Reviews

Date: Feb 9, 2009

Author: Tim McPhate (www.timmcphate.com)

Title: "Music From The FAQ III"
Artist: Various
Label: None. For free download only.
Release Date: Feb 2, 2009

As a fellow Music From The Faq alumnus, I'm bummed I couldn't take part on Vol. III but I'd like to congratulate everyone for carrying the flag and then some. Excellent work all around...there's a little bit of everything here including covers that are down the middle, unplugged, left of center, ramped up, laid back, and....even with a little jazz on the side. I know how much time, effort and creativity can go into these tracks so as Paul would say ... "You should give yourselves a round of applause...let's go...all right...aaaw--eeehh...." (And a shout out to AD87 for some more great artwork...)

Vol. III gets off to a rockin start with Re-Made's faithful rendition of "Flaming Youth." The mix is full from the crisp bass and drum work and the nice balance of electric and what sounds like acoustic rhythm guitars tucked in the mix. The solo would definitely get a thumbs up from the Spaceman, with lines reminiscent of what Ace might have played had he skipped the card game. Thankfully, the calliope was left off. Cool work on the outro with some wah-wah guitar backed by a Who-type rhythm figure.

"Howlin For Your Love" by Shawn Fox is an interesting inclusion as the song is an old Gene Simmons 1970s demo. The song begins with some Keith Richards-esque rhythm guitar work. The rhythm section sounds similar to KISS' sound on Dressed To Kill, allowing the tune to strut quite nicely between the verses and choruses. The lead guitar is excellent and features more space-worthy licks and trademark Aceisms a plenty.

Acoustic guitars are featured prominently on Beeblesaurus' version of Paul's great Killers track "Nowhere To Run." Lots of acoustic guitar on this one, and sounds like there's some 12-string acoustic guitars included? With this type of quieter treatment, Paul's lyrics come across as more vulnerable but equally powerful. There's some excellent work on the guitar solo -- including some improvised phrases vaguely reminiscent of some of Bruce's Unplugged work and some nice harmony guitar work.

Another of the surprises on this set, Mikel Black & Anthony Tyler turn in a jazz lounge take on "I Love It Loud." Jazzy chord stabs and hi-hat work are set against a cool horn arrangement and some well-sung vocals in the chorus. Jazz gives way to a bit of rock for a nicely executed guitar solo...great vibrato and phrasing. This tune could have fit well with Gene's Royal Crown Revue project...how about a KISS jazz covers album?! All hell broke loose on this one...

Capital Radio turns in an authentic version of the Dynasty gem "Hard Times." The drums, bass and guitar work are all well done and make for the perfect backdrop to some streetworthy vocals. The bridge is nailed and gives way to a solo that nearly quotes Ace's note for note before letting loose for an extended solo section--evoking memories of Paul and Ace trading solos a la "I Stole Your Love." Cool feedback work at the end as well...

"I've Had Enough (Into The Fire)" -- arguably one of KISS' finer album openers -- is given the unplugged campfire treatment by Das Fark. Subtle drums and bass support a great acoustic arrangement (nice work done on the parts). This version also features a sincere vocal delivery -- including some nice harmonies on the chorus -- and the bridge is toned down an octave and even features some sparse piano support. This arrangement is excellent and further proof of the depth of the KISS catalog.

Andy Samford is next up with a fun runthrough of the fan favorite "Let Me Know." The drum and bass work are faithfully executed, particularly the bass, which sounds very Gene-ish. The vocals and rhythm and lead guitar work are also solid....this version reminds you of the excellent KISS demo and is topped off by the patented outro vocal line as featured on KISS' debut album.

RHORM's take on "I Was Made For Loving You" is next. It's a darker, more aggressive reading of the Stanley/Child disco rock classic. The guitar tone is gritty and the vocal work is nicely done, complete with patented KISS harmonies for the choruses and a Paul-like falsetto for the bridge.

Mikel Black & Michael Tuttle also turn in a moving rendition of Ace's 78 solo gem "Speedin Back to My Baby." More excellent guitar work -- including nailing the intro lick and shuffle feel rhythms and a cool frantic guitar solo -- and vocal work stand out on this track, along with a Anton Fig-worthy drum track.

Les Paul's "Creatures Of The Night" is next and sounds like a cross between classic ‘70s KISS and ZZ Top. The rhythm guitar work in the verses is trimmed down to an eighth-note feel, giving the track a more ominous slant. The solo section is fresh, quoting "I Was Made For Loving You" before giving way to a barage that would do Ace proud.

Moor Cowbell lets loose a spirited version of "Two Timer." The mix and production are rounded out nicely and sound almost like the fresh coat of paint KISS put on some of their classics on the recent re-recordings. A nice extended improvised solo on this one, similar to the arrangement on the You Wanted The Best... album.

Ypke brings out the acoustics too for "Trial By Fire." This Asylum song works well given this arrangement, retains its anthemic qualities and morphs into a genuine fun and loose sing-along. Great points for creativity here...nice work.

Les Paul cranks up the guitars for "You're All That I Want" next. This track moves along briskly and features a nice thick guitar sound (no keyboards on this one folks) and some well-executed lead guitar work. This version has almost a 1976 KISS feel, in contrast to the slick Unmasked version. Thumbs up...

"Into The Night" -- an excellent song written by Russ Ballard and featured on the Frehley's Comet -- gets the unplugged treatment here. This dark version (sounding very Halloweenish) is nicely executed within a bare-bones arrangement rounded out with some acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals. Definitely some major points for creativity and a nice take on this tune.

A raucous rendition of "C'Mon And Love Me" is up next. After an intro quoting "Love Theme From KISS," the gears shift into overdrive. This version sounds almost similar to the brief footage of KISS rehearsing in a small room for the reunion tour -- primal, powerful and very garage band-like.

Ypke comes back for more with a rocked up take on the poppy "Read My Body" from HITS. This version is fun, with animated vocals, amped up guitars, a nice melodic solo. and a pumping rhythm section complete with some Eric Carr-esque double bass on the choruses. This arrangement definitely sheds a fresh light on this tune.

In another A+ display of creativity, Yahoo & The Beaters turn in a hard version of "Easy Thing" replete with haunting power chords and spoken vocals in the verses and an infectious Beatlesque sing-along chorus. Rumor is this could have been how Peter told Sean Delaney how he wanted the song to sound before turning it morphed into a ballad? Very cool track...

The Israel Luna Empiric Experience turns in a pyschedelic/industrial brooding take of "Master And Slave" (re-named "Master Of Doom (Slave Salad)" from the Carnival Of Souls album. The verses are eerily reminiscent of early 1970s Sabbath and can be summed up in one word: spooky. The song picks up the pace around the 3:00 mark before giving way to a Kulick/Iommi-esque lead break. Lots of cool things happening on this track -- including a super-charged outro -- so it's worth multiple listens but beware of supposed satanic messages. As such, all children under the age of 13 should only listen to this in the presence of a legal guardian.

Robert Wiggin & Bob Rowe reprise "Into The Night" as an added bonus track -- this time turning in a charged up electric version. Interesting work on the vocal harmonies --sounds similar to Alice In Chains -- and cool guitar work with crunchy power chords. The guitar solo sounds freshly improvised and features some cool phrasing and snarling pinch harmonics...the final chorus gives way to an excerpt of Ace's "Fractured III"...good work. An energetic way to cap off another creative and FUN set of KISS covers.

May 9, 2008 - originally published on the reviewers private blog and reproduced on the KissFAQ forum.

CD – 'Music From The FAQ'
ARTIST – Various
LABEL – None. For free download only.
YEAR – 2008

Tribute albums are almost always hit and miss affairs. You tend to get radically altered versions of songs you'd rather not have changed in any way, and alternatively you get carbon copies of the originals and question why you would want an exact replica of the original.

But some of these ‘tributes' should be approached differently to others.

And so to 'Music From The FAQ'.

KISSFAQ is the net's premier information site, which has a very active forum. On this forum are a motley bunch of diehard fans that decided to get together and record their versions of KISS songs. We're talking home-made tributes on a strict time limit here … no big studios, no fancy, big budget productions … just a lot of passion for the subject and, as it turns out, a whole lotta talent. Most of you here will already know of my history with KISS (if you haven't just click the tag below) and you'd probably expect me to cast a rather critical ear over this collection of 23 songs.

Not so.

It doesn't matter how minimal the production is at times, or how good the musicianship is. This is about people taking their fave songs and presenting them from the heart… and it works like crazy!!

If you're a KISS fan you will ‘get' this s**t!

Without going into minute detail about each song, I'll start with the more altered arrangements first;

It all kicks off with Beeblesaurus' version of ‘Uh! All Night' from my least favorite era of the band. The cock rock cheese is totally stripped away and this version positively bounces along, sounding like it coulda sprung from the mid-late 60s (kinda Doors-ish actually) and it's catchy as hell. Beeblesaurus also weigh in with a very different take on Ace's ‘What's On Your Mind'. This gently loping, half-paced rendition is aided by a dainty piano figure throughout and it's complemented by a neat double tracked vocal that soothes as it pleases. I'd love to hear an album's worth from these guys Terrific stuff indeed.

Of particular note are the amazing acoustic versions of some lesser known KISS klassics. 2000 Man's ‘I Can't Stop The Rain' is a superb Peter Criss song and this version does it justice… and then some! It features a stunningly beautiful female vocal, great guitar and a great arrangement, as does their version of ‘Hard Luck Woman'. Same immaculate voice and guitar, same impact.

Another acoustic beauty is Necronomicon's ‘Tomorrow'. Again featuring a great female vocal, (complete with superb harmonies) it's a wonderfully peeled back version of a great pop song.

Romonovich's version of Gene's ‘Mr Make Believe' is gorgeous, with yet another superb vocal performance and great acoustic chops. The Demon would (and should) be impressed.

Another Peter song featured (and there are surprisingly, but happily, quite a few here) is Les Paul's ‘Don't You Let Me Down'. The original, almost reggae tinged, arrangement gives way to a more straight ahead rock and roll chug, more in line with the tastes of the average rocker KISS fan.

One of the most fun songs is the Coal Bin Bros entry ‘Dirty Sugar', which melds two Criss songs (Dirty Livin' & That's The Kinda Sugar Papa Likes) into one awesomely funky mix, complete with an opening twin kazoo attack (I kid you not!), bells, glockenspiel and some funked up rock and roll guitar. This really is an odd, but inspiring entry. Sounds like there was some serious, yet tongue in cheek, KISS lovin' going on during the recording of this one.

The instrumentalists also get their shot, with some inspired entries dotting the CD. Mr Blackwell's stunning ‘Reason To Live' showcases some high quality acoustic and electric virtuosity that never overshadows the actual song. From it's initial George Benson-ish flourishes to it's brilliant Vai-esque lead guitar(s), this one's worthy of any big label tribute. Simply superb.

LoveGun07's ‘Shandi' is another instrumental winner, pared back to an acoustic guitar with a tasty, wailing lead prevailing throughout. A more crunching instrumental is his take of ‘Love Gun', with it's biting leads replacing the Starchild's vocals.

Ypke's ‘electro acoustic' version of Lick It Up has one of the more passionate vocals of the project and a simplicity that just plain ‘works'.

‘Nightmare' is an instrumental from Cosmicblues that has great chops and a lotta atmosphere. I'd like to hear more of this guy's stuff.

The more faithful to the original arrangements on here are no less impressive!

Yahoo & The Beaters' c-r-r-r-unchy version of War Machine is awesome in it's ferocity. A great vocal and hot, stinging leads are highlights of this lumbering, demonic attack. Their version of 'Strange Ways' is a f**king classic! With a nod to The Darkness in the vocals and a heavy, heavy vibe, this one's sure to please the most ardent KISS headbanger.

Evo999 weighs in with two sterling efforts (Mr Speed & Rip It Out). Both feature delightfully dirty and faithful guitars and excellent vocals. If this guy ain't wailin' up front for some band somewhere, then he should be.

From Dressed To Kiss comes ‘Christine Sixteen', an old fave of mine in case ya didn't know! Everything is sounding great here, with nice guitars, a twin lead expertly executed and neato vocals throughout. Just to prove he's my sorta guy, he tackles another Simmons favorite of mine, the sleaze laden ‘Ladies In Waiting'……and nails it in the process!

im93 comes up trumps with ‘Love Her All I Can' too. Tight and punchy, as per the KISS version, with a vocal (and musicianship to match) that would make the Starry Eyed dude smile, if only he'd take the time out from painting f**king circles to notice (a FAQ in-joke folks, forget it).

Iris chips in with a steely version of ‘Detroit Rock City'. It takes balls to tackle a classic like this and it takes nerve to pull it off. Kudos to the man!

Tommy Thayer's… oops, Space Ace's ‘Shock Me' is next, courtesy of Moor Cowbell and it smokes, as does it's solo. Solid and metallic, it's a beauty.

That leaves the most ambitious track… gshaller's ‘1978 (Kiss Me). A mishmash of bits and pieces from the 1978 KISS solo albums all strung together with such precision and care that it couldn't fail to impress with it's complexity. Who does this f**king Brian Shaller or Gary Wilson think he is!!?? Anyways, there's more than a hint of Beach Boys here to complement the many vocal layers and instrumentation to please even the most ardent BB or KISS devotee. Creative chap is old Gazza.


Really, I'm not doing these songs or the guys that created them justice by skimming through like this (and for that I humbly apologise) so please go to the link provided below and make your own minds up. It's worth it.

After all, how many compilations do you know of that have a twin kazoo attack, huh?

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DISCLAIMER: "Music from the FAQ" is an unofficial, not for profit, fan run web site. It is not connected in any way with the Kiss Organisation or any associated legal entity. The recordings contained in the site are the property of their respective owners, and the copyright embodied in the songs themselves remains the property of the respective composers and their publishers.