KISS: Kissology, Vol. 2 1978-1991

For those who think there's no such thing as too much KISS, prepare to be tested. A follow-up to last year's initial Kissology compilation (covering the band's first four years), this second smooch-fest features three main discs plus a bonus DVD of a 1988 concert from the Budokan in Tokyo. Not surprisingly, there are some warts (albeit covered in greasepaint) in this anthology, which stretches over a 13-year-period (1978-91) that witnessed the ouster of drummer Peter Criss, the defection of guitarist Ace Frehley, and the "unmasked" period. Not surprisingly, the audio/video quality varies in the extensive concert footage, which includes 60-plus tunes (although several songs—including “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Cold Gin,” and “Creatures of the Night”—are performed in triplicate), and is probably way more KISS than most people will ever want or need. But at a time when former KISS frontman Gene Simmons is a reality TV star, it's worth recalling just how huge this crazy little band from New York became and managed to stay, as well as the massive legacy they left behind. In addition to the music, the set features interviews by Tom Snyder and Edwin Newman, an MTV special capturing the KISS unmasking, and the full-length 1979 Hanna-Barbera TV-movie KISS in Attack of the Phantoms (a.k.a. KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park). If you "get" KISS—and there are millions upon millions who never did—then this is a must-have. Otherwise, it's kind of an exercise in wretched excess, much like the band itself. Recommended, overall. Aud: P. (M. Moore)