RIFFOLOGY
KISS by KISS, album cover
Album

KISS

by KISS
Released8 February 1974
LabelCasablanca Records
Popularity83.3
Also cited18 February 1974
hard rockrockglam rockclassic rockheavy metal
Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

KISS is the debut studio album by the American band, released on 8 February 1974 on Casablanca Records. It opens the story of a group whose studio catalogue would stretch from this first record to Monster in 2012, and it sits in a mix of hard rock, glam rock and heavy metal.

Much of the material came from Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who had written it in their earlier band, Wicked Lester. The recording was done quickly: Simmons put the recording and mixing at around three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has said it took only 13 days. That speed is part of the appeal. It's worth hearing as the starting point, with the band's first songs captured at the very beginning of their career.

KISS: tracklist, credits and charts

Tracklist

  1. 1StrutterGene Simmons and Paul Stanley3:12
  2. 2Let Me KnowPaul Stanley3:00
  3. 3Deuce (beg)Gene Simmons
  4. 4Deuce (concl)Gene Simmons
  5. 5FirehousePaul Stanley3:18
  6. 6100,000 YearsGene Simmons and Paul Stanley3:23
  7. 7Nothin’ to LoseGene Simmons3:27
  8. 8Cold GinAce Frehley4:21
  9. 9Love Theme From KISSCriss, Frehley, Simmons, Stanley2:24
  10. 10Black DiamondPaul Stanley5:13
Produced by
Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise
Recorded at
Bell Sound Studios (New York City)
Recorded
10–16 November 1973
Mixed by
Warren Dewey
Engineered by
Warren Dewey
Labels
Casablanca Records, Casablanca

Line-up

  • Peter Criss · percussion, drums (drum set), background vocals, lead vocals
  • Ace Frehley · electric guitar
  • Gene Simmons · electric bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
  • Paul Stanley · electric guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Bruce Foster · piano · guest
  • Bobby Vinton · handclaps · guest

Singles

  • “Nothin' to Lose” · 18 February 1974
  • “Kissin' Time” · 10 May 1974
  • “Strutter” · 10 August 1974

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
US Billboard 200 · 1974–7687
New Zealand Albums · 1974–7638
Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1974–7654
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1974–7682

Certifications

RegionCertification
Canada · 1995Gold
United StatesGold

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

83.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
195k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
14k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Hotter Than Hell (1974) →

Released the same week

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More from KISS

Full discography →
Hotter Than Hell by KISS, album cover
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1974
Dressed to Kill by KISS, album cover
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1975
Alive! by KISS, album cover
Alive!
1975
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1976
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1976
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1977
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1977
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1978
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1979
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1979
Unmasked by KISS, album cover
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1980
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1981
Killers by KISS, album cover
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1982
Creatures of the Night by KISS, album cover
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1982
Lick It Up by KISS, album cover
Lick It Up
1983
Animalize by KISS, album cover
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1984
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1985
Crazy Nights by KISS, album cover
Crazy Nights
1987
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Crazy Crazy Nights
1988
Let’s Put the X in Sex by KISS, album cover
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1988
Tears Are Falling by KISS, album cover
Tears Are Falling
1988
Turn On the Night by KISS, album cover
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1988
Chikara by KISS, album cover
Chikara
1988
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits by KISS, album cover
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
1988
Hot in the Shade by KISS, album cover
Hot in the Shade
1989
Revenge by KISS, album cover
Revenge
1992
Alive III by KISS, album cover
Alive III
1993
MTV Unplugged by KISS, album cover
MTV Unplugged
1996
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! by KISS, album cover
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
1996
Greatest KISS by KISS, album cover
Greatest KISS
1997
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions by KISS, album cover
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
1997
Psycho Circus by KISS, album cover
Psycho Circus
1998
Box Set by KISS, album cover
Box Set
2001
The Very Best of KISS by KISS, album cover
The Very Best of KISS
2002
KISS Symphony: Alive IV by KISS, album cover
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS by KISS, album cover
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 2 by KISS, album cover
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 2
2004
KISS Gold by KISS, album cover
KISS Gold
2004
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 3
2006
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KISS Alive! 1975–2000
2006
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地獄烈伝〜ニュー・レコーディング・ベスト〜
2008
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Ikons
2008
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Sonic Boom
2009
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Monster
2012
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KISS 40 Years: Decades of Decibels
2014
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KISS Rocks Vegas
2016

The best of 1974

All of 1974 →
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Hotter Than Hell
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King Crimson · 1974
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More on Casablanca Records

The label →
Destroyer by KISS, album cover
Destroyer
KISS · 1976
Hotter Than Hell by KISS, album cover
Hotter Than Hell
KISS · 1974
Lick It Up by KISS, album cover
Lick It Up
KISS · 1983
Rock and Roll Over by KISS, album cover
Rock and Roll Over
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Dressed to Kill by KISS, album cover
Dressed to Kill
KISS · 1975
Animalize by KISS, album cover
Animalize
KISS · 1984
Creatures of the Night by KISS, album cover
Creatures of the Night
KISS · 1982
Alive! by KISS, album cover
Alive!
KISS · 1975
Killers by KISS, album cover
Killers
KISS · 1982

Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1974-02-18 (wikidata)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz8 February 1974
Wikipedia infobox8 February 1974
Wikidata18 February 1974
US release8 February 1974earliest US date
35 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—USCasablanca Records0208314248220other
8 February 1974USCasablanca Recordsoriginal
8 February 1974USCasablanca Recordsoriginal
July 1974USCasablanca Recordsother
July 1974USCasablanca Recordsother
July 1974USCasablanca Recordsother
1976DECasablanca Recordsother
1986XECasablanca Records042282414625other
25 April 1986JPCasablanca Record and FilmWorks4988023000084other
1987USMercury Records042282414625other
July 1987USPolyGram042282414625other
5 September 1989JPCasablanca Records4988011317750other
1990CAColumbia Houseother
1997CAMercury Records731453237421other
15 January 1997JPMercury Records4988011351808other
9 April 1997JPMercury Records4988011352300deluxe
15 July 1997USMercury Records731453237421remaster
8 September 1997XEMercury Records731453237421remaster
7 March 2001JPMercury Records4988011359965other
21 August 2002JPMercury Records4988005311146other
12 July 2006JPMercury Records4988005435521other
7 March 2007JPMercury Records4988005452498other
24 September 2008JPMercury Records4988005525642other
12 October 2011JPMercury Records4988005677617other
2014DECasablanca Records0602537770960other
2014XECasablanca Records0602537864027other
2014DECasablanca Records602537885152other
30 January 2014XWCasablanca Records731453237421other
19 February 2014DEMercury Recordsother
31 March 2014XECasablanca Records602537658244other
1 April 2014USCasablanca Records602537658244other
3 June 2014XWCasablanca Records602537854424other
27 October 2014JPMercury Records602547064011other
27 October 2014JPMercury Records602547064035other
2019USCasablanca Records602577532375deluxe
Cover art sources

coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500

SourceSizeVerdict
coverartarchive ✓1500×1500native: native 1500x1500
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled