| "Firehouse" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kiss | |
| from the album Kiss | |
| Released | February 18, 1974 |
| Recorded | November 1973 |
| Length | 3:18 |
| Label | Casablanca |
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Stanley |
| Producer(s) | Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise |
| Kiss track listing | |
10 tracks
| |
"Firehouse" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1974 on their eponymous debut album. The track was written by the bands' rhythm guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley. During live performances, bassist Gene Simmons has breathed fire, with red lights flashing and sirens sounding. "Firehouse" has remained a concert staple and is regarded as one of the band's classic songs. With its fan-favorite status, the song is one of the most played songs in the Kiss catalog, having been played well over 1,000 times during their career. [1]
Paul Stanley wrote the song while he attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City. He said he was inspired by British rock group the Move's song "Fire Brigade". [2] The two tracks are similar in their choruses ("Get the fire brigade" and "Get the firehouse") and background sound effects. Kiss played the song during its early Wicked Lester period and often afterwards as well.
"Firehouse" was one of the first songs that Kiss performed during the band's earliest national TV appearances, including ABC's In Concert on February 19, 1974 (aired on March 29). The band also played the song on The Mike Douglas Show on April 29, 1974, a broadcast that included Simmons' first televised interview.
"Firehouse" is associated with Simmons' fire-breathing antics during concerts. One of many incidents occurred on December 31, 1973 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, when the band was opening for Blue Öyster Cult. Simmons' hair caught fire for the first of many times. [3]
In November 1972, Kiss, then performing as a Stanley-Simmons-Criss trio, played "Firehouse" along with "Strutter" and "Deuce" to Epic Records' A&R director Don Ellis. The showcase was intended to secure a record deal for the group. During the performance of "Firehouse", the band started ringing a bell. Stanley, enacting a fire-fighting scenario, then retrieved a red pail and threw it at an alarmed Ellis, who thought there was a real fire taking place. As Ellis was leaving, Peter Criss' drunk brother also vomited on his foot. [2] Ellis later said that it was the worst performance he had ever heard.
"Firehouse" has remained a constant concert staple, with the band performing it on almost every tour to date. An incident occurred during the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour on November 9, 2009, in Winnipeg, when a concussion bomb caught fire after the performance of "Black Diamond". Soon after the fire started, Gene Simmons started to play the bassline for the song, with the whole band joining eventually. Eric Singer sang parts of the song, as the other members couldn't reach their microphones.
"Firehouse" appears on following Kiss albums:
Covers
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock-style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band has gone through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The current lineup consists of Stanley, Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.
Paul Stanley is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popular songs. Stanley established The Starchild character for his Kiss persona. Stanley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.
Wicked Lester was a rock band based in New York City. Two notable members were bassist Gene Klein and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen. Originally formed in 1970 as Rainbow, the band changed its name to Wicked Lester in 1971 to avoid confusion with another local band named "Rainbow". Although it secured a record deal with Epic Records and recorded an album, the deal fell through and the band fell apart during 1972. Klein and Eisen, feeling that the band's failure was a result of its lack of vision and direction, decided to found a new band from its remnants. They changed their names to the respective Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, auditioned a new drummer and lead guitarist, and formed the band Kiss by the end of January 1973.
Destroyer is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 15, 1976, by Casablanca Records in the US. It was the third successive Kiss album to reach the top 40 in the US, as well as the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1976, and platinum on November 11 of the same year, the first Kiss album to achieve platinum. The album marked a departure from the raw sound of the band's first three albums.
Kiss is the debut studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on February 18, 1974. 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.
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"Deuce" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, written by bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons. The song appeared on Kiss' eponymous 1974 debut album. In addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, "Deuce" is a traditional concert opener. The song has appeared on many Kiss live and compilation albums.
The Early Days of Kiss was a series of performances by American rock band, Kiss. During this time, Kiss hired Bill Aucoin as their manager, and were then signed to Casablanca Records.
The Love Gun Tour was a concert tour by Kiss, in support of Love Gun.
The Destroyer Tour also known as The Spirit of '76 Tour was a concert tour by Kiss, in support of their fourth studio album Destroyer.
The Alive 35 World Tour was a 2008–2009 concert tour by Kiss to celebrate their 35th anniversary. It was the band's first major tour since the Rock the Nation World Tour in 2004. On the tour, Kiss played in Europe for the first time since the Psycho Circus World Tour in 1999. Kiss wore Destroyer-themed costumes for the tour, but the majority of the songs played were on Alive!. The tour was highly successful and proved to be Kiss's biggest tour of Europe. This tour marked the first time Kiss visited Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Russia, Luxembourg, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
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Hotter than Hell Tour was the second tour of the American rock band Kiss. The tour featured songs from their first album and their newly released second album, Hotter than Hell, which was the album that the tour was in support of. During this tour, the band used fire and the destruction of guitars as part of their show. The January 31, 1975, show in San Francisco was filmed and later made available for public viewing.
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