"Kiss Symphony: The Single Disc" (10/07/2003) Heavy Metal Kiss, Sanctuary (USA)Kiss: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Tommy Thayer. Additional personnel: The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live on February 28, 2003. Personnel: Monica Curro, Izia Wasserman, Matthew Tomkins, David Shafir, Mary Allison, Jung Sook Yoon, Alison Rayner, Mark Mogilevski, Eleanor Mancini, Deborah Goodall, Helen Ayres, Michael Kisin, Isin Cakmakcioglu, Kirsty Bremner, Pete Edwards, Rudolf Osadnik, Lorraine Hook, Anne Martonyi, Roger Young (violin); Simon Collins, Jacqueline Cronin, Gabby Halloran, Paul McMillan, Rosia Pasteur, Isabel Morse, Cindy Watkin (viola); Sarah Morse, Nick Bochner, Virginia Kable, Laura Kennedy, Andrea Taylor, Sharon Draper (cello); Wendy Clarke, Prue Davis (flute); Jon Craven, David Thomas (clarinet); Vicki Philipson, Eve Newsome (oboe); Rolf Kuhlman, Elise Millman (bassoon); Julie Payne, Tristram Williams, William Evans (trumpet); Brett Kelly, Ken McClimont (trombone); Peter Forsberg (tuba); Trinette McClimont, Eric Bramble, Russell Davis (horns); Shawn Shebetka (organ); Caroline Almonte (keyboards); John Arcaro (timpani); Robert Cossom, Chris Turpin, Robert Clarke (percussion). Audio Mixers: Tony Wall; Mark Opitz. Photographers: Remo Camerota; Marco Drasdo; Spiro Papadatos; Neil Zlozower. Unknown Contributor Roles: Daniel Beard; Gene Simmons; Armando Corsi; Paul Stanley; Peter Criss; Tommy Thayer. The two-disc version of Kiss Symphony: Alive IV gets cut down to a single disc, making the overlong and underrehearsed live recording only a little bit easier to take. The one-off show with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra seems like a great idea, but a muddy mix, unoriginal orchestration, and an especially bad night for Gene Simmons' vocal chords make for an unwieldy listen even with half the muck removed. Without the quirky contributions of Ace Frehley, the band sounds more pompous and bloated than ever (he's replaced by Black 'n' Blue guitarist Tommy Thayer, who sacrilegiously assumes the role of the Spaceman). Track selections seem based on song popularity rather than performance quality since the stumbling embarrassment of "Goin' Blind" is included while a more inspired "Sure Know Something" isn't. Just to make sure die-hard fans don't pass it up, a rather thin studio version of the Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio" that wasn't on the double disc gets stuck on as a bonus track. It's from the more appealing We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones, and seeing how the rest of the album is better served by the visual spectacle of the DVD, there's no real reason to pick this up. ~ David Jeffries