Take It Off: KISS Truly Unmasked

by Greg Prato, Chris Jericho, Andreas Carlsson

There is a common misconception about KISS, one of the greatest hard-rock/heavy metal-bands of that their 'non-makeup' era of 1983-1996 is not as enduring as the period when they rocked stages as the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman, and the Cat.

This is untrue. In fact, this period helped resuscitate KISS's career, as they reestablished themselves in arenas, on the charts, and via MTV, and yielded some of their most popular songs - including Lick It Up , Heaven's On Fire , Tears Are Falling , Crazy Crazy Nights , Hide Your Heart , Forever , Unholy , and more - many of which consistently found their way into the band's set lists.

While the majority of KISS books are focused on the iconic makeup era, the non-makeup years are ripe to be explored in book form, and Take It Off  does just that, zeroing in on the twelve albums KISS issued during this period - including such gold-and platinum-certified hits as Lick It Up , Animalize , Crazy Nights, and Revenge - as well the resulting tours, videos, and other escapades.

Take It Off  draws on all-new interviews with KISS experts and associates, including the band's lead guitarist throughout most of this period, Bruce Kulick, plus Crazy Nights producer Ron Nevison and video director Paul Rachman ( Unholy / I Just Wanna / Domino ). Among the other contributors are Charlie Benante (Anthrax), K.K. Downing (ex-Judas Priest), Derek Sherinan (ex-Dream Theater), and rock music experts Eddie Trunk, Katherine Turman, and Lonn Friend. The book also includes a foreword by Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho and an afterword by acclaimed producer Andreas Carlsson, as well as rare photographs and memorabilia from the period.

With KISS currently in the midst of their last ever tour, now is the time to get Truly Unmasked .

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published November 19, 2019

About the author

Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist, whose writing has appeared in such renowned publications as Rolling Stone. He is the author of several popular books, 'A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,' 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,' 'Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, 'No Schlock . . . Just Rock!,' 'The Eric Carr Story,' 'MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,' 'Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets,' 'Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets,' 'Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984,' and 'The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion.'

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a card carrying member of the KISS Army, but I’ve always enjoyed this band’s music and showmanship. I first took notice of them when just a little kid during their late 1970s glory years where KISS in full makeup was HUGE. Honestly, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing them on magazine covers, hearing their songs on the radio, or being bombarded with KISS products to buy. Hell, there were some Halloweens when almost everyone was dressed up as KISS for trick or treating. My mom wouldn’t let me buy any KISS records or merchandise sadly because of the whole “Knights In Satan Service” stuff that circulated back then, but I vividly remember watching their 1978 superhero made-for-television movie “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park”, which I thought was damn cool at the time. Fast forward to the 1980s and the non makeup era KISS. This was when I was finally able to buy KISS cassettes and consume as much of their hair metal flavored rock as I wanted. Yeah, most of their 80s music might seem corny, misogynistic and overproduced to some ears today, but it was a hell of a lot of fun for me and my friends back then, still brings back a lot of good memories to me now. And so this book about the non makeup era of KISS from 1983-1996 was right up my alley.

After finishing the book, I really don’t have any serious complaints. It was a fun read, chronologically detailing each album and the subsequent tours, and the book was filled with lots of interviews with people who were around the band at the time and shared their firsthand knowledge of what was going on, which lent the narrative an authentic touch. Plus, this wasn’t a tell all, trash everyone kind of book. Yeah, there were things critical to the band mentioned, but the author didn’t wallow in the negativity, which I personally found refreshing. Just a good entertaining read. I would only recommend this book to fans of KISS though, especially fans of the non makeup era band, but since I think such is pretty self evident the book is written for that specific target audience probably there isn’t any reason for me to even say such.

[Roney Lundell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is an interesting chapter in Kiss history that is the focus of this book - the unmasked years of 1983-1995.

The author introduces each chapter about a record with a 2-3 page run through of the times it was recorded. There is very little new facts in these introductions and sometimes faults like when it is claimed that Killers was an Europe only release, both Japan and Australia had releases of this compilation. There is even more of this in the interviews that is the main party of each chapter. Unfortunately many pages feels like fillers. Like when Bruce with a sentence or two comments all the music videos from that era or a list of Eddie Trunks top 20 songs from that era (they are numbered 1-20 but at the same time it is specified that they are not presented in a particular order... haha).

A major part of the book is interviews with key players from that era, like Bruce or producers, but also high profile fans like Julian Gill or Curt Gooch. Often I felt like I was reading a transcript of a radio show or podcast because there was a lot of guessing and unsure memories being put forward. One of the qualities that a book has it that it isn’t a product of the moment and therefore fact, uncertainties etc can be checked and double checked before the final text is put to paper. This has not been done in the capacity that it should have.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Integral History

Very informative book about the Kiss years out of makeup. People somehow forget that the band put out a plethora of great music in the decades following their heyday in the 70's. Kudos to Greg Prato for this heartfelt, and much needed tribute to KISS and their fans!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Prato, perennial author of rock docs, offers up Take It Off: Kiss Truly Unmasked, a much needed documentary of KISS's unmasked years. This is a chronological history of the band from Lick It Up on through to Carnival of Souls (which technically was released after the KISS put the make-up back on.) Each album gets seen through the eyes of the author and then followed up with interview with people closely connected to each respective album.

This is the story of a legendary rock band trying to find itself after the unprecedented peak of their career in the mid to late 70s. This is the story of a band following trends to keep itself relevant. This is the story of a bad struggling with each members own identities once their true identities were bared for all to see. This is the story off a band that overcame and maintained relevance where many before them had not. This is the story of the KISS I came to know. My Kiss, no make-up.

I got on the KISS train pretty late. Crazy Nights era to be exact. But once I got on, I never got off. I love ever era of this band. But those late 80s/early 90s line-ups of the band will always be my KISS. This book is for fans like me. KISS were hair metal legends with a legacy before them. They were every bit as good as before and maybe, never will be as good again.

God gave rock 'n roll to you. Greg Prato gave you this book. Thank you God. Thank you Greg.

[Igy The Book Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time Kiss fan I will say that this book was some what interesting, but I did not feel it was great. Kind of bland. I really don't care what members of Heart, Loverboy or GnR think. I would rather have seen interviews from Gene and Paul. These two were absent from the book.

[Pat Pettite · Rating 5 out of 5]

great stuff

[Mariah Startzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you think of the rock band KISS, you think of four men with faces covered in elaborately designed makeup and dressed in spandex, leather, and high heeled boots. Known for hits such as “Rock and Roll All Nite”, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”, and “Detroit Rock City”, all released in the mid to late 1970s. Unfortunately by the early 1980s, KISS was experiencing some trouble. Two of the original members, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, were leaving the band (first Criss in 1980 and Frehley in 1982) and record sales were waning. After some consideration, the other original members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons decided to remove their signature makeup, take off their costumes and perform completely as themselves, along with a revolving door of new band mates. The trials and tribulations of the band’s makeup-less years are chronicled in “Take It Off”. This book walks through each album of this era, starting with “Lick It Up” and ending in “Carnival of Souls”. Each album has its own chapter which starts out with a short description of personnel, production, and chart standing before including sections written by people in some way connected to the band. These people include former band mates (such as Bruce Kulick, who was a member during such makeup-less years), songwriters, session players, authors, and fellow musicians. The organization of “Take It Off” is not typical, but it was interesting to read because of its uniqueness. Ultimately, I wish there was more overall information on the albums before going into the other sections, but I was engaged and never bored, because it was always changing. There is not as much information written about the makeup-less years of the 1980s and early to mid 1990s KISS so I was immediately intrigued. I’m glad to have read it and someday I hope there is more written about this interesting era of KISStory.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

When most people talk about KISS the conversation often revolves around the years in which they were wearing their trademark greasepaint. Whether it was the ‘70’s or the late ‘90’s until their eventual retirement, those are just the years that garner more attention, so I was interested in this book that focused on their years without makeup. It was an interesting time for KISS because their popularity had waned and they were fighting just to survive. I was a teenager at the time and LOVED this era, but it was almost a KISS of death socially to admit you were a KISS fan. This book does a great job of chronologically dissecting what was happening at the time of each albums release, the troubles encountered on the road and in the studio, and how each album was received. There is good commentary from those involved, Bruce Kulick, Eddie Kramer etc … , as well as super-fans like Scott Ian and Charlie Benante from Anthrax and Eddie Trunk. The book is a great look into an important period for KISS without glossing over or being too much of a fanboy about the period. Highly recommended for ‘80’s fans.

[Norbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting & enjoyable read. I grew up listening to Kiss and once the grease paint came off, the appeal disappeared for a little while. However I quickly learned that albums such as Animalize and Lick it up are excellent efforts.
Greg translates this into a book from with interesting interviews from a lot of those involved. I really appreciate Bruce's take on a lot of things him being so close to the fire.

The book is cleverly built up with little bits of info here & there and I would highly recommend it for any Kiss fan not that knowledgeable on the non make up era of the band.

It certainly re-sparked my interest in this period!
(although Crazy Nights - I'll never get over that one I'm afraid..:-)

[Lance Lumley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most KISS book, when discussing the non-makeup years, tend to be making fun of the era, and dismissing it. In Fact Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley at times have done in the past. Being a huge fan of the non-makeup years, this book shows respect and class to my favorite KISS era. Each album is covered (the years 1983-1997) with stories from album producers, songwriters, journalists, and Bruce Kulick himself. There are dispelled rumors, and new tales that some may not have heard, along with in depth coverage of all the videos, Tv appearances, and concerts.
This is a great book for KISS fans to own.
For an In depth review, visit my page at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/202...

[Jesse Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't really a book -- it's a series of interview transcripts, lists, and brief reflections on Kiss' 80s album output. It feels more like the research materials that would be used to write a book, rather than the finished product itself. The whole effort feels oddly lazy -- why couldn't Prato be bothered to string these various interviews and archival elements into a sustained narrative? I found this to be a real let-down -- which feels a little silly, given the subject matter. There was a fascinating book to be written on this transitional, difficult phase for the band -- but this isn't it.

[Patrik Hamberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy to read a book about the sans make up years (Lick It Up through Carnival of Souls). Unfortunately for Prato I'm getting a bit tired of these QA-type of books. Especially when a large chunk of the interviewees are so loosely related to the subject.

This is by no means a definitive book om the 80's / early 90's Kiss. This is more of a: "do you remember when Kiss didn't wear their iconic kabuki style make up and what did you think of them at the time" type of book. It's a decent read, but not more.

[Steve Rabideau · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a Kiss nerd you'll enjoy it. Casual fan you may not. A lot of it is a facts and figures of the era. The author did interview a lot of people in and around the Kiss camp, including Bruce Kulick. I was hoping for a Vinnie Vincent interview, but there was none. I probably would have given it 4 stars, but sometimes the author was objective with his opinion where he didn't need to be. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones cover of Detroit Rock City is easily the BEST track on Kiss My Ass, not the worst. Come on man.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite KISS song? "Hide Your Heart."
My favourite KISS album? "Creatures of the Night" - re-released in the unmasked era, so it kinda counts, right?

Anyway, it stands to reason that the unmasked era of KISS fascinates me, and this book covers each album and all the surrounding events in minute detail. A great time capsule of an interesting time in the band's extensive history. If you're a fan, you'll appreciate this.

[Gord Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a very good read. Definitely tailor-made for a Kiss geek. To enjoy this book you'd likely need to a diehard fan, which I am so I enjoyed it.

I was really hoping for more of a narrative/memoir style book about Kiss in this era. This book is more of a collection of interviews and a play-by-play of what the band was up to in the non-makeup era. So the format was a bit of a let down for me. But once I realized what it was, it was a great read.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I discovered KISS as a teenager they were in their non make-up era, so these albums hold a special place for me. This book delivers lots of insight and fun facts about each album and tour from that time period with interviews and reflections from song writers, musicians, producers and others that worked with the band.

It’s not top tier music journalism, but if you enjoy that era of KISS this book with be a fun read and worth checking out.

[Brett buckner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: this was my car book. It’s what I’d read while waiting in the school car line, still ... I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the ‘80s version of KISS, sans makeup. But this book was something of a let down featuring interviews with side characters, save for contributions from Bruce Kulick, an under appreciated player, there wasn’t much Behind the Music type insight.

[Terry Kruse · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ok book. I don't consider myself to be a huge KISS fan so there is that, but, on the other hand, it was fun to learn a bit of KISS history. My problem with this book was it was a bit overwritten. It wasn't a long read, but I think parts of the chapters could have been excluded. Also, I wish there were more pictures!

[David Cavaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

KISS fans will rejoice with this book that focuses on the non-make up years of Kiss from 1983 to 1995. Totally enjoyable insights into the band's imagery, musical direction amongst a turbulent and evert-changing music scene. Awesome!

[Alex Dimaio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too much filler. But a fun read for those who grew up without the makeup.

[Michael Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

80's-90's KISS holds a special place in KISStory. Really enjoyed this Chronicle of those times.

[David Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. This era includes some of my favorites albums.

[James Mccracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history of non makeup Kiss.

[Ryan Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid account of Kiss' underappreciated era but ultimately I didn't get much out of this book that I didn't already know from other books about Kisstory.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I give this 4*. However, the audio book production was poor, giving it 1*.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 80s was my era for KISS. The first KISS album I owned was Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits in 88. I got to see the band on the Hot in the Shade tour in 1990. Obviously KISS is an iconic 1970s pop culture phenomenon, but there are plenty of fans like me who really love the 80s records. I'm guessing this book is going to appeal to exactly zero people who don't already love this era, but for those of us who do, pick it up. It's a great journey through some... crazy nights. (I'll let myself out.)

[Daniel Westman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up on 80s Kiss and enjoyed Greg Prato's book on Eric Carr, therefore I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, my high expectations weren't met and the book felt like a mishmash of interviews. Especially the latter part of the book failed to deliver.

Still, as a fan, I enjoyed parts of it.