Love Gun was the last Kiss album i cared about. I was fortunate enough to see the Love Gun tour in 77, and it was fantastic! But i was getting into heavier stuff around this time. I didn't care for Dynasty at all. It was the last Kiss album i bought. Alive! is still my favorite.
It almost seems like Alive! and the 3 earliest albums is the first KISS era. Then the second era was Destroyer, Rock And Roll Over, Love Gun (maybe Alive 2 can be included also0. The 3rd era could be considered as The solo albums, Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder (maybe the solo albums could be considered part of the 2nd era too). The 4th era could be Creatures of The Night, Lick It Up, Animalize, and Asylum. Then Crazy Nights onward might be considered the next era. Many of the initial hardcore hard rock KISS fans were turned off by Dynasty. I still liked that album but I can understand how it could feel like the band abandoned their early, heavy rock direction and started to cater to a younger audience.
I can never choose preferences like that, it changes depending on my mood. I do think Shock Me and Almost Human deserve higher marks. Shock Me, I might be giving a little preferential treatment because its Ace man! I think Almost Human is a fantastic deep cut, almost, but not quite as good as Strange Ways from Hotter Than Hell...another fantastic deep cut with arguably one of the best Ace solos ever.
Yes, choosing preferences is difficult and it can change a bit from day to day or year to year. Like you said, it depends on the mood you're in that day. I was being pretty tough on the songs. Usually I consider Shock Me almost equal to Love Gun and I Stole Your Love but there's so many things I love about it (the guitar solo, the riff, the background vocal harmonies). I might have underrated it here. Almost Human is a really cool song for sure. I even like the songs that I consider the weakest of the bunch (Hooligan, Love Theme From KISS, Got Love For Sale, Tomorrow and Tonight, Christine Sixteen). The Love Gun album brings back such strong feelings . That was a magical time for me and that album and band were so exciting and important for me. In the video I tried to downplay my love for the music because I figured I'll come across as a crazy KISS fan (even though I guess I am/ was). Ha! So I tried to approach the review in a strict manner, otherwise I might have given all my favourite songs a 9.5 or a 10. Good to see another hardcore KISS fan here! Thanks for commenting! PS - Yes, Strange Ways has a really cool solo!
I really enjoy ranking/opinion videos, as they make me me think deeper about my feelings for these songs. Without getting into a thorough breakdown, I'd say I prefer the first album for its consistency, but Love Gun has so much colour and sonic variety that it is an essential classic.
@@deflowers5230 I think the debut album is more consistent overall too. The thing about Love Gun is that I have great memories that revolve around that album. It felt like a magical era and I was totally absorbed in the KISS aura by the time that album was released. Even the album cover still reminds of that special time, when KISS were superheroes/ rock gods. The Love Gun album did have a lot of colour. The vocal harmonies were more prevalent than on the debut album and they were sounding more commercial, appealing to a wider audience by 1977. I could see a case for either album being considered better or equal the other. I have a hard time conclusively choosing one over the other, BUT like you said, it's fun comparing and studying the craft, style and direction of each album and all the songs on them.
The first album had incredibly great songs that are KISS staple. Contains all the elements of what good songs contain. Only trouble with the first album was it was so poorly produced by producers who clearly didn't know what they were doing.The poor production choked out the band's true potential. Love Gun album clearly was much better produced. Had a few good songs but not the strength of the debut album.
Well stated! Love Gun does feel slicker and it has better production than the debut KISS album, but I think even Love Gun could have been produced better than it was. The greatness of the songs on the first KISS album allows them to shine through a somewhat lackluster production.
Agreed. The debut album has the best songs, but the mix doesn't fit them and it's very obvious the band is fresh. They sound like teenagers trying to be tough, while on LOVE GUN they are extremely tight after years on the road. The mix is the best they got out of the 70s era and although the B side has two fillers (Hooligan and Then She Kissed Me) the rest are great songs. The title track is KISS best song ever made. It's KISS at their peak and it shows.
@ No doubt that they hit it out of the park with the title track. I think 'I Stole Your Love' and 'Shock Me' are great too. That album definitely has a special place in my heart.
@damnwicked666 Not knocking Love Gun, great album. But my first experience hearing KISS was seeing them on the Mike Douglas show in early 75 Hotter than Hell was my first album, then KISS Alive was released. I was hooked.
@@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec I don't mind the production but I can understand what you and many others say about the "archaic" sound of the record. Songs like Firehouse does kind of drag and it does sound better at a slightly higher tempo, on the live album.
The debut shows that neither the band or the producer knew what to do. The mix is very flat and makes the songs cheesy. On Alive! they really get the mix they deserved. So as a total package, Love Gun wins.
LOVE GUN. It's the most complete studio release. The cover art, mix, songs, costumes, posters and stage design.. Even if it has a couple of fillers on the B side, the good songs are SO good. Yes, the debut has awesome songs, but it's a little too boogie and light for my taste.
The Love Gun album brings back great memories for me. KISS were probably the biggest hard rock band in the world at that time, or one of the top 3 biggest. There's a few songs that I think could have been better but the high points are great.
If I can substitute the Alive! versions of the songs from the debut album, it would have the edge. I have absolutely no use for "Tomorrow and Tonight", "Then She Kissed Me", "Hooligan", or "Got Love for Sale".
I like the Alive! version but I also like the studio versions a lot. There was a certain aggressiveness to many of the Alive! versions that I really like though. 100, 000 Years added some great extended music and the drum solo. Deuce, Firehouse and Strutter had some added aggression that I like also. I agree that the 4 songs you mentioned from Love Gun are among the weakest songs of the bunch, but I still enjoy them to a certain degree. That's probably more due to nostalgia though.
Got Love For Sale is a good song and very underrated IMO. Not the best chorus though. Tomorrow and Tonight is also a good song but cheesy. The other ones you mentioned I agree on. Those are fillers. The album feels like it could have been a 10 if they had more time to write songs. But they were touring like crazy those years it almost broke the band.
@eltoro969 If they would have had "Larger than Life", "Rocket Ride", and "All American Man" on Love Gun instead of Alive II, it would be their best album IMO.
I stole your Love & Love Gun are both Awesome songs, But the albums other songs are lame. The 1974 debut is Better. Rock n Roll Over is my Fav from the 70's KISS
I have great memories of the Love Gun album and era but I tend to agree with you. It's a bit of an inconsistent album compared to most of their other records from the 70s.
😆I was mathematically disabled when I made this video. I should have included the scores and the final tally. At some point in time I'll probably break out the ole calculator and add them up, and then post them here in the comment section, or I might make a short video summarizing this video with the song scores and the final tally.
Let us know which other albums you'd like to see in the "Damn Wicked Record Showdown". How about KISS Hotter Than Hell VS Dressed To Kill ?
No comparison, the first album is so much better.
Yes, it’s much more consistent than Love Gun from start to finish. Love Gun has a few really great songs too, but it has a few weak spots.
Kiss love gun is my favorite album of all time
1977 was a good year for music!
Love Gun is my favorite Album 👍
The Love Gun album and era brings back some of my fondest memories. That was a magical year for KISS!
Love Gun and Shock Me are my 2 favorite KISS songs so I'm going with the Love Gun album.
I'm a big fan of those songs. Great guitar solos and vocal harmonies in both of those tunes and Stanley's vocal on Love Gun is killer!
Love Gun was the last Kiss album i cared about. I was fortunate enough to see the Love Gun tour in 77, and it was fantastic! But i was getting into heavier stuff around this time. I didn't care for Dynasty at all. It was the last Kiss album i bought. Alive! is still my favorite.
It almost seems like Alive! and the 3 earliest albums is the first KISS era. Then the second era was Destroyer, Rock And Roll Over, Love Gun (maybe Alive 2 can be included also0. The 3rd era could be considered as The solo albums, Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder (maybe the solo albums could be considered part of the 2nd era too). The 4th era could be Creatures of The Night, Lick It Up, Animalize, and Asylum. Then Crazy Nights onward might be considered the next era. Many of the initial hardcore hard rock KISS fans were turned off by Dynasty. I still liked that album but I can understand how it could feel like the band abandoned their early, heavy rock direction and started to cater to a younger audience.
@@damnwicked666 well said friend.
I can never choose preferences like that, it changes depending on my mood. I do think Shock Me and Almost Human deserve higher marks. Shock Me, I might be giving a little preferential treatment because its Ace man! I think Almost Human is a fantastic deep cut, almost, but not quite as good as Strange Ways from Hotter Than Hell...another fantastic deep cut with arguably one of the best Ace solos ever.
Yes, choosing preferences is difficult and it can change a bit from day to day or year to year. Like you said, it depends on the mood you're in that day. I was being pretty tough on the songs. Usually I consider Shock Me almost equal to Love Gun and I Stole Your Love but there's so many things I love about it (the guitar solo, the riff, the background vocal harmonies). I might have underrated it here. Almost Human is a really cool song for sure. I even like the songs that I consider the weakest of the bunch (Hooligan, Love Theme From KISS, Got Love For Sale, Tomorrow and Tonight, Christine Sixteen). The Love Gun album brings back such strong feelings . That was a magical time for me and that album and band were so exciting and important for me. In the video I tried to downplay my love for the music because I figured I'll come across as a crazy KISS fan (even though I guess I am/ was). Ha! So I tried to approach the review in a strict manner, otherwise I might have given all my favourite songs a 9.5 or a 10. Good to see another hardcore KISS fan here! Thanks for commenting! PS - Yes, Strange Ways has a really cool solo!
I really enjoy ranking/opinion videos, as they make me me think deeper about my feelings for these songs.
Without getting into a thorough breakdown, I'd say I prefer the first album for its consistency, but Love Gun has so much colour and sonic variety that it is an essential classic.
@@deflowers5230 I think the debut album is more consistent overall too. The thing about Love Gun is that I have great memories that revolve around that album. It felt like a magical era and I was totally absorbed in the KISS aura by the time that album was released. Even the album cover still reminds of that special time, when KISS were superheroes/ rock gods. The Love Gun album did have a lot of colour. The vocal harmonies were more prevalent than on the debut album and they were sounding more commercial, appealing to a wider audience by 1977. I could see a case for either album being considered better or equal the other. I have a hard time conclusively choosing one over the other, BUT like you said, it's fun comparing and studying the craft, style and direction of each album and all the songs on them.
The first album had incredibly great songs that are KISS staple. Contains all the elements of what good songs contain. Only trouble with the first album was it was so poorly produced by producers who clearly didn't know what they were doing.The poor production choked out the band's true potential. Love Gun album clearly was much better produced. Had a few good songs but not the strength of the debut album.
Well stated!
Love Gun does feel slicker and it has better production than the debut KISS album, but I think even Love Gun could have been produced better than it was. The greatness of the songs on the first KISS album allows them to shine through a somewhat lackluster production.
Agreed. The debut album has the best songs, but the mix doesn't fit them and it's very obvious the band is fresh. They sound like teenagers trying to be tough, while on LOVE GUN they are extremely tight after years on the road. The mix is the best they got out of the 70s era and although the B side has two fillers (Hooligan and Then She Kissed Me) the rest are great songs. The title track is KISS best song ever made. It's KISS at their peak and it shows.
@ No doubt that they hit it out of the park with the title track. I think 'I Stole Your Love' and 'Shock Me' are great too. That album definitely has a special place in my heart.
The first album, Hands down
I can’t disagree even though the Love Gun era was an important and memorable time in my music journey.
@damnwicked666 Not knocking Love Gun, great album.
But my first experience hearing KISS was seeing them on the Mike Douglas show in early 75
Hotter than Hell was my first album, then KISS Alive was released. I was hooked.
Unfortunately though the production on the first album is awful. The tempos are really too slow also. The material is strong, but presented poorly.
@@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec I don't mind the production but I can understand what you and many others say about the "archaic" sound of the record. Songs like Firehouse does kind of drag and it does sound better at a slightly higher tempo, on the live album.
The debut shows that neither the band or the producer knew what to do. The mix is very flat and makes the songs cheesy.
On Alive! they really get the mix they deserved.
So as a total package, Love Gun wins.
LOVE GUN. It's the most complete studio release. The cover art, mix, songs, costumes, posters and stage design.. Even if it has a couple of fillers on the B side, the good songs are SO good. Yes, the debut has awesome songs, but it's a little too boogie and light for my taste.
The Love Gun album brings back great memories for me. KISS were probably the biggest hard rock band in the world at that time, or one of the top 3 biggest. There's a few songs that I think could have been better but the high points are great.
If I can substitute the Alive! versions of the songs from the debut album, it would have the edge. I have absolutely no use for "Tomorrow and Tonight", "Then She Kissed Me", "Hooligan", or "Got Love for Sale".
I like the Alive! version but I also like the studio versions a lot. There was a certain aggressiveness to many of the Alive! versions that I really like though. 100, 000 Years added some great extended music and the drum solo. Deuce, Firehouse and Strutter had some added aggression that I like also.
I agree that the 4 songs you mentioned from Love Gun are among the weakest songs of the bunch, but I still enjoy them to a certain degree. That's probably more due to nostalgia though.
Got Love For Sale is a good song and very underrated IMO. Not the best chorus though. Tomorrow and Tonight is also a good song but cheesy. The other ones you mentioned I agree on. Those are fillers.
The album feels like it could have been a 10 if they had more time to write songs. But they were touring like crazy those years it almost broke the band.
@eltoro969 If they would have had "Larger than Life", "Rocket Ride", and "All American Man" on Love Gun instead of Alive II, it would be their best album IMO.
@eltoro969 Got Love For Sale has a really cool bass groove under that guitar riff.
@@DF-ee8vt That's a great observation! I love all 3 of those songs.
First album!
I can’t disagree. It’s a really strong album.
The first album.
That's a wise choice!
Definitely the first album
That seems to be the consensus in the comments so far.
I stole your Love & Love Gun are both Awesome songs, But the albums other songs are lame.
The 1974 debut is Better. Rock n Roll Over is my Fav from the 70's KISS
The 2 songs you mentioned are my favourite songs from Love Gun.
@@damnwicked666 they are the Rockin ones, also The LP Cover of Love Gun is Awesome
@@MetalHeart8787 Agreed. I love that album cover. It portrays them as larger than life rockstars.
Easily the debut , Love Gun is my least favorite of the 70's albums.
I have great memories of the Love Gun album and era but I tend to agree with you. It's a bit of an inconsistent album compared to most of their other records from the 70s.
So we have to do the math and find out for our selves?? LOL
😆I was mathematically disabled when I made this video. I should have included the scores and the final tally. At some point in time I'll probably break out the ole calculator and add them up, and then post them here in the comment section, or I might make a short video summarizing this video with the song scores and the final tally.