If you have an unhealthy fascination with these face painted rockers, then look no further.

Published by: Backbeat Books

Kiss fans have often sat around pub tables or debated on forums for years about such subjects as "Worst Album Cover" or "was 'The Elder' a disaster or a classic record?"

These subjects and many more are covered by Dale Sherman in his latest offering 'Kiss FAQ...'

Dale began writing about Kiss in the 1980's and two of his books 'Black Diamond' and 'Black Diamond 2', both are biographies and reference guides, are just about the most comprehensive tomes on the market. I have both these books and on many occasions used them to refresh my memory on a subject or to just to engulf myself in some mindless Kiss trivia on a cold winter night. How then to fill 365 pages of a new book, you may wonder? What is left to discover about one of the most collectable and fascinating bands in rock history?

Dale is set apart from other writers on the subject in that he is clearly a huge Kiss fan himself. He has a wonderful sense of humour, including an easy style of writing, but not at the cost of losing your interest. It's a book you can read from cover to cover, or just pick a chapter on a subject, such as I Was There, The Real Locations of the Live Albums or maybe The Ten Commonly Perceived Turning Points for Kiss - so many frequently asked questions are put out to the reader for their own personal scrutiny. There are many wonderful pieces of rumour and trivia here, such as 'Was Peter Criss replaced on stage one night on the 1979 tour?' Or 'How Vinnie Vincent supplied a song to the 'Happy Days' TV show spin off 'Joanie Loves Chachi'.' I especially enjoyed a lengthy chapter on the 'So bad it is good Kiss movie 'The Phantom Of The Park'.

It is not all Kiss nostalgia though, as the most recent album 'Sonic Boom' and the current line up is mentioned as well as reference to the up and coming 'Monster' release to keep things up to date, not to mention how fans are divided on the issue of Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer donning the spaceman and cat makeup.

If you're looking for a more general Kiss history, then I recommend David Leaf and Ken Sharps offering 'Kiss Behind The Mask' as a better choice, but if like me, you have an unhealthy fascination with these face painted rockers and all they created in the world of Kiss, then look no further.

Ray Paul