A caveat: KISS Alive! is my favorite KISS album. It's in my all-time top albums list. Desert Island Record. The next two live albums I also enjoy. As a kid who never got to see the band in person in the 1970s, the opening of Alive II was magical. The live versions of "I Stole Your Love" and "Ladies' Room" are my preferred versions. And the Alive III version of "Deuce" is kick ass.
Moreover, Unplugged is also in my top 10 favorite KISS albums.
My only standard is this: which albums do I, now in 2019, return to over and over again, happy to hear the songs?
Other than KISS Alive!--my clear number 1--the rest are in chronological order.
Alive!
Rock and Roll Over
Alive II
Paul Stanley
Unmasked
Revenge
Unplugged
Psycho Circus
Sonic Boom
Monster
Rock and Roll Over is my favorite studio album of the original six (although I didn't own it as as kid).
Like Dynasty, I didn't own the solo albums or Paul, Gene, or Peter until 1997. I instantly enjoyed Paul's. He knew what kind of songwriter he was and wrote an album chock full of late 70s rock and roll. Nothing to hate. My favorite of the solo albums by far.
Psycho Circus was inevitable once the original four members got back together and put on the makeup again. The album is, for my money, really strong despite the fact I always skip the Peter song. The title track I absolutely love. "Within" is the crunchy Gene song still laced with grunge elements. "Into the Void" is a perfect Ace song. "We are One" is a wonderful love letter to the KISS Army while "You Wanted the Best" always gets my blood pumping. And I enjoy the outro of "Journey of 1,000 Years" and how it incorporates the guitar solo from the title track.
Sonic Boom is a terrific album and contains three songs I consider to be among the very best by the band: Modern Day Delilah, Danger Us, and Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect). When I break down the catalog into favorite songs by vocalist, all three of those tunes make the list. The vibe of the record is perfectly in 1976.
Monster is loud and over the top, but we are talking KISS here so I'm perfectly fine with it. Can you imagine a concert opening with "Back in the Stone Age"? "Hell or Hallelujah" is another terrific song by Paul. And Eric Singer's "All for the Love of Rock and Roll" is basically an outtake from Rock and Roll Over. If this is their last album--and it looks to be the case--then it's a fine one cap a career.
The Next Five
My initial list was just about at fourteen, so here, also in chronological order, are the next five.
KISS
Hotter Than Hell
Peter Criss
Dynasty
Crazy Nights
I'm a big fan of bands that come out of the gate all but fully formed, especially with the lead-off track. That's "Strutter" here. Then, with the second song, you get Gene's vocals on the verses of "Nothin' to Lose" and Peter's awesome voice on the chorus. A great one-two punch.
Hotter Than Hell is special. I didn't own it back in the day, but I've really come to appreciate it. The sound is unique, and it contains my all-time favorite Peter song: "Mainline."
My appreciation of Peter Criss's solo album has been a gradual understanding of what he was trying to do and I've come to really enjoy it. "You Matter To Me" is excellent. If it wasn't saddled with the KISS brand, this could have been a hit. "I Can't Stop the Rain" is great. About the only song I tend to gloss over is "Kiss the Girl" mainly because it's really just "Beth 2.0". Give the record a spin without any preconceived ideas and you'll be surprised.
Dynasty - See yesterday's review
Crazy Nights is one of those newly discovered gems. How did I miss this back in 1987? "Turn on the Night" is the epitome of late 80s power metal songs. The title track is just plain fun. And Paul's vocal range is outstanding. My favorite 80s/unmasked album.
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