NONFICTION

Nothin' To Lose: The Making of Kiss (1972–1975)

& others. It: HarperCollins. Sept. 2013. 560p. photos. notes. ISBN 9780062131720. $28.99. MUSIC
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OrangeReviewStarThe latest of many titles about KISS, this oral history documents the band's formation and rise to superstardom from 1972 to 1975. Does the world really need another KISS book? Perhaps not, but the world really needs Sharp's (Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy) KISS book. When it comes to KISStory, there are many sides to every story, and what makes this one so special is the tremendous amount of detail to be found in the more than 200 interviews with everyone from the four original band members to a woman who witnessed some of the band's first concerts just because she was a regular at a particular club. KISS is a visual band, and this volume plays that up with a fun KISS-themed font that's used for emphasis. Another fine design decision is the provision of the many black-and-white images that are interspersed with the descriptive text.
VERDICT Full of extraordinary primary-source material that will keep KISS fans up at night, Sharp's excellent work should serve as a blueprint for future rock oral histories.
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