Kiss [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Kiss | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Casablanca
• ASIN: B000001EKV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,228 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Kiss's self-titled debut manages to simultaneously represent what rock & roll in the 1970s was all about, and stand up as a classic recording without sounding dated. That's a rare trick, even for Kiss (whose efforts after, oh, 1977 didn't do much more than tread water), and one that should be appreciated even as listening to the album brings back misty-eyed visions of high school. (It doesn't matter if you were in high school in the '70s, something about this album just screams late adolescence.) Kiss is, of course, crammed full of songs that would become concert favorites (most of this album appears on Alive!) and classics--who hasn't heard "Strutter" or "Deuce"? It's a slab of pure, unadulterated rock & roll. While this isn't especially thought-provoking stuff, it's arguable that rock ever should be. --Genevieve Williams

Product Description

Face paint and fake blood aside, KISS proved they had the hooks and the raw rock power to rule the world right from the word "go." Their amazing 1974 debut features the hit Kissin' Time and fan faves Cold Gin; Deuce , and Strutter .

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Diamond in the Rough September 30, 2002

By Clay Davis

Format:Audio CD

The great thing about this album is the absolute rawness and honesty of the production and composition. Ironically, there's a sort of innocence to the sound of this album. This was way before garage bands were walking into top-level studios and churning out critically-acclaimed (and quickly forgotten) "masterpieces". This album is a different kind of masterpiece. The songs aren't on the level of the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but there are some catchy hooks here and there. Ace Frehley is no Eric Clapton, Gene Simmons is certainly no Paul McCartney and Paul Stanley is no John Lennon. But the guitar playing is competent and the singing fits. Peter Criss is pretty impressive on this album, combining his big band jazz chops with the straight forward beat necessary for a hard rock album. Simmons has some great "walking" bass lines and Frehley's guitar solos are actually quite tasteful. So for material that is so utterly "adequate", how can I give it four stars and call it a masterpiece? A couple of reasons. For starters, the material still holds up, which, thirty years later, is quite a feat. Frehley's "Cold Gin", sung by Simmons, is a great rock song. The straight-ahead rock and roll tune "Nothin' to Lose", sung by Simmons and Criss, brings to mind what might have happened if the Beatles and Cream had jammed together (with Little Richard on piano). "Deuce", another Simmons song with bizarre lyrics about what appears to be a strained relationship, comes off with a frustrated energy that almost dares you not to dig it. Paul Stanley's "100,000 Years" is both aggressive and PROgressive at the same time, allowing Peter Criss ample opportunity to work a 6/8 beat, which is his specialty as a roots R&B and jazz drummer. "Let Me Know", a song sung by Simmons and Stanley is just plain fun. And the cinmatic "Black Diamond", which closes the album, is as majestic as a metal tune in 1973 could be. If a song like the instumental "Love Theme" seems obscure, understand that a fuller - and better - version is available on disc one of the Kiss boxed set under the title "Acrobat" (It should've been included in it's full version on this album.). Another reason for my lingering fondness of this album is the naked production value. You can hear every instrument perfectly. There's none of the slick studio wizardry we're used to nowadays - just a touch of reverb here and there for flavor. It's one of the few rock albums that truly sounds like four guys in a room playing music. You can almost see them tripping over cables and empty bottles as they churn out these tunes in a room with egg crate stuck to the walls. It's raw and real. It didn't take Kiss long to develop beyond this sound, but little of what they did when their production options widened had the same forceful honesty of this album. As the band progressed, their lyrics seemed hyper-focused on sexual innuendo and their songwriting - especially in the late '80's and '90's - lacked this sense of integrity. This album is the king of all garage band albums, from a time when you plugged in your guitar and turned your amp up loud to get a good distorted sound - and you just went for it. It's got a wonderful, hungry atmosphere. Get it.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars IT CHANGED MY LIFE February 21, 2006

By carlos canales

Format:Audio CD

With this album i discovered that music was my passion.All of the album is a highlight (one of the best debuts in Metal History) and the remastered edition is an inmense improvement over the poor sounding original recording.

Already on the debut KISS had its own sound.A mix of heavy metal and groove, simple compositions but not simplistic sounding.Any band would want to write so memorable pieces with so little notes! The pairing of Simmons and Stanley as singers and main composers is the driving force on this, but you should not overlook the solid imput by Criss and Frehley.Kiss went on from here to higher commercial sucess but the power of this album was unmatched.

Highly recommended, essential album.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Anytime is KISSin' time, USA--and the world too. July 16, 2002

By Daniel J. Hamlow HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

KISS's 1974 debut is still the freshest, KISSest, and most potent. But why?

Is it because it includes such well known classics as "Strutter," "Deuce," "Cold Gin," and "Black Diamond"? Yes, that's part of it. "Strutter," "Kissin' Time," and "Black Diamond," the latter the only one sung solely by Peter Criss here--he does have a solo bit in "Kissin' Time"--are my faves.

Or still, was it when all four of them were a united team, with none of the friction that would tear the original foursome apart with the coming of Unmasked? Yes, that's also part of it.

On a special note to "Kissin' Time," this is more than just kissing a girl/guy--it's about celebrating KISS and their music. A surprising number, coming this early in their career, but after nearly 30 years in the business, and wherever they sold albums so did sold-out killer shows--it's still "Kissin' Time." From the opening lines, "Come on Detroit, wake up San Diego, Milwaukee, Miami, put your two lips together and kiss," to the chorus, "Anytime is kissin' time, USA. So treat me right, don't make me fight, I will rock and roll tonight." And party everyday. Oops, that's two more albums down the road.

"Black Diamond" gets a special rise out of me due to Peter Criss's potent vocals, the power chords coming after the "woooo, black diamond" line, Ace's fiery guitar solo after the last line is sung, and the powerful chords that gradually become psychedelically distorted and slowed down at the end.

For the makeup era, this outranks classics like Destroyer and Rock And Roll Over. In terms of KISS albums overall, it's still in my Top 5 KISS albums. And why not? After all, this is where it started--right here!