Shandi by KISS - Friday Night Videos | From the Album Unmasked (1980)

 Written By Ken Hulsey

I decided to take a slightly different approach with this week's Friday Night Videos feature. After some consideration, I selected a video that I'm fairly certain you've never seen before. And as per the laws of rock and roll, I must make the obligatory introduction:

“You wanted the best and you got the best, the hottest band in the world … KISS!”

That's right, the fire-breathing metal monsters known as KISS are famous for their electrifying stage shows and thundering music. However, today you'll see a much softer side of the band. In 1980, KISS decided to make a more mature-sounding album after the previous year's Dynasty album and tour, which had transformed them into caricatures of their comic book and movie counterparts through flashy costumes and over-the-top stunts.

Yes, after all the excess, KISS opted to record a pop album in an attempt to course-correct and reclaim their legitimacy as a vocal group capable of producing hit songs in the evolving 1980s music landscape. With their album "Unmasked," the band accomplished their goal of creating something different. They recorded an almost-perfect pop/rock album with strong tracks.

Unfortunately, a few factors worked against the album's success. First, after the band's poorly received movie and theatrical antics, the public wasn't ready to take KISS seriously as musicians. Secondly, the band's die-hard fans, accustomed to their classic sound, were disappointed by the new pop direction. Consequently, "Unmasked" only reached #35 on the Billboard Album Chart in the US, the band's worst performance since "Hotter Than Hell" in the early 1970s.

However, the album fared better overseas, reaching the top 10 and even #1 in some European and Asian countries. Due to the lukewarm domestic reception, KISS only performed one US concert in support of "Unmasked", opting instead for a massive worldwide tour. Songs from the album were rarely played live in the US, though they did appear occasionally on international stops.

This brings us to the video for the album's first single, "Shandi" - a straightforward pop song. It should be noted that this would be the last time the four original KISS members appeared together until their 1995 reunion, as drummer Peter Criss, though credited on the album, was replaced by session musician Anton Fig and left the band after the video shoot.

As always, I'm including another video for you - this time it's the second single from KISS's 1980 album Unmasked, a rare clip of the song "Tomorrow." As you might expect, original drummer Peter Criss is not featured; instead, it showcases the band's new drummer, Eric Carr, who remained a member of KISS until his passing in 1991.