WOW | Hard Rock Hideout

W.O.W. The greatest KISS CD never made? That is what some folks consider punk rocker Wendy O. Williams debut CD, WOW.

Why is that you ask? Gene Simmons produced the album, and wrote five of the nine song on the disc. Ace Frehley plays lead on the tune “Bump and Grind”, Paul Stanley plays guitar on “Ready To Rock”, Eric Carr plays drums on “Legends Never Die”. Stanley, Carr and Vinnie Vincent also have partial song writing credits.

So how is the album? It is quite a departure from the music that Wendy O. Williams did with The Plasmatics, but it is good nonetheless. “I Love Sex” sounds like a distant cousin to “I Love It Loud”.

If there is one song that should have been a hit on WOW, it is “It’s My Life”. This tune written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley is ridiculously catchy. (See the video below).

If the title “Thief in the Night” sounds familiar, it should. This song appears on the 1987 KISS CD, Crazy Nights. I kind of like the version Wendy O. Williams did a little better. Her coarse vocals are a better match with this song.

There are a few more cool tunes on this disc, including the heavy rocker “Ready to Rock”, “Bump and Grind”, and “Aint None of Your Business”. This CD’s only fault, aside from pretty much being a KISS CD in disguise, is that it is a little on the short side with it being less than 37 minutes in length. Nonetheless, I love Wendy O. Williams voice with this type of hard rock. Her razor sharp vocals sound great with the heavy guitar riffs played on WOW. If you haven’t heard her sing before, this is a good place to start.

Sadly, Wendy O. Williams committed suicide back in 1998. Here death is a shame, but she did leave plenty of music for fans to check out. WOW is definitely a CD worth checking out. If you are a fan of KISS, or an 80’s hard rock fan in general, you will probably like this. WOW has been out of print for quite some time, but you can find copies of the CD at this link. For more information on Wendy O. Williams, check out this tribute myspace page.

Rating: Out of 10

Track Listing: RRRsmall5

1. I Love Sex (And Rock and Roll)
2. It’s My Life
3. Priestess
4. Thief in the Night
5. Opus in Cm7
6. Ready to Rock
7. Bump and Grind
8. Legends Never Die
9. Ain’t None of Your Business

Wendy O. Williams – Vocals

Wes Beech – Rhythm & Lead Guitar

Michael Ray – Lead Guitar

Reginald Van Helsing – Bass Guitar

T.C. Tolliver – Drums

Tag: WOW

3 Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984)