It wasn’t that long ago that KISS struck fear in the hearts of parents. The makeup, the songs — remember “Love Gun”? — and the attitude courted controversy, simultaneously endearing the band to rebellious youth.
I never really got into the music — I much preferred Alice Cooper for theatrical rock ‘n’ roll — but I’ve always understood the appeal of KISS.
But talk about unholy alliances, Batman. The new KISS album, “Sonic Boom,” is being distributed exclusively by Wal-mart. Yes, the same family-oriented chain that once would sell only sanitized versions of albums by artists such as Eminem, Lauryn Hill, Green Day and Snoop Dogg, now promotes a band that has been known to revel in misanthropic behavior; i.e., “Sweet Pain,” which is about S&M, or “Plaster Caster,” about groupies.
I don’t have any problems with the existence of these songs; bands should be free to write what they want. I do find it curious that Wal-mart (which also struck an exclusive distribution deal with AC/DC for the album “Black Ice”) is suddenly embracing bands that don’t have squeaky clean reputations.
Chalk it up, I suppose, to savvy marketing by the band and the retailer.
By the way, Wal-mart is also the exclusive distributor of a KISS blend of M&M’s that features the faces of band members imprinted on the candies. Which makes you wonder when the Van Halen mix will be available. Sans brown M&M’s, of course.
October 28th, 2009 - 9:09 am
I thought it was the green m&m’s Van Halen didn’t want…and that wasn’t a bad idea. They did that to see if the promoter or whomever was actually reading the fine print…Anyways, I saw the Kiss candy and just shook my head. I mean, this is a band who will market anything with their faces on it, from toilet paper to caskets. (Spaceballs kinda comes to mind.) I like Kiss, I grew up listening to them and AC/DC and a lot of other rock bands from the time I could figure out a line of lyrics. I just think there’s something not right about Wal-Mart being the sole distributor of the albums. I haven’t bought either band’s albums yet because of the idea that it’s Wal- Mart selling it. I am old enough to remember Dee Snider going up against Tipper Gore and her “Filthy Fifteen” list, and the PMRC labeling albums that they didn’t even actually listen to (Hell is For Children, anyone?).. It was music that I loved and was the soundtrack to my life that they were so against, whether they knew what we were saying or not. I know, it’s not 1989 any more, but some scars never fade. Why should I buy my music from a source that was against the artists’ original material from the get go? Why are bands like Kiss and AC/DC kissing this corporate’s ass? Is this what happens to great leaders of youthful rebellion when they get old? I pray for Metallica and Megadeth and Slayer, then.