Synopsis

As KISSology - Vol. 1 (1974-1977) announces loudly, all the chutzpah and bombast that made KISS so huge--the fire-breathing, the blood-dripping, the kabuki-mask make-up and platform shoes, the synchronized head-bobs--were in place from the very beginning. KISS's 1974 concert in San Francisco is virtually identical to their 1977 concerts in Japan and Houston, at the peak of their popularity. For hardcore fans, this opportunity to bask in the nuances of five performances of "Black Diamond" and six performances of "Firehouse" is essential viewing, but for the less committed the pleasures of KISSology lie in the bizarre collisions pop culture is heir to: Gene Simmons, in full costume, declaring himself "evil incarnate" on The Mike Douglas Show;