Kiss (Kiss album)

"Strutter", which opens the album with a drum intro, is an uptempo rock song that was written before Frehley joined Kiss. Stanley wrote the lyrics, and the music was based on a song Simmons had written years before, "Stanley the Parrot",[2] which he had recorded with former Wicked Lester member Brooke Ostrander in a New Jersey apartment. "Strutter" remains one of the few Kiss songs where Stanley and Simmons share songwriting credits, and was a standard number at Kiss concerts throughout the 1970s. It was released in August 1974 as the third and final single from the album.

"Nothin' to Lose" became the band's first single; it was written by Simmons. Vocals were performed by Simmons and Peter Criss. It chronicles the singer coercing his girlfriend into trying anal sex, and her subsequent enjoyment of it. The B-side was "Love Theme from KISS", the album's instrumental.

The North Carolina glam metal band FireHouse takes its name from the song "Firehouse". The song is well known for Simmons fire breathing during live concerts.

This was the first song composed for Kiss by Frehley. Insecure in his own singing ability, Frehley turned over the vocals for the album to Simmons. "Cold Gin" was a concert staple throughout the 1970s. During the Alive/Worldwide Tour, Frehley assisted on lead vocals.

The song refers to the stimulating effect that cold gin supposedly has on the male sex drive. The song credits cold gin as the only thing that keeps the couple together in a troubled relationship.

There was a Kiss tribute band from Los Angeles named after this classic song, featuring Tommy Thayer as Frehley, Jaime St. James as Criss, Chris McLernon as Simmons and Anthony White as Stanley. St. James and Thayer previously played in Black 'N Blue, a band produced by Simmons, and Thayer would eventually join Kiss, taking Frehley's place after the Farewell tour.

"Cold Gin" was covered by the alternative metal group Disturbed at a one-off tribute show to Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as it was known to be the guitarist's favorite song. That live performance featured members of Drowning Pool and Anthrax, David Draiman on vocals and Vinnie Paul on drums.

Pantera and Skid Row performed the song together live while the bands were on tour together in 1992, with Ace Frehley on guitar as a special guest. The performance was taped and included on Pantera's 2000 home video, 3 Vulgar Videos from Hell. Death Angel covered the song on their 1988 album Frolic Through the Park.

Frehley noted: "I wrote 'Cold Gin' in a New York subway, in my head, both lyrics and music. I had a spiral notebook with me. I never took a guitar lesson, nobody believes that. I didn't realize it was gonna become a Kiss classic".

A live version of the song was included on Kiss' popular and successful live album Alive!. When Alive! was re-released as part of the Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 box set, the song was mistakenly credited to Stanley instead of Ace Frehley in the 72-page booklet that accompanied the album.

Weezer vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo has said that this was the first song he ever learned to play on guitar.[12]

"Cold Gin" was named the seventh-best drinking song of all time.[13]

Ace Frehley later rerecorded "Cold Gin" with his own vocals for his cover album, Origins, Vol. 1.

"Let Me Know" (previously titled "Sunday Driver") was the song Stanley played when he was first introduced to Simmons, and it was later recorded by Wicked Lester. Simmons and Stanley shared lead vocal duties on the song, which was given a bridge and instrumental coda when recorded for Kiss.[2] During later Kiss concerts, this coda was moved to the end of "She" and before that, "Watchin' You".

"Kissin' Time" was not included on the original album; in fact it was not recorded until two months after the album's February release. By April, the album was clearly not the commercial success the band and Casablanca Records founder Bogart were hoping for. Bogart (who knew that a catchy single could save the album) ordered Kiss back into the studio to record "Kissin' Time", which was a Top 20 hit for Bobby Rydell in 1959. It was released as a single on May 10, but never reached any higher than No. 83. It did, however, boost sales of the album, even though it was not added to the track listing until the album was reissued in July 1974 (against the band's wishes).[2]

Simmons has stated that he does not know the meaning of the song's lyrics.[2] "Deuce" has been a staple of the band's concerts, opening their shows from 1973–1976 and again for their 1996 reunion.

This instrumental evolved from a song titled "Acrobat", played during the band's 1973 club shows. It can be found on their 2001 box set. The song is shortened for the album. It is the only Kiss song to feature songwriting credits for all four original members. "Love Theme from Kiss" appeared in the 2010 movie Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola.

"100,000 Years" begins with a bass riff by Simmons. The live version includes a long drum solo by Criss continuing on from the short one found on the album, as heard on Alive! The demo version can be heard on the 2001 release of the Kiss box set. There was a lost verse towards the end of the song which never made the final cut.

"Black Diamond" begins with Stanley singing the intro accompanied by a twelve-string acoustic guitar. After he yells out "hit it!", the full band kicks in and Criss assumes lead vocal duties for the two verses. After the chorus, the song slows down for Frehley's guitar solo, after which it gradually slows down further and fades out after a series of distorted chords. After Criss' departure from the band, the vocal duties have fallen to subsequent drummers Eric Carr and Eric Singer.

• Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Ace Frehley – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Nothin' to Lose", and “Black Diamond”
• Gene Simmons – vocals, bass guitar
• Peter Criss – vocals, drums, percussion

• Bruce Foster - acoustic piano, additional guitar
• Warren Dewey – fire engine on "Firehouse"

• Kenny Kerner – producer[16]
• Richie Wise – producer[16]
• George Marino - mastering engineer