KISS – KISSTORY VOLUME 15: 1985-1986

Description

The hugely popular KISS’s treasure trove of rare footage series, “KISSTORY,” presents its 15th installment: a three-disc set compiling approximately 223 minutes of footage from the “ASYLUM” era!

　This series is essentially the untold history of KISS. It’s a compilation of rare footage, including little-known TV appearances, forgotten commercials, valuable interviews, film footage, and more—all gathered in the best masters. We’ve archived 14 works from their makeup era up to “ANIMALIZE,” but this installment marks the beginning of the era when Paul, Gene, Bruce, and Eric finally solidified as a four-member group and truly started their career. First, let’s start with the usual series overview.

●Mak 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-Mak Era
• VOLUME 13: 1983/1984 (LICK IT UP Era)
• VOLUME 14: 1984/1985 (ANIMALIZE Era)
＊VOLUME 15: 1985/1986 (ASYLUM Era) ←★Main Work★

　While the previous installment, “KISSTORY 14 (Shades 2617),” traced the transition from Mark St. John to Bruce Kulick and the MTV concert special, this album is a direct sequel. It 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.” So, let’s take a look at each disc.

●DISC 1: Chapter 1 “The Eve of ‘ASYLUM’: A Special Program Hosted by Paul”
　Disc 1 begins 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 speaks in a relaxed manner about the band’s current situation, illustrating just how actively KISS was appearing in the media at the time.

●DISC 1: Chapter 2 “Tears Are Falling PV”
　Next up is the promotional video for “Tears Are Falling,” the lead single from ‘ASYLUM’. The source is Carlton & PolyGram’s in-house master VHS, which is slightly different from the version released to the public. You can once again enjoy the superb quality that is a hallmark of this series, thanks to the record company source.

●DISC 1: Chapter 3-9 “UK Promotional 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 in one go.

　First up is an interview from Sky Channel UK (September 9th). Recorded from a VHS master, it’s one of many UK promotional videos from the ‘ASYLUM’ era. Following that is “The Power Hour,” a Music Box UK program (September 20th) featuring an in-depth interview with Paul and Gene. WASP also makes an appearance at the beginning, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the time when KISS without makeup and the rising stars of shock rock stood side by side. Furthermore, the unedited version of the same program is also included, making it fun for enthusiasts to compare the differences with the broadcast version.

　The Amanda Redington Show is included in both a standard and a different version. Both are superb video quality sourced from the master VHS.

　The most noteworthy footage is the interview with Paul conducted by MTV’s popular VJ, Martha Quinn. Paul acts in a suggestive manner towards Martha, but in fact, the two become deeply involved shortly after this interview. Looking at it now, knowing this, every detail—his smirking expression, his somewhat sweet words, and the glances they exchange—is deeply meaningful (lol). It’s an exceptionally funny and must-see video.

　DISC 1 concludes with a rare solo interview with Eric Carr. Interviews with Eric speaking alone during his lifetime are extremely rare, making this footage, recorded for “V32” in 1985, a hidden gem.
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●DISC 2: Chapter 1-2 “Sky Trax and the PV for Who Wants To Be Lonely”
　DISC 2 continues with the remaining footage from the UK promotional tour. It includes Sky Channel’s “Sky Trax” Top 50 and the PV for their second single, “Who Wants To Be Lonely” (PolyGram master).

●DISC 2: Chapter 3-4 “Nashville Performance Related (2 types)”
　From here we move on to footage from the “ASYLUM Tour”. First up is a pro-shot reel of the Nashville performance (November 30, 1985). We also released the Nashville performance as “NASHVILLE 1985 PRO-SHOT VIDEO (Shades 2202)” but this footage is from a different reel. Unfortunately, the audio is missing, but the footage 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 episode of “Entertainment Tonight” (airing December 1st) also features related footage from the same Nashville concert, reporting on the live performance.

●DISC 2: Chapter 5-6 “The ‘Uh! All Night’ music video and Paul’s VJ programs (2 types)”
　Following the music video for their 3rd single, “Uh! All Night” (PolyGram Master), we see footage of Paul’s MTV guest VJ appearance, which aired on Christmas Day in 1985. In the 80s, Paul and Gene were frequently invited to appear on MTV programs such as Dial MTV and Hard 30. This particular video features Paul alone, and his appearance surrounded by beautiful women is unmistakably 80s.

●DISC 2: Chapter 7-8 “Two TV commercials using Nashville footage”
　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: Chapters 9-12 “TV Reports from Various Tour Locations and Rare Live Footage (4 Types)”
　The second half of DISC 2 consists of TV reports related to the US tour. The news report from the “San Diego, February 10, 1986” performance (“10 News Nightcast”) is a rare one that includes live footage. The report from the “Tulsa, February 22” performance also includes live footage, followed by the report from the Cobo Arena performance in Detroit (“The Beat”).

　And the grand finale of DISC 2 is one of the rarest videos on the album: a single-camera pro-shot of the “Abilene concert on February 27, 1986.” This is a rare video that lets you enjoy the raw, unadulterated stage performance of the “ASYLUM Tour” at “Detroit Rock City.”
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■DISC 3: Chapters 1-5 “Gene Simmons’ Film Career (5 Films)”
　The final DISC 3 is a collection of videos heavily featuring Gene Simmons. During this period, Gene was also focusing on her acting career, and was actively promoting her film “Never Too Young,” in which she 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 a very interesting video that focuses on Gene’s career as a film actor.

　Amidst all of this, the highlight is her appearance on the talk show of Dr. Ruth, a renowned relationship consultant. Dr. Ruth’s in-depth questioning of Jean’s romantic history is fascinating and entertaining, delivered with respect. It’s a must-see video that fully showcases Jean’s human side.

●DISC 3: Chapters 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 tour 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 Episode with Gene’s Honest Interview”
　The final episode of DISC 3 is “Night Life with David Brenner,” which aired on November 30, 1986. In this interview, Gene appears on comedian David Brenner’s show and speaks candidly about himself and KISS.
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　This three-disc set, totaling approximately 223 minutes, is the “ASYLUM” edition of a treasure trove of rare footage compiled from top-quality masters provided by researchers. It includes interviews from the 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”—a definitive archive of the entire “ASYLUM” period, when Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr truly began to shine. Please enjoy it to the fullest.

★The 15th installment in the treasure trove of video footage, the “KISSTORY” series. This 3-disc set compiles approximately 223 minutes of footage from the “ASYLUM” era. It includes interviews from the UK promotional tour, three music videos from the PolyGram masters, TV reports from various tour locations and rare live footage, Gene’s film work, and previously unreleased outtakes from “EXPOSED” featuring a feast of beautiful women’s nipples, and much more. This is the definitive archive of KISS during the “ASYLUM” period.

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 COLOUR 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 City)
PRO-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