KISS: Behind the Mask - The Official Authorized Biography

KISS: Behind the Mask, compiled by David Leaf and Ken Sharp, is a definitive and encyclopedic history of KISS. From the first page onward, it details the band's history from the beginning to the present.Each and every chapter in this book details the band's history from the band members to those who worked with them exclusively from the very beginning. It details how Gene and Paul met and also, how they tried to make the big time with their previous band, Wicked Lester, but failed, and then, decided to form a hard rocking band unlike any band before or after them, which became KISS. The book also shows that the band's founding members, Gene Simmons (i.e. Klein; Chaim Witz) and Paul Stanley (i.e. Stanley Eisen) how they got KISS together and hoped that Epic Records, who rejected the Wicked Lester album, could and hopefully, replace Wicked Lester, but again, failed because Don Ellis, then A&R man for Epic wasn't interested, and also, I learned that he turned down Lynyrd Skynyrd (who were later signed to MCA Records) and Rush (which Casablanca Records, who would sign KISS, also turned down as I learned from the book by Larry Harris [May he rest in peace] "And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records" I have a revoew on this book as well. Please check it out. Mr. harris also shares his own reflections on some of the band's albums as well..). It also details how both Peter Criss (i.e. George Peter Crisscoula) and Ace Frehley (whose real first name is actually Paul) became members of the classic original line-up.The book even details all of the albums from the band's history, starting with the Wicked Lester album, the first KISS album on Casablanca up to the 1998 original band reunion album Psycho Circus. In great detail, those who worked with the band on these albums and also, their management teams and many others, it shows how these albums got made, the writing of songs for each album and comments from those who produced the albums. It also shares how Bill Aucoin (May he also rest in peace) discovered the band and how the demo of the band's music wound up in the hands of Casablanca Records' head Neil Bogart (May he also rest in peace) and their signing to his fledgling label and how they became a worldwide phenomenon that eclipsed their main influence, The Beatles, and how like The Beatles, took on the world by storm in the 1970's.There are also many details about the band's declining popularity, which started with the KISS solo albums and their TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, which later became a cult classic in its own right, and their subsequent loss of focus during the musical excperimental phase that started with 1979's Dynasty, which continued with 1980's Unmasked and ended with their ill-fated 1981 concept album, a progressive rock experiment, (Music From) The Elder. It even has the band members, both original and replacements, such as Eric Carr (i.e. Paul Caravelo; May he also rest in peace), Vinnie Vincent (i.e. Cusano), Mark St. John (i.e. Norton; May he also rest in peace), Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer (i.e. Eric Doyle Mensinger) and those who worked with them sharing how they worked to rebuild the band's fanbase by removing their make-up and costumes from their act and continuning to record and tour letting their music, rather than the gimmick, be their calling card and how Gene tried to build an acting career outside the band, which failed, and how Paul kept the vision and hard work going to keep KISS as busy as possible and also, their reunion in the late 1990's back in make-up and full costumes and the successes and failures in the wake of their reunion, such as the successful sold out concerts on the tour to the failure of the much underrated 1999 film Detroit Rock City, which later had its own cult following all over the world and has also become a cult classic in its own right.This wonderful encyclopedic book covers it all. It covers the band's history from the very beginning, the up's and the down's, the high's and the low's, and their continuing influence on the world of music alongside other infleuntial bands and artists, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Slade, David Bowie, Alice Cooper and many more as these bands were also an influence on KISS in their own right in terms of their showmanship, their act in general and their music and also, how they still remain a strong driving force within music and other forms of entertainment. Likewise with C.K. Lendt's KISS and Sell: The Making of a Super Group (which I also review on here, please check it out), I also learned stuff about KISS and music that I didn't know before until I read this book.Overall, I highly recommend this book as a wonderful read. It is well written, enetrtaining and a delightful read. No fan of KISS should be without this definitive encyclopedic book within their library of music biographies. Again, I highly recommend this book to all of those with the worldwide KISS Army as essential reading.

It's literally the "KISS Encyclepedia ". It's incredibly well detailed with info on the band from point a to point b and it even documents each song off of every album with detailed facts. Awesome book!

I have been a KISS fan since I was a kid. Yes Paul is my hero. So when this book was on my podcast (thanks POD OF THUNDER). This is the KISS bible if you want to know the stories behind the songs and the albums there on

As several reviews here have noted, the first section of "Behind the Mask", titled "The Rise to the Top", is a long-lost manuscript from 1979 that was originally intended for release in early 1980 as the first official KISS biography. When you read it, it's clear why it was never published: It was written during the Dynasty tour and paints an incredibly rosy picture of life in KISS that we all know to be less than the whole truth, and at the time it was ready for release - Peter Criss was already out of the band. The manuscript became outdated in a matter of months. Events overtook it.It's also possible that Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and their several managers thought that there was too much in this story that didn't jibe with the then recent Super KISS Image. Stories of guns and rumbles and car crashes, courtesy of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley of course, would not have been what Super KISS wanted to convey to the masses of ever younger fans that flocked to their concerts in the wake of the 1978 film and solo album stunt.But this is exactly what makes this part of the book a must-read: In contrast to the rosy "we all love and respect each other so much" hype, this particular feature of the story is an honest snap-shot of KISS in 1979, looking back on their personal origins and their first six years together in an incredible rise to the top of the world. This is KISS standing on a precipice, and in the subsequent couple of years their Empire would disintegrate in a cloud of drugs, alcohol, money and ego, as well as personal and artistic delusions. All the signs are clear to see in the first section of this book.Section 2, "Speaking in Tongues", is the least interesting part of the book, as it covers the 1980s and early 1990s in a very broad stroke to get as quickly as possible to the 1996 reunion. Fair enough, the book had to pick a focus and couldn't have covered everything in detail.Section 3 is the real gem, in my opinion. Titled "Shout It Out Loud", this is a muscular 220-page section that discusses every single KISS album song by song, from the making of the Wicked Lester album in 1971, through the beginnings of KISS and every song ever put on record up until 1998. (A new edition must surely arrive at some point...)And the great thing here is the fact the the albums and songs are not discussed by the authors - we're talked through it all by every member of KISS past and present, and just about every other person involved in the making of KISS records. From Eddie Kramer, Bob Ezrin, Vini Poncia and Michael James Jackson, to Sean Delaney and Bill Aucoin, to engineers Corky Stasiak and Jay Messina... Anyone you could think of has been interviewed and put on record. And Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter are even challenged into giving each album their own personal star rating, which makes for interesting cases of comparing the members' views of their catalogue.In one word: Powerhouse! A light Section 2 is bookended by the incredibly strong Sections 1 and 3. This is the real story, so much more honest and comprehensive in scope than the Gene and Paul fables of "KISStory". A must-read and must-have for anyone interested in KISS' music and history.

I bought this book for my son for Christmas & he'll be the one reviewing it:"This book is VERY GOOD! I LOVED it! I got it for KISSmas, and it was hard to put down. I just finished it yesterday, and there are ALOT of things even I didn't know about KISS. They did rip Ace and Peter off on the coverage of their solo albums, but maybe Gene and Paul were a little jealous that Ace's solo album was the best of all four. This book went in detail about how they all met, previous bands, the struggles they went through to make it, how poor they were, how different they were to each other, etc. It went into detail about EVERY album and EVERY song, from the self-titled first album(KISS) to Psycho Circus. I read Gene's autobiography, plus KISS and Make-Up several years ago, and they're great books also. Any KISS fan will LOVE this book(Behind the Mask). I recommend this book to KISS fans of ALL ages(Well maybe not children, or anyone who is offended by curse words &/or drug and alcohol references). KISS: Behind the Mask is one of the top 5 books I have ever read!"

Being a KISS fan from 1970's it seems to have been passed on in bucketfuls to my eldest son. After the wonderful amazing concert we attended, I decided to get this book for ChristmasI can honestly say he was not disappointed.This order came so quickly I hardly had time to blink lolit arrived within 48 hoursThe book is filled with photos, information not available before, a song by song fun through, it is quite simply a beautiful book. It is interesting as well as informative, and the best christmas gift I could have bought him (apart from KISS actually coming to play in our house LOL)

Print in book is too small.

Exactly as described. Quick delivery. Great Book. Thanks

A Kiss fan for more than 35 years, I learned more about them in this book than anything previous. This gives a succinct but enough detail on their rise and rise again.

Excellent product. Great seller.