KISS Consumer Guide

http://www.tomhull.com/blog/archives/1783-A-Downloaders-Guide-to-KISS-The-Make-Up-Years.html

The above article, which is very Christgauesque was done by Michael Tatum, who I'm friends with on Facebook, and knew his monthly Album guides from Tom Hull - On the Web site.

This is a look at the KISS Discography, well the makeup years,  with grades at the end of each reviews. Much like what Robert Christgau has been doing for years with his Consumer Guide columns.  The problem with this is that this whole column reminds me of Christgau's take on KISS.

Also, Tatum says that he liked KISS as a youngster, but these reviews would make you think he never liked them at all.
I mean, come on!  There's only one  KISS record he would recommend (Dressed To Kill)?  And even that one, gets a snarky sentence at the end of the review.

I'm not KISS fanatic, but like Tatum I have fond memories of enjoying Dressed to Kill, Destroyer, Alive, Rock & Roll Over and Ace Frehley's solo album. Are these albums seminal works?  No, not really, although Alive is a seminal Rock History moment.  But they deserve better grades than they get here.

In other words, I'm not buying this.  I think Tatum does like some of these albums better than the grades he's giving them,  but just doesn't want to go against the critical grain that has plagued KISS with Rock critics for decades.

At  Christgau's (now defunct) Expert Witness site Tatum says his next subject will be an 80's act (see update below).  Some are suggesting Duran Duran, another act Christgau was lukewarm about.  Who knows maybe he'll do Journey, which Christgau hated more than KISS & Duran Duran combined.  I hope not.  It would be nice if Tatum could find an act that he generally likes, but doesn't completely love. At least find someone who's catalog have some titles you can recommend.   Like he says in his opening piece, it's easy to grade albums by the Beatles or Aretha or someone who's made great albums.

But it's also easy to grade albums by people like a KISS or Journey or Chicago or some other act with a big catalog that Christgau didn't like. Hey how about doing one on James Taylor?  Christgau used to blast him in the 70's too.

I was thinking.  I'm no fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and don't care at all for Eminem.  But I would never think of doing a Discography Review of their catalog.  It would be too easy to slam their albums, most of which I never liked to begin with.

I'd much rather do one on a Sonic Youth or PJ Harvey, two Crit-faves  whose records I've sometimes loved and sometimes found overrated.  Maybe hearing their works again might help me find things I've mistakenly missed.

Just a thought for Tatum to think about.

P.S. Michael Tatum eventually did a Smiths Consumer Guide, which was a lot better than the KISS one.