Icons, Like It Or Not

To a more discriminating musical pallet (and I certainly do not lay claim to that), it is hard to believe that what was mainly shock rock in the seventies has been able to endure as long as it has.

Musically,Kiss just wasn't that good, but they were good enough to get done what needed getting done.

And what needed getting done was profits.
They were in it for the money, and as marketing geniuses, hyped themselves to the audience that was most likely to run out and buy shit with their tag on it.

Musically: so-so.
Business wise: state of the art.
They've set a standard for the music industry, and today, people are still buying their music. They still get airplay, and some of their big hits are still popular (Rock n Roll All Night; I Was Made For Loving You; etc.)

Personally, I've never made a single purchase. Not even as a kid who was easily impressed with the whole flashy, freakish show they made of themselves. I will admit though: they were fun to listen to, and still are.

That said, no discussion of Rock, Heavy Metal or The Seventies is complete without their inclusion.
And besides,as Brian pointed out, they did save Santa Claus.