Okay, having stumbled off the KISS bandwagon from "Asylum" (abysmal) until "Crazy Nights" (laconic nights), I have to admit I picked this up because I had heard 'Forever' on the radio, and I liked it.  A skeleton in my closet?  Hardly; even if it WAS cowritten with Michael Bolton, it was a huge hit because of it's bitter acoustic binge, tight harmonies, and just plain decent lyrics (as far as KISS goes).  The rest of the album is hit and miss to the extreme, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Eric Carr's lead vocal debut on 'Little Caesar' doesn't deserve it's lowly b-side status.  It's far better than Paul's 'Read My Body', and more raucous than 'Hide Your Heart', one of the lead-off singles (actually, Ace Frehely had a more eventful cover on his "Trouble Walkin'" album, released the same year--check it out!).
'Caddilac Dreams' is marginal, 'The Street Giveth...' is somewhat better, and 'Rise To It' could benefit from some rougher production.  'Boomerang' is a complete throwaway, as is 'Silver Spoon'.
Roundly disclaimed by both Gene and Paul in subsequent years, it would have been a four-star album had they simply streamlined the tracks, and gotten rid of the filler, which makes the good songs look that much worse.
Okay, having stumbled off the KISS bandwagon from "Asylum" (abysmal) until "Crazy Nights" (laconic nights), I have to admit I picked this up because I had heard 'Forever' on the radio, and I liked it. A skeleton in my closet? Hardly; even if it WAS cowritten with Michael Bolton, it was a huge hit because of it's bitter acoustic binge, tight harmonies, and just plain decent lyrics (as far as KISS goes). The rest of the album is hit and miss to the extreme, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Eric Carr's lead vocal debut on 'Little Caesar' doesn't deserve it's lowly b-side status. It's far better than Paul's 'Read My Body', and more raucous than 'Hide Your Heart', one of the lead-off singles (actually, Ace Frehely had a more eventful cover on his "Trouble Walkin'" album, released the same year--check it out! ). 'Caddilac Dreams' is marginal, 'The Street Giveth... ' is somewhat better, and 'Rise To It' could benefit from some rougher production. 'Boomerang' is a complete throwaway, as is 'Silver Spoon'. Roundly disclaimed by both Gene and Paul in subsequent years, it would have been a four-star album had they simply streamlined the tracks, and gotten rid of the filler, which makes the good songs look that much worse.