The Most EXPENSIVE Band THERAPY Session in Rock History: Kiss Goes Solo

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The story of Kiss' solo records My second YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2 Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Fill out our google form! https://bit.ly/3stnXlN -----CONNECT ON SOCIAL----- TIKOK:https://www.tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rnrtruestories/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com #kiss #acefrehley #paulstanley #genesimmons KISS tried to save itself in the late 1970s with a huge, unprecedented stunt: all four members releasing solo albums on the same day, a move that ended up exposing the band’s fractures instead of healing them. At their commercial peak with “Alive!,” “Destroyer,” “Rock and Roll Over,” and “Love Gun,” they had become a global merchandising and touring machine, with platinum records, massive royalties, and their faces plastered on kids’ bedrooms and lunchboxes. Yet behind the makeup, constant touring, and over-the-top marketing (including the Marvel comic with their blood in the ink), the band was burning out and fragmenting. By 1978, tensions between Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who controlled most of the songwriting, and the increasingly frustrated Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were boiling over. The disastrous TV movie “KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park” highlighted how bad things had gotten, with the band barely speaking. To keep the money machine alive, manager Bill Aucoin and Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart pushed through a radical idea that had been floating around since 1976: each member would record a solo album, all branded as KISS, and release them simultaneously. The hope was to give each member creative freedom, relieve pressure, and keep the band intact. Casablanca poured around $2.5 million into marketing and shipped five million copies—about 1.25 million per member—so all four albums could be certified platinum based on units shipped, not sold. The covers, painted by Ken Kelly, were unified visually, and interlocking posters encouraged fans to buy all four at once. In interviews, Gene framed the project as proof the band was stronger than ever, Paul sounded cautiously proud yet anxious, Ace was creatively energized, and Peter saw it as both an artistic opportunity and a gimmick. Musically, the albums showed how wildly different the members really were. Gene’s record was an eclectic, often bizarre mix with big-name guests and a notorious cover of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Paul’s album stayed closest to the classic KISS sound, full of polished anthems and power ballads. Peter’s record dove into R&B, soul, and ’50s rock and roll, confusing many fans and becoming the weakest seller. Ace, the “dark horse,” delivered a raw, guitar-driven rock album produced by Eddie Kramer, anchored by the hit “New York Groove,” the only Top 40 single from the entire project. In the short term, the experiment failed commercially and emotionally. Many fans chose just one album, leaving stores glutted with unsold copies that soon hit the cutout bins. In the long term, it became a public scorecard of popularity: Ace emerged as the fan and critical favorite, while Peter’s poor reception deepened his disillusionment. The albums acted as a temporary band-aid, delaying but not preventing the inevitable. Peter was out by 1980, Ace followed a few years later, and both departures were fueled by addiction and resentment. Years later, reunions and the “Psycho Circus” era could not fully restore the original magic. The 1978 solo albums remain a fascinating, audacious failure—an over-the-top, very KISS moment when the world’s biggest band essentially went to war with itself. I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos. These videos are for entertainment purposes only. READ OUR DISCLAIMER https://rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer/