Kiss / Rare History 1985-1986

The hugely popular KISS treasure trove video series, “KISSTORY,” continues with its 15th installment: a three-disc set compiling approximately 223 minutes of footage from the “ASYLUM” era! This series is essentially the hidden history of KISS. It’s a compilation of rare footage that you wouldn’t normally see, including little-known TV appearances, forgotten commercials, valuable interviews, film footage, and more, all compiled in the best masters. The series has archived 14 works from the makeup era up to “ANIMALIZE,” but this installment finally takes us to the era when Paul, Gene, Bruce, and Eric solidified as a group and truly began their career. First, let’s start with the usual series overview. Makeup Era – VOLUME 1-5: 1974-1979 (Golden Age) – VOLUME 6-8: 1980 (UNMASKED Era) – VOLUME 9: 1981/1982 (THE ELDER Era) – VOLUME 10-12: 1982/1983 (CREATURES OF THE NIGHT Era) No Makeup Era – VOLUME 13: 1983/1984 (LICK IT UP Era) – VOLUME 14: 1984/1985 (ANIMALIZE Era) *VOLUME 15: 1985/1986 (ASYLUM Era) ←★This work★ In the previous work, “KISSTORY 14,” we traced the transition from Mark St. John to Bruce Kulick and the MTV concert special, but this work is a direct sequel to that. This special edition covers everything from the eve of the release of “ASYLUM” to promotional activities, TV reports and rare live footage from various tour locations, and even Gene Simmons’ film work and outtakes from “EXPOSED.” Let’s take a look at each disc. DISC 1: Chapter 1 “The Eve of ‘ASYLUM’: A Special Program Hosted by Paul” DISC 1 starts in the summer of 1985, just before the release of the album “ASYLUM.” First up is footage of Paul Stanley co-hosting the radio program “Radio 1990” (July 22-26, 1985). Starting with discussions about the new album, Paul’s relaxed demeanor as he talks about the band’s current situation speaks volumes about how actively KISS was appearing in the media at the time. DISC 1: Chapter 2 “The Music Video for ‘Tears Are Falling'” Next is the music video for “Tears Are Falling,” the lead single from “ASYLUM.” The source is Carlton & PolyGram’s in-house master VHS, a version that is subtly different from the version released to the public. You can enjoy the superb quality that is a hallmark of the series, thanks to the record company source. DISC 1: Chapter 3-9 “UK Promo Tour and Interview Collection (7 types)” The main feature of DISC 1 is the collection of footage from the UK promotional tour held in conjunction with the release of ‘ASYLUM’. You can enjoy all of the TV appearances that took place in September 1985 all at once. First up is an interview on the UK Sky Channel (September 9th). Recorded from the VHS master, it is one of many UK promotional videos from the ‘ASYLUM’ era. Next is “The Power Hour,” a Music Box UK program (September 20th), featuring an in-depth interview with Paul and Gene. W.A.S.P. also appears at the beginning, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the time when the no-makeup KISS and the rising stars of shock rock stood side by side. Furthermore, the unedited version of the same program is also included, making it interesting for enthusiasts to compare the differences with the broadcast version. The Amanda Redington Show is included in both a regular and a different version. Both are superb footage from the master VHS. The most noteworthy footage is Paul’s interview with MTV’s popular VJ Martha Quinn. Paul acts suggestively towards Martha, but in fact, the two become deeply involved shortly after this interview. Looking at it now, knowing that, every smirk, every sweet word, every glance they exchange is full of charm (lol). It’s an exceptionally funny and must-see video. DISC 1 concludes with a rare solo interview with Eric Carr. There are very few interviews where Eric speaks alone during his lifetime, and this footage, included in “V32” in 1985, is a hidden treasure. DISC 2: Chapter 1-2 “Sky Trax and Who Wants To Be Lonely PVs” DISC 2 continues with the remaining footage from the UK promotional tour. This includes Sky Channel’s “Sky Trax” Top 50 and the music video (PolyGram master) for their second single, “Who Wants To Be Lonely.” DISC 2: Chapter 3-4 “Nashville Concert Related (2 types)” From here on, we move on to footage from the “ASYLUM Tour.” First up is a pro-shot reel of the Nashville concert (November 30, 1985). The Nashville concert was also released as “NASHVILLE 1985 PRO-SHOT VIDEO,” but this footage is from a different reel. Unfortunately, the audio is missing, but the video itself is extremely valuable. This footage was overlaid with “Tears Are Falling,” “Who Wants To Be Lonely,” and “Uh, All Night,” and was filmed for use in a TV commercial announcing the tour. The following “Entertainment Tonight (broadcast December 1)” is also related footage from the same Nashville concert, a news report about the live performance. DISC 2: Chapter 5-6 “The ‘Uh! All Night’ PV and Paul’s VJ Program (2 types)” Following the PV for the 3rd single “Uh! All Night” (PolyGram Master), we see footage of Paul’s MTV guest VJ appearance broadcast on Christmas Day 1985. In the 80s, Paul and Gene were frequently invited to appear on MTV programs such as Dial MTV and Hard 30. This is Paul’s solo appearance, and his image surrounded by beautiful women is very typical of the 80s. DISC 2: Chapter 7-8 “TV Commercials Using Nashville Footage (2 types)” Next are two TV commercials from January 8, 1986. One is a tour announcement for the LA Forum performance, and the other is an announcement for the album “ASYLUM”. Both use the aforementioned Nashville footage. DISC 2: Chapter 9-12 “TV Reports from Various Tour Locations and Rare Live Footage (4 types)” The second half of DISC 2 is a collection of TV reports related to the US tour. The news report (“10 News Nightcast”) of the “San Diego, February 10, 1986” concert is a valuable piece that includes live footage. The report of the “Tulsa, February 22” concert also includes live footage, followed by the report of the “Detroit” Cobo Arena concert (“The Beat”). The finale of DISC 2 is one of the rarest videos on this release: a single-camera pro-shot of the “Abilene, February 27, 1986” concert. This is a secret video that allows you to enjoy the raw stage of the “ASYLUM Tour” at “Detroit Rock City”. DISC 3: Chapters 1-5 “Gene Simmons’ Film Activities (5 types)” The final DISC 3 is a collection of videos that heavily feature Gene Simmons. During this period, Gene was also focusing on his acting career, and he was energetically promoting his film “Never Too Young,” in which he co-starred with John Stamos and Vanity. The “Entertainment Tonight” interview with Stamos & Vanity, the HBO interview at Electric Lady Studios, and the MTV News interview about KISS’s current situation—all are rare footage. “Out Of Hollywood” in particular is very interesting footage that focuses on Gene’s career as a film actor. But the highlight is his appearance on Dr. Ruth’s talk show, where he is famous as a relationship consultant. Dr. Ruth delves into Gene’s love life in a fascinating and respectful way. It is a must-see video that fully showcases Gene’s humanity. DISC 3: Chapter 6-8 “EXPOSED Outtakes & Casting Footage” Another highlight of DISC 3 is the previously unreleased outtakes and casting footage from the home video “KISS EXPOSED”. In the summer of 1986, KISS temporarily interrupted their regular touring and recording cycle to work on the feature-length video “EXPOSED”. Here you can catch a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes of the platinum-selling home video, including unedited footage leaked from the set, outtakes from the pool, alternate takes of Howard Marks’ intro, and even shocking casting footage of each girl auditioning with their nipples completely exposed. DISC 3: Chapter 9 “A Concluding Touch with Gene’s Honest Interview” The finale of DISC 3 is “Night Life with David Brenner,” broadcast on November 30, 1986. In this honest interview, Gene appears on comedian David Brenner’s show and speaks candidly about himself and KISS. This is a 3-disc set totaling approximately 223 minutes. This is the ‘ASYLUM’ edition of the treasure trove of footage series, compiled from top-quality masters provided by researchers. This definitive archive of the entire “ASYLUM” era, when Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr truly began to shine, includes interviews from their UK promotional tour, three music videos from the PolyGram masters, rare live footage from various tour locations, Gene’s film work, and even previously unreleased outtakes from “EXPOSED.” This is the 15th installment in the “KISSTORY” series of treasure trove video collections. This three-disc set compiles the “ASYLUM” era into approximately 223 minutes. It includes interviews from their UK promotional tour, three music videos from the PolyGram masters, TV reports and rare live footage from various tour locations, Gene’s film work, and previously unreleased outtakes from “EXPOSED,” a festival of beautiful women’s nipples, and much more. This is the definitive archive of the entire “ASYLUM” era of KISS. Disc 1(75:03) 1. Paul Stanley Co hosting Radio 1990 22nd – 26th July 1985 2. Tears Are Falling Promotional Video (Carlton & Polygram Master) 3. Sky Channel UK Interview 9th September 1985 4. The Power Hour Music Box UK 20th September 1985 5. After The Make Up Power Hour September 1985 6. Amanda Redington Interview 21st September 1985 7. Amanda Redington Interview 21st September 1985 Different Version 8. MTV Martha Quinn Interview Paul Stanley September 1985 9. Eric Carr Interview On V32 1985 PRO-SHOT COLOR NTSC Approx.75min. Disc 2(76:53) 1. Sky Trax Sky Channel UK Top 50 1985 2. Who Wants To Be Lonely Promotional Video (Carlton & Polygram Master) 3. Gary Thieltges Pro Shot Tour Footage NO SOUND 4. Nashville Entertainment Tonight 1st December 1985 5. Uh All Night Promotional Video (Carlton & Polygram Master) 6. MTV Guest VJ Paul Stanley Christmas 1985 7. Asylum Tour Promo LA Forum 8th January 1986 8. Asylum Promo 8th January 1986 9. San Diego TV News Report “10 News Nightcast” 10th February 1986 10. Tulsa Expo Square Pavilion 22nd February 1986 Interview 11. The Beat Detroit Report February 1986 12. Abilene 27th February 1986 (1 Cam Proshot Detroit Rock CityPRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.77min. Disc 3(71:10) 1. Gene Simmons John Stamos & Vanity On Entertainment Tonight 2.Gene Simmons Interview HBO From Electric Lady Studios 3. Gene Simmons On Dr Ruth Show 1986 4. Gene Simmons Interview MTV News 1986 5. Out Of Hollywood Interview Gene Simmons 1986 Exposed Outtakes And Castings 6. Raw Uncut Interviews 7. Pool Outtakes & Howard Marks Intro Outtakes 8. Casting For The Girls 9. Gene Simmons On Night Life With David Brenner 30th November 1986 PRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.71min. PRO-SHOT COLOUR NTSC Approx.223min. total