KISS — Kiss (review)

KISS — Kiss album cover Album · 1974 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
AtomicCrimsonRush
The debut Kiss album is a very inconsistent attempt at producing the type of blazing sound they were producing on the live stage. The makeup was still in its early stage, it is rare to see Peter’s cat whiskers looking like they do on the cover, and Gene’s bat makeup is completely different than later years, and Ace’s starry eyes are shinier than he will settle with; so this is the birth of the hottest band in the world. But does it deliver? Not really.

As a teen growing up with Kiss I had looked forward to this zany band that were on the charts with “I wanna rock and roll all night, and party everyday!” Nothing on this album comes close to THAT song, but there are some fantastic moments that are genuinely heavy and memorable. ‘Strutter’ kicks things off with Paul singing in trademark vocal style, he really blasts this one out. The riff is bluesy and hard. Ace’s solo is simplistic but effective. This became a staple for many a live show to come.

‘Nothin' to Lose’ is sung primarily by Peter with raspy Rod Stewart vocals and it is satisfactory, though much better in live performances.

‘ Firehouse’ is the Gene-breathing –fire number, giving him an excuse to spurt flames at the end. The song is OK but much better again live, as this is rather a thin production.

‘Cold Gin’ is rather subdued here compare to the raucous live version. They were much more controlled in the studio and nowhere near as heavy as what they were capable of. The lyrics here are excellent, “My heater’s fused I am so tired, I need your fuse to build the fire, The girl next door her lights are out, The landlord’s gone I’m down and out”, they were one of a kind lyrically. It was always simple and loads of fun, nothing serious about Kiss, just partying.

‘Let Me Know’ only appears on this album and it features one good thing, the end part, a very cool instrumental.

‘Kissin' Time’ was always a fun song for me with a cool groove, but is rather dated these days.

‘Deuce’ is a bonafide Kiss Klassic that used to begin their shows. The riff is awesome and it has a wonderful Ace solo.

‘Love Theme from Kiss’ is a strange one, a genuine throwaway instrumental.

‘100,000 Years’ is one of my favourite tracks live, but this version is once again not very heavy, it is still a good song.

‘Black Diamond’ is the perfect album closer and I love this studio version that slows right down at the end, which used to freak me out as a young teen listening to this. It still rocks hard even by today’s standards.

Overall the debut has some shining moments, but is not very heavy. The songs on this are best heard live and then you really discover how heavy these progenitors of heavy rock actually can sound. It is a beginning but they were capable of so much more.
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