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 its members' face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shocking live performances, which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band has gone through several line-up changes, with Stanley and Simmons the only consistent members. The original and best-known line-up consisted of Stanley, Simmons, Frehley, and Criss.
Paul Stanley is an American musician and singer who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the 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.
George Peter John Criscuola, better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Catman character for his Kiss persona. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Kiss.
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman and played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving Kiss, Frehley embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour.
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.
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.
Alive II is the second live album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 24, 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.
Dynasty is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, produced by Vini Poncia and released by Casablanca Records on May 23, 1979. It was the first time that the four original members of Kiss did not all perform together for the entire album.
Crazy Nights is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr. The album is notable for featuring heavy use of pop-metal keyboards and synthesizers. It was re-released in 1998 as part of the Kiss Remasters series and is the last Kiss album to have been remastered.
"Beth" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1976 album Destroyer. It was composed by drummer Peter Criss, his friend Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin. Casablanca Records released it as a single in August 1976, after it was released as the B-side of "Detroit Rock City". "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States; it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, received a Gold Record certification from the RIAA, and won the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song". In 2003, "Beth" ranked #3 in VH1's 25 Greatest Power Ballads.
American rock band Kiss has released twenty studio albums and sixty singles. The group, formed in New York City in 1973, first consisted of bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss. It is the most recognizable and successful line-up, which lasted until Criss' departure in 1980. The band is known for its make-up and on-stage antics, which influenced many artists who later used similar effects in their concerts.
"I Was Made for Lovin' You" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1979 album, Dynasty. It was released as the A-side of their first single from the album, with "Hard Times" as the B-side.
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous charting single, "Kissin' Time" (#89). A subsequent live version, released as a single in October 1975, eventually reached No. 12 in early 1976, the first of six Top 20 songs for Kiss in the 1970s. "Rock and Roll All Nite" became Kiss's signature song and has served as the group's closing concert number in almost every concert since 1976. In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
"Hard Luck Woman" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss and the lead single from their 1976 album, Rock and Roll Over. It was originally written by Paul Stanley as a possible track for Rod Stewart, but after the success of the soft rock ballad "Beth", Kiss decided to keep it for themselves as a follow-up. Stanley has stated his admiration and love of Stewart's music numerous times, and that "Hard Luck Woman" was inspired by Rod Stewart, in particular the songs "Maggie May" and "You Wear It Well". While Stewart's music served as a partial inspiration for the song, the nautical themed song "Brandy" by American pop-rock band Looking Glass served as Stanley's main inspiration.
"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.
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.
"Nothin' to Lose" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released on their self-titled debut album in 1974. It is the first single the band had ever released and the first single off the album, with "Love Theme from KISS" as the B-side. Although the song failed to chart, it has remained a concert staple during the 1970s and was featured on many live albums and compilations.
Sonic Boom is the nineteenth studio album, and the first in 11 years, by the rock band Kiss, released on October 6, 2009. The album was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA and produced by Paul Stanley and co-produced by Greg Collins. This was the first studio album to be released with the current line-up, consisting of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer. It was also the first to feature lead vocal performances from Thayer and Singer. Stanley stated, "the purpose of this album isn't to let people know that we're still around – it's to let people know we can still knock out anybody who's out there!".
"Modern Day Delilah" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on their nineteenth album Sonic Boom, in 2009. It was released on August 19, 2009 as the first single off the album and the band's first single in eleven years. The song charted on US Mainstream Rock Tracks and Swedish Sverigetopplistan.
"Talk to Me" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1980 on their eighth studio album Unmasked. The song, never released as a single in the US, was released as a single worldwide on November 1, 1980. The song broke the top 40 in several countries, reaching the highest position in Switzerland, at #10. "Talk to Me" was played only when Ace Frehley was a member of the band.
