Customer Reviews

Kiss

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I like all the songs on this CD. My favourite songs are: "Cold Gin", "Deuce", "Black Diamond". A must have for any metal fan. Those who say that KISS were never metal band simply don't know what they are talking about.

this is the original KISS! this is KISS before the age of the power ballads. standout tracks on this album are: Strutter, Nothing to Lose, Firehouse, Cold Gin, and Duece. you can really hear Gene's bass playing on this album. why couldn't KISS be Peter, Paul, Ace, and Gene for eternity? whether or not, you're a KISS fanatic, this album belongs in your collection. my only complaint about KISS is that Gene Simmons is a money hog. otherwise, KISS is a cool band.

This is where it all began for Kiss when they were a young, hungry kick a** rock & roll band! When I discovered Kiss in 1975, I bought "Alive!" first and devoured that album beginning to end and front to back countless times; but from there, I wanted to seek out their first 3 albums from where the songs originated, so naturally, I started at the beginning with "Kiss".

I have to say it was a bit of a shock to the senses when I first saw the album cover and then listened to the record, because Kiss had already managed to look and sound different in just over a year later from when this debut was released. Having heard the studio versions of "Firehouse", "Deuce" and "Nothin' To Lose" for the first time after listening to the live versions was a bit startling, because the sound was more subdued, but no less compelling.

Also being a 10-year old kid at the time, I was easily impressionable, and where "Alive!" had already left it's impression upon me, "Kiss" fueled the fire even more and this is when I bought my first guitar (a cheap acoustic) and spent hours and hours picking out the notes and then the chords to every song on the album. The one I had the most fun with was "Let Me Know", where I had a fairly easy time picking up the first part of the song, I wasn't prepared for the instrumental second part which would completely blow me away!

The only song I didn't go much for then (and even now) is "Kissin' Time"; I didn't think it really fit within the framework of the rest of the album, but I was still bound and determined to learn Ace Frehley's guitar solos on it, and so I did (and still on acoustic!) When I "graduated" to my first electric guitar and amplifier a short time later, I sat down and figured out exactly how Kiss got that wonderfully raucous and distorted sound: I waited for my parents to leave one day, I put "Kiss" on the turntable, cranked my amp ALL the way up and nearly blew the bedroom windows out when I rocked along with "Strutter", the lead track.

From that moment on, my life would never again be the same...I was in rock & roll heaven and have been there ever since!

One of my favorite guitar songs from "Kiss" that I still play to this very day is the instrumental "Love Theme From Kiss", which was part of a song called "Acrobat" (if you want to hear how this song developed into this classic instrumental, check out "Acrobat" on the 1st disc of the Kiss boxed set, which was recorded live at an early 1973 Kiss gig).

Then there's my absolute favorite track on the debut, "Black Diamond", which is missing not one ounce of bombast and thunder, even for the studio version. When I first listened to the outro instrumental part with it's crashing A chord slowly fading into a slow and lumbering crunge, I thought at first that my turntable was dying a slow death; little did I know then it was the magic of studio trickery!

Well, there's nothin' more to be said, and you got nothin' to lose by picking up this classic on CD...listen to where it all began!

The debut album by Kiss is a MUST HAVE for rock fans. Like Van Halen's debut, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" or AC/DC's "Back in Black", "Kiss" is one of the foundations of rock n' roll. Listening to this disk with fresh ears, it's amazing just how ahead of their time Kiss was. This album, now over three decades old, was a blueprint of where music was headed. Tunes like "Strutter" & "Cold Gin" foreshadow the 80's rock of bands like "Warrant" and "Skid Row". The thumping bass lines provided by Gene Simmons along with his gutteral growl on vocals set a template by which 90's metal should be measured. The musicianship is great, Ace sounds like a polished professional, Paul Stanley's vocals sound strong and Peter Criss drives the songs with a thundering drumbeat. Criss, often remembered only vocally for "Beth", really shines on "Black Diamond" as well. This is a great band effort, and the music really captures the genuine talent of all the original members.

KISS really kicks it on the self titled 1974 debut. Classic songs that many got to know on ALIVE!(1975), "Strutter", "Deuce", "Black Diamond", etc. are all here in their original studio form. There is only one song that is'nt original, "Kissin' time", which is also the only one that seems a little out of place. KISS also features the only instrumental song by the band, "Love Theme". A raw, hard sounding album which fits as the perfect intro to KISS. Great look on the album cover too!

I know that is a bold statement, but the only other band to release a debut album that caught the entire world off guard was Black Sabbath. In both instances, there had bever been anything like these debut albums before. The first Kiss album holds a very special place in every Kiss fan's heart, because it has more of the Kiss Klassics than any other album.

1. Strutter-5/5. This is one of the greatest of all Kiss songs and is still played live today. An upbeat, fast paced song with excellent lyrics, vocals and music. This one is sang by Paul. Superb.
2. Nothing To Lose-5/5. This one isn't as well known, but it is still one of the best on here. The lyrics are a bit vulgar and suggestive, but that was part of Kiss' trademark. The vocals by Gene and Peter are excellent. Upbeat and bluesy music.
3. Firehouse-5/5. Another live staple that is still played today. This one is a bit slower but very cool. Excellent vocals by Paul.
4. Cold Gin-5/5. One of the best songs in Kiss' history. Written by Ace and sang by Gene, the music is a bit slower and groovy, with a bit of a bluesy feel to it, with classic rock and roll lyrics.
5. Let Me Know-5/5. Written by Paul and sung by both Gene and Paul, this is another underrated classic similar to Nothin' To Lose. Excellent music and vocals, although the lyrics aren't as great as on other songs.
6. Kissin' Time-3/5. This one has gotten a bad rap over the years by both fans and the band themselves. Kiss usually didn't do cover songs all that well. The problem with this song is that the lyrics are stupid. Gene, Paul and Peter sing them as best they can, but they didn't really want to do this in the first place and it shows.
7. Deuce-5/5. Written and sung by Gene, this is one of the greatest of all Kiss songs. It also contains one of Ace's best solos. Great music and vocals with silly nonsensical lyrics.
8. Love Theme From KISS-4/5. Interesting instrumental interlude. Kiss would never do this sort of thing again, but it isn't bad. It is slow and groovy with an interesting riff.
9. 100,000 Years-5/5. This is another great Kiss Klassic. It is even better on the Alive album. The lyrics don't make much sense, but they feel right and the music and vocal performances are near perfect.
10. Black Diamond-5/5. This is probably my favorite Kiss song ever. The music is perfect, Peter's vocals are perfect and the lyrics are great. It can either be about the city, life in the city, or a prostitute. In any case, it is, in my opinion, the greatest song by Kiss. Even better on Alive!

All in all, no other band has put out a debut album that has changed rock and roll for ever, with the exception of Black Sabbath. This is a must have for all fans of 1970's classic rock, fans of hard rock and fans of heavy metal.

The fact that Kiss' self-titled debut album is one of the greatest albums of all time is not only because it's chocked full of legendary rock classics, but the fact that it still rocks after all these years is what puts it in the higher echelon of rock and roll history. The painted freaks from New York City were going to be some new-fangled craze, make a little money, turn a few heads, and the fade away quickly. Not the case. Who knew that they would become one of the most successful rock bands in history? Who knew that Gene, Ace, Peter & Paul would become household names by the late 70s? Well, if you listened to their debut, you should have had an inkling. Not just a shock rock band, these guys could write songs that hooked the listeners and eventually started a mania among their fans akin to religious fanaticism.

"Strutter" a Kiss classic and live staple. Utterly cool to the core.

"Nothin' To Lose" a straight-forward rocker, very anthem-oriented. This was where later songs like "Shout It Out Loud" came from.

"Firehouse" Paul Stanley lead with killer Gene Simmons back-up vocals, great guitar work, you can hear the greatness that the kiss legend would become in this tune.

"Cold Gin" one of my all-time favorites. Written by Ace, sung by Gene, this is one of the coolest rock tunes ever.

"Let Me Know" this song is very cool, not the strongest on the album, but still rocking and still filled with Kiss hooks. The tempo change at the end of the song is odd but it rocks.

"Kissin' Time" straight-forward rock cover-tune. One of the first cool songs to go around and mention all the city names. Been done to death by now, but it was fresh back in '74. Not one of my favs, but still a very cool song.

"Deuce" another of my all-time favorites and a classic Kiss staple. This song rocks on every level. Gene's vocals are over the top. Great riff. Perfect.

"Love Theme From Kiss" a daring instrumental for that day and age in rock from a band of newbies. Kinda bluesy. Clever and catchy, though it would never be considered one of Kiss' great tunes.

"100,000 Years" another Kiss staple and live essential. Another glimpse at perfection. Probably one of my favorite Paul Stanley songs.

"Black Diamond" great Peter Criss sung tune. Another great classic Kiss song.

Overall, Kiss came up with a very cohesive, very structured debut album. Where other eventually great bands had there ups and downs on their first recording, Kiss' entrance into the rock scene was eerily perfected, as if a great deal of thought went into the specific songs recorded. Not just a group of shock-rock hippies wearing face makeup, Kiss proved to the world that they were great songwriters and tight musicians. Awesome.

Dig it!