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With Alive! Kiss created one of the most exciting and essential live albums of all time. Its 1977 sequel, Alive II, failed to measure up for a variety of reasons--including, perversely, the inclusion of an album side of studio material--and it took the band 15 years to return to the well once again. Alive III holds up surprisingly well, though that may be due to reduced expectations for a band that was nearing the end of its "unmasked" period, performing without makeup and without original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Still, Kiss have always excelled onstage, whether through genuine inspiration or mere professionalism. Alive III rocks the house with a generous 16-song selection of material that cuts the chaff from their weaker mid-period studio albums and doesn't neglect fan favorites such as "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Deuce," "Heaven's on Fire," and "Detroit Rock City." --Daniel Durchholz