Love Gun

Last updated

Love Gun
Love gun cover.jpg
Cover art by Ken Kelly
Studio album by
Kiss
ReleasedJune 30, 1977 (1977-06-30)
RecordedMay 3 – 28, 1977
Studio Record Plant, New York City
Genre
Length32:53
Label Casablanca
Producer
Kiss chronology
Rock and Roll Over
(1976)		Love Gun
(1977)		 Alive II
(1977)
Singles from Love Gun
  1. "Christine Sixteen"
    Released: June 1, 1977
  2. "Love Gun"
    Released: July 31, 1977
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Pitchfork 9.2/10 [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 5/10 [8]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top 5 album on the Billboard 200. The album was remastered in 1997 and again in 2014.

Contents

Overview

Love Gun is the first Kiss studio album to feature a lead vocal performance from Ace Frehley, making it the first to feature lead vocal performances from all four band members. Before Love Gun was completed, a Gallup poll indicated that Kiss was the most popular band in the United States, beating Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles. On August 26, 27 and 28, 1977, Kiss recorded three shows at the LA Forum for their next release, their second live album Alive II .

The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, [2] who had previously contributed the cover for 1976's Destroyer . A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album, [10] along with a Kiss merchandise order form. [11]

Recording

According to the diary of album engineer Corky Stasiak, Kiss entered the Record Plant to begin recording Love Gun on May 3, 1977 and completed it on May 28th, with their cover of “Then She Kissed Me” being the last song cut. [12] He also notes that Ace didn’t join the others until May 9 and that many of the basic tracks were completed by Paul, Gene and Peter. [12] Producer Eddie Kramer notes that, in addition to Ace lying on his back to sing “Shock Me,” he recalls recording Peter’s drums in a hallway and that while Gene is often quoted as playing the piano on “Christine Sixteen” himself, Kramer claims HE played the piano on the song, with Gene standing over him, coaching him to “play like a neanderthal.” [12] Eddie and Alex Van Halen played on the demo of “Christine Sixteen” and Simmons insisted the band replicate the song note for note, including the lead solo. [13]

Songs

"I Stole Your Love" Stanley has said the song "came quickly. It was influenced in some ways by the Deep Purple song 'Burn'.” [14]

"Christine Sixteen" Then-unknown guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen played on the demo of this song, as well as "Got Love for Sale". [15] The lyrics have a similar theme to "Goin' Blind" from Hotter than Hell ; both songs involve older men lusting after underage girls. It was sampled by Tone Loc on "Funky Cold Medina".

"Shock Me" The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss's Rock and Roll Over tour when Frehley suffered an electric shock. On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida. During the opening song, Frehley touched an ungrounded metal staircase railing. He was knocked backward, and the concert was delayed for 30 minutes. The show was eventually completed, and Frehley lost feeling in his hand for the remainder of the concert. [16]

This was the first lead vocal that Frehley recorded. In his autobiography, he states that he originally intended for Gene Simmons to sing the song, but the bassist encouraged Frehley to try it himself. Frehley recorded his lead vocal part while lying on the floor of the studio because he liked the added pressure on his chest.

"Tomorrow and Tonight" The song was written to try to recapture the feeling of "Rock and Roll All Nite", but never reached the success of the aforementioned hit. A soundcheck recording of the song appears on Alive II . The song was never played live by the band until Kiss Kruise VII in November 2017.

"Love Gun" The title song has been played on every Kiss tour since its release. Stanley has cited it as the Kiss song he is the proudest of writing. It was the first song that he wrote, arranged, and produced in its entirety. [17] The song shares many of its lyrics with "The Hunter", written by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and originally recorded by Albert King in 1967. In his autobiography Face the Music, Stanley acknowledges the derivation: "I stole the idea of a 'love gun' from Albert King's version of 'The Hunter'." Both Led Zeppelin (as part of "How Many More Times") and Free, two big influences on Paul, recorded the song on their first albums in 1968.

"Plaster Caster" The song was inspired by Cynthia Plaster Caster, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians, [18] such as Jimi Hendrix. [19]

"Then She Kissed Me" The track is one of several gender-reversed covers of the Crystals' 1963 single "Then He Kissed Me". [20]

Reissues

Love Gun was reissued for the first time in 1985. The reissue included the original artwork, and while it featured a plain sleeve the jacket still contained a reference for the original color sleeve. The first 10,000 pressings contained label errors: specifically, the third track of the 'A' side was listed as "Plaster Caster" but played as "Got Love for Sale", and the 'B' side track listings were completely out of order.

Love Gun was remastered and reissued in 1997 as part of the Kiss Remasters series.

It was remastered and reissued in a deluxe edition on October 28, 2014, with sleeve notes by Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and a second disc containing demos, live rarities, and a 1977 interview with Gene Simmons. All tracks on the second disc were previously unreleased, bar the demo of "Reputation", which had appeared on the compilation Kiss 40 a few months earlier. The three live tracks were recorded at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland on December 20, 1977. "The potential for this to be the greatest deluxe edition of all time," noted music writer Geoff Barton, "is ruined by a too-clean remastering job – plus, if truth be told, a track that has dated badly in 'Christine Sixteen'." [21]

Track listings

All credits adapted from the original release. [22] [23]

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."I Stole Your Love" Paul Stanley Stanley3:04
2."Christine Sixteen" Gene Simmons Simmons3:14
3."Got Love for Sale"SimmonsSimmons3:29
4."Shock Me" Ace Frehley Frehley3:49
5."Tomorrow and Tonight"StanleyStanley3:40
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Love Gun"StanleyStanley3:18
7."Hooligan" Peter Criss, Stan PenridgeCriss3:01
8."Almost Human"SimmonsSimmons2:49
9."Plaster Caster"SimmonsSimmons3:27
10."Then She Kissed Me" (cover of "Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals) Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector Stanley3:02
Deluxe Edition Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Much Too Soon" (demo)SimmonsSimmons3:23
2."Plaster Caster" (demo)SimmonsSimmons3:35
3."Reputation" (demo)SimmonsSimmons5:39
4."Love Gun" (teaching demo)Stanley 2:14
5."Love Gun" (demo)StanleyStanley3:18
6."Gene Simmons Interview 1977"  6:59
7."Tomorrow and Tonight" (instrumental demo)StanleyStanley3:46
8."I Know Who You Are" (demo)SimmonsSimmons3:09
9."Love Gun" (live in 1977)StanleyStanley3:34
10."Christine Sixteen" (live in 1977)SimmonsSimmons2:55
11."Shock Me" (live in 1977)FrehleyFrehley8:21

Personnel

Kiss
Additional personnel
Production

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [27] 13
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [28] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [29] 18
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [30] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [31] 6
US Billboard 200 [32] 4

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [33] Platinum100,000^
United States (RIAA) [34] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Hotter than Hell</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Kiss

Hotter than Hell is the second studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 22, 1974, by Casablanca Records. It was certified gold on June 23, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version. It peaked on the Billboard 200 charts at No. 100, 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".

<i>Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss</i> 2003 studio album by Hayseed Dixie

Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss is the third album by American band Hayseed Dixie, released in 2003. The album consists entirely of covers of songs by the hard rock band Kiss performed in the bluegrass style.

<i>Killers</i> (Kiss album) 1982 greatest hits album by Kiss

Killers is the second compilation album by American hard rock group Kiss. It was released only outside the US, but quickly became available as an import. Of the album's twelve songs, four were new compositions recorded specifically for it: "I'm a Legend Tonight," "Down on Your Knees," "Nowhere to Run" and "Partners in Crime." These new songs were recorded at the behest of Phonogram, in response to the commercial failure of 1981's Music from "The Elder".

<i>Dressed to Kill</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Kiss

Dressed to Kill is the third studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 19, 1975. It was produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart and the band itself as the label's financial situation at the time did not permit the hiring of a professional producer.

<i>Kiss</i> (Kiss album) 1974 studio album by Kiss

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.

<i>Rock and Roll Over</i> 1976 studio album by Kiss

Rock and Roll Over is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on November 11, 1976, by Casablanca Records. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York. The album contains the songs "Hard Luck Woman" and "Calling Dr. Love", which became hit singles in the United States.

<i>Alive II</i> 1977 live album by Kiss

Alive II is the second live album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 14, 1977, by Casablanca Records. The band had released three albums since the previous live outing, the 1975 release Alive!, so they drew upon the variety of new tracks, with Eddie Kramer producing. The album is one of the best selling in the Kiss discography, being the band's first to be certified double platinum in February 1996, the same month the Kiss reunion tour was announced. It has continued to sell in the US in the Soundscan era, selling over 300,000 copies from 1991 and to March 2012.

<i>Double Platinum</i> (Kiss album) 1978 greatest hits album by Kiss

Double Platinum is the first greatest hits album by the American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1978. Many of the songs on Double Platinum were remixed and differed from their original versions: in the case of "Strutter," it was re-recorded with a slight disco beat and dubbed "Strutter '78." Other songs had sections completely removed, while the beginning of "Black Diamond" was repeated at the end, fading out at the start of the first verse and giving the song a "wrap around" feel.

<i>Ace Frehley</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley is the first solo album by American guitarist and former Kiss member Ace Frehley, released on September 18, 1978, by Casablanca Records. It was one of four albums released by each separate Kiss member as a solo act, but yet still under the Kiss label, coming out alongside Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons.

<i>Dynasty</i> (Kiss album) 1979 studio album by Kiss

Dynasty is the seventh studio album by American rock band Kiss, produced by Vini Poncia and released on May 23, 1979, by Casablanca Records.

<i>Creatures of the Night</i> 1982 studio album by Kiss

Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memory of Casablanca founder and early Kiss supporter Neil Bogart, who had died of cancer during the recording sessions. It is also the band's last album recorded with Ace Frehley credited as an official member and their first album with Vinnie Vincent, as the initially uncredited lead guitarist. Vincent would later be credited but not featured on the cover of the 1985 reissue of the album. It was also Kiss' last album to feature the band with their trademark makeup until the release of Psycho Circus in 1998.

<i>Smashes, Thrashes & Hits</i> 1988 greatest hits album by Kiss

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a compilation album by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the fourth hits album overall but the second hits album released by the band in the United States. Of the 15 songs on the album, two were new compositions, and three were released after the band's unmasking in 1983. The remaining 10 were all released during the band's years in make-up.

<i>Psycho Circus</i> 1998 studio album by Kiss

Psycho Circus is the eighteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss and the first and only album to involve all four original members since 1979's Dynasty. While touted as a band effort, Peter Criss only played drums on the Ace Frehley-penned track, "Into the Void", and guitarist Frehley only played on two regular album tracks, the one he wrote plus "You Wanted the Best". He also played on a bonus track called "In Your Face", penned by Simmons. All four band members, however, sang lead vocals on the album.

<i>Alive!</i> (Kiss album) 1975 live album by Kiss

Alive! is the fourth album overall, and the first live album, by American hard rock band Kiss, released on September 10, 1975. It is considered to be their breakthrough, and a landmark for live albums. The double-album contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill. It was recorded at concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Wildwood, New Jersey; and Davenport, Iowa on May 16, June 21, July 20 and 23, 1975.

<i>Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved</i> 1994 compilation album by Various Artists

Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved is a 1994 tribute album, featuring a variety of artists covering songs by the American rock band Kiss. Released to coincide with Kiss' 20th anniversary, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, and spent 13 weeks on the charts. Cover Design and Art Direction by Mitchell Kanner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Sixteen</span> 1977 single by Kiss

"Christine Sixteen" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss. It originally appeared on their 1977 album Love Gun. Released as a single in the US in 1977, the song peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, and did well in Canada, peaking at number 22.

<i>Greatest Kiss</i> 1997 greatest hits album by Kiss

Greatest Kiss is a greatest hits album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was released in 1997 on Mercury Records.

<i>The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Kiss

The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss is a compilation album that collects the 1970s output by the American rock band Kiss. It was released by Universal Music as part of their 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection series. It is the first of a trilogy of albums in the Millennium Collection series featuring material from Kiss. The second volume, which covers material from the 1980s output was released in 2004, followed by the 1990s output third installment in 2006.

"Love Gun" is a song by the American rock band Kiss, first released on their 1977 album of the same name. The B-side is the album track "Hooligan", a song written by drummer Peter Criss.

The Love Gun Tour was a concert tour by Kiss, in support of Love Gun.

References

  1. ↑ Thomas, Fred. "Monster Review". AllMusic . Retrieved August 7, 2023. Monster is a tremendous throwback to the superhuman partying and heavy metal Ragnarök of Kiss albums like Destroyer and Love Gun.
  2. 1 2 Prato, Greg (February 5, 2022). "Kiss - Love Gun". AllMusic .
  3. ↑ [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 162–163. ISBN   978-1894959025.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Vol. 4 (4 ed.). Muze. p. 875. ISBN   0195313739.
  6. ↑ Josephs, Jason (June 26, 2003). "Kiss - Love Gun". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Kiss". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 212. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  9. ↑ Kulkarni, Neil (December 1997). "Made up for it". Uncut . No. 7. p. 100.
  10. ↑ "Kiss FAQ - Love Gun love gun". Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Kiss FAQ Love Gun merchandise". Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 Leaf, David (2003). Kiss Behind the Mask (1st ed.). USA: Warner Books (published October 2003). pp. 281–291. ISBN   0-446-53073-5.
  13. ↑ Gill, Julian (2004). The Kiss & Related Recordings Focus (1st ed.). USA: KISSFAQ.com. pp. 56–60. ISBN   0-9722253-2-3.
  14. ↑ "The 40 greatest Kiss songs ever - part 2". Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ Guarisco, Donald A. "AllMusic review "Christine Sixteen"" . Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  16. ↑ Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. Billboard Books. ISBN   0-8230-8322-5.
  17. ↑ Leaf, David; Sharp, Ken (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. ISBN   0-446-53073-5.
  18. ↑ Guarisco, Donald A. "AllMusic song review "Plaster Caster"" . Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Cynthia Plaster Caster official website". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Rolling Stone review Love Gun 1977". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  21. ↑ Barton, Geoff (February 2015). "The hard stuff: Reissues". Classic Rock . No. 206. p. 104.
  22. ↑ Kiss (1977). Love Gun (LP Sleeve). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7057.
  23. ↑ Kiss (2014). Love Gun (CD Booklet). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. 06025 379 972-6 (8).
  24. ↑ "Paul Stanley Interview". Facebook.
  25. ↑ "Из дневника саунд-инженера Корки Стэйшака (Corky.. | KISS Army | VK" (in Russian).
  26. ↑ "The KISS F.A.Q. - Song Stories - "Almost Human" (1977)".
  27. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  28. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5412a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kiss – Love Gun" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  30. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  31. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kiss – Love Gun". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Canadian Kisses" (PDF). Cash Box . August 20, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  34. ↑ "American album certifications – Kiss – Love Gun". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.