Customer Reviews

Love Gun

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After having 23 years of critiquing KISS for myself, and always looking forward to newer material, I must say this is a definate must-own CD for the die-hard original-KISS fan like myself. It's the last cohesive studio effort by the fab-four, and one that holds it's own through every new CD that has ever been made through this very day; thereby, it attains classic status. This is classic KISS, now with Ace on vocals--SHOCK ME rocks! Ace has been a quiet force in guiding the KISS sound since their first self-titled album; but now instead of writing songs for the others to sing, he takes the vocal helm with SHOCK ME; SHOCK ME would not have gone over the top if another member sang it, it is ACE's singing that boosts this debut to the outer limits! All the other songs have a place on this CD...they are your great, basic rockin' KISS tunes that have a hint of cheese (goofiness) in them that endear them to our hearts. KISS will always be the hottest band in the world--this album is what took them to their soared heights of popularity back in 1977, and it is what keeps them at that exact same heights to this very day! CHEERS!

I can still remember bringing this album to art class back in grade school much to the disgust of most of the girls. Needless to say it was never played again but at least for one class period everyone had to listen to KISS! Love Gun has a couple of my all time favorite Kiss songs, Love Gun (great vocals, great guitar)and Plaster Caster (simple song with cool vocals by Gene). Other klassics are Almost Human (cool lyrics), I Stole Your Love, and Christine Sixteen (solo by Eddie Van Halen I believe). Ace's Shock Me and Peter's Hooligan are good as is the cover of Then She Kissed Me. The two songs I could do without are Tomorrow & Tonight (rehash) and Got Love For Sale (weak and not catchy at all). Unfortunately the cd does not have the original cardboard "Love Gun" but it does contain some fine good-time rock!

Love Gun was Kiss' 6th studio album in a 3-year period, an amazingly prolific output considering how many bands today release only one album during the same period. This is not only when the band was at the height of their popularity, but also when chinks started to show in their armor. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss not only wanted to leave the band but were also experiencing difficulties with drugs and alcohol. This is also when Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons' songwriting skills started to slip as this was their first studio album that wasn't strong from beginning to end.

There are several strong tracks here and most of them are on the first half of the album. "I Stole Your Love" is one of their best album openers and one of Stanley's heavier songs. "Christine Sixteen" was the first single and one of Simmons' poppier efforts at the time, definitely a prelude to much of the material that would grace his solo album released the following year. "Got Love For Sale" is a great rocker from Simmons. "Shock Me" would be Frehley's debut as a lead vocalist and features one of his best solos. "Plaster Caster", which was later featured on their MTV Unplugged album, and the title track, which features one of Simmons' best bass lines, are also strong tracks. After that, the album runs out of gas. "Tomorrow And Tonight" is an attempt at another great anthem ala "Rock And Roll All Nite" that doesn't catch fire. The tracks "Almost Human" and "Hooligan" are weak compared to their previous work. Finally, the last track "Then She Kissed Me" is arguably the worst of their cover tunes. Basically, it's a decent album with some great songs, but not among their best work.

Kiss' 1977 effort is well worth a first listen, and a second, and a third...actually, I have long since worn out my copies on cassette and vinyl. The album is not quite up to the standard they set with 'Destroyer', but then again, every band has one album that stands out as their best. I'd have to say that this is Kiss' second best, with the standout cuts 'I Stole Your Love', 'Love Gun', and 'Christine Sixteen', as well the song that introduced the world to Ace Frehley's voice: 'Shock Me'. If you are a rock fan (not necessarily a KISS fan, then this is one you should add to your collection as a reminder of the days when rock and roll was fun!

Although there are a few flubs on Love Gun, it is truly the last great Kiss album. Not entirely perfect, Love Gun is Kiss at the peak of their popularity. The legendary live show that would spawn the awesome Alive II came from the Love Gun tour. All bands peak, and Love Gun is the point where the monster that Kiss had become would begin to spring leaks and take on water afterwards.

"I Stole Your Love" a Kiss classic and a live staple. Simple, straight-up rock anthem. Kiss created them. Enough said.

"Christine Sixteen" a song sang by an adult male about a hottie sixteen year old....hmmm. Creepy? Not then it wasn't. Now would have been a different story. The cheesy little piano riff is kinda silly but this is another Kiss classic.

"I Got Love For Sale" Love Gun starts off with three Gene Simmons' tunes in a row and that's kinda off-balancing. This song sounds eerily reminiscent of so many other previous Kiss tunes (and future ones too). Cool Ace riff and solo. A rocker of a lesser degree.

"Shock Me" Ace's first turn at the microphone. His voice might have been an acquired taste. This tune sounds a bit formulaic and stiff. Ace sounds very uncomfortable singing here. Still a great Kiss tune, cool riffs, and catchy hooks, there's an underlying tone here that you can't help but notice.

"Tomorrow And Tonight" Basic rock and roll, that's what this tune is. Maybe a little bland in the fact that it sounds familiar. By Love Gun the Kiss sound was firmly laid down in concrete and that might have brought a few tunes down because they sounded too similar to other songs that Kiss had already come out with.

"Love Gun" Trashy rock and roll. Great. Did Kiss invent the sexual innuendo? No, but they created a whole genre of hard rock using them. Love Gun is another word for . . . well...you know... and Kiss definitely had their share of women vying to become the holsters for their Love Guns. Dig it. This is where Motley Crue was born from. Great, rocking tune.

"Hooligan" Peter Criss had hit the jackpot with "Beth" then "Hard Luck Woman" and it was time for another payoff. Unfortunately "Hooligan" wasn't it. A cool little song with very cheesy lyrics, Kiss was pushing way too hard with this one.

"Almost Human" Great tune. Gene Simmons had to have the dark, weird songs and this is one of them. Where "God Of Thunbder" had come before, "Almost Human" followed. Eerie and shifty, it was a strange, experimental sound for Kiss.

"Plaster Caster" In the early to mid seventies there was a particular groupie that went around making plaster casts of certain rock stars she had diddled. Kiss was on her list and she took a little momento from each of the boys in makeup. A Kiss staple and another sexual innuendo song. Classic.

"Then She Kissed Me" Many felt that this retooled 50's tune was a miscue for Kiss, but I think it's better than "Hooligan" at least. Nothing special, the boys in Kiss had to take a stab at a cover sooner or later. Not entirely awful, just not that good, either.

Overall, Love Gun is the end of an era. Though their next studio album would be called Dynasty, this is where the Dynasty truly ended. From here on out, things in the Kiss camp start to fall apart.

Dig it!

As I read over the dozens of reviews, I get the feeling that the majority of you feel that KISS could/can do no wrong, especially for those of you who live outside the USA. I got this album for my 8th birthday, and I think I even had the lunchbox too. At the time, KISS was everything to us fans. It was a world/language unto itself. Everything released by KISS was cool, no matter how ridiculous or absurd it seemed to adults. Now that I am an adult, I still like certain songs, but I now see through the veneer that was (and is) largely a money making venture/collective Paul and Gene ego trip. Yes, they had some killing rock songs. 'Love Gun' has a couple-notably 'I Stole Your Love', the title track, 'Plaster Caster' (the album's MOST underrated song), and, of course, 'Shock Me'. But each album, particularly after the success of 'Alive!', reached lower and lower. Lyrics got dumber, costumes got more ridiculous, and the musical vibe got poppier and poppier. But what was really happening here was that KISS was becoming incorporated. Though they would expand and expand as the decades came and went, finding new ways (and new things) to sell {the first 5 years of the band} would take precedent over everything else. Even now, in 2005, Gene Simmons is the headpiece of a staff that markets the original band in nearly every way possible, and Ace and Peter don't get a dime of it, and haven't for quite a long time. 'Love Gun' was really the beginning of making KISS overly accessible to anyone with money, particularly to those too young to know better. Once upon a time, KISS was indeed something special. 1977 was actually the year that Gene and Paul decided that the band would have more life as a marketed product than as a musical entity.

The final studio album featuring the original lineup of KISS on every song is also one of their best efforts. "Love Gun" is drenched in the playfully raunchy, innuendo-laden style of rock that has always been a cornerstone of KISS' music. You need look no further than the title track to know what this album is all about.

Of all of the original lineup albums, this one features some of the best straightforward rock n' roll with a little boogie woogie thrown into the mix as well. It has no ballads, unless you consider the cover of "Then He Kissed Me" made famous by the Crystals in 1963 as one. KISS' version is entitled "Then She Kissed Me." While it's a bit different from the rest of the album, it's a wonderfully quirky cover that fits perfectly with the rest of this album's tracks.

The obvious standout tracks are "Love Gun" and "Christine Sixteen." Both songs have been included on KISS' playlists since they were released on this album. Other tracks of note include "Plaster Caster," "Tomorrow And Tonight," and the rocking "I Stole Your Love," which is a personal favorite of mine.

Also of note is the Peter Criss fronted "Hooligan" and the Ace Frehley classic, "Shock Me." Criss' tune is an exceptional entry in the KISS catalogue and I feel that his vocals are excellent. Frehley's vocals are okay on "Shock Me," but it's his guitar work that makes the song memorable.

As always, Gene Simmons' bass and vocals are steady, and the Demon crawls out of the pit once again on "Almost Human." The Starchild performs wonderfully as well, and Paul Stanley even shows us his bass chops on "Love Gun."

"Love Gun" is no "Destroyer," nor is it a better album than "Rock And Roll Over." It doesn't flow as strongly as those two albums do. However, the title track, "Christine Sixteen," "Shock Me," and "Hooligan" are four of the best tunes ever put out by the group.

You can't go wrong purchasing this album, especially if you're a fan of hard rock. For KISS fans, this album should be considered required listening. Highly recommended, as are all of the other albums featuring the original lineup.

kiss released love gun in the summer of 1977.that year kiss mania was in full swing.kiss,s live show that year was also amazing. i think love gun is one of the top ten best kiss albums ever.one of the great things about kiss,s music is that it is fairly simple but very entertaining!!unfortuneately this is the last effort in the 70,s that all the original members played on as a group effort.by the dynasty album in 1979 peter criss was losing interest in kiss and did not play drums on the dynasty album.that being said, love gun was a pretty solid record.i think the great cuts are;shock me,christine sixteen,tommorow and tonight,love gun,plaster caster,hooligan and almost human!!kiss also had great album covers and love gun is one of the best!!!

Like a sister to "Rock and Roll Over" - "Love Gun" offers more blistering live in the studio rock. To me, the highlight here has to be "Shock Me" and not just because it's the first song Ace sings, but because of that SOLO! It's one of his best solos ever! But "Love Gun" "Christine Sixteen" "Got Love for Sale" and "I Stole Your Love" are all Kiss classics! One of Peter's best songs, "Hooligan" - which is even better live is found here. This album really showcases each of the four members very well. I know they started really battling each other at this point, but the music didn't suffer (yet). The only other thing I have to say is why oh why have they never played "Almost Human" live? That songs absolutley rips!!!

Admittably, in over 30 years of "Kisstory" the line up changed a lot and some of their records like "Carnival of souls" weren't exactly great BUT "Love Gun" is kiss at their peak. The cover is brilliant to start with, the little "love gun" pistol should be worth a fortune today and the songs on this album are all way above average.

Songs like "Tomorrow and tonight" (pretty much neglected by the band itself when it comes to live gigs) or "Christine sixteen" are not only perfect 70s but perfect KISS. The title track itself is one of the best songs ever written by Kiss. The album portraits KISS' openness towards all individual players as Ace Frehley finally gets to sing on "Shock me". The 1998 "Psycho circus" should have sounded like the "Love Gun" album.