"In 1976, Creem Magazine wanted to publish a Christmas issue with Kiss on the cover. So I had the idea to photograph the band in a winter setting. It was meant to be intentionally over-the-top and cheesy. So I order a wintry background and artificial snow from a movie prop rental company. You can see the band holding supposed snowballs – it's really just plastic and unfortunately also highly toxic. We did a couple of recordings that we wanted to look like they were made in Vermont, but at the same time make it clear that they were recorded in the studio. To this day, many people believe that they were really made outside.

This toxic snow is no longer produced today, it is really dangerous if it gets into the lungs – that's really, really bad! Well, Ace, the guy on the far left, the guitarist, drank a little too much during the shoot, fainted and ended up upside down in plastic snow. He started coughing terribly. We had to stop the shoot immediately and think: Do we take him to the hospital or not...?"- NEAL

The Story behind the Picture – by Neal Preston

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Neal Preston - Exhilarated and Exhausted

BOOK TIP

Neal Preston is one of the greatest rock photographers of all time. "Exhilarated and Exhausted" is an unrestricted retrospective of his 40-year career. This was produced in collaboration with Neal and is the first time he has granted unrestricted access to his legendary archive – it is considered one of the most important and extensive photo collections in the music industry. This extraordinary band is a who's who of rock kings.

Neal has been the official tour photographer for Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, and has also photographed extensively the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and many more.

The book includes his portraits, backstage moments, live performances, post-performance highs and lows, and outtakes. Neal's photographs vibrate with a palpable and inimitable intensity. Neal is a true insider, and the images are brought to life by his liner text – a stunning insight into life as a rock 'n' roll photographer on tour.