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In 1979, disco was starting it's death roll after a lengthy visit, and talented artists like the Police, The Pretenders, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Cars were starting to gather more attention. KISS, in only 5 short years, went from starving artists to ruling the world with a merchandising frenzy that eclipsed the music they were putting out. They became something completely unique in the industry, and the music seemed only there as a vehicle to make more product to sell. Because of this, some really good songs seem to get lost in the shuffle of all that is KISS. As a longtime KISS fan, "Dynasty" has long been a guilty pleasure for me. Sure, they were steering away from their original , hard-rockin' sound, and some of the tunes on here are a little bloated, but there is still some fine songs on here that add to the KISS legacy. " Sure Know Something" was, and still is, a great pop song that probably deserved more attention than it got." I Was Made for Lovin' You" is as catchy as it comes, and deserved of it's Top 10 single status, that houses a blistering ( if all too short) guitar solo from Ace when he was at his peak. Ace gets three tracks on here as a result of his surprisingly effective solo album the year before... and they're all great. The Stones "2,000 Man" belongs to Ace Frehley now and he pays it proper respect while making it all his own, which is what a great cover should be. Gene Simmons only gets two tracks on here, but they are both fun, standard "Demon" fare. "Charisma" sounds a little more ridiculous in content now than it did then to me, but there is no denying the sing-song chorus will stick in your head long after it's done playing. The only dud on here is Peter Criss' "Dirty Livin'". I was never a big fan of Peter Criss as a songwriter, and his drumming at this point was so poor that he was barely used on the album. He drummed on his own track , of course, but it added nothing to what probably wasn't a very good song out of the chute. All in all, a fine and timely effort from a band who has weathered through many different genres of popular music over their 40 years and managed to stay pertinent. Recommended.Read full review
I have heard so many negative reviews about Dynasty that I feel it is time for a positive one. This one is not as bad as some may say. Obviously it is not their best album from the 70's, but you have to remember that they are a live band. The songs in this album are still kiss. On all of their albums one could argue that there are tunes that are, politely put, just fillers. However, what many fans refer to as the "selling out" album, is marketing genius. I Was Made for Loving You and Sure Know Something are relevant tunes for that time in he decade and kept the band in the spotlight for the remainder of the decade. Despite the inner issues in the group at that time, they still pulled off a good album with Dynasty.
DYNASTY has stood up to the passing of time! Sure,there are things that will upset die-hard 70s KISS fans. Times were changing and KISS was trying to find their place in the music industry. Paul wrote 'I was made for loving you' because disco was huge and he thought it would be an easy hit...and it was. Don't let the disco/pop vibe fool you. There is some really great, fun, rockin' music on DYNASTY! '2000 man' by the rolling stones is covered beautifully by Ace, 'x-ray eyes' is a great Gene track, and 'dirty livin'is groovy! There are also some strange tunes ala 'charisma' that hearken back to the DESTROYER days. Whatever you like about KISS is equally represented on DYNASTY! Pauls' catchy pop tunes,Ace rockin' a smoking solo, Petes' raspy stylings, and Gene roaring like a comic book villain are all on display! With the new album and tour coming soon, theres never been a better chance to hear KLASSIC KISS! You'll better appreciate what they've become if you've heard what they were!Read full review
The beginning of the end for the original lineup. Definitely enough good tunes to keep it interesting but they definitely started following trends (which is not their strength). A must for true KISS fans.
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I have been a diehard Kiss fan since the late 70s. Although this is not your traditional Kiss 70s album, an experiment that gave this album acclaimed success. Those that follow Kiss history will tell you that this is the reason in which many diehard Kiss fans got angry with the rock group. The disco mix with Kiss rock was an experiment that I can appreciate; however, it is not the greatest work in my opinion. It was a great experiment going bad for their fans and eventually the group. I will still give this album a excellent rating because it was one of the last contributions of the original four members of Kiss.
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