Kiss Announce Massive Vinyl Box
Looking for something you can spin on your old-timey turntable while Kiss hits the road with Def Leppard for a 40-date tour this summer? Break open your wallet for 'Kissteria: The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case.'
Part of a major reissue campaign that will see the band's catalog individually reissued on 180-gram vinyl over the course of the year, the Kissteria set comes in an Anvil road case that holds a collector's bonanza: 34 Kiss LPs, a collection of interlocking posters, a vinyl cleaning cloth (very important), a set of dominoes, a turntable mat, band lithographs, and what Rolling Stone is referring to as "other sundry pieces of Kiss merchandise."
On the musical front, fans will find 19 studio albums, all five 'Alive' releases (including the first-ever stand-alone and vinyl release of 'Alive: The Millennium Concert,' a 1999 original-lineup show previously available only as part of a CD box set), the four original Kiss solo albums, and six additional exclusive vinyl discs that will only be offered as part of the box.
Luckily, according to Classic Rock magazine, those six Kissteria-only records are mostly previously-released on vinyl compilations ('Double Platinum,' 'Killers,' 'You Wanted the Best You Got the Best,' 'Smashes, Thrashes and Hits') or live albums ('Symphony: Alive IV'). Only 1996's 'Greatest Kiss' collection is unavailable elsewhere on record.
Billed as "the most insane Kiss offering for MEGA FANS," the set is only being produced in a limited 1,000-case run, and although the price appears to be a secret at this point, buyers can sign up to be notified when pre-orders begin. It's bound to be expensive, but you can at least look forward to free shipping (in the continental U.S.).
For the more budget-minded collector, the band is also planning to release 'Kiss 40,' a double-disc compilation that Rolling Stone says "includes a track from every one of their releases comprising some of their greatest hits, demo and live recordings and previously unreleased tracks." And for those who are looking to cherry-pick from the Kiss catalog for their vinyl collection, or simply trying to round it out with one or two titles, there's also the aforementioned series of individual reissues, which will see 1997's 'Carnival of Souls' and 1998's 'Psycho Circus' appearing on vinyl for the first time, and also treat fans to the "concept album sequence" edition of 'Music from the Elder.'