KISS – Hotter Than Hell

KISS – Hotter Than Hell (1974, Casablanca Records)

Track Listing:
1 “Got to Choose” (3:54)
2 “Parasite” (3:01)
3 “Goin’ Blind” (3:36)
4 “Hotter Than Hell” (3:31)
5 “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll” (2:14)
6 “All the Way” (3:18)
7 “Watchin’ You” (3:43)
8 “Mainline” (3:50)
9 “Comin’ Home” (2:37)
10 “Strange Ways” (3:18)

Band:
Paul Stanley – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Gene Simmons – Vocals, Bass
Ace Frehley – Lead Guitar, Vocals
Peter Criss – Drums, Vocals

This is the 2nd album from KISS, and I remember not liking it when I first heard it early in my early days of being a KISS fan. First, I was put off by the cover. It looked extremely cheap and cheesey, but it is also infamous because the photo shoot for this picture turned into a big party full of drunken sex (I hope and assume KISS were not the only ones involved in the debauchery). Secondly, the album’s production was pretty raw and muddied, IMO. Overtime though, this album has grown on me and has some killer material and produced concert faithfuls such as “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Watchin’ You”.

Highlights: “Got to Choose”, “Parasite”, “Hotter Than Hell”, “Watchin’ You”, “Mainline”, “Comin’ Home”, “Strange Ways” (a pretty heavy KISS song at the time)

Lowlights: “Goin’ Blind”. The lyrics are weird, and the song just sounds weird to me as well.