It's pretty obvious that "KISS Alive!" was the album that saved KISS, and to no small extent Casablanca Records also. It's also obvious that "Destroyer" nearly killed the band's success before they'd really had more than a taste of fame (no fortune quite yet) prior to a certain "throw-away" ballad becoming something of a savior. The KISS of 1975 into early 1976 was a band whose studio sonic dynamic had changed. An analogy of a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly might be apt, were one writing flowery prose. Discarded was the ethos of trying to capture the band "live" in the studio. Instead, the band had agreed to Bob Ezrin's all-out sonic experimentation and refinement which resulted in "Destroyer." It also resulted in the alienation of a sector of the original 73-5 fans as the band's studio sound became ultra-polished rather than raw and somewhat rushed.

    It might also be fair to suggest that KISS' success turned some of the original fans off - they now had to share "their" band with apparent bandwagon-hopping newbies (some of those fans are still bitter in 2007). Even the band's members and support personnel weren't absolutely sure about the path they'd taken with "Destroyer," but in the end they probably picked up more new fans than they lost. The humorous point to the overall uncertainty about the product they'd created was obvious by the last minute invitation to Jack Douglas, then Bob Ezrin's assistant, to remix the album and try and salvage something from a perceived mistake.

    That album "remix" was not required. "Destroyer" was released and nearly bombed before "Beth" came to the rescue and changed the band forever. Neither was the band totally turned-off Bob Ezrin following the boot-camp experience that had been the recording sessions for the album. He was considered for the follow-up album, since it was apparent that the success had helped them get over any original doubts they may have had. However, Bob was by that time unavailable having moved on to other projects. It's interesting to ponder where he might have taken the band on such a project, but irrelevant. What resulted from the follow-up was a 180 degree turn, a return to the recording ethos of 1973-5, with that analogous "butterfly" dropping dead, as the band reverted to their quest for studio rawness that mimicked their live presentation (on a good day).

    "Rock And Roll Over" reunited the band with Eddie Kramer, with whom they'd done their first studio recordings in March 1973 (Gooch/Suhs) and their breakthrough "Alive!" (and Anaheim '76). His studio work with them provided a taste of what could, and probably should have been, the sound of the first two albums. That cynical voice also suggests that he did exactly that with the band when he re-recorded material that became "Alive!" Eddie had turned down live albums with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones to work with KISS (in the studio) at this juncture, but it was probably the right time for him to do so. Yet, Ezrin's imprint was still very much present. However tough the recording experience had been, the band had discovered that more variety in the music could be beneficial.

    Recording officially commenced at "closed" Nanuet Star Theater in Nanuet, NY on Monday, September 20 and was scheduled to be there completed by October 11. The theatre was closed in late-1975 (reopening in May 1978), but rented out for one-off or other events. It was also very conveniently located near New York City, thus not requiring any major relocation for the band and their staff. The weekend of September 18-19 saw the crew and band arriving and acoustic tests being done on the environment and equipment. Recording in a theatre was supposed to help capture the live dynamic that proved so popular with the fans. The album was completed at the Record Plant, back in New York City between October 12-17. Final overdubs and mixing took place between the October 18-24, while the band was in Los Angeles. With Kramer at the helm recording took weeks instead of the months the previous album had taken - though to be fair, there were breaks in the recording schedule.

    There was no shortage of ideas or material, and the resulting album was released on November 1, which seems completely insane for an album that had only been completed a week earlier! But it seems likely that the material was very spontaneous and specifically lacking in the refinement that Ezrin brought to the sessions. For the first time in their history KISS was not on tour at the time the album was released. In the meantime there were rehearsals to complete and promotional material to produce. KISS and their core entourage flew to Los Angeles on various days to tape the Paul Lynde Halloween special in mid-October. Most of the band arrived on the October 18 (an advance "guard" had arrived on October 12). KISS rehearsed in Hall #5 at ABC Studios in Los Angeles, CA the following day and taped the show on October 20-21.

    KISS' part of the show included minor dialogue bits and the lip-synched performances of "Detroit Rock City" (taped on 10/20), "Beth," and "King Of The Night Time World" (both taped on 10/21). The band returned to New York the following day. For promotional purposes to support the album band also appeared on the Burns Media radio show "Rock And Roll Over With KISS." It featured interview segments and sound-bites from members of the band and tour personnel, plus clips of various KISS recordings, not only those from the new album.

    Tour rehearsals were booked at Studio B at Studio Instrument Rentals (S.I.R.) in New York City between November 7 and 13. These were followed by the full production rehearsals held at the Camp Curtis Guild Armory (which became the American Civic Center) in Redding, MA between November 14 and 21, though staff were onsite from the 11/12 for setup and equipment unloading. Eddie Balandas and Joe Gusti drove up from Boston in a truck carrying the costumes and Peter's stage cats on November 13. For the tour there were only minor revisions made to Gene, Ace, and Peter's "Destroyer" costumes. For the early part of the tour Paul continued to use older costumes, before getting his new one. The new costume was essentially a sleeveless version of the "Destroyer" unitard. During their stay the band and entourage took over the Lord Wakefield Motor Hotel on the shores of Lake Quannapowitt. Tour manager and "Artist Representative," a term which could also be read as "babysitter," was Frank Scinlaro. Billy Miller would shortly take over from Frank.

    Fans are lucky that a couple of recordings of those rehearsals, not just the singular "Take Me" that was included on the "KISS My Ass" video. First is a half-hour tripod shot black and white video that features the band running through "Cold Gin," "God Of Thunder" (including Peter's solo), "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Deuce," "Black Diamond," and "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em." None of that material is particularly staggering, since the band trying to arrange an electric version of "Beth" isn't present, but KISS are without their make-up and costumes. "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em," which was probably filmed separately, wasn't even a performance as such. It's the band working on lip-synching the performance that they'd film for television during the rehearsals. That song, "I Want You," and "Hard Luck Woman" were properly filmed for use on Don Kirshner's "New" Rock Concert during the rehearsals.

    While those songs would have been an indication of what new material was going to debut on the tour it wasn't broadcast until May 28, 1977, long after the tour had ended, in a form over-dubbed with fake audience. The 90 minute show also featured Alice Cooper, Burton Cummings performing "I'm Scared," Dorothy Moore, and Casablanca label-mates Angel. KISS was also featured during the 4th anniversary high-lights show. The videos also found use in international markets for promotional purposes and have become accepted as being promos even though their original intent was different.

    The audio only version of the tour rehearsals include: "Detroit Rock City" (incomplete), "Take Me," "Let Me Go, Rock N Roll," "Strutter," "Ladies Room," "Firehouse," "Hard Luck Woman" (incomplete), "Do You Love Me?" (incomplete), "Cold Gin" (several attempts), "Makin' Love," "I Want You," and a more complete and fast-tempo 2:34 arrangement of "Hard Luck Woman." This audio version is usually found in very reasonable sound-quality, though there is some fluctuation. The last song, while complete, is more "muddy" than the rest of the recordings. However, cleaned-up with a bit of audience over-dub, presto, that's what "Hard Luck Woman" sounded like live in concert in 1976!

    The "Winter Tour 1976/77" (that's the official title of the tour, rather than oft mentioned "Spirit of '76 Part II" and other variants) kicked-off in Savannah, Georgia on November 24. The originally intended opening city of Fayetteville, NC was inexplicably changed, though it was rescheduled for later in the tour. The band essentially used the same stage that had been used on the previous tour though it was refined with some stage props not being used. There has been the suggestion that KISS performed "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em" during the early part of the tour**. That would have meant during the first five shows of the tour. Even though Gene has asserted that it was performed, it seems unlikely. The one appearance of the song is during a lip-synch rehearsal, and nothing else about the song in concert has ever come to light. It seems more plausible that Gene is misremembering the video rehearsal, but as with all things KISS that statement (opinion) should not be interpreted as "fact."

    What is clear is that plenty of new material was introduced for the tour. Initially, "Rock And Roll Over" was represented with "Take Me," "Ladies Room," "Hard Luck Woman," "I Want You," and "Makin' Love," which during the early stages of the tour appeared as an encore! These five new tracks add to likelihood that "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em" was not included, simply by representing 50% of the new album ("Calling Dr. Love" joined the set during the "Love Gun" tour). An additional song from the album may have been over-kill for the set which was designed to be around 75 minutes in duration.

    More importantly was the introduction of "Beth" into the set. By that time the band had no choice but to incorporate the song into the set due to its hit status. Bringing Peter out from behind the drum kit, to sit on a case and sing along to the canned orchestral track, allowed him to connect with the audience in a very personal and somewhat tender way, again changing the overall dynamic of the band's live show. The band was moving on from their early years, not necessarily maturing, but at least evolving.

    Early standards such as "100,000 Years" and "Deuce" were dropped from the set in order to limit the length of the shows and focus the material on the most popular albums at that point. The band and their advisors were very aware and concerned with the product they were selling. There was also less experimentation with the set, though obviously there were changes, but things became very much stream-lined, or perhaps more scripted than ever before.

    What is generally considered to be the first available recording of the "Rock And Roll Over" tour is from the January 1, 1977 show at Providence's Civic Center in Rhode Island. During December kinks were ironed out of the set and it somewhat stabilized featuring: "Detroit Rock City," "Take Me," "Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll," "Ladies Room," "Firehouse," "Makin' Love," "I Want You," "Cold Gin" (w/ Ace's solo) , "Do You Love Me? ," "Nothin' To Lose," "God Of Thunder" (w/ Peter's solo), "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Shout It Out Loud," "Beth," and "Black Diamond." That's not a particularly grueling set list, and nine of the songs are post-"Alive!"

    Considering that the tour concluded at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA on March 7 that's a substantial part of the tour not archived! In fact, according to Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs' "KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History," some 22 shows out of a tour of 70 equates to around 32% of the tour to remain pretty much shrouded in mystery. Furthermore, the show on March 7 probably had the same set list as the show on January 1 indicating that the set was very much static during this major part of the tour. The last know audio recording from March 5 also has the same set, so it is unlikely that it changed for the final two shows. In fact, from the audience recordings (ROIO) that do circulate most indicate similar sets, though invariably encores and/or other parts of the show may be missing. Hartford, from February 16, is particularly butchered, missing "Firehouse," "Do You Love Me?," "Nothin' To Lose," "Shout It Out Loud," and "Beth," but at least sounds better than the few other audience attempts.

    Opening act for most of December through mid-February was the Uriah Heep. When their stint ended New York punk band and contemporaries of KISS, The Dictators, lead by "Handsome" Dick Manitoba joined to tour. Like KISS, the Dictators had played the Coventry in New York City in their early years and even played on a bill with the Stooges and Blue Oyster Cult months before KISS' Academy Of Music industry debut! However, the bill was very much mismatched. It is interesting to point out that the band had a song, "The Minnesota Strip," on their "Bloodbrothers" album 1978 that has more than a few similarities with KISS' later version of Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance's "War Machine." An interesting coincidence, in addition to the band's other shared histories. Other acts to open for KISS during this tour were Southern Rock band Blackfoot and Sammy Hagar.

    One particularly interesting show from this period, Johnson City, TN, from February 26, has Paul singing many of Peter's vocal parts. Peter had been involved in a car crash, after the band's show at Nassau Coliseum on February 21. This incident resulted in the cancellation of the tour's next scheduled show in Hampton, VA on February 23. At the Nassau show, which had been an extra date scheduled due to MSG selling out and being unable for further booking, Peter's levitating drum had malfunctioned and nearly tipped him and his kit off while descending unevenly - Peter should have been used to that after what he'd gone through during 1973-4! When the tour reconvened in Johnson City, Peter didn't perform "Beth," though he did complete his drum solo. Apart from this show we pretty much hear and see the "same old, same old."

    As previously mentioned, the "Rock And Roll Over" tour discarded much of the material that had comprised the set pre-"Destroyer." In one sense it was understandable: KISS version "1976 Part II" certainly wasn't KISS v.75 or "76 Part I". Of this material "Strutter" survived in the set until early December with the show at the Mississippi Coliseum (12/3) being the last known performance. At some point soon after that show song was dropped from the set, and it would remain absent until 1980! KISS was full stream ahead as a major act and the past was rapidly falling behind them as they conquered America.

    The few other audio and video recordings from the tour provide fans with a fascinating look at the tour. Memphis, TN is the earliest recording currently known to exist from the tour, and one of only two shows from 1976 (the other being New Orleans, LA from 12/4 which doesn't circulate either) - three if you count the silent 8mm footage from Jackson, MS. The show was the sixth of the tour, so its early date makes it a particularly important artifact. What makes either of these recordings fascinating is the inclusion of "Hard Luck Woman" in an electrical format. With the single having been released around the time the tour kicked off, backed with "Take Me," it wasn't particularly surprising that the band initially included either song in the set. "Hard Luck Woman" gave Peter another opportunity to shine. The 12/2 show also provides a listen to what is currently the earliest performance of "Beth."

    No full set list from this early part of the tour has previously been known, though we can now present at least what it looked like in early December 1976. The 12/2 show featured the following set: "Detroit Rock City," "Take Me," "Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll," "Strutter," "Ladies Room," "Firehouse," "I Want You," "Hard Luck Woman," "Do You Love Me?" (which on this occasion had a rather long drum intro section), "Cold Gin" (w/ Ace's solo), a brief Gene bass solo followed by "God Of Thunder" (w/ Peter's solo), "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Beth," "Makin' Love," and "Black Diamond." Unlike shows later in the tour "Nothin' To Lose" and "Shout It Out Loud" were not performed.

    This concert is interesting from another point of view: Issues with the audience interrupted the show several times culminating in the local Fire Marshall taking to the stage at one point. The first interruption occurs after "Take Me" with an announcement being made: "The fire marshal wants us to keep the aisles clear. There's broken glass, someone might get hurt and we don't want to stop the show. So please keep the aisles clear!" Apparently the request didn't work and following "Firehouse" there is a several minute delay with the announcer pleading: "Everybody listen up a second! The fire marshal wants the aisles cleared. He's threatening to stop the show."

    The audience eventually starts chanting "We want KISS" while the announcer pleads for the audience to comply. The interruption only lasts around four minutes, but it's pretty clear the show was close to getting fully stopped. Without further announcement Paul somewhat tepidly starts "I Want You," but the undercurrent of the show leaves the song lacking its usual electricity. It seems the interruption has de-energized the band somewhat. It's also somewhat odd that Paul didn't work any cautions into his raps, very much following the usual script (though they were not necessarily audible on the recording).

    As it's the earliest recording known from the tour it provides the earliest known concert recordings of "Take Me," "I Want You," "Ladies Room," and "Makin' Love." The last of these songs started out in an encore position in the set before being re-sequenced to the end of the first third of the show. "Ladies Room" also features a slightly different arrangement, including a breakdown, almost sing-a-long section, on the final chorus. The song soon returned to a form closer to the album recording and more familiar to the fans, but still needed more cowbell. With the guitar style of "I Want You" it's not surprising that "Hard Luck Woman" followed it in the set. The performance is very much a band effort with more obvious backing vocals, notably from Paul. However, Peter sounds very much into performing the song, though it really did slow the set down. Paul seems almost confrontational as he introduces "Rock And Roll All Nite" telling the audience to get up off their seats.

    The following night's show at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, MS was also partially archived, in this case on silent 8mm. Focusing mainly on Paul from the photo pit, the dark video has been synched with mismatched audio, leaving collectors unsure about exactly what is featured on the video. It's barely watchable, but is interesting nonetheless. Since the December 4 show in New Orleans show included "Hard Luck Woman," it is likely that was still present in the set list on 12/3. However, the 8mm footage that is available seems to jump from parts of one song to the next. "Firehouse" is certainly present with Paul donning the fire-hat and Gene successfully breathing fire - something he'd not manage a couple of days later in Mobile, AL.

    Most stunning of the "Rock And Roll Over" tour archive is the incomplete January 29, 1977 Cobo Arena video, the final and hastily added third show in Detroit (Paul references it as the last of the shows during the introduction to "Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll"). On the day of the first show (1/27) the band were interviewed unmasked, though with their backs facing the camera, by Max Kinkel for a local television news feature. It is fitting, perhaps, that this Detroit show is available to collectors, though somewhat sad that the lesser MSG show was featured as a bonus for the KISSology Volume 1 DVD in terms of wider distribution. Professionally filmed to a standard that in the opinion of the author exceeds the previous year's shows, Cobo '77 is sourced from a 3/4" master tape that surfaced on E-bay in June 2006.

    That tape was snapped up by a European collector for a bargain $5,000, though the seller, lacking any integrity, immediately started selling DVD copies to others. Once that occurred a free-for-all took place with traders making the video available in as many places as possible for free and reporting the auctions to the E-bay police to get them shut down. The video starts with the band backstage with "Big" John Harte leading them to stage and segues into the band taking to their instruments on a darkened stage. The tape then jumps into an already in progress "Detroit Rock City" (missing the first verse and band intro). The video excludes the encores after "Rock And Roll All Nite," but the clarity and performance is simply staggering. Some believe the show is an equal of Tokyo '77, others believe it to blow it out of the water. If any show can claim to be definitive of this tour, then even incomplete this is perhaps it. Until that is, perhaps, a rumored video from Largo, MD (December 19) surfaces (if it even exists).

    What happened to the encores? Well, TV-2 in Chicago did a news piece that featured parts of "Black Diamond," "Beth," and the band's closing bows in Detroit. Filmed from the side-left of stage, camera panning captures the over-head video screen on which the show was originally filmed to be displayed on, indicating that the full show was indeed filmed and displayed. What happened to those sections of missing film? Likely, the film was appropriated for use, such as "Beth" had been for use during the television broadcast of the People's Choice Award on February 10. Oddly, even with that footage having been available for years it did little to dull the excitement when the Cobo show surfaced.

    Parts of both Denver, CO (1/15) and Chicago, IL (1/22) are also available in silent 8mm video from the tour, but knowing the somewhat static set during January makes these rather less appealing, as does the "die-hard only" seizure causing quality. Amusingly, the show before Denver had been Salt Lake City on January 13. Ace, Chris Lendt, and Ed Balandas, took off for a day in Las Vegas on the 14th, rejoining the band in Denver on the afternoon of the 15th. The other members of the band took a break in Los Angeles for the day. The January 20 show in Lincoln, NE is also archived on audio. The band didn't sing "Happy Birthday" to Paul, but Ace did announce the fact to the audience following "Rock And Roll All Nite." Since no women were around, the band dressed up in drag to mark the event and provide fans with an infamous photo.

    Prior to the circulation of Cobo Arena '77, the most complete and common video from the US tour was KISS triumphant headlining return to New York City. Filmed at a sold-out Madison Square Gardens on February 18, the full video features: "Detroit Rock City," "Take Me," "Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll," "Ladies Room," "Firehouse," "Makin' Love," "I Want You," "Cold Gin" (w/ Ace solo), "Do You Love Me?," "Nothin' To Lose," "God Of Thunder" (w/ Peter solo), and "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Shout It Out Loud," "Beth," and "Black Diamond."

    While the band have often waxed lyrical about the show being the band's homecoming and it representing the success the band had attained, the performance is sloppy at best and visually the show doesn't compare with Cobo (or the later Budokan show in April). The band celebrated at an after-show bathing party at Parc Health & Swim Club in Manhattan. Seven of the fifteen selections from the 2/18 show were released as the standard bonus disc on initial copies of KISSology Volume 1 in 2006 at least making it somewhat officially available. The band promoted the concert during an interview on local 99X radio on February 17.

    Because of one event the "Winter Tour 1976/77" has attained a somewhat infamous and legendary status: As the band ripped into "Detroit Rock City" at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, FL, on December 12, Ace Frehley managed to electrocute himself and was knocked unconscious on stage when he touched a non-grounded metal railing while descending the stage stairs after losing his balance. The stairs had always been a challenge for Ace, not only due to his sense of balance and awkward boots, and it wasn't unusual for Ace to appear wobbly while slowly descending to the stage. After a short delay Ace deemed himself fit, even with a slightly burned hand, to continue and the band restarted the concert. The rest of the show was not as uneventful as the band would have hoped. Gene set his hair on fire for the second time in a week... The misfortune of Ace's electric adventure wasn't totally negative (sorry, bad pun); it provided him with inspiration for some songwriting and what became "Shock Me." The electrocution incident also resulted in the band investing $25,000 in a radio microphone system, not only to solve the danger issue. KISS became one of the first bands to move to the then new(ish) wireless systems for their instruments, during the next tour, giving them additional freedom of movement on stage without further worries of grounding or cables. This sort of technology was perfect for a band who actually tried to use all of the real-estate on stage.

    Following the band's US tour the band took a short break before preparing for their first visit to Japan, under the guise of a "Sneak Attack" tour. This mini-tour debuted the stage that would be used on KISS' "Love Gun" tour later in the year. It was essentially a pruned down "Destroyer" stage. Many of the extraneous stage "scenes" and effects were simply cut, probably to help manage the costs involved in trucking the bits around and help manage the time it took to set up and rip down the stage. The set list also didn't change from what had been performed during the American leg of the tour. Departing from JFK in New York on Thursday, March 17, KISS arrived in Japan at 3:40pm following day, flying into Narita International in Tokyo on Pan Am flight #801, christened the "KISS Clipper."

    On arrival the band was met with their first hurdle: They had planned to enter Japan wearing their make-up, however Japanese customs officials couldn't compare the band members with their passport photos. The band was escorted to a holding room where they had to remove the make-up for comparison. With that quickly completed they had to reapply their make-up to make it past the surging crowd of fans. Promoter Mr. Udo took the band and entourage for a somewhat sedate dinner that night. With the first weekend spent recuperating from travel at Tokyo's Hotel Okura, touring events didn't commence until Monday 21st. After a weekend of rest and Tokyo sight-seeing the band held a press conference at the Tokyo Hilton before departing for Osaka on All Nippon Airways in the evening.

    Tuesday 22 was spent doing interviews and a photo session with Music Life and other rock magazines. The band also conducted their first rehearsal at Osaka's Bampaku Hall (Expo Hall). Along with additional rehearsals on the 23rd, there were also meetings with the Osaka Police and Fire departments. The band played their first Japanese concert at Osaka's Kosei Nenkin Hall on March 24. The schedule for the day was essentially the same for both shows with sound checks being performed between 3 and 4pm. Opening act Bow Wow hit the stage for a short set at 6:30, followed by KISS at 7:30pm. Following the first show there was a party held for the band on top of their hotel.

    On Saturday March 26, the band traveled from Osaka to Kyoto by bus. That night's performance at Kyoto's Kaikan was done without a sound check. Sunday was spent doing assorted sight-seeing and the famed photo session at the Kyoto shrines. In the evening the band took the bullet train to Nagoya. Monday's show was held at Nagoya's Aichi-Ken Taiiku-Kan venue. The schedule was the same as the Osaka shows and the band sound-checked. On March 29 the band returned to Osaka for the evening's show at the Festival Hall, which started at 7pm, but also found time for sight-seeing in the city. The next day the band flew to Fukuoka. Following a late sound-check (4:30-5:30pm) and a stage check with the local fire and police, the band played their 8pm show at Kyuden Taiiku-Kan. Gene and Paul participated in a short jam session at a local club, Honey Pot #2, after the show (Gooch/Suhs - KISS Alive Forever).

    Thursday, March 31, was a day off for the band - well, it was spent traveling back to Tokyo by air. The band played their first show at the legendary Budokan on April Fool's Day. Saturday saw the band playing two shows, one at 4pm, the other at 8pm, with television station NHK filming both for domestic broadcast. These shows were also recorded by Eddie Kramer for a planned Japanese only live album. That album would have featured: (Side A) "Detroit Rock City," "Take Me," "Ladies Room," "Do You Love Me?," "Makin' Love," and "I want You;" and (Side B) "God Of Thunder," "Cold Gin," "Beth," "Shout It Out Loud ," and "Rock And Roll All Nite." Very representative of the 1976/7 set list, though "Firehouse" had been included on Side-B for a while. Following a day off on April 3, the band played their final Japanese show on April 4. Some members returned to the United States, though Gene remained in Japan. CK Lendt, Peter, and Lydia departed for a holiday in South East Asia visiting Hong Kong, Macau, and eventually Hawaii where they met up with Paul.

As "Rock And Roll Over" passed into history KISS were planning their next assault...