I was actually at The Dynasty Show at The LA Forum. My 10th birthday! As I recall they sold out the Forum, even though there was a huge rainstorm that night, flooding the streets and freeways of Southern California. It was a fantastic concert! One I will never forget!
Ironically, that Dynasty show in Atlanta at the Omni that Bill Aucoin is talking about was my very first concert I attended at age 9 years old with my best friend and his parents, 2nd row, dead center.
Awesome! MSG July '79 was my 1st - same 9yrs old as you. Isn't it great being able to say KISS was your 1st show? ....I was in nosebleed balcony about 3miles from the stage, though! At least we were in the rail and had a good view.
No, Bill, Dynasty didn't sell well because there were too many returns. The album was pressed with a thinner vinyl that quite a few people's tone arms (mine included) couldn't track properly on. I took that copy back and got another one that did play, but there were others complaining about the playability of the record. And they weren't warped. One trick shared at the record store I picked mine up at was people were placing a penny on the tone arm.
and what great management/people skills. Getting the crews to buy into the big picture and see that their individual contributions were invaluable was very shrewd
Peter was such a baby, and had not enough talent to back up his demands. I loved the original line up as a kid but when I saw later how they acted I was appalled. You are in one of the best bands ever you ride around as rock Gods making millions, people love you, your only job is to play your instrument really well and sing well. How do you fuck it up so badly.
peter was better than anton fuck fig.....also he was lucky? gene and paul wanted peter in the band....and hes a better musician than gene and paul as far as instruments go...
I'm sure watching their performance turn into a huge theatrical/circus act didn't help their (Peter and Ace) attitudes...the music was just a soundtrack for the visuals by that point
Dynasty was a huge disappointment! I was in high school and embarrassed by it... The guys looked like drag queens in those outfits... I was a huge fan in '76 and then after the solo albums abs the TV movie fiasco, it was pretty much their demise. 1979 was not a good year for KISS...
After pre-production and rehearsals were completed, Vini Poncia (who had produced _Peter Criss_ ), decided that Criss' drumming was substandard, an opinion shared by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. By this time, Criss was hindered by injuries to his hands that he had suffered in a 1978 car accident. Kiss hired the South African-born studio drummer Anton Fig, who played on _Ace Frehley_ , to play on the Dynasty sessions. "On _Dynasty_ , Peter was pretty much out of commission," reflected Stanley, "so I wouldn't point to it as a classic Kiss album." With the exception of his song, "Dirty Livin'", a rewrite of a song of the same title demoed during his pre-Kiss days in Lips, Criss does not appear on the album, and he did not perform on another Kiss album until _Psycho Circus_ in 1998. [Wikipedia]
I was actually at The Dynasty Show at The LA Forum. My 10th birthday! As I recall they sold out the Forum, even though there was a huge rainstorm that night, flooding the streets and freeways of Southern California. It was a fantastic concert! One I will never forget!
Ironically, that Dynasty show in Atlanta at the Omni that Bill Aucoin is talking about was my very first concert I attended at age 9 years old with my best friend and his parents, 2nd row, dead center.
Awesome! MSG July '79 was my 1st - same 9yrs old as you. Isn't it great being able to say KISS was your 1st show?
....I was in nosebleed balcony about 3miles from the stage, though! At least we were in the rail and had a good view.
This is great man. Thank you.
He was a monster
That laser eye effect sounds pretty cool.
one of the nicest guys i have ever met
It's fantastic listening to Bills stories, what a great guy. I bet there were a lot of stories he couldn't talk about
Fantastic recollections - thanks so much for posting!
thanks so much for uploading these!
this is fascinating.
Very interesting information on this one.
The Clarences love & support Kiss & Bill! Long live Bill!
RIP Bill, without you, KISS would never have existed
Dynasty is a Great KISS record
No, Bill, Dynasty didn't sell well because there were too many returns. The album was pressed with a thinner vinyl that quite a few people's tone arms (mine included) couldn't track properly on. I took that copy back and got another one that did play, but there were others complaining about the playability of the record. And they weren't warped. One trick shared at the record store I picked mine up at was people were placing a penny on the tone arm.
I remember having 2 copies of Dynasty that skipped alot.
I never heard that before. Wow!
Penny on that Fisher Price tone arm
Bill Aucoin was a real great person. He busted his ass for KISS, Bill was a major force in the success of the band.
@Kimindigo OK, but don't put him down for being "a gay".
"Oh, did we mention that there would be music in this fabulous production too? As long as the guitars don't interfere with the wires and pulleys..."
His take on that period is a little different from all other accounts I've read through the years.
The man who passed on Van Halen.
But discovered KISS, Billy Idol and Billy Squire.
Isn't ironic that now Paul is willing to fly out over the audience now but back then would not fly up above the stage.
So much for never listening to Peter!
@devtrev definately too poppy and overblown, but i dig the sound of that tour.that line up of KISS were in top form IMHO.
bill could have worked at the u.n......dealing with the kiss egos and bullshit, could have gotten old real fast
and what great management/people skills. Getting the crews to buy into the big picture and see that their individual contributions were invaluable was very shrewd
Peter was such a baby, and had not enough talent to back up his demands. I loved the original line up as a kid but when I saw later how they acted I was appalled. You are in one of the best bands ever you ride around as rock Gods making millions, people love you, your only job is to play your instrument really well and sing well. How do you fuck it up so badly.
Yep.
jmgmarcus they should've taken lessons once they made it big
They all fucking suck.
peter was better than anton fuck fig.....also he was lucky? gene and paul wanted peter in the band....and hes a better musician than gene and paul as far as instruments go...
I'm sure watching their performance turn into a huge theatrical/circus act didn't help their (Peter and Ace) attitudes...the music was just a soundtrack for the visuals by that point
Does this not sound staged like he's reading off paper.
Too bad his songs on Dynasty are the only ones worth listening to, huh?
Dynasty was a huge disappointment! I was in high school and embarrassed by it... The guys looked like drag queens in those outfits... I was a huge fan in '76 and then after the solo albums abs the TV movie fiasco, it was pretty much their demise. 1979 was not a good year for KISS...
+Joey P I think just about the only member that did have a halfway decent looking costume was Ace I have to admit.
I see you have a serious problem.
I stuck around until Unmasked, then I was out.
The 3 stanley songs and 2 simmons song on this album are crap aces 3 and peters 1 are great.......but i got worms
@sjdss god that was the weakest song on there
honestly the drumming on dynasty would have been better with peter drumming.......literally no difference in his drumming...
After pre-production and rehearsals were completed, Vini Poncia (who had produced _Peter Criss_ ), decided that Criss' drumming was substandard, an opinion shared by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. By this time, Criss was hindered by injuries to his hands that he had suffered in a 1978 car accident. Kiss hired the South African-born studio drummer Anton Fig, who played on _Ace Frehley_ , to play on the Dynasty sessions. "On _Dynasty_ , Peter was pretty much out of commission," reflected Stanley, "so I wouldn't point to it as a classic Kiss album." With the exception of his song, "Dirty Livin'", a rewrite of a song of the same title demoed during his pre-Kiss days in Lips, Criss does not appear on the album, and he did not perform on another Kiss album until _Psycho Circus_ in 1998. [Wikipedia]
One problem was that Ace get more space with his awful singing voice. I hate it... He sounds like a homeless.
Trade your ears in dumb ass.