KISS (album)
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KISS is the self-titled debut album from the American hard rock band KISS. When it was released, on February 8, 1974, KISS had been a band for little more than one year. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and/or Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-KISS band, Wicked Lester. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise claimed it took just thirteen days.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735
The album was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, which was owned by the company that owned Buddah Records. Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, was an executive at Buddah prior to forming Casablanca.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735
Casablanca Records held a party at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate the West Coast release of KISS (February 18) and to introduce the record company to the press and other record industry executives. In keeping with the Casablanca theme, the party included palm trees and a Humphrey Bogart lookalike. KISS performed their usual loud and bombastic stage show, which turned Warner Bros. Records (Casablanca's record distributor) against the group.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735
Soon after the show, Warner Bros. Records contacted Neil Bogart and threatened to end their deal with Casablanca if KISS didn't remove their makeup. With manager Bill Aucoin's backing, KISS refused. Shortly after the release of KISS, Warner Bros. released Casablanca from their contract.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735
KISS sold approximately 75,000 copies after its initial release, without the presence of a hit single.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735 It was certified gold in 1977.
Songs
With the exception of "Kissin' Time," all of the material for KISS was written before the band entered the studio. Some of the songs were written during Wicked Lester's brief existence, while others had been written while the members of KISS were in high school.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735\"Strutter\"
"Strutter," which opens the album with a Peter Criss drum fill, is an uptempo rock song that was written before Ace Frehley joined KISS. Paul Stanley wrote the lyrics, and the music was based on an song Gene Simmons had written years before, "Stanley the Parrot."Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735 "Strutter" remains one of the few KISS songs where Stanley and Simmons share songwriting credits, and has been a standard number at KISS concerts since the band's earliest shows.\"Cold Gin\"
This song was the first composed for KISS by Frehley. Insecure in his own singing ability, Frehley turned over the vocals for the album to Simmons. "Cold Gin" was a concert staple throughout the 1970s.\"Let Me Know\"
"Let Me Know," previously titled "Sunday Driver," was the song Paul Stanley played when he was first introduced to Gene Simmons, and it was later recorded by Wicked Lester. Simmons and Stanley shared lead vocal duties on the song, which was given a bridge and instrumental coda when recorded for KISS.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735 In later KISS concerts this coda was moved to the end of "She."\"Kissin' Time\"
"Kissin' Time" was not included on the original album; in fact it was not recorded until two months after the album's February release. By April, the album was clearly not the commercial success the band and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart were hoping for. Bogart, who knew that a catchy single could save the album, ordered KISS back into the studio to record "Kissin' Time," which was a Top 20 hit for Bobby Rydell in 1959. It was released as a single on May 10, but never reached any higher than #83. It did, however, boost sales of the album even though it was not added to the album until it was reissued in July 1974 (against the wishes of the band).Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735\"Deuce\"
Although Gene Simmons, "Deuce"'s songwriter, admits that he doesn't know what the lyrics mean,Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735 the song nevertheless has been featured at the band's concerts almost continually since 1973. For many years, the song was used to open KISS's shows.Album cover
The album's cover showed the group positioned against a black background in a pose visually reminiscent of The Beatles' With the Beatles album (Criss stated that this was the visual effect the band was looking for). Three of the four band members applied their own makeup for the album cover photo, as they usually did; but Peter Criss's makeup was applied by a professional, whose work came out looking quite a bit different from the look Criss had established, and to which he would return immediately afterward.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735According to Criss, photographer Joel Brodsky thought KISS were literally clowns, and wanted to place balloons behind the group for the shoot. Sharp, Ken. (July 19, 1996). "The Return of KISS - 'It's Time for Spectacle'". Goldmine #147. Brodsky, however, has denied this, chalking it up to imagination.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446530735
Track listing
- "Strutter" (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley) – 3:12
- * Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
- "Nothin' to Lose" (Simmons) – 3:29
- * Lead vocals - Gene Simmons and Peter Criss
- "Firehouse" (Stanley) – 3:19
- * Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
- "Cold Gin" (Ace Frehley) – 4:23
- * Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
- "Let Me Know" (Stanley) – 3:01
- * Lead vocals - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley
- "Kissin' Time" (Bernie Lowe, Kal Mann) – 3:54
- * Lead vocals - Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss
- "Deuce" (Simmons) – 3:08
- * Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
- "Love Theme from KISS" (Peter Criss, Frehley, Simmons, Stanley) – 2:26
- * Instrumental
- "100,000 Years" (Simmons, Stanley) – 3:25
- * Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
- "Black Diamond" (Stanley) – 5:14
- * Lead vocals - Paul Stanley (intro) and Peter Criss
Personnel
- Gene Simmons – bass guitar, vocals
- Paul Stanley – guitar, vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Bruce Foster – piano on "Nothin' to Lose"
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Pop Albums | 87 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Kissin' Time" | Pop Singles | 83 |
Notes and references
- [KISS FAQ - Kiss], Accessed on July 9, 2005.
| KISS |
|---|
| Gene Simmons - Paul Stanley - Tommy Thayer - Eric Singer |
| Peter Criss - Ace Frehley - Eric Carr - Vinnie Vincent - Mark St. John - Bruce Kulick |
| Discography |
| Albums: Studio - Live - Compilation |
| Singles: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - "Detroit Rock City" - "Beth" - "Hard Luck Woman" - "I Was Made For Lovin' You" "Sure Know Something" - "A World Without Heroes" - "I Love It Loud" - "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" - "Forever" "God Gave Rock 'N Roll To You II" - "Psycho Circus" |
| Filmography: KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park |
| Related articles |
| Anton Fig - Bob Kulick - Band timeline - Wicked Lester |
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