Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Well known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid–late 1970s with its shocking 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 being the only members to feature in every lineup. The original and best-known lineup consists of Stanley, Simmons, Frehley, and Criss.
Peter George John Criscuola, better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a American retired musician and actor, 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. Criss possesses a powerful, raspy voice. 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 and songwriter best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the 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.
Revenge is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on May 19, 1992. It is the band's first album to feature current drummer Eric Singer, following the death of former drummer Eric Carr in November 1991, and is the group's last album to feature musical contributions from the latter. Marking a stylistic departure from the pop-influenced glam metal sound which characterized much of the band's 1980s output, the album reached the Top 20 in several countries, though it failed to reestablish the group back in the mainstream and its sales were equal-to or less-than its predecessors, ultimately only being certified gold by the RIAA on July 20, 1992.
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.
Rock and Roll Over is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1976. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York.
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 appear together for the entire album.
Creatures of the Night is the 10th 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. It was also Kiss' last album to feature the band with their trademark makeup until the 1998 release, Psycho Circus.
Psycho Circus is the eighteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss and the first to involve all four original members since 1979's Dynasty. Some pressings featured a lenticular cover that alternates between a black Kiss logo and the album title with pictures of a clown and the band members, while the Japan initial first pressing featured a pop-up cover which had three foam spring-loaded panels of a clown face and two others with band members faces that popped out when the doors were opened. "You Wanted the Best" is the only Kiss song in which lead vocals are shared by the entire lineup.
Kiss Unplugged is an MTV Unplugged album by American rock band Kiss. On August 9, 1995, the band performed on MTV Unplugged. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons contacted former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley and invited them to participate. Fan reaction to Criss and Frehley at the show was so positive that, in 1996, the original lineup of Kiss reunited, with all four original members together for the first time since 1979. It is the first live album by the band that is not part of the Alive series.
"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.
"I Love It Loud" is a heavy metal song by the American rock band Kiss. It was released on their 1982 album Creatures of the Night. It has proven to be a staple of the band's live show, being performed on almost every tour the band has done aside from the Reunion and Psycho Circus tours.
"Psycho Circus" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. It is the title track from the 1998 album with the same name. The B-side is the non-album track "In Your Face", a song written by singer and bassist Gene Simmons and sung by Kiss guitarist/vocalist Ace Frehley.
"Shock Me" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, which first appeared on their 1977 album Love Gun. It was written by lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who made his lead vocal debut. The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss' Rock and Roll Over tour, when he was nearly electrocuted. It was ranked #50 in Guitar World magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever".
"I Finally Found My Way" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss released on their 1998 album Psycho Circus.
The Psycho Circus World Tour was a Kiss concert tour that started on October 31, 1998 and concluded on April 24, 1999.
"Nothin' to Lose" is a song by the 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.
"Parasite" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1974 on their second studio album, Hotter Than Hell. The song is one of three songs featured on the album written by lead guitarist Ace Frehley. As one of the album's heaviest songs, "Parasite" was performed on the following tour, but Kiss dropped it from the setlist for the Destroyer Tour and did not play it again until the Revenge Tour in 1992. "Parasite" was performed most recently during the End of the Road World Tour. As Frehley was insecure about his singing ability, he passed that duty to Gene Simmons. In 2016, Frehley re-recorded the track with John 5 for Frehley's solo album Origins Vol. 1.
"Rise to It" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's fifteenth studio album, Hot in the Shade in 1989. It is the opening track on the album and was released as the third and final single on April 1, 1990. However, it only charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks. The band only performed the song during the Hot in the Shade Tour. It is the final single by the band on which Eric Carr plays drums. He was diagnosed with terminal heart cancer following the supporting tour.
The Rock and Roll Over Tour was a concert tour by the American heavy metal group Kiss. It began November 24, 1976 and ended April 4, 1977.
