Kiss Say Farewell: Looking Back at the Iconic Metal Band's Legacy

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island's music outlet, takes a brief look at what made Kiss so influential

For more than 46 years, veteran New York metal band Kiss has been shocking fans with spectacular theatrics and enduring rock hits. Now, the band is in the middle of their ‘End Of The Road’ World Tour, giving fans one final hurrah before putting the touring life behind them. The band finishes up the first North American leg this weekend and will embark on a European leg at the end of May with another North American leg following close behind in August. According to reviews from previous nights, the iconic metal band’s farewell tour is not one to miss.

Part of what has made the band so successful has been stage presence and shock value. Each member’s heavy, mask-like make-up highlights a different persona, each one with its own mystery and lore. Gene Simmons’ Demon’s extra-long tongue is the stuff of legend, especially when it is extended and dripping blood. The story about how they drew blood during a concert on Long Island to use as the red dye in their Kiss comic book lives on in infamy.

With such a presence, it only seems fitting that the band would have gotten good at selling themselves as a brand. Kiss has put their name on everything you can think of from normal-seeming items like action figures, notebooks and Christmas ornaments, to outrageous ones like Hello Kitty dolls, waffle makers and coffins.

As much as the presence, though, Kiss’ music has been able to stand the test of time. The band has 24 studio albums under their belt, 11 of which have gone platinum in the United States, as well as countless platinum-selling live and compilation albums. “Rock and Roll All Night,” the band’s first top 20 hit all the way back in 1975, continues to be a quintessential track that has stuck within the collective memories of not just rock fans but music fans in general for decades. “Detroit Rock City” inspired an entire movie.

Such endurance has given Kiss lasting influence. It’s an influence that can be felt in artists and genres far removed from the glam metal the band have become known for. Grunge bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains counted the band as an early example of rebellion. Just like Kiss borrowed from early glam punk bands like the New York Dolls, the Ramones were influenced by the band’s brand. Bands and artists from such diverse backgrounds as Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Pavement, The Hold Steady, Beastie Boys and The Roots all found a common influence in Kiss.

From their time-tested music to their beyond impressive stage presence and branding, Kiss have proven themselves to be legends in not just metal, but in rock music in general. Their influence spans many decades and genres and continues to spread as new fans discover the band’s music and create bands of their own. Kiss may be hanging up their platform shoes and costume make-up in the live setting, but their legacy will continue to live on for a long time.

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Before Kiss heads back to New York this summer, pick up music and memorabilia from the band at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island's top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more, including one of the largest Kiss collections on the island, in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Shows in New York to Check Out This Weekend (September 15-17, 2017)

Another long week is almost over. Why not plan for some fun this weekend by checking out a live show?

New York will be filled with great music this weekend. The Meadows will be bringing a lot of the hottest artists of all genres to the city for one last big summer festival. Then, you have the big-name arena tours coming through, including Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, The Offspring and Sublime with Rome, and Scorpions and Megadeth. These star-studded shows, plus all the smaller shows that happen every night in the city make this a particularly active weekend when it comes to music.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves live music. That’s why we’ve once again compiled a list of some of the top shows happening in New York this weekend. Here are eight shows and tours that we think will be worth checking out.

1.       The Meadows Music & Arts Festival: The Meadows will be taking over Citi Field for three days of top-name artists to finish out the last official weekend of summer. Tonight’s headliners include Jay-Z, Run the Jewels, Two Door Cinema Club and Tegan and Sara. Saturday, festival goers have Gorillaz, Erykah Badu, LL Cool J, M.I.A., TV On The Radio, De La Soul, Big Boi and more to look forward to. Closing out the festival on Sunday will be headlining sets from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nas, Weezer, Foster the People, Action Bronson, Broken Social Scene, Ghostface Killah, Sleigh Bells and more. (Friday – Sunday, Citi Field)

2.       Paul McCartney: Paul McCartney’s ‘One on One’ tour starts its six-date run in the area this weekend with two shows at Madison Square Garden. The former Beatle will be playing music from throughout his career, so you already know the show is going to be amazing. From here, McCartney moves on to Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center and Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum over the next two weeks. (Friday & Sunday, Madison Square Garden)

3.       Roger Waters: Following two successful shows of his ‘Us & Them’ tour at Barclay’s Center earlier this week, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters plays two highly protested nights on Long Island this weekend. The show Features songs from his new album, ‘Is This the Life We Really Want?’ as well as many others from throughout his career, especially ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ (Friday & Saturday, Nassau Coliseum)

4.       The Pietasters: The Pietasters are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their album ‘Willis’ this year and will be playing it in its entirety at various shows. That includes tonight’s Rock’s Off Concert Cruise on the Lucille. Skank the night away with the band’s classic ska sound on the East River under the stars. (Friday, Rocks Off Concert Cruise)

5.       The Offspring & Sublime with Rome: Speaking of ska and punk, The Offspring and Sublime with Rome have teamed up for a month-long US tour that will be hitting the island this Saturday. This is going to be a massive, hard-rocking punk show that will bring back all those crazy 90s nostalgia feels. (Saturday, Jones Beach Theater)

6.       Ace Frehley: Kiss’ original Spaceman will be playing a few solo dates in the area this weekend before making his way to Australia and New Zealand in October with Alice Cooper. VIP and signed guitar packages are available for all dates. (Saturday, B.B. King Blues Club)

7.       Scorpions & Megadeth: Scorpions and Megadeth’s Crazy World Tour kicked off earlier this week and is set to hit New York this weekend. With two of metal’s hardest rocking bands on one bill, prepare to have your face melted.  (Saturday, Madison Square Garden)

8.       2Cellos: From metal to classical pop, YouTube cello duo 2Cellos are currently on a US tour behind their album ‘Score,’ released in March. Known for their classical covers of pop songs, ‘Score’ features TV theme songs and songs made famous in films with a classical twist played alongside the London Symphony Orchestra. While the London Symphony Orchestra will not be joining them on tour, this show will probably change the way you think about classical, and pop, music. (Saturday, Radio City Music Hall)

As always, New York will be filled with a lot of great live music this weekend. These are some of our top picks that we think will be worth spending your hard-earned money on. Check out these or any of the other amazing shows in the area and spend your weekend with great music.

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Before hitting the venues this weekend, drop by Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop, to pick up music from many of these artists and more. We have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store, or shop online at vinylbay777.com. New titles are being added all the time, so you never know what gem you might find.

International Day of Slayer 2017: Top Seven Best Selling Slayer Albums

Today, June 6, marks the 12^th annual International Day of Slayer. The holiday was made official on June 6, 2006 to celebrate Slayer and the importance of metal to the music industry in general. It marks a day where metal fans are encouraged to play the band’s music at full blast all day, regardless of who may be around.

There are a number of things going on for the International Day of Slayer. Ticket prices for the band’s upcoming tour with Lamb of God and Behemoth are being slashed for today only, which means you can pick up a ticket for their appearance at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on July 27 for just 46.66. SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal station is also getting in on the festivities, playing a Slayer song every hour, plus a chance to win tickets to see them on tour this August. Nuclear Blast Records and Metal Blade Records are also both having one-day-only sales on the band’s music and merchandise.

In celebration of this year’s event, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at Slayer’s most successful albums. Here are the band’s seven highest US chart toppers that prove metal is an important genre.

1.       ‘Repentless’: Slayer’s popularity has only gotten stronger since the band formed in 1981. Their most recent album, 2015’s ‘Repentless,’ for example, has been one of their best-selling to date. The album debuted at number four in the US, the best showing they ever had in their home country. It also marked another couple of firsts for the band; it was their first album in nearly two decades that wasn’t produced by Rick Rubin, their first on the Nuclear Blast label and their first since the untimely passing of Jeff Hanneman, which nearly broke up the band.

2.       ‘Christ Illusion’: The band’s 2006 album did almost as well as ‘Repentless,’ peaking at number five in the US. That’s not a total shock; the band hadn’t released an album in five years at that point and when the album was announced, its release date got set back twice, making it highly anticipated. Its intended release was supposed to be on June 6, 2006 (making it the inspiration for International Day of Slayer) and all of the album’s press and hype came from that “satanic” date, so promotion was key for this album’s success too.

3.       ‘Divine Intervention’: Boasting some of the band’s best first-week sales, ‘Divine Intervention’ peaked at Number 8, selling approximately 93,000 copies. This is also the band’s first album to do better on the main US chart than it did in the rest of the world.

4.       ‘World Painted Blood’: If we are going by the Billboard 200, 2009’s ‘World Painted Blood’ comes in at number four on this list, as it peaked at number 12. However, this album charted extremely well elsewhere on the US charts. It earned the number four spot on the Top Rock Albums chart, number two on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart and number one on the Top Tastemaker Albums chart.

5.       ‘God Hates Us All’: Even though the album had the rather unfortunate released date of September 11, 2001, ‘God Hates Us All’ still peaked at 28 on the Billboard 200. There were connections drawn between that release date and the record’s content, but in all, this was one of the band’s most critically acclaimed albums.

6.       ‘Diabolus In Musica’: For the amount ‘Diabolus In Musica’ was panned by fans who felt it leaned too much towards the nu metal trend of the late 1990s, the album still peaked at number 31. The band also seems not to be too fond of the album; with the exception of one song, they don’t play anything from it live anymore.

7.       ‘Undisputed Attitude’: Surprisingly, one of the band’s highest charting albums only features one original song. Slayer showed their punk rock roots in 1996 with ‘Undisputed Attitude,’ an album that covered classic 70s and 80s bands like The Stooges, Minor Threat, TSOL and more. The album peaked at number 34, even though it seemed to get panned by just about everyone.

Slayer has been one of the most influential and prolific metal bands of the last 30 years. The band’s popularity has only grown stronger with time, proving that metal still holds an important space in the musical landscape. Such is why and event such as the International Day of Slayer is so apt, set up to honor a form of music that is not always seen in the best light.

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Celebrate International Day of Slayer by picking up music from Slayer and other metal bands at Vinyl Bay 777 and vinylbay777.com. At Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles in a wide variety of genres, so whether you are looking for metal or classical, we have you covered. Browse our growing selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store and online. With more titles being added every week, there is always a reason to rock out with Vinyl Bay 777.

Top Ten Vinyl Record Myths

TOP TEN

Vinyl Record Myths

Brought to you by:

Vinyl Bay 777

Your Music Outlet

MYTH # 10

Only old music sells on vinyl

False. 

In 2009, Radiohead was the #1 selling artist on vinyl.

(Source: Soundscan 2009)

MYTH # 9

Vinyl is dead

Not even close.

Vinyl is the only physical music medium that is increasing in sales. In

2009, more than 2.5 million vinyl records were sold in the United States.

Best Buy, the third largest music retailer, now has 50 stores that carry

vinyl albums. Check out these articles on the rebirth of vinyl:

Vinyl Records and Turntables Are Gaining Sales 

– New York Times

In a digital age, vinyl’s making a comeback 

– Los Angeles Times

Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back 

– Time Magazine

In 2009

MYTH # 8

New vinyl manufacturing equipment is currently being manufactured

False.

There’s no doubt that pressing machinery is in high demand with the

incredible resurgence of vinyl records. However, very little new manufacturing equipment is being made today. For example, the last cutting lathes were manufactured in the 1980s, and can only be found through independent service consultants and cutting room service departments.

MYTH # 7

7″ vinyl cut at 33rpm sounds as good as 12″ vinyl cut at 33rpm

False.

It’s never a good idea to cut a 7″ at 33 rotations per minute, it generally

sounds bad. 7″ records are smaller, so naturally the grooves are more

compressed. As the grooves get closer to the center of a record the groove

width is reduced. Therefore, at the slower speed of 33rpm, distortion can be highly noticeable and cause an unattractive sound. With the circumference of 12″ records, there is more surface area to experiment with. It is more manageable to engrave the outside of the disc where there is better frequency response and minimal tracing distortion. If you have your heart set on putting out a 7″ record, remember that it is highly recommended to record at the speed of 45rpm.

MYTH # 6

7″ vinyl always comes with a big spindle hole

False.

Back in the 1950s, 7″ records were made with large spindle holes for one

main reason: it allows easier handling by jukeboxes. You can still find

them, and Record Pressing can still make them with both large and small

spindle holes.

MYTH # 5

Gold records are made of gold

False.

If this were true, I would have tried getting my hands on one a long time ago. When an artist goes “gold” or “platinum” it refers to the number of albums that were sold. Initially, trimmed and plated metal masters, mothers, or stampers were used to make the awards. Most gold and platinum records are actual vinyl records dipped in metallic paint. Sorry metal detector aficionados.

MYTH # 4

You can NOT play a lacquer master on a record player

False.

Yes you can! If you have a turntable or lathe that accommodates a 14 inch disc, the size of lacquer masters, you can play it. You can even play the mother, a metal version of the record. The only thing you cannot play on a record player is a stamper itself because these are created as the negatives meaning that the grooves are reversed.

MYTH # 3

Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) sounds better than lacquer mastering

False.

There is a difference between the two processes, but there is a consensus that lacquer mastering simply has a better, warmer sound. DMM works well with long LPs – there is better pitch control in the system (for those that have not been back-converted to lacquer as most have), which is better for longer lengths (albums etc.). There is also higher frequency response and, because of this, grooves cannot be cut as deep and there is sometimes a tin-type sound to DMM. For warmer, deeper sound and better base response, lacquer mastering is the way to go. Lacquers can also be significantly louder on EP’s or singles than DMM. Have you ever wondered where dubstep gets that explosive bass that shakes your entire body? That’s lacquer mastering at its finest.

MYTH # 2

Record labels are glued on

False.

In the vinyl manufacturing process, special paper is used and baked to remove all moisture that makes adhesion possible. There is no glue used in the manufacturing process. Instead, special PVC melted into rubber patties, called “biscuits,” are placed between two record labels in a press. A metal stamper is used to apply pressure at a very hot temperature to melt and mold the biscuit and labels together to create the vinyl record. 

Check out this YouTube video to see the process:

MYTH # 1

You can cut deeper grooves in a 180 gram record than in a thinner record

False.

A record press can only produce grooves that are as deep as the cuts in the lacquer master. This depth is far shallower than any record thickness. Consequently, the thickness or thinness of the record has no impact on the depth of the grooves. Considering this, there has yet to be a record made where the two sides of the grooves meet in the middle meaning a thicker record is not necessarily advantageous. However, some artists, producers and consumers prefer the benefits of a thicker record which include reduced warp, less breakage, longer lasting quality, and that the weight of the records make them nicer to hold.

$7.77 Vinyl Record Special at Vinyl Bay 777 Your Music Outlet

We have been adding new inventory to our store each and every day! 

Have you seen our $7.77 Record Bargains yet?! 

Our Motto is always Clean Vinyl is the only vinyl. Visit our Music Outlet for the best selection of Rock, Blues, Jazz, Heavy Metal, Classical, and all genres of Vinyl Records, LPs, CDs along a wide variety of Music Memorabilia and Collectibles!