Alright Heart of Metal.......You wanted the best, you got it..... The hottest band in the World...... KISS!!!!!!!



KISS
1973 Casablanca Records

1. Strutter
2. Nothin' To Lose
3. Firehouse
4. Cold Gin
5. Let Me Know
6. Kissin' Time
7. Deuce
8. Love Theme From Kiss
9. 100,000 Years
10. Black Diamond

KISS unleashed their debut album on the world in 1973 to........ low record sales. Little would the band realize how classic these songs would become. The songs didn't become "hits" until the release of KISS ALIVE! 2 years later. The songs are the typical KISS lyrics about having a good time and sex - Strutter (hot woman that knows it), Nothin' to lose (Gene's ode to anal sex), Firehouse (hot sex), Cold Gin (Ace drinkin' up), Deuce (oral and vaginal sex), 100,000 years (not sure what it is about) and Black Diamond (a hooker).

Those 7 tracks have been in and out of the KISS set list for the past for the past 36 years and still popular, although some KISS die hards get tired of hearing Deuce at every KISS concert.

Let me know and Love Them From KISS are good songs and in no way throw away tracks. The honor would go to Kissin' Time, which KISS only record for a kissing contest to promote the band. The track wasn't even on the initial pressing of KISS.

Production wise, for a band making their debut in 1973, it isn't bad at all. I personally prefer Eddie Kramer's production on the KISS demos (record prior to obtaining a record contract) as they have more energy, but I will get to those when we get to the KISS box set.

Personally, I love this album and ranks up there with the best debut albums of all time in my book.

Have at it with your thoughts on KISS's 1973 debut album. I should be able to bring us up to Sonic Boom just after it's release in October.

One of my favorite KISS albums. Not a bad song on it (I even like "Kissin' Time")!

It wasn't the first KISS album I bought, and to be honest, it took me awhile to get into it when I finally did buy it-- but it's probably my favorite album overall just for the fact that it's strong all the way through, even if I think they did better songs in the future. "Strutter" & "Black Diamond" are two of their greatest though.

YAY! KISS discography time! Wish I was the one doin' this thread. Oh well.

This wasn't the first KISS album I bought either (in fact I didn't own a copy till it was over a decade old) but it's still one of my favorites in their catalog. I still remember being in first grade, a kid in my class brought in a couple of his older brother's KISS records to show everybody and I was fascinated by the strange looking creatures on the front covers. KISS didn't get much radio play (if any) back then so I had no idea what they sounded like but I still thought they were the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It was a while yet before I finally heard them for myself but I was pretty well hooked right away just from those album covers.

Anyways, years went by, I was probably in high school when I finally started digging back into the early KISS catalog (having already become well versed in their then-current, makeup-free era by this time, as they were riding high on MTV - we're talking circa the LICK IT UP/ANIMALIZE period, when I was about 13 or 14 years old) and the debut quickly became my "go-to" KISS album. Loved it then, love it now. This is the good stuff, folks. When the band was still young and hungry, before the stadium tours, private planes and endless merchandising. It's the most "street level" KISS record and it still stacks up nicely against anything that's coming out nowadays IMO.

Fave tracks: "Black Diamond," "Deuce," and "Strutter." But truthfully they're all pretty damn good with the possible exception of the silly "Kissin' Time" cover, which as Joker mentioned wasn't even included on the original pressing of the LP. I've seen a copy of the original LP pressing (minus "Kissin' Time") go for about $50 at a KISS Convention auction, by the way.

I believe that I've seen just about every song on this album performed live by somebody, either by KISS themselves, at Ace Frehley solo gigs, or by one of the zillions of KISS tribute bands I've seen over the years. Yes, even "Kissin' Time."

Finally ! A KISS Discography !

The self titled debut is a TRUE classic ! This is the one that started it all. I've been a KISS fan for so long that I don't even really remember how I got into them (although I suppose it had to do with the older kid Scott across the alley from me who was a huge fan;my older brothers hated the band) but I think there's not a weak song on it (even Kissin' Time).Most of these songs still make into their playlist to this day too.

YES KISS!!!!!! I love this debut album, love the raw production of this album, and like Schboo I even like the song 'Kissin' Time'. The band is raw and hungry and this album is a true representation of American metal.

'Strutter' is a great opening track and 'Cold Gin' has a cool Ace Frehley solo. KISS is the only band I can think of (besides the Beatles) where ever member of the band was well known. It is hard to believe that this album did not go on sell better when it came out.

I think of anything to say that has not already been said expect this was a great beginning to one of the most successful metal bands in rock history.

Their best album, they went downhill from here. The only album with no filler.

Yes!!!

Another band in this forum I give a crap about.

Keep 'em coming. This one is pretty lousy IMO mainly because the band sounds like they could barely play their instruments but they got much better quickly.

I don't know where people say they can't play their instruments. There are tons of classic songs on this album and if they weren't played the way they were they wouldnt be classics. I think its a great album and the playing on it is great as well. I don't know how this album didn't catch on back when it came out, but I guess things were just so different back then that no one took notice til 4 or 5 albums later.

Also this is probably my favorite album cover along side Creatures Of The Night.

I think the demos from this lp on the KISS box set are more vibrant than what appeared on the lp. I like "100,000 years" best and the riff Ace wrote for "Cold Gin" has one H, E , double tooth picks of a hook :metal:


Always thought it was interesting that the first tune "Strutter" and the last tune "Black Diamond" are both about hookers. Must be a 70's New York thang ?

An album that is always fun to listen to, but not my favorite in the run before the solo lps came out.

Like much of the original "make-up" era of KISS, I only owned this on cassette tape and never upgraded it to cd. Therefore, I haven't heard this one in years. I know most of the songs, but there's a coupla tracks that I can't remember a single note from. But just based on that track listing, I gotta say that even if it didn't set the world on fire at the time of it's release, it's still a strong line-up. Lotsa good classic tunes there.

Kiss have never really done it for me.......though you cant lose with an album with Strutter, Black Diamond, Deuce and Cold Gin on it. So yeah the only Kiss record i like.

no weak song on the album. pure classic.

I've actually never owned that album (though I've heard it many times), my favorite record has always been "Alive", which contains most of these songs in ballsier form.

A classic debut nonetheless. When I was a kid I hated the album cover, I didn't like the different makeup...but looking at it now it's a damn cool cover.

A thing about the album cover... Three of the four applied their own makeup for the album cover photo, as they usually did; but Peter Criss's 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.

I had always wondered about Peter's makeup. I never knew a professional did it. It was way too busy.The simpler makeup looks better to me.

One thing I did not mention is that KISS had four very good vocalist, Peter Criss had cool raspy voice, Paul Stanley excellent vocalist with a great range, Gene Simmons has a cool rock n roll voice and Ace Frehley (who would be singing a lead vocal til down the line) also has a cool laid back voice.

Only the Beatles could claim to have a band that all the members could do a good lead vocal (I know Ringo is the weak link but still has a pleasant voice) and Queen, where 3 out of 4 members had strong voices.

Great LP. I don't think it's their best, but damn me if more than half that album isn't classic KISS! Still a classic LP and essential owning for every heavy rocker out there.

btw. look at the Ace's and Gene's make up transformation thru the years. 70s 80s 90s 00s.

KISS - Hotter Than Hell
Casablanca 1974


1) Got To Choose
2) Parasite
3) Goin' Blind
4) Hotter Than Hell
5) Let Me Go, Rock N Roll
6) All The Way
7) Watchin' You
8 ) Mainline
9) Comin' Home
10) Strange Ways

After the slow sales of KISS' soon to be classic debut album, KISS heads back to the studio with Kenny Kerner & Richie Wise to record their sophmore album. The native New Yorkers head out to sunny LA to record andother soon to be classic album. The album was released to...... even slower sales than the debut album. Hotter Than Hell would not even go Gold until 1977. That said, the album features 6 classic that were also featured on ALIVE! - the entire first side + Watchin' You from the second side. Let Me Go, Rock N Roll is much shorter than the version the band plays live. Ace's two songs written by only him, Parasite and Strange Ways are AWESOME songs and Strange Ways has a GREAT, AMAZING solo by Ace. He also co-wrote the long forgotten track (well, until MTV Unplugged) Comin' Home with Paul.

In my opinion, this album contains no filler, all killer. The problem with the album is the murky production. I had once called it the first "Grunge" production to some friends in the 90's. If you have heard the version of Hotter Than Hell on Jigoku-Retsuden, you can tell how bad and murky the production was. Another interesting fact is that this is the shortest of first three "Original" KISS albums at 26 minutes and 10 seconds. The album was also released the same year as the debut album. Listening to Hotter Than Hell is a GREAT way to spend 26 minutes and 10 seconds!!!!