KISS - CREATURES OF THE NIGHT SUPER DELUXE BOX SET - WORTH $300??!! - IN DEPTH REVIEW

If you are a KISS fan and are on the fence about getting this box set, just go ahead and "pull the trigger"! I was hesitant to get this due to the hefty price ($300.00) but I was lucky enough to receive this as a Christmas present! It took me a while to take it all in, but here is my review.

The Discs
You get 5 CDs & 1 Blu-Ray worth of material in this box set.

1. Creatures of the Night (40th Anniversary Remastered Edition) – Comes in cardboard digipak that replicates the original inner sleeve. (1 disc) – I didn’t hear a lot of difference between this remix and the other versions of the album I have. If anything, I agree with other reviews that this mix seems a little sterilized. I've recently purchased the Half-Speed vinyl remaster and prefer this version but comparing vinyl to compact disc is like comparing apples to oranges!

2. Demos and Outtakes – Comes in cardboard digipak that replicates the Master Reel boxes of the original Creatures demos. (2 discs) - I really enjoyed hearing the outtakes, especially the Feel Like Heaven Demos. Including the 4 Killers songs on the set was also a nice touch as these recording are basically the beginnings of the Creatures of the Night sound.

3. Creatures Tour Live 82/83 – Comes in cardboard digipak that features a group shot of the lineup including Vinnie Vincent. (2 discs) – Wow! We have here a sonic document of the completely disastrous Creatures of the Night tour. While it’s cool to hear Keep Me Coming and War Machine played live, you can tell in some of the recordings that KISS is playing to empty arenas. Also, in the opening track Creatures of the Night, the band sounds out of tune? But again, it’s nice of have this piece of history to listen to. The sound quality is on par with the latest Off The Soundboard release Live in Des Moines, but it comes across as vintage and raw. The sound effects are a neat bonus!

4. Creatures of the Night (Blu-Ray) – Comes in cardboard digipack. - (2 discs) - Includes Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and Hi-Rez stereo mixes of the album. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have the proper set up to play the Atmos mix of this album, but I was surprised to find out the Blu - Ray includes the complete “I Love It Loud” music video! This version includes the full intro that was usually edited out when shown on MTV. I am surprised this bonus is not listed anywhere on the box set.

While the sleeves themselves have cool artwork, I wished they came in traditional plastic cases as these seem delicate and could be prone to damage.

The next part of the box set is the book and liner notes.

The Book - 80-page Hardcover Book with Extensive Liner Notes by Ken Sharp, a Monstrous Amount of Unreleased Photos and Imagery – I love reading about the history of these releases, this book doesn’t fail to deliver! Lots of rare photos. The book is well made and would be worth at least $40 alone!

•Gotham Rock City News Volume 2 Newspaper –Track-By-Track Interviews - This is where they decided to put the in-depth liner notes about the album tracks. While I appreciate the concept of making it look like a newspaper, the paper in super thin and I feel like every time I pick it up, I could damage it. You may just want to take photos with your phone and read it this way!

Below is where it really gets fun! I’m struggling whether to keep these collectables in their packages or rip them open because they are so cool!

• Creatures 1982 Replica Tour Program – Includes group shots of Vinnie. Apparently, the original programs are quite rare because they sold so few of them during the tour.

• Creatures of The Night 1982 Press Kit featuring 8 x 10 press photo and Creatures Band Press Bio Sheet – Pretty cool reproduction of the actual press release and folder. Several pages of quotes from the band.

• Creatures Tour Band New Poster 11”x17”
• 2 Stage Drawings – One of these is a neat doodle of the stage concept from Gene with several notes in the margins.
• The Loudest Band In The World Poster 16”x24”
• Japanese Promo Poster 16”x22.5”
• Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie Color Photos 8”x10” - These would look great matted and framed!
• Creatures 40th T-shirt Iron-on Transfer Sheet
• “I Love It Loud” Bumper Sticker
• Australian Creatures Sticker
• Marcanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro 6/18/83 Replica Ticket
• Creatures Tour “Detroit” VIP Cloth Sticky Backstage Pass
• 4 Killers-era Trading Cards
• Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie –Chris Hoffman Illustrations 9”x12”
• Glow-In-The-Dark Guitar Picks – These would be great to display as they look really cool in a dark room! Interestingly, both Ace and Vinnie get a pick as well as Eric!
• Iron-on Patch
• 4 Buttons – Individually wrapped.

All in all, this box set is a really neat additional to my KISS Kollection. It also made me want to get the Destroyer box set as well. If I know KISS, there will be additional ones soon, maybe Love Gun is next??!