You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! is a live hits album released by American hard rock band Kiss. The album was issued to coincide with the group's 1996–97 Alive/Worldwide Tour. All of the songs on the album are live versions. Most were taken from Alive! or Alive II but four recordings had been previously unreleased. The liner notes report the tracks are outtakes from Alive! and Alive II-era recordings, although there is some speculation to whether this is actually the case (mainly because Paul & Gene's voices sound like they were re-recorded in 1996 and Peter's drums sound very modernized); in an interview with Latent Image magazine in 1998, Bruce Kulick stated that he had participated in some aspects of this album in the studio, although he did not comment on the extent of his involvement. The final track is an interview of the reunited group conducted by Jay Leno.
| You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | June 25, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1975, 1977 & 1996 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 59:16 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Various | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
The album received generally negative reviews. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album one star out of five and said, "It's a rip-off album, pure and simple... There is simply no reason for this to exist... you may have wanted the best, but you didn't get it – you just got exploited."[1] Rolling Stone's 1996 review was also negative, calling it a "shameless reunion-promotion biscuit".[3] The 2004 album guide by the same magazine gave the album three stars out of five.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Room Service" | Paul Stanley | Previously unreleased, recorded in Davenport, Iowa in 1975; overdubs in early-mid 1996 | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Two Timer" | Gene Simmons | Previously unreleased, recorded at Cobo Arena Detroit, Michigan in May 16, 1975; overdubs in early-mid 1996 | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Let Me Know" | Stanley | Previously unreleased, recorded at Cobo Arena Detroit, Michigan in May 16, 1975; overdubs in early-mid 1996 | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Rock Bottom" | Ace Frehley, Stanley | Alive!, 1975 | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Parasite" | Frehley | Alive! | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Firehouse" | Stanley | Alive! | 4:00 |
| 7. | "I Stole Your Love" | Stanley | Alive II, 1977 | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Calling Dr. Love" | Simmons | Alive II | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Take Me" | Sean Delaney, Stanley | Previously unreleased, recorded in Los Angeles, California in 1977; overdubs in early-mid 1996 | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Shout It Out Loud" | Bob Ezrin, Simmons, Stanley | Alive II | 3:14 |
| 11. | "Beth" | Peter Criss, Ezrin, Stan Penridge | Alive II | 2:33 |
| 12. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Simmons, Stanley | Alive! | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Kiss Tells All" | Kiss, Jay Leno | 17:34 |
The Japanese CD/ US vinyl release had another live track ("New York Groove"), featuring Eric Carr on drums rather than Peter Criss, which was also released as a promotional single at Blockbuster.
Personnel
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals
- Ace Frehley - lead guitar, vocals on "New York Groove"
- Peter Criss - drums, vocals on "Beth"
- Eric Carr - drums on "New York Groove"
- Bruce Kulick - guitar overdubs on "Room Service", "Two Timer", "Let Me Know" and "Take Me"
Charts
Album
| Nation | Chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Album Chart | 26[5] |
| Japan | Oricon | 70[6] |
| United States | Billboard 200 | 17[7] |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! at AllMusic
- "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
- "You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- "American album certifications – Kiss – You Want It – The Best". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- "ARIA album chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Billboard album chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 13, 2009.
