History YMMV / Kiss

* AscendedFan: Tommy Thayer used to be in a Kiss tribute band, he also used to be Kiss' tour manager and Ace Frehley's guitar coach. Moreover he also was a session musician in the Psycho Circus album before finally being made a band member and taking over Frehley's guitar chores.

** Thayer and Singer after they took Criss and Frehley's makeup.

** How about Thayer and Singer after they took Frehley and Criss' makeup ?

* ThePrimmaDonna: Stanley and Simmons have stated how horribly difficult it was to collaborate with Vinnie Vincent, although some say it was partly their own fault.

** Ace is also very well liked too. Having the best 1978 solo album helps.

** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Sorta. One of the songs in the album, "A World Without Heroes", entered their ''MTV Unplugged'' following a vote-in, and in a concert in Australia in 2004, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72y_iGy3vA they tried to play ''I''... but Gene had long forgotten the lyrics]]. It is now a collector piece, and manage to have its supporters. (''Unmasked'' and Criss' 1978 solo album being the remaining main competers for 'worst studio KISS album')

** ''Creatures of the Night'', while successful critically due to being the heaviest KISS album yet and featuring the band's strongest songs in some time, didn't fare any better on the commercial and on the tour side of things (many people also attribute this to two founding members, lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss leaving the band around the same time, but YourMileageMayVary).

* BaseBreaker: Gene Simmons: is he the single [[RatedMForManly Manliest]], [[EvilIsCool coolest looking]] and most {{Badass}} and LeadBassist ''ever'', or a [[GreedyJew greedy]] [[ItsAllAboutMe megalomaniac]] [[RatedMForMoney who wastes his money]] [[TheMerch at everything he finds ?]]

* BaseBreaker: Gene Simmons: is he the single [[RatedMForManly Manliest]], [[EvilIsCool coolest looking]] and most {{Badass}} and LeadBassist ''ever'', or a [[GreedyJew greedy]] [[ItsAllAboutMe megalomaniac]] [[RatedMForMoney who waste his money]] [[TheMerch at everything he finds ?]]
** How about Thayer and Singer after they take Frehley and Criss' makeup ?
** Heck, any lead guittarist not named Ace to an extent. Vinnie Vincent in particular. Mark St. John, not so much.

** Mark St. John after his death in 2007 sort of became this, and although the debate of who's the best KISS guitarist will go around forever, most fans universally agree he was a ''DAMN'' good guitar player, and perhaps the very most technical guitarist KISS ever had.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Their second drummer Eric Carr is universally beloved by the fanbase thanks for being a ''very'' [[NiceGuy]], especially in the wake of his tragic death in late 1991.

*** ...And ''finally'', they remove their makeup and released ''Lick It Up,'' which didn't chart very high, but was still certified gold within a few months of release. This is largely considered attributable to publicity generated by the band's decision to do away with the makeup and costumes concurrent with the album's release. Then ''Animalized'' was released, went gold quickly, and the band's finances were back at normal (excluding contractual issues with Vinnie Vincent and health issues with Mark St. John), although sell-out concerts would still elude them for one more album, finally going to back to their usual tour success with ''Crazy Nights''.

** Heck, any lead guittarist not named Ace to an extent. Vinnie Vincent in particular.

** The (''in'')famous ''Music from "The Elder"'': The band's ConceptAlbum proved to be a catastrophic commercial ''and'' critical flop which lead to the outright cancellation of the album's tour, once again a first for any KISS release. ''Creatures of the Night'', while successful critically due to being the heaviest KISS album yet and featuring the band's strongest songs in some time, didn't fare any better on the commercial and on the tour side of things (many people also attribute this to two founding members, lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss leaving the band around the same time, but YourMileageMayVary).

*** ...And ''finally'', they remove their makeup and released ''Lick It Up,'' which didn't chart very high, but was still certified gold within a few months of release. This is largely considered attributable to publicity generated by the band's decision to do away with the makeup and costumes concurrent with the album's release. Then ''Animalized'' was released, went gold quickly, and the band's finances were back at normal (excluding issues with Vinnie Vincent and Mark St. John), although sell-out concerts would still elude them for one more album, finally going to back to their usual tour success with ''Crazy Nights''.

** Also, the ballad "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You", ''also'' originally by Argent. When KISS covered it, they added a "[=II=]" to the title, possibly to differentiate the two songs more clearly, as KISS' version has completely different lyrics except for the chorus.

** The (in)famous ''Music from "The Elder"'': The band's [[ConceptAlbum]] proved to be a catastrophic commercial ''and'' critical flop which lead to the outright cancellation of the album's tour, once again a first for any KISS release. ''Creatures of the Night'', while successful critically due to being the heaviest KISS album yet and featuring the band's strongest songs in some time, didn't fare any better on the commercial and on the tour side of things (many people also attribute this to founding lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss leaving the band around the same time, but YourMileageMayVary).

* EpicRiff: You know the house is gonna come down when "Detroit Rock City" and "Rock and Roll All Nite" start playing.
* EnsembleDarkhorse - Their second drummer Eric Carr is universally beloved by the fanbase thanks for being a ''very'' [[NiceGuy]], especially in the wake of his tragic death in late 1991.

* FanonDiscontinuity: The ''Music from "The Elder"'' album sounds so unlike anything KISS had released to that point that fans and critics alike universally panned it, and sales were so poor that anything related to the album was instantly scrapped. The band quickly moved forward and forgot about the whole fiasco as fast as possible. One of the songs in the album, "A World Without Heroes", entered their ''MTV Unplugged'' following a vote-in, and in a concert in Australia in 2004, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72y_iGy3vA they tried to play ''I''... but Gene had long forgotten the lyrics]].
** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Sorta. It is now a collector piece, and manage to have its supporters. (''Unmasked'' and Criss' 1978 solo album being the remaining main competers for 'worst studio KISS album')

* BaseBreaker: Gene Simmons: the single most {{Badass}}, [[EvilIsCool cool-looking]] and [[RatedMForManly Manliest]] LeadBassist ''ever'', or a [[GreedyJew greedy]] [[ItsAllAboutMe megalomaniac]] [[RatedMForMoney who waste his money]] [[TheMerch at everything he finds ?]]

** Heck, any lead guittarist not named Ace.
** Two words: Vinnie Vincent.
* CoveredUp: Many people forgot than "New York Groove" (the most well known track in Ace's 1978 solo album) was originally a song by Hello.
** Also, the ballad "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You", originally by Argent. When KISS covered it, they added a "[=II=]" to the title, possibly to differentiate the two songs more clearly, as KISS' version has completely different lyrics except for the chorus.
* DorkAge: For ''many'', the 1979-1981 period from ''Dynasty'' to ''Music for the Elder''.

* EnsembleDarkhorse - Their second drummer [[NiceGuy Eric Carr]] is universally beloved by the fanbase, especially in the wake of his tragic death in late 1991.

** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Unfortunaly, it is now a collector piece, and manage to have its supporters.

* HilariousInHindsight: In the 90s, Tommy Thayer is in a KISS tribute band called "Cold Gin" and took the role of Ace Frehley. And guess which makeup he uses as a member ?
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: And how !\\
\\
It's unarguable that ''Dynasty'' was perhaps the biggest commercially successful album in the entire history of the band (if one ignores the ''Alive'' compilations), but what most people don't know is that, in the long run, ''Dynasty'' itself almost destroyed the band when it was first released. With the shift to the far more mainstream disco genre, although the album proved to be a commercial success, it pretty much alienated the fans that had followed the band since its early beginnings, resulting in nearly empty arenas and stadiums when the band went on tour, something unheard of when it came to KISS concerts and their particular fame.[[hottip:*:In fact, they ''lost'' money during this tour, as each concert cost ''one million dollars each''.]]\\
\\
After promising a return to the heavier sound they were known for they proceeded to release ''Unmasked'', which was a critical flop due to the still present "pop sound". To make matters worse, the following album was the infamous ''Music from "The Elder"'', which proved to be a catastrophic commercial and critical flop which lead to the outright cancellation of the album's tour, once again a first for any KISS release. ''Creatures of the Night'', while successful critically due to being the heaviest KISS album yet and featuring the band's strongest songs in some time, didn't fare any better on the commercial and on the tour side of things (many people also attribute this to founding lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss leaving the band around the same time, but YourMileageMayVary).\\
\\
Finally they remove their makeup and released ''Lick It Up,'' which didn't chart very high but was still certified gold within a few months of release. This is largely considered attributable to publicity generated by the band's decision to do away with the makeup and costumes concurrent with the album's release. Then ''Animalized'' was released, went gold quickly, and the band's finances were back at normal, although sell-out concerts would still elude them for one more album, finally going to back to their usual tour success with ''Crazy Nights''.
** This will generally be the attitude among a vocal portion of the band's fandom whenever a personnel shakeup takes place. The current lineup especially gets people riled up, since [[ReplacementScrappy Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer]] are wearing the makeup of the absent original members, and there are some out there who still resent Singer for not being Eric Carr.

It's unarguable that ''Dynasty'' was perhaps the biggest commercially successful album in the entire history of the band (if one ignores the ''Alive'' compilations), but what most people don't know is that, in the long run, ''Dynasty'' itself almost destroyed the band when it was first released. With the shift to the far more mainstream disco genre, although the album proved to be a commercial success, it pretty much alienated the fans that had followed the band since its early beginnings, resulting in nearly empty arenas and stadiums when the band went on tour, something unheard of when it came to KISS concerts and their particular fame.\\

Finally they released ''Lick It Up,'' which didn't chart very high but was still certified gold within a few months of release. This is largely considered attributable to publicity generated by the band's decision to do away with the makeup and costumes concurrent with the album's release. Then ''Animalized'' was released, went gold quickly, and the band's finances were back at normal, although sell-out concerts would still elude them for one more album, finally going to back to their usual tour success with ''Crazy Nights''.

** Two words: Vinnie Vicent.

* BaseBreaker: Gene Simmons: most Badass and [[RatedMForManly Manliest]] LeadBassist ever, or [[GreedyJew greedy]] [[ItsAllAboutMe megalomaniac]] ?

** This will generally be the attitude among a vocal portion of the band's fandom whenever a personnel shakeup takes place. The current lineup especially gets people riled up, since [[Replacement Scrappy Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer]] are wearing the makeup of the absent original members, and there are some out there who still resent Singer for not being Eric Carr.

* EnsembleDarkhorse - Their second drummer Eric Carr is universally beloved by the fanbase, especially in the wake of his tragic death in 1991.
** Ace is also very well liked too.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: And HOW!\\

** This will generally be the attitude among a vocal portion of the band's fandom whenever a personnel shakeup takes place. The current lineup especially gets people riled up, since the current {{Replacement Scrappy}}s are wearing the makeup of the absent original members, and there are some out there who still resent Eric Singer for not being Eric Carr.

* CoveredUp: "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You" was originally a song by Argent. When KISS covered it, they added a "[=II=]" to the title, possibly to differentiate the two songs more clearly, as KISS' version has completely different lyrics except for the chorus.

* FaceOfTheBand: Simmons and Stanley; justified as they're the only original members still in the band.

* {{Discontinuity}}: The ''Music from "The Elder"'' album sounds so unlike anything KISS had released to that point that fans and critics alike universally panned it, and sales were so poor that anything related to the album was instantly scrapped. The band quickly moved forward and forgot about the whole fiasco as fast as possible. One of the songs in the album, "A World Without Heroes", entered their ''MTV Unplugged'' following a vote-in, and in a concert in Australia in 2004, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72y_iGy3vA they tried to play ''I''... but Gene had long forgotten the lyrics]].

* CoveredUp: "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You" was originally a song by Argent. Not only KISS made their version, they also added a "[=II=]" to the title. Maybe to make sure it was a cover? Who knows?
** Possibly to differentiate the two songs more clearly, as Kiss' version has completely different lyrics except for the chorus.
* {{Discontinuity}}: The ''Music from "The Elder"'' album sounds so unlike anything KISS had released to that point that fans and critics alike universally panned it, and sales were so poor that anything related to the album was instantly scrapped. The band quickly moved forward and forgot about the whole fiasco as fast as possible. One of the songs in the album entered their MTV Unplugged following a vote-in, and in a concert in Australia in 2004, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72y_iGy3vA they tried to play ''I''... but Gene had long forgotten the lyrics]].
* EnsembleDarkhorse - Their second drummer Eric Carr, universally beloved by the fanbase especially in the wake of his tragic death in 1991.
* FaceOfTheBand: Simmons and Stanley.
** Justified as they're the only original members still in the band.

After promising a return to the heavier sound they were known for they proceeded to release ''Unmasked'', which was a critical flop due to the still present "pop sound". To make maters worse, the following album was the infamous ''Music from "The Elder"'', which proved to be a catastrophic commercial and critical flop which lead to the outright cancellation of the album's tour, once again a first for any KISS release. ''Creatures of the Night'', while successful critically due to being the heaviest KISS album yet and featuring the band's strongest songs in some time, didn't fair any better on the commercial and on the tour side of things (many people also attribute this to founding lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss leaving the band around the same time, but YourMileageMayVary).\\

** This will generally be the attitude among a vocal portion of the band's fandom whenever a personnel shakeup takes place. The current lineup especially gets people riled up, since the current [[ReplacementScrappy Replacement Scrappys]] are wearing the makeup of the absent original members, and there are some out there who still resent Eric Singer for not being Eric Carr.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Vinnie Vincent, KISS' second lead guitarist and only member to be fired (or left, depending on the source) for his attitude, believing that he was solely responsible for the resurgence of the group in the mid-80s. He returned for a second time, only to be fired (or left, once again) over his refusal to sign a contract.