternal hard rock gods, KISS, who’s makeup and power chord-age inspired decades of sonic bliss and great Halloween costumes. A band who’s corpus of work spans nearly three decades, and yet, perhaps surprisingly, prior to yesterday, I had never actually owned any albums by KISS. Hmmm…. Luckily, while in Borders, on the way to Bible study, I happened upon finding “The Very Best of KISS” in the discount rack. And although opportunity knocks but once, there was a definite reason it was in the discount rack. Read on.
Exhibit B: Rod Stewart. So much rock and roll potential….so much of a sellout later on. Mr. Stewart became the epitome of “Adult Contemporary”, whilst causing the near-ruination of the radio airwaves. I do not like Rod Stewart. I never have, I don’t think I ever will. Suffice it to say, that simply not owning any of his works has been a core value of mine since I’ve been into music. There are certain elements of music that should never be reproduced, copied, or derived influence from at all. Ever. Period. Especially if you’re a hard rock band. Especially if your hard rock band dresses up in scary makeup, spitting up fake blood at concerts, and play bass guitars shaped like literal axes.
Yet, what to my horror should I hear on my new KISS album, but the track Hard Luck Woman. As soon as it started, could just feel the cold, heartless, influence, of fellow rasper Stewart. I almost threw up. Don’t believe me? Check it out.
Rod Stewart: Maggie May
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I never saw (or heard) the connection between Kiss and Rod Stewart, but I get your point! Hard Luck Woman hardly sounds like Kiss at all to me, I can’t believe it is even included in your “Very Best of Kiss” CD. What else is on that discounted album???