Album
Hotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell is the second studio album by the American band KISS, released on 22 October 1974 through Casablanca Records. It arrived in the same year as their self-titled debut, and sits early in a run of studio albums that would carry the band through the 1970s and well beyond. Its genres span hard rock, glam rock and proto-punk, which gives a fair idea of the rough-edged, showy sound on offer.
It did not have a hit single, and it peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard 200. Even so, plenty of its songs stayed in the live set for years, including "Parasite", the title track, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" and "Watchin' You". It went gold in 1977 and was reissued in a remastered edition in 1997, a good place to hear the band before the bigger breakthroughs.
Hotter Than Hell: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 33:11Tracklist
- 1Got to ChoosePaul Stanley3:54
- 2ParasiteAce Frehley3:03
- 3Goin’ BlindStephen Coronel and Gene Simmons3:38
- 4Hotter Than HellPaul Stanley3:31
- 5Let Me Go, Rock ’n RollGene Simmons and Paul Stanley2:15
- 6All the WayGene Simmons3:18
- 7Watchin’ YouGene Simmons3:45
- 8MainlinePaul Stanley3:51
- 9Comin’ HomeAce Frehley and Paul Stanley2:38
- 10Strange WaysAce Frehley3:18
- Produced by
- Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise, Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise
- Recorded at
- The Village (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- August 1974
- Engineered by
- Warren Dewey
- Photography
- Norman Seeff
- Labels
- Casablanca Records, Casablanca
- Length
- 33:11
Line-up
- Peter Criss · membranophone, background vocals, drums (drum set), percussion, lead vocals
- Ace Frehley · electric guitar, electric bass guitar, background vocals
- Gene Simmons · electric bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- Paul Stanley · electric guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
Singles
- “Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll” · 22 October 1974
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1974–1976 | 100 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1974–1976 | 46 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1974–1976 | 91 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1974–1976 | 98 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
77.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
167k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 22 October
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Full discography →
KISS
1974
Dressed to Kill
1975
Alive!
1975
Destroyer
1976
Special KISS Tour Album
1976
Rock and Roll Over
1976
Love Gun
1977
Alive II
1977
Double Platinum
1978
2000 Man
1979
Dynasty
1979
Unmasked
1980
Music From “The Elder”
1981
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1982
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1982
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1983
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1984
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1985
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1987
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1988
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1988
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1988
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1988
Chikara
1988
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
1988
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1989
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1992
Alive III
1993
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1996
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1996
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1997
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1997
Psycho Circus
1998
Box Set
2001
The Very Best of KISS
2002
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 2
2004
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2004
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KISS Alive! 1975–2000
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2008
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2009
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2014
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2016
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More on Casablanca Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 22 October 1974 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 October 1974 | |
| Wikidata | 22 October 1974 | |
| US release | 22 October 1974 | earliest US date |
34 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Casablanca Records | 042282414724 | other |
| 22 October 1974 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 22 October 1974 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 22 October 1974 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 22 October 1974 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 1980 | DE | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 1980 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| 25 April 1986 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 4988023000091 | other |
| 1987 | US | Casablanca Records | 020831424820 | other |
| 1987 | US | Casablanca Records | 042282414724 | other |
| 20 July 1987 | DE | Casablanca Records | 042283242128 | other |
| 5 September 1989 | JP | Casablanca Records | 4988011317767 | other |
| 1991 | CA | PolyGram | 042282414724 | other |
| 1997 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453237520 | remaster |
| 1997 | US | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 9 April 1997 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011352317 | other |
| 15 July 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453237520 | other |
| 7 March 2001 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011359972 | other |
| 21 August 2002 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005311153 | other |
| 12 July 2006 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005435538 | other |
| 22 February 2007 | XW | Casablanca Records | 731453237520 | other |
| 7 March 2007 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005452504 | other |
| 24 September 2008 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005525659 | other |
| 12 October 2011 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005677624 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Records | 0602537770953 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Records | 602537885220 | other |
| 30 January 2014 | XE | Mercury Records | 0602537864065 | other |
| 30 January 2014 | DE | Mercury Records | other | |
| 31 March 2014 | XE | Casablanca Records | 602537715497 | other |
| 1 April 2014 | US | Casablanca Records | 602537715497 | other |
| 3 June 2014 | XW | Casablanca Records | 602537855469 | other |
| 27 October 2014 | JP | Mercury Records | 602547062260 | other |
| 27 October 2014 | JP | Mercury Records | 602547062253 | other |
| 25 October 2019 | XE | Casablanca Records | 602577955099 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |