The ultimate antifolk album by the movement's founder. "Excellent! Blang! is required listening!"-Allmusic.com. "Triumphant! A wholly enjoyable voyage into a strange and brilliant musical mind!"-Billboard, “Don’t just listen to this album, study it, marvel at it then you can relax and enjoy” -Songwriter’s Monthly,
This limited to 20 edition comes with a beautiful 16 page booklet with song and studio notes by Lach and lots of photos (Including Lach with Kiss!)
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SONG NOTES: While enjoying a long, hot bath listening to Cheap Trick's 'Heaven Tonight' I started thinking about rock music, and an old friend who loved Kiss. Kiss welcomed everything about him that his parents didn't understand: pot, comics, rock and roll, and general fucking off. One day he showed me a bubblegum card showing Kiss onstage. He explained there was a Kiss dimension you could visit when you were high that was just one huge Kiss concert 24 hours a day for eternity. As this teenage rock dream mixed with my thoughts the entire song arrived as a single piece. I got out of the water and brought my head into my bedroom being careful not to spill the song. I found a notebook and poured the lyric out onto the paper.
BONUS POST-COMMENTS FOR BANDCAMPERS: Before production began on this album I had become friends with the incredibly talented artist Jeff Buckley spending very late nights playing together after the Antihoots at Sidewalk Cafe in NYC. One night Jeff told me that Tom Verlaine was going to produce Jeff's next album and I remarked how Billy Ficca was my drummer (Tom and Billy both being of the legendary punk band Television). We agreed then that we should guest on each other's albums. I was to play piano on a track of his, Opened Once, and he would sing backing vocals on one of mine, the repeating chorus of "Ah, kiss loves you". Tragically, Jeff died several months later and our recordings never happened.
Kiss Loves You has since become one of my most iconic tunes and the basis for episode two of season one of my BBC Radio 4 series ‘The Lach Chronicles.’ It’s been used in several movies about Kiss, covered in concert by Coyote Shivers when he toured as Kiss’s opening band and Peter Kriss (Kiss drummer) acknowledged the song in his autobiography. But no one ever knew before that while singing the song's chorus I always picture Jeff in his gold lame jacket, on stage, shining like the sun.
STUDIO NOTES: Deni recorded the string section as a layer of viola and violin to our constant reminders of "No vibrato!" For sheet music I just put a picture of Kiss on her music stand.
lyrics
Kiss Loves You
Paul Stanley on my bubblegum card
And on my lunchbox in the school yard
Is it strange to rock so soon
When I heard T.Rex in the womb?
Ah, Kiss loves you
Getting high in the green bug
Me and my best friend Doug
Making bongs out of snorkel coats
Pretty soon everything just floats
Ah, Kiss loves you
In his wallet Doug kept a page
From Creem showing Kiss onstage
And if you stared long enough I swear
It was you not Gene up there
Ah, Kiss loves you
We started a band of our own
Playing in our bedrooms
While Doug played a Flying Vee
I would scream, "Goodnight Cincinnati!"
Ah, Kiss loves you
"Room service I could use a meal
C'mon, baby, do what you feel
Shock me! Make me feel better
C'mon, shock me, wear your black leather!"
Ah, Kiss loves you
"Now, I know some of you out there
You like to drink vodka and orange juice
But on those nights you just can't win
You know, it's Cold Gin time again!"
Ah, Kiss loves you
I know that it was long ago
And everyone's gone home
But somewhere in time and space
I'm on a rocket ride with Ace
Ah, Kiss loves you
Christine Sixteen
Kiss loves you
Calling Dr. Love
Kiss loves you
Don’t cry Strutter
Kiss loves you
Don’t cry Beth
Kiss loves you
from Blang!,
released November 11, 2013
Lach - Guitars, Vocals, Keys
Geoff Notkin - Bass
Billy Ficca - Drums
Violin - Deni Bonet
Backing Vocals - The Humans and Richard Barone
Strummer meets Alabama Three. Spin it loud getting dressed for Saturday night, play loud passing a joint to the backseat on yr way to the gig, listen again w/ Sunday coffee to relive Saturday's glory. Lach
I have a kid who was a baby when the pandemic started and a toddler now. When he’s older and asks what the pandemic is like I’m gonna put this album on and pour myself a drink- this covers it all. Feels surreal to imagine ever having the privilege of going to see a Jeffrey Lewis show again but it’s top of my list when this crap is over. savanns
