Kiss is the debut studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on February 8, 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 the Bell Sound Studios in New York City, which was owned by the company that owned Buddah Records. Neil Bogart was an executive at Buddah before founding Casablanca Records, There were approximately 100,000 copies of the original pressing without the song.
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's 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. Brodsky denied this, chalking it up to their imagination.
;"Kissin' Time"
"Kissin' Time" was not included on the original album; it wasn't recorded until two months after its February release. By April, the album was clearly not the commercial success that the band and Casablanca Records founder Bogart were hoping for. Bogart (who knew that a catchy single could save the album) ordered Kiss back into the studio to record "Kissin' Time", which was a Top 20 hit for Bobby Rydell in 1959. It was released as a single on May 10, but never reached any higher than No. 83. It did, however, boost sales of the album, even though it was not added to the track listing until the album was reissued in July 1974, against the band's wishes; despite this, "Kissin' Time" has appeared on almost all subsequent reissues of the album. The demo version can be heard on the 2001 release of the Kiss box set.
;"Black Diamond"
"Black Diamond" begins with Stanley singing the intro, accompanied by a twelve-string acoustic guitar. After he yells out "hit it!", the full band kicks in and Criss assumes lead vocal duties for the two verses. After the last chorus, the song transitions to time for Frehley's guitar solo, then ends with repeated 'A' chords as the tape is gradually slowed during mixing. After Criss departed from the band, the vocal duties fell to subsequent drummers Eric Carr and Eric Singer.
Later re-pressings
In the mid-late 1980s, the album was reissued by Mercury Records on vinyl and cassette with a live version of "Nothin' to Lose" (from Alive!) in place of the studio version. This substitution was reportedly done unauthorized by a malicious employee at PolyGram Records' tape library. The studio version was restored when the album was issued on CD and the 2014 vinyl reissue.
Reception
Kiss sold approximately 75,000 copies after its initial release; which is par for a debut album, though considered low for an album supported with promoting and touring. Casablanca Records boss Neil Bogart had the band record "Kissing Time" as a single, which was then added to later pressings, but the album still did not take off.
Track listing
All credits are adapted from the original release.
Personnel
Kiss
- Paul Stanley (Starchild) – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Gene Simmons (Demon) – bass, vocals
- Peter Criss (Catman) – drums, vocals
- Ace Frehley (Space Ace) – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Nothin' to Lose" and "Black Diamond"
Additional personnel
- Bruce Foster – piano
- Bobby – handclaps on "Nothin' to Lose"
- Eddie Solon, Marc Labow, Richie Wise – fire engine on "Firehouse"
Production
- Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise – producers
- Warren Dewey – engineer
- Joe Brescio – mastering
- Robert Lockart – art director, design
- Joel Brodsky – photography
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (1974–76)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| align="center"| 54
|-
|-
|}