Kiss History (1973–)

Record-breaking hits and commercial notoriety define the long-enduring success of Kiss in the rock’n’roll music scene.

Kiss: Before the Fame

Kiss got its start on the streets of New York City in the form of small gigs and intimate venues. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley left the underperforming Wicked Lester to form their own band. After searching far and wide for an additional band member, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley came across professional drummer Peter Criss, who became the third member of the newly formed band, soon to be known as Kiss. Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist, would be the 4th and final original member to join Kiss. Kiss struggled to gain a presence in the rock‘n’roll music scene. Kiss’s first concert was in front of only three people at a small bar in Queens, New York. After numerous poorly attended performances and several meetings with record companies, Kiss finally got its break with Emerald City Records and began recording their first album, Kiss.

Kiss: Making it Big

Kiss’s first self-titled album, Kiss, initially failed to perform with around 80,000 copies sold. Hotter than Hell, Kiss’s second studio album, performed even worse, only reaching No. 100 on the Billboard 200. Hotter than Hell’s only released single “Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll” failed to chart entirely. Soon after, Kiss released its third studio album Dressed to Kill, which featured one of Kiss’s trademark songs “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Kiss’s recorded tracks failed to gain the notoriety and popularity of Kiss’s live tracks. Kiss became known in the rock’n’roll community as an unimaginably entertaining live act, with a myriad of live act gimmicks, such as “spitting blood” or “breathing fire.” People flocked to go see Kiss in person; and, with the release of Kiss’s first live album Alive!, Kiss gained the coveted rock‘n’roll fame that catapulted them into music gods.

Kiss: Road to Rock Legacy

Kiss’s first live album Alive! went quadruple platinum, with a live version of Kiss’s “Rock and Roll All Nite” giving Kiss Top-40 status. After the monumental success of Alive!, Kiss yearned to reach even greater heights, going back to the studio to record what would be Kiss’s first successful studio album Destroyer, charting on the Billboard 200 and ultimately reaching platinum status after the release of Destroyer’s single “Beth,” which, to this day, is Kiss’s highest-charting single in the United States, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of Destroyer was quickly followed by Kiss’s release of Rock and Roll Over and Love Gun, which both reached platinum status quickly after their release. Kiss quickly became a household name with highly popular merchandise and memorabilia, raking in extra revenue for Kiss and launching Kiss into even greater depths of rock fame. In 1977, Gallup pollsters named Kiss “America’s most popular band.”  

Kiss: A Fall from Grace

After the successful release of Alive II, Kiss’s fourth album to reach platinum status, Kiss decided to go on hiatus as part of a strategy to have each Kiss member release his own solo studio album. The strategy failed to produce the type of success Kiss witnessed as a band. Soon after the failure of Kiss’s solo albums, Kiss released the highly successful Dynasty album, which featured Kiss’s highest-charting single “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” which gained popularity for its crossover appeal, featuring elements of disco. Kiss was met with turmoil as the band parted ways with original drummer Peter Criss. After replacing Peter Criss, Kiss released Music from “The Elder,” an ambitious album that failed to chart amid Kiss’s recent troubles and the subsequent media attention. The unexpected failure of Music from “The Elder” forced Kiss to abandon plans for a subsequent tour to support the album. Several lineup changes and other changes followed the failure of Music from “The Elder,” including a new, makeup-free image.

Kiss: Start of a New Era

With a new image and a rejuvenated lineup, Kiss hit gold with their first successful album in over three years, Lick It Up. Soon after, Animalize, Kiss’s most successful album of the 1980s, returned Kiss to its former days of glory. Some of the success of Animalize can be attributed to the advent of music videos and MTV. The video for “Heaven’s on Fire” from Animalize received heavy play on MTV, exposing Kiss to an entirely new demographic. The ‘80s saw a true Kiss resurgence as Kiss released three platinum albums, Asylum, Crazy Nights and Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. The single “Crazy, Crazy Nights” from Crazy Nights reached No. 4 in the UK and witnessed similar success worldwide.

Kiss: Recent Work and Reunion

Kiss managed to release two more hit albums, Revenge and Alive III, the third installment of Kiss’s live album series. In 1992, Kiss was inducted into the RockWalk of Fame in Hollywood, California. Kiss announced its first reunion tour, with Kiss’s original lineup, in April 1996. The tour managed to sell out stadiums worldwide, leading to the highest average attendance and tickets sold of any Kiss tour. During the latter part of the 1990s, Kiss memorabilia experienced resurgence after the release of the movie, Detroit Rock City. Kiss continues to tour with its newest lineup. Kiss’s latest tour KISS Alive/35 World Tour began in March 2008.

Kiss: Greatest Hits

• “Rock And Roll All Nite” from the album Alive!
• “Detroit Rock City” from the album Destroyer
• “Beth” from the album Destroyer
• “Hard Luck Woman” from the album Rock and Roll Over
• “Calling Dr. Love” from the album Rock and Roll Over
• “New York Groove” from the album Ace Frehley
• “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” from the album Dynasty
• “Forever” from the album Hot in the Shade
• “Psycho Circus” from the album Psycho Circus