SHE'S LIKE BAD WEATHER
BUT IT SEEMS SO GOOD
YOU'D NEVER LEAVE HER
BUT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD
Kiss
is the debut
studio album
by American
Rock Band
released on
February 18, 1974,
by Casablanca Records.
Much of the material
on the album
was written by
Gene Simmons
and
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
has stated it took
just 13 days.
Album Information
The album was recorded at
Bell Sound Studios
in New York City,
which was owned by
the company that
owned
Buddah Records.
Neil Bogart,
the founder of
Casablanca Records,
was an executive at
Buddah before
forming Casablanca.
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.
The original release
of the album
did not include
"Kissin' Time".
It has been on
every pressing
since
May 10, 1974.
There were approximately
100,000 copies
of the
original pressing
without
"Kissin' Time"
on the
track listing.
The album's
photoshoot
took place on
January 31, 1974
by Joel Brodsky
at his studio on
57th Street
in Manhattan.
According to
Paul Stanley,
everybody except
Peter Criss
did their
own makeup
on the shoot.
The makeup personnel
did Criss' makeup,
as Stanley
described,
like a
"tribal lion mask".
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.
Soon after the show,
Warner Bros.
contacted
Neil Bogart
and threatened
to end their deal
with Casablanca
if Kiss did not
remove their makeup.
With manager
Bill Aucoin's backing,
Kiss refused.
Shortly after
the release of
Kiss,
Warner Bros.
released
Casablanca
from their contract.
Kiss began their
first album tour
with a performance
at the
Northern Alberta
Jubilee Auditorium
in Edmonton, Alberta,
on
February 5, 1974.
A few weeks later,
they made their
first national
TV appearance on
ABC's In Concert
(aired March 29, 1974),
performing
"Nothin to Lose",
"Firehouse",
and
"Black Diamond",
followed by a
performance of
"Firehouse"
on
The Mike Douglas Show
(see Video Below)
(also aired March 29, 1974).
During the interview portion
of the show,
Gene Simmons
declared himself to be
"evil incarnate",
eliciting nervousness,
confused reactions
from the
studio audience,
to which comedian
Totie Fields
humorously commented,
"Wouldn't it be funny
if he's just a nice
Jewish boy
underneath the makeup?"
Although neither
confirming or
denying his
Jewish heritage,
Simmons replied,
"You should only know",
to which
Fields countered,
"I do.
You can't hide the hook",
referring to
Simmons' nose.
The album's cover
showed the group
positioned against
a black
background
in a pose
visually reminiscent
of the Beatles'
With the Beatles
album.
Three of the four
band members
applied their
own makeup
for the album
cover photo,
as they
usually did,
but Criss's
"Catman"
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.
Ace Frehley,
wanting to
impress the
other members
of Kiss,
dyed his hair
with silver hairspray,
which easily
came out
with shampoo.
According to Criss,
photographer
Joel Brodsky
thought Kiss
were literally clowns
and wanted to
place balloons
behind the group
for the shoot.
Brodsky denied this,
chalking it up
to their imagination
Hotter than Hell
is the
second
studio album
by American
Hard Rock band
released on
October 22, 1974,
by Casablanca Records.
It was certified gold
on
June 23, 1977,
having shipped
500,000 copies.
It peaked on the
Billboard 200 charts
at No. 10
without the benefit
of a hit single.
Many of the
album's songs
were live staples
for the band,
including
"Parasite",
"Hotter than Hell",
"Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll",
and
"Watchin' You".
Composition and Recording
The production team
of
Kenny Kerner
and
Richie Wise,
who had produced
the group's
first album,
was again
chosen for
the follow-up.
The pair had just
relocated to
Los Angeles,
and Kiss
made the trek
to the west coast
to commence recording,
the first the band
had done outside
their native state of
New York.
The band members,
all hailing from
New York City,
immediately developed
a dislike for their
new surroundings.
Paul Stanley's
guitar was stolen
on his first day
in Los Angeles.
The working title
for the album was
The Harder They Come.
Formally,
Hotter than Hell
is darker than
the band's first album.
This is partly due
to the murkier
production values,
but also the
lyrical content
Although the album
featured two songs
composed
and one song
co-composed by
lead guitarist
Ace Frehley,
he did not sing
on any of them;
his lack of confidence
in his singing abilities
at that time
led to Frehley
delegating
lead vocal duties
to other members
of the band,
with
"Parasite"
and
"Strange Ways"
going to
Gene Simmons
and
Peter Criss,
respectively.
Frehley's
guitar solo on
"Strange Ways"
has been
referred to
as one of his best.
Hotter than Hell
featured many more
overdubs
than the first album.
While Kerner
and Wise
wanted to produce
a record that
captured Kiss
as a live act,
they decided to
take advantage
of the experience
the band had gained
as recording artists.
TRACKLIST
Strutter
Nothin To Lose
Firehouse
Cold Gin
Let Me Know
Kissin Time
Deuce
100,000 Years
Black Diamond
Love Theme From KISS
Got To Choose
Parasite
Goin Blind
Hotter Than Hell
Let Me Go, Rock N Roll
All The Way
Watchin You
Mainline
Comin Home
Strange Ways
BONUS
Strutter
(Demo)
Deuce
(Demo)
Firehouse
(Demo)
No comments:
Post a Comment