Rooted in the campy theatrics of Alice Cooper and the sleazy hard rock of glam rockers the New York Dolls, Kiss became a favorite of American teenagers in the '70s. Most kids were infatuated with the look of Kiss, not their music. Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting, and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids.
This limited edition CD box set collates the six subsequent albums originally released on Geffen Records and Atlantic Records (‘The Wanderer’, ‘Donna Summer’, ‘Cats Without Claws’, ‘All Systems Go’, ‘Another Place And Time’ and ‘Mistaken Identity’), as well as the ‘initially shelved’ 1981 album (‘I’m A Rainbow’) that was first released in its entirety in 1996. Also included within the box are six individual postcards, produced from Family approved photographs from Donna Summer’s archives, stylised to compliment the CD outer box.
Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ Blank Generation is an iconic album that has influenced countless rock bands with its image, its attitude, and its blistering performances. Released in 1977 on Sire Records, the album was received ecstatically by critics such as Lester Bangs and the New York Times’ Robert Palmer (who called it one of the ten best albums of the decade), but as was the case with most original “punk” albums, it wouldn’t get mainstream recognition for decades. Now its place in music history is secure as one of punk’s most significant records. Recently, Rolling Stone magazine lauded Blank Generation as one of the “40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time,” giving the innovative and literate band its well deserved credit on the cusp of its 40th anniversary.