Creatures of the night feels more like old Kiss. The songs are better. Yeah the production on Lick It Up is better, but most of those songs arenāt good and mark a new era of Kiss, one that Iām not all that fond of.
Really?
1) vibe is dark/gloomy - NOT old Kiss
2) guitars/solos - NOT old Kiss
3) drum sound - DEFINITELY NOT old Kiss
What the hell about Creatures reminds you of old Kiss
The first Kiss album is definitely dark and gloomy, old kiss and all kiss have solos so Iām not sure what the hell youāre even saying. Drum sound? Really? Just accept defeat and move on.
Wait, you are telling me that COTN isnāt notorious for the drums mix?! Jesus, 35 years? Well if thatās supposed to mean something regarding KISS knowledge, Iāve got you beat by about 10 years.
I think lick it up was the start of a period in kiss that a lot of older fans just didnāt enjoy a great deal. Gene became less and less involved while pursuing acting and with just Paul doing most of the creating ā¦ it became a lot more poppy. I have a friend who actually considers unmasked better then lick it upā¦. I think heās a nut.
Not sure why you're getting downvoted. For sure, Creatures is a solid hard rock album, but I doubt too many people here would've immediately thought "Yup, sounds like Kiss" if it wasn't for the vocals...
Heās getting downvoted because heās wrong. Look Iāve been listening to that band for 35 years now. That album absolutely sounds like a Kiss album musically, maybe you need to go back and listen to it again. I recently picked it up remastered and it sounded killer. Sometimes people are wrong, and in this instance youāre both about as wrong as a āfanā can be.
I think your fixated on one being a āmakeupā album and one not. Besides that, Iād challenge you tell me whatās so different about the two albums??
Just because someone else commented that doesnāt mean thatās my view. I already explained it. Iām done with the conversation at this point. You listen to what you like.
As much as Dynasty, Unmasked, and The Elder were musical missteps, there's still more "Kiss-like" musical snapshots on those three albums than pretty much the majority of COTN. It doesn't take away that it's a great album, but it's pretty rootless compared to Kiss' albums preceding it. Been listening since 76, so I'm sorry to say your sentiments aren't unanimous...
Old KISS is absolutely dark and gloomy lol.
100,000 Years, Black Diamond, Parasite, Goin' Blind, Strange Ways, Watching You, She, God of Thunder, etc. etc.
Dark/Gloomy - Entire HTH album
Guitars/Solos - ACE...COTN (Session Musicians and Ghost Players)
Drums - Destroyer....(People complained about the Big drum sound on Destroyer, but rave about the Thunderous Drums COTN)
Animalize and LIU sound way more simular in terms of production. Creatures doesn't sound all that 80s glam rock like Animalize and LIU sound.
Also in terms of song writing I think Animalize and LIU are pretty much more of the same. Creatures imo is like destroyer part 2 but recorded differently
I agree. Creatures and LIU are like sister albums to me. I think the reason people dont think so are 1. because of the makeup change, and 2. The title track LIU is an outlier
Creatures was a MUCH better album. I still play it frequently while LIU pretty much collects dust. Even after a recent listen, I still am not drawn to it.
Agree. LIU is a very good album and one of my favourites, but COTN is a great album and one of their very best.
Itās also their only album to get a rerelease when itās sales didnāt match the quality of the record.
I like Lick It Up but there is some filler. I think Creatures is best KISS album post 70ās hands down. I was gonna say post Love Gun but over time I appreciate Dynasty more (but frankly COTD is probably the better record. Iām sure some would consider Killer @ Keep Me Cominā to be filler and I know some hate ISLY (and I did not care for it live) but I love EVERY
song on Creatures.
COTN also has some filler. Keep Me Comin, Danger, and Killer, I consider the 3 weakest songs on thecalbum and filler. 3 filler out of 9 songs, 33% filler.
LIU, I also consider has 3 fillers, Young And Waster, Fits Like A Glove, and Gimme More. 3 fillers out of 10 tracks.
Music is subjective though,so just my personal opinion.
You'd have to ask Paul why he says that, but here's my 2 cents.
Creatures had a better feel than LIU. Creatures as a whole have this dark, threatening mood about them.
There was also more consistency in the album because of it. It flows.
Of course, the drum sound is fantastic, but so is the sound of the guitars and bass.
More importantly, Creatures was made while Ace was still their guitar player. Even though he's not on the record beyond that iconic cover, the guitar solos were made to semi-sound like Ace. I mean, they don't. But it was closer to Ace than to VV even when VV was playing the songs. I'm not sure I'm expressing it the best way, but VV had a way of playing that was more evident on LIU. His note choice when he plays fast, an alternative picking style if plucking extra notes not with the pick but his finger on the pick hand. It's used in jazz/fusion/ and even bluegrass country. He was always trying to be fast, but VV was more impressive when he was in a Jeff Beck zone. He didn't do any of that on COTN. We don't get the Ace trills with the bend either so it's not Ace or particularly Aceish. (Certainly not as Aceish as Tommy played on Psycho Circus and even Sonic Boom.)
Also, I think that Paul's view of an album are skewed based on how it felt recording it, and I imagine dealing with VV was a pain.
There's not a lot of daylight between the 2 and I know a few people who think LIU is better. I think the Paul songs are stronger on LIU than on COTN as a whole. Opposite for Gene, but neither was putting in bad songs.
Because creatures feels like a makeup album (which it is) whereas lick it up feels like the band isnāt being themselves anymore.
Makeup, characters, theatrics, and larger than life personas was their identity.
The non-makeup years were them doing whatever they needed to survive just a few more years.
I believe I read somewhere that LIU was intended to be a 'makeup' album and they basically decided at the photo shoot to do it without it. So, if that's true, your assessment above is wrong. I don't see how lyrically that there's much difference between the two albums. Very dark vibes, apocalyptic tones throughout.
I believe you're correct. If I remember it, this is how Paul explained it in his book. They were thinking about removing the make up while the album was being recorded but only decided fairly late in the process.
So COTN was always a 100% make up album, but during LIU they did have that uncertainty.
Paul probably says that because it was finally a return to a heavier sound, after their diversions todfisco/pop/concept albums.
Personally I think COTN and LIU, as far as songwriting quality goes, are about on a,par.
As oysters have said, the drum sound on COTN is amazing, but this is due to the producer and engineer, more than Eric. I don't know why they couldn't have the same drum sound on LIU too.
Personally I've never really cared for Lick It Up. It's my least favorite non makeup album. It's not that I think it's bad or anything as it's really just a case of I've never connected with it . But I also haven't listened to it from start to finish in years so I probably need to do that and see how I feel now.
Because it *is* better. Powerful sound, cannon drums (which vanished off of LiU) better songs IMO and an FU attitude that just drips from the songs. *Creatures* is the path that Kiss should have stayed on. Instead, while there is a great song on LiU, its sound is weaker in comparison and *Creatures* just has more better songs overall.
They used the same producer but did not achieve the sound they did on *CotN* for some reason yet to be explained. So, no, not the same same result. *LiU* doesnāt have the boom that *Creatures* does and lacks the sane kind of ferocity that its predecessor had.
This is not saying *Lick It Up* is a bad album. Itās a good album. But IMO, *Creatures* is superior.
it's interesting, with the overwhelming love here for COTN over LIU, the actual sales of the two albums don't pale in comparison:
LIU = 1,097,240
COTN = 507,890
u/twills2121 um Creatures had more than two singlesā¦
- I Love It Loud
- War Machine
- I Still Love You
- Creatures Of The Night
- Keep Me Comin'
- Rock And Roll Hell
lol, what's your definition of a single? They had ONE video from that album, I love it Loud. Then, if you want to believe Wikipedia, they had 3 singles:
https://preview.redd.it/8kp8ajdnw6ad1.png?width=306&format=png&auto=webp&s=898f54dbac72e7de4baa50ff848e7e1f475e02e9
Let me clarify to those that want to flap their yap .. Creatures is better than lick it up imo.. however the old Kiss that I grew up on yes is far way better n heavier!!!! I know my Kiss so let's not play tht game;) thank you ;)
It's all Subjective....
However, if you want to break it down accordingly, KISS released Three consecutive disappointing albums, Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder.
Fans were turned off and started to move on from them.
With the release of COTN, KISS returned to their Basic Roots of Straight ahead R-n-R. LIU may have sold more copies, but it was COTN that brought people back to the fold...
Again, it's all Subjective!
that was never my point -- my point was that LIU was very similar to COTN. Therefore, why would Paul imply they weren't comparable? It's lame and not true.
Because Lick it Up has Vincent all over it while Creatures does not
Vinnie plays all over Creatures wym
This. What a clueless comment. Clown probably thought Ace played on Creatures. š
How many cowrites does Cusano have on creatures verses lick it up Junior?
3-4 if Iām not mistaken and plays guitar on damn near every track. Idk why we getting downvoted?
Lick it Up wouldnāt have happened without Vinnieās contributions. Paul no likey that.
It would have happened, but would have been a very different sounding album. Exactly what it would have sounded like, it's impossible to know.
Because it is
This is the right answer
How?
Creatures of the night feels more like old Kiss. The songs are better. Yeah the production on Lick It Up is better, but most of those songs arenāt good and mark a new era of Kiss, one that Iām not all that fond of.
Creatures feels NOTHING like old KISS.
I donāt think you know what youāre talking about.
Really? 1) vibe is dark/gloomy - NOT old Kiss 2) guitars/solos - NOT old Kiss 3) drum sound - DEFINITELY NOT old Kiss What the hell about Creatures reminds you of old Kiss
The first Kiss album is definitely dark and gloomy, old kiss and all kiss have solos so Iām not sure what the hell youāre even saying. Drum sound? Really? Just accept defeat and move on.
Wait, you are telling me that COTN isnāt notorious for the drums mix?! Jesus, 35 years? Well if thatās supposed to mean something regarding KISS knowledge, Iāve got you beat by about 10 years.
Itās irrelevant to the conversation
Irrelevant, yet you brought it upā¦..āIāve been a Kisstard for 35 years, so Iām an expert!ā
All those years and you still donāt know shit š¤£ pathetic
Iām thinking the opposite, pal. You prob think Hot In The Shade is one of their best albums and sounds just like Destroyer, lol.
I think lick it up was the start of a period in kiss that a lot of older fans just didnāt enjoy a great deal. Gene became less and less involved while pursuing acting and with just Paul doing most of the creating ā¦ it became a lot more poppy. I have a friend who actually considers unmasked better then lick it upā¦. I think heās a nut.
IMO, LIU is near the bottom of their 80s no makeup albums
Not sure why you're getting downvoted. For sure, Creatures is a solid hard rock album, but I doubt too many people here would've immediately thought "Yup, sounds like Kiss" if it wasn't for the vocals...
Heās getting downvoted because heās wrong. Look Iāve been listening to that band for 35 years now. That album absolutely sounds like a Kiss album musically, maybe you need to go back and listen to it again. I recently picked it up remastered and it sounded killer. Sometimes people are wrong, and in this instance youāre both about as wrong as a āfanā can be.
I think your fixated on one being a āmakeupā album and one not. Besides that, Iād challenge you tell me whatās so different about the two albums??
Just because someone else commented that doesnāt mean thatās my view. I already explained it. Iām done with the conversation at this point. You listen to what you like.
My opinion and that's all that really matters now don't it?!
Paul mentioned that at one point, they were going to name the LIU album, COTN 2
As much as Dynasty, Unmasked, and The Elder were musical missteps, there's still more "Kiss-like" musical snapshots on those three albums than pretty much the majority of COTN. It doesn't take away that it's a great album, but it's pretty rootless compared to Kiss' albums preceding it. Been listening since 76, so I'm sorry to say your sentiments aren't unanimous...
Old KISS is absolutely dark and gloomy lol. 100,000 Years, Black Diamond, Parasite, Goin' Blind, Strange Ways, Watching You, She, God of Thunder, etc. etc.
Dark/Gloomy - Entire HTH album Guitars/Solos - ACE...COTN (Session Musicians and Ghost Players) Drums - Destroyer....(People complained about the Big drum sound on Destroyer, but rave about the Thunderous Drums COTN)
You beat me to it š¤£
Lick it Up is substantially better than Creatures. Aside from the title track, I Love it Loud, and I Still Love You, the entire album is filler.
I also rate creatures way higher than lick it up
Me too brother. Amen!
I donāt get it - I donāt think there is another pair of albums in their catalog that are as similar as those two.
I'm saying that i think the songs on creatures are better. Not talking about pairs.
Animalize and LIU sound way more simular in terms of production. Creatures doesn't sound all that 80s glam rock like Animalize and LIU sound. Also in terms of song writing I think Animalize and LIU are pretty much more of the same. Creatures imo is like destroyer part 2 but recorded differently
Creatures and LIU shared the same producer (Michael James Jackson) and was mastered by the same guy, George Marino.
Yet they sound different. Weird
Christ, people here acting like Iām comparing The Elder to Crazy Nights.
I agree. Creatures and LIU are like sister albums to me. I think the reason people dont think so are 1. because of the makeup change, and 2. The title track LIU is an outlier
Rock & Roll Over & Love Gun
Creatures was a MUCH better album. I still play it frequently while LIU pretty much collects dust. Even after a recent listen, I still am not drawn to it.
Creatures is great, with better production. All killer, no filler.
Over half the album is filler lol.
Yeah, that's why it's regarded as one of their best albums amongst KISS fans.
It shouldn't be. COTN is drastically overrated.
https://preview.redd.it/zulys12du4ad1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8e5f40d3c13b75bd1344775fcd5675e5b4fee5c
I absolutely love Lick it Up. Creatures is better. Right next to Ace's solo.
I love Creatures much more and I prefer its production.
Agree. LIU is a very good album and one of my favourites, but COTN is a great album and one of their very best. Itās also their only album to get a rerelease when itās sales didnāt match the quality of the record.
Because it is
I like Lick It Up but there is some filler. I think Creatures is best KISS album post 70ās hands down. I was gonna say post Love Gun but over time I appreciate Dynasty more (but frankly COTD is probably the better record. Iām sure some would consider Killer @ Keep Me Cominā to be filler and I know some hate ISLY (and I did not care for it live) but I love EVERY song on Creatures.
COTN also has some filler. Keep Me Comin, Danger, and Killer, I consider the 3 weakest songs on thecalbum and filler. 3 filler out of 9 songs, 33% filler. LIU, I also consider has 3 fillers, Young And Waster, Fits Like A Glove, and Gimme More. 3 fillers out of 10 tracks. Music is subjective though,so just my personal opinion.
I love those 3 LIU songs but yeah, itās all subjective.
You'd have to ask Paul why he says that, but here's my 2 cents. Creatures had a better feel than LIU. Creatures as a whole have this dark, threatening mood about them. There was also more consistency in the album because of it. It flows. Of course, the drum sound is fantastic, but so is the sound of the guitars and bass. More importantly, Creatures was made while Ace was still their guitar player. Even though he's not on the record beyond that iconic cover, the guitar solos were made to semi-sound like Ace. I mean, they don't. But it was closer to Ace than to VV even when VV was playing the songs. I'm not sure I'm expressing it the best way, but VV had a way of playing that was more evident on LIU. His note choice when he plays fast, an alternative picking style if plucking extra notes not with the pick but his finger on the pick hand. It's used in jazz/fusion/ and even bluegrass country. He was always trying to be fast, but VV was more impressive when he was in a Jeff Beck zone. He didn't do any of that on COTN. We don't get the Ace trills with the bend either so it's not Ace or particularly Aceish. (Certainly not as Aceish as Tommy played on Psycho Circus and even Sonic Boom.) Also, I think that Paul's view of an album are skewed based on how it felt recording it, and I imagine dealing with VV was a pain. There's not a lot of daylight between the 2 and I know a few people who think LIU is better. I think the Paul songs are stronger on LIU than on COTN as a whole. Opposite for Gene, but neither was putting in bad songs.
Singles have no bearing to rock fans. Its just better.
Because creatures feels like a makeup album (which it is) whereas lick it up feels like the band isnāt being themselves anymore. Makeup, characters, theatrics, and larger than life personas was their identity. The non-makeup years were them doing whatever they needed to survive just a few more years.
I believe I read somewhere that LIU was intended to be a 'makeup' album and they basically decided at the photo shoot to do it without it. So, if that's true, your assessment above is wrong. I don't see how lyrically that there's much difference between the two albums. Very dark vibes, apocalyptic tones throughout.
I believe you're correct. If I remember it, this is how Paul explained it in his book. They were thinking about removing the make up while the album was being recorded but only decided fairly late in the process. So COTN was always a 100% make up album, but during LIU they did have that uncertainty.
Creatures and LIU are my two top albums by them. Creatures slightly ahead.
It is because of more hard rock sound, creatures of night proves it I would rather have creatures than lick it up any day
I'd argue there's some pretty hard songs on LICK IT UP. Much harder than anything done after it up until Revenge.
Cause it is!
I like both albums š¤·āāļø. I think Creatures is a little better as well but both are great. The two best post Ace albums.
i love it loud
Paul probably says that because it was finally a return to a heavier sound, after their diversions todfisco/pop/concept albums. Personally I think COTN and LIU, as far as songwriting quality goes, are about on a,par. As oysters have said, the drum sound on COTN is amazing, but this is due to the producer and engineer, more than Eric. I don't know why they couldn't have the same drum sound on LIU too.
Personally I've never really cared for Lick It Up. It's my least favorite non makeup album. It's not that I think it's bad or anything as it's really just a case of I've never connected with it . But I also haven't listened to it from start to finish in years so I probably need to do that and see how I feel now.
Interesting, I think itās their bestā¦.Revenge, 2nd. HITS - worst
Doesnāt Paul have a real love for āI Still Love Youā?
Because... oOOOOOOOH WE'RE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT aAAAAAAAh(?)
Lick is amazing but I like Creatures better
Because it *is* better. Powerful sound, cannon drums (which vanished off of LiU) better songs IMO and an FU attitude that just drips from the songs. *Creatures* is the path that Kiss should have stayed on. Instead, while there is a great song on LiU, its sound is weaker in comparison and *Creatures* just has more better songs overall.
They did stay on the 'path' with LIU -- used the same producer, etc. The path changed with Animalize.
They used the same producer but did not achieve the sound they did on *CotN* for some reason yet to be explained. So, no, not the same same result. *LiU* doesnāt have the boom that *Creatures* does and lacks the sane kind of ferocity that its predecessor had. This is not saying *Lick It Up* is a bad album. Itās a good album. But IMO, *Creatures* is superior.
I never Got the hype for LIU. I Think the album is pretty forgettable.
it's interesting, with the overwhelming love here for COTN over LIU, the actual sales of the two albums don't pale in comparison: LIU = 1,097,240 COTN = 507,890
War Machine is better than everything on Lick It Up.
They are both equally badass and the 2 best 80s albums. They should have stuck with that producer, who produced both records.
They started to for Animalize, worked on it in the early stages, but couldn't complete due to other obligations.
u/twills2121 um Creatures had more than two singlesā¦ - I Love It Loud - War Machine - I Still Love You - Creatures Of The Night - Keep Me Comin' - Rock And Roll Hell
lol, what's your definition of a single? They had ONE video from that album, I love it Loud. Then, if you want to believe Wikipedia, they had 3 singles: https://preview.redd.it/8kp8ajdnw6ad1.png?width=306&format=png&auto=webp&s=898f54dbac72e7de4baa50ff848e7e1f475e02e9
I have "the creatures of the night" album
It's true that's why lol
āNot in the same leagueā is fucking ridiculous
Um don't really care what you think!
Awesome, good talk bud.
Let me clarify to those that want to flap their yap .. Creatures is better than lick it up imo.. however the old Kiss that I grew up on yes is far way better n heavier!!!! I know my Kiss so let's not play tht game;) thank you ;)
thanks for clarifying that, helps a lot
Anytime;)
because cotn was the album before they unmasked(lick it up), and imo they should have never unmasked but itās also because cotn is just better
might be 'better' to most, but the idea that it's 'not in the same league' is preposterous.
i guess but i feel like they would have so much more value if they never unmasked until the final years
Sorry what does that have to do with the topic?
i was referring back to my original comment āimo they should have never unmaskedā
Because COTN IS Better...
It's all Subjective.... However, if you want to break it down accordingly, KISS released Three consecutive disappointing albums, Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder. Fans were turned off and started to move on from them. With the release of COTN, KISS returned to their Basic Roots of Straight ahead R-n-R. LIU may have sold more copies, but it was COTN that brought people back to the fold... Again, it's all Subjective!
that was never my point -- my point was that LIU was very similar to COTN. Therefore, why would Paul imply they weren't comparable? It's lame and not true.