Kiss Symphony: Alive IV is a 2003 live album from the American rock band, Kiss, performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The arrangements were made by David Campbell, who also conducted the MSO. It is the group's fourth album in the Alive series and first release under Kiss Records and Sanctuary Records.
| Kiss Symphony: Alive IV | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | July 22, 2003 (2-disc edition) October 7, 2003 (single-disc edition) | |||
| Recorded | February 28, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 1:36:15 | |||
| Label | Kiss Sanctuary | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Album information
editThe concert from which the album is taken featured original Kiss members Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons. All three appeared at a press conference announcing the show. "The result will be no less than a symphonic sonic boom," promised Stanley. "Beethoven and Mozart will rise up dancing with fists raised as we unleash a spectacle that will be both classic and classical. This time it's black tie and black leather."[2] Members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra who accompanied Kiss during this performance wore Kiss makeup and tuxedos.
Although Stanley said, "We're hoping Ace will be at this spectacular concert," guitarist Frehley once again left the band. The show instead introduced new member Tommy Thayer as the "Spaceman". The resultant album was Kiss's last to feature Criss – who would leave the band officially in 2004, to be replaced once again by Eric Singer. Singer had previously rejoined the band to replace Criss in 2001 after the band's first Farewell Tour.
In 2000, Kiss had planned to release the original Alive IV (featuring the reunited original lineup), but this was nixed by label politics and contracts. The artwork was revealed[3] and its version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" was added to The Box Set, but the album was shelved. The band moved labels from Universal/Island to Sanctuary Music and issued Kiss Symphony: Alive IV. The original Alive IV belatedly appeared – as Alive! The Millennium Concert – in a 2006 box set of all the Alive albums, Kiss Alive! 1975-2000.
10,000 limited numbered copies were released on vinyl in the US.
Unlike past Alive releases, the songs on the album appear in the order they were performed, with the concert split into three acts. In Act One, Kiss performed six songs by themselves. In Act Two, they performed a five-song acoustic set with the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble. Act Three featured the band and the full 60-piece orchestra on all tracks.
The live versions of "Rock and Roll All Nite", "God of Thunder" and "Lick It Up" were featured on the soundtrack of the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. The game also featured a bonus level, entitled "Hotter Than Hell", which takes place where the performance was done in Melbourne.
Track listing
editAll tracks were recorded at Marvel Stadium (known at the time as Telstra Dome) in Melbourne, Australia, on February 28, 2003.
2-disc edition
editDisc 1
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deuce" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Strutter" | Paul Stanley, Simmons | Stanley | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" | Stanley, Simmons | Simmons | 6:09 |
| 4. | "Lick It Up" | Vinnie Vincent, Stanley | Stanley | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Calling Dr. Love" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Psycho Circus" | Stanley, Curtis Cuomo | Stanley | 5:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Beth" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Bob Ezrin | Criss | 3:41 |
| 8. | "Forever" | Stanley, Michael Bolton | Stanley | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Goin' Blind" | Simmons, Stephen Coronel | Simmons | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Sure Know Something" | Stanley, Vini Poncia | Stanley | 4:20 |
| 11. | "Shandi" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 3:39 |
Disc 2
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Detroit Rock City" | Stanley, Ezrin | Stanley | 4:43 |
| 2. | "King of the Night Time World" | Stanley, Ezrin, Kim Fowley, Mark Anthony | Stanley | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Do You Love Me?" | Stanley, Ezrin, Fowley | Stanley | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Shout It Out Loud" | Simmons, Stanley, Ezrin | Simmons, Stanley | 4:10 |
| 5. | "God of Thunder" | Stanley | Simmons | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Love Gun" | Stanley | Stanley | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Black Diamond" | Stanley | Criss, intro by Stanley | 7:11 |
| 8. | "Great Expectations" (featuring the Australian Children's Choir) | Simmons, Ezrin | Simmons | 4:20 |
| 9. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Stanley, Desmond Child, Poncia | Stanley | 5:00 |
| 10. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Simmons, Stanley | Simmons | 7:20 |
Single-Disc Edition
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deuce" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Lick It Up" | Vinnie Vincent, Stanley | Stanley | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Calling Dr. Love" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Beth" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Bob Ezrin | Criss | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Goin' Blind" | Simmons, Stephen Coronel | Simmons | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Shandi" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Detroit Rock City" | Stanley, Ezrin | Stanley | 4:43 |
| 8. | "King of the Night Time World" | Stanley, Ezrin, Kim Fowley, Mark Anthony | Stanley | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Do You Love Me?" | Stanley, Ezrin, Fowley | Stanley | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Shout It Out Loud" | Simmons, Stanley | Simmons, Stanley | 4:10 |
| 11. | "God of Thunder" | Stanley | Simmons | 4:27 |
| 12. | "Love Gun" | Stanley | Stanley | 4:26 |
| 13. | "Black Diamond" | Stanley | Criss, intro by Stanley | 7:11 |
| 14. | "Great Expectations" (featuring the Australian Children's Choir) | Simmons, Ezrin | Simmons | 4:20 |
| 15. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Simmons, Stanley | Simmons | 7:20 |
| 16. | "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" (Bonus track) | Joey Ramone | Simmons, Stanley | 3:35 |
Personnel
edit- Members
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Additional personnel
- The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- Mark Opitz – producer
- Tony Wall – engineer
- David Campbell – composer
Charts
edit| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] | 14 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] | 39 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6] | 10 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 40 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] | 30 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[9] | 70 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 15 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[11] | 66 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 84 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] | 5 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[14] | 28 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 97 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 23 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 28 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] | 10 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[19] | 11 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 18 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Kiss Symphony: Alive IV at AllMusic
- ^ Ling, Dave (editor): "Beethoven reincarnated"; Classic Rock #48, Christmas 2002, p15
- ^ "Alive4Japan". Kiss Asylum. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss: Alive IV - Symphony" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kiss – Alive IV - Symphony". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Symphony: Alive IV". Music Canada.
