Kiss - Kiss 1972
1. Strutter- Cool drum fill opening. The bass has a cool groove that has a funk vibe to it. The guitars are really raw and gritty...which I love. Ace's leads are cool and every dude knows a "strutter" so that's a bonus in the lyric department. A+
2. Nothin' to Lose- sounds like something that should be heard in a dirty, smoky barroom but that doesn't redeem it. It's bloozey but sounds too much like the NY Dolls in a honky tonk. It even has some piano and handclaps... C
3. Firehouse - cool riff but not strong enough to warrant an entire song built around it. Also has a funky feel to it. I do like the frequent stop/starts. More interesting lead work by Ace. Song just sort of slugs along without going anywhere. C
4. Cold Gin- cool classic riff. cool build up with bass and drums. sounds slower than the live version and it suffers from it. needs to be picked up a bit. Like the Death Angel version better. Vocals are good. In the same vein as Firehouse, cool riff but the song goes nowhere really slowly...don't get me wrong, I love classic rock but this album thus fair is fairly boring. About three minutes in the song finally breaks into some cool guitar bits before launching back into the main riff but now that the momentum has picked up the song is finally rocking...still a little sludgey but still rocking . The last minute redeems it. B+
5. Let Me Know - horrible. Sounds like a broadway musical with terrible musicians....so far off broadway Chris Christie likes it. Bad theatre....music. the only thing worse than bad theatre music is church music....F
6. Kissin' Time- disco before disco. Total Cheese. Feathered hair, camaros, long handled combs in the back pocket of jeans...total shit. F
7. Deuce - Best song on the album thus far. Total fucking balls out rock. This is where KISS succeed instead of suck. Great guitar , cool song structure....good vocals, gritty and tough. This is rock n' roll. Peter and Ace play their asses off together. They might not be technical gods but the can still rock together. A+
8. Love Theme From Kiss - What the fuck is this? Bad Allman Brothers? It sounds like something a bunch of high dudes thought was cool when jamming out ...guess the album needed another track. Still better than songs 5 and 6. If i was listening on a turntable i'd turn the speed up thinking i had it on the wrong setting. D
9. 100,000 years - Starts off like an epic rocker. If the bass were a bit plunkier and faster it could be the foundation of a Maiden song. This is straight up 70s rock. If i played in a bar band I'd cover this tune. Stanley's vocals are the strongest on this album. Ace's playing sounds good....guitars are raw. Even Gene's bass sounds good. Peter even gets a solo in. Really like Stanley's singing when it's only the drums and him. This really spotlights the whole band. Again, another reminder of what they were capable of....A+
10. Black Diamond - cool soft little opening that leads to harsh guitar riffing....great raspy vocals by Criss...cool back up harmonies too. Fantastic guitar work....This is a guitar song. This is a rock and roll song. Really like the contrast between the pretty harmonies and the rough edges in the music and Criss's vocals. Tough lyrics too...this is what a NY band should sound like. That ending could've been taken off though...guess it fills time. A+
Overall, as an album : C+/B-
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