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.

The Ramones and their Indelible Influence on Punk

Vinyl Bay 777, Your Music Outlet, takes a brief look at the legacy of the influential punk band

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Tommy Ramone’s (nee Thomas Erdelyi) passing. The former Ramones drummer was 65 when he passed away from bile duct cancer in 2014. As the last remaining original member of the band, his passing marked the end of an era.

The Ramones, (made up of Tommy, frontman Joey (Jeffrey Hyman), guitarist Johnny (John Cummings) and bassist Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin) Ramone) were the most influential band to come out of the New York punk scene. Best known for songs like “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Blitzkrieg Bob,” “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” among others, the band popularizing the short, fast and loud sound and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) aesthetic that came to characterize New York punk.

When most people think of the Ramones, it’s their short, loud and fast sound that comes to mind. Playing at a quicker pace than most of the artists at the time, their songs often didn’t go past two minutes in length. The sound quickly came to define the scene surrounding New York clubs like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City.

What also made the Ramones so special was how relatable the music was. Coming out of a period where rock was very polished and, as the band’s manager Danny Fields puts it in an article from The Guardian, “pretentious,” everything about the Ramones was DIY. As none of the band members had that much experience with their instruments, many of the songs were very simple, sticking to the same three chords throughout. The same thing went for their look. Their leather jacket, t-shirt, denim jeans and sneakers “street gang” style was very attainable and reproducible.

Many a band has tried to emulate the Ramones’ intensity. When the band’s self-titled debut came out, fellow CBGB regulars conceded that they had to “step up their game” to compete with the new sound. Hardcore punk bands, as well as the subsequent punk scene in California found inspiration in the Ramones’ pacing as well. This intensity even had a hand in influencing UK punk. Though the sound coming out of the UK was much rougher and angrier than its US counterpart, it was the Ramones’ fast pace that carried over across the pond and left its mark. According to The Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel in the same Guardian article, when ‘Ramones’ came out “A lot of British bands wanted to sound like that. Everyone sped up afterwards.” In the same article, Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook recalls that “Sid Vicious was a massive fan. He tried to imitate them with his playing, but they were a lot faster.”

And it wasn’t only punk bands that found inspiration in the Ramones’ work either. Indie rock, metal, grunge and alternative bands all counted them as an influence on their respective sounds.

Despite the band’s influence, the Ramones were never really popular in the mainstream. Even though their music can still be heard on rock radio today, most of their “hits” never charted or failed to chart high.

With a sound and style all their own, the Ramones became legends in the New York punk scene. Over the last four decades, their range of influence has come to span multiple countries and genres without the help of mainstream support. Even though the original band is no more, their legacy will continue to live on in rock history, being discovered by countless generations of kids looking to get something more from their music.

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Find music from the Ramones and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. From punk, metal, rock and pop to dance, R&B, rap 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 and memorabilia 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.

21 Years Later: Seven Facts about Tupac Shakur's Legendary Music and Career

On this day in 1996, the world lost rapper Tupac Shakur. After sustaining four bullet wounds in a drive-by shooting six days prior, he succumbed to his injuries. Cut down in the prime of his career, he was only 25 years old.

Tupac was one of the top hip-hop artists to come out of the west coast scene in the 1990s. Releasing four albums over the course of his nine year career, his music has been certified platinum many times over. His best-selling album, 1996’s ‘All Eyez On Me,’ earned him his first American Music Award before going 10-times platinum. He remains one of the best-selling artists to date with two of his albums currently charting on Billboard’s Catalog Albums chart. In 2017, his first year of eligibility, he became the fifth hip-hop act ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In light of the 21^st anniversary of his death, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, would like to take a look back at some of the things that made Tupac and his music so special. Here are seven facts about the artist, his music and his legacy.

1.       He released more albums after his death than before: With all the albums Tupac has released over the years, only four were actually released during his lifetime. The other seven, which pulled from his prolific unreleased recordings with Death Row Records, were released posthumously.

2.       His final album made history: Released in 1996, ‘All Eyez On Me’ was Tupac’s final album, as well as his highest acclaimed. The album was also the first double full-length studio album in hip-hop history.

3.       He had a number one album while in prison: It’s hard for an artist to achieve the number one position on the charts, period. But when Tupac released his third album, ‘Me Against the World,’ in 1995, the rapper was serving a four-month prison sentence. Apparently that didn’t mean much to critics and fans because the album became his first number one. From there on out, all of his albums would reach the top 10.

4.       He was a dancer for the Digital Underground: Tupac didn’t start out as a musician. His first gigs were actually in acting and dancing. His big break came as a dancer for The Digital Underground, the group that gave us all “The Humpty Dance.” He also honed his songwriting chops with them, helping to pen the single “Same Song” while he was working on his debut solo album.

5.       He performed live as a hologram: It was actually a “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion, but semantics aside, he was brought “back to life” for a performance at Coachella in 2012 during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s set. As Tupac hadn’t given a performance in 16 years, it was naturally a draw and led to his entire catalog getting a sales surge.

6.       He was influenced by pop-rock: Tupac had a lot of varied influences that went into his music. While some of those included the socially conscious works of his fellow rappers, he was also a fan of rock and pop. His early influences include Kate Bush, U2, Culture Club and Sinead O’Conner. His favorite artist?...Prince.

7.       His music is in the National Recording Registry: In 2010, his song “Dear Mama” was deemed “culturally, historically and aesthetically important” enough to be included in the Library of Congress’ prestigious list. Other artists included that year were Patti Smith, R.E.M., Little Richard, Loretta Lynn and The Band.

Tupac Shakur remains one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last three decades. His socially conscious themes and varied influences made his music stand out. Now 21 years after his death, his music is inspiring a whole new generation of artists and fans.

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Celebrate Tupac and other legendary artists at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store or online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for hip-hop, R&B, rock, jazz, classical, dance or anything else, we have you covered. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.