1983 in rock: KISS lick it up and wash off the makeup

1983 was a significant year for veteran glam rockers KISS. They'd endured a few tough years after a run of success in the 1970s, kicked off by their 'Alive' album selling by the truckload and culminating in the group being seen everywhere from comic books to lunchboxes. The KISS logo was plastered on merchandise wherever you looked, but by 1980 the cracks were showing in the apparently closely-knit masked foursome. First drummer Peter Criss washed off his Cat makeup and quit the band, then guitarist Ace Frehley, whose status in the band was becoming undermined (not helped by his ideas being outvoted by bassist Gene Simmons and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley), began to suffer from the effects of alcohol abuse.

KISS had tried and failed to change style, experimenting with disco ('I Was Made for Loving You') and their attempt at a serious concept album ('Music From The Elder') bombed badly, as their fans threw up their hands in horror at it. The band got the message and released 'Creatures of the Night' a year later, the hard rock album which they'd promised to make a year previously, but by that stage Frehley was slipping out of the band and into his own problems. Simmons and Stanley now had two new members in drummer Eric Carr and new guitarist Vinnie Vincent to find new mask designs for; Carr became 'the Fox' while Vincent wore an Egyptian-themed mask for his one tour in make-up. Sensing that the game was up for the band famed for never appearing in public without full make-up applied, they decided to drop their masks altogether in 1983 and appear in public as themselves for the first time since achieving fame a decade earlier. Initially, they chose MTV as the vehicle to unveil themselves, then released the 'Lick It Up' album with a simple band shot on the cover. Simmons, now barefaced, still poked out his tongue on the cover, a gesture intended to say 'hey, it is still us!'.

The move did work out for the group in the short-term; the band got the publicity they desired and the records started to sell again. However, tension between the founding members and Vinnie Vincent meant that the guitarist was shown the door by the end of the tour. This disappointed some fans, impressed with his flashy guitar playing in the live setting, but after recruiting Mark St John to record 1984's follow-up 'Animalize', they looked set to continue their recovery. Alas, St John was unable to tour with the band owing to a condition similar to arthritis which rendered him unable to play guitar; Bruce Kulick was quickly hired to tour in his place before being promoted to full-time guitarist shortly afterwards. This line-up would continue for the remainder of the decade, maintaining a solid touring and recording schedule.

The original line-up of KISS finally reunited in 1996 after a successful 'Unplugged' performance for MTV saw the then-current band play with Criss and Frehley, even putting the make-up back on and going back into those outrageous costumes. However, that did not last and both Criss and Frehley were out, then in, then out of the band in subsequent years. Currently, drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer complete the band, and controversially both wear make-up designs made famous by Criss and Frehley. This is now possible since the rights to the designs were acquired by Simmons and Stanley from Criss and Frehley, but it does not sit well with all of the band's fans.

Heading back to 1983 then here is KISS with their video for 'Lick It Up'. The outfits are very much of their time, it must be said! :)