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American rock band
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
has released twenty studio albums and sixty singles. The group, formed in New York City in 1973, first consisted of bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist
Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...
,
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...
ist
Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...
, and drummer
Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...
. It is the most recognizable and successful line-up, which lasted until Criss' departure in 1980. The band is known for its make-up and on-stage antics, which influenced many artists who later used similar effects in their concerts. The band's eponymous debut album was released in 1974. The album did not have a hit single and rose only as high as 87 on '' Billboard'', despite significant touring and promotion. The follow-up album, '' Hotter Than Hell'' (1974), was a bigger disappointment, peaking at 100 and quickly dropping off the charts. It rebounded in Canada peaking at number 29 in June of 1976. '' Dressed To Kill'', released in 1975, was a much bigger success, breaking into Top-40, but the band's record label,
Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label current ...
, was close to bankruptcy and needed a commercial breakthrough. This would later be achieved with both Kiss' and Casablanca's first Top-10 album, the double-live album '' Alive!'', which featured the number 12 hit " Rock and Roll All Nite". The next three albums, '' Destroyer'', ''
Rock and Roll Over ''Rock and Roll Over'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1976. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York. Album information To get the proper drum sound, Peter Criss recorded his tracks in a bathroo ...
'', and '' Love Gun'' were successful, achieving Platinum status and spawning Top-20 singles (including the number 7 ballad " Beth", the band's highest-charting single in the US). Their seventh studio release, ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', while being a musical departure, was a global success, thanks largely to the worldwide hit, "
I Was Made for Lovin' You "I Was Made for Lovin' You" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1979 album, ''Dynasty''. It was released as the A-side of their first single from the album, with "Hard Times" as the B-side. History The s ...
". The next three albums, '' Unmasked'', '' Music From "The Elder"'' and ''
Creatures of the Night ''Creatures of the Night'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memo ...
'', were domestic commercial failures, even as the band maintained popularity in many other parts of the world. '' Lick It Up'' was the first album featuring the band without make-up and was certified gold. Their next studio releases ('' Animalize''; ''
Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
''; '' Crazy Nights''; '' Smashes, Thrashes & Hits'') were more successful and Kiss recaptured some of their earlier glory (though not to the level of their 1970s heyday). '' Hot in the Shade'' was the lowest charting album of the unmasked era in the US, despite the success of the top 10 power ballad " Forever". With their 16th studio release, '' Revenge'', Kiss attempted to modernize their sound for the 1990s with heavier songs. The album initially charted at #6 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and quickly reached Gold status in the US. 1997's '' Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions'' was released after the reunion tour and did not receive much promotion. It has yet to be certified Gold in the US despite the album's lone single "
Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaá ...
" reaching number 8 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Followed by a highly successful reunion, in 1998 '' Psycho Circus'' was released and was a moderate success. Their first album in 11 years, ''
Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...
'', was released in 2009. The band released their 20th studio album, '' Monster'', on October 9, 2012. To date, Kiss has had 25 million copies certified by the RIAA in the United States. The band has 30 gold albums as of July 2015. The Kiss discography also includes a large number of unofficial releases - bootlegs. Most of them are live performances - audience recordings,
radio broadcasts Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
or soundboard recordings - but there are also unofficial releases featuring unreleased studio recordings. Some bootlegs are known to include fake "Kiss" songs recorded by other bands.


Albums


Studio albums


'78 solo albums


Live albums


''Instant Live'' album series


Compilation albums


Box sets


Singles

* A The single was first released with "Dirty Livin'" as the A-side and " Sure Know Something" as the B-side when it reached no. 25, and later released with "Sure Know Something" as the A-side and "Dirty Livin'" as the B-side. The singles "Beth" and "I Was Made for Lovin' You" have been certified
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
by the RIAA and
CRIA A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored C ...
. The single "Psycho Circus" has been certified Gold by the IFPI Sweden. * B The single reached number 2 in Japan.


'78 solo singles


Other appearances


Album appearances


Unreleased on album

*2015: '' Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery'' - "Don't Touch My Ascot"


Videography


Video albums


Films


TV series

In 2010 Love theme from KISS appeared in the movie Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola. * Kiss in the 1998 ''
Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
'' episode " ...Thirteen Years Later", both as the band and as other characters out of makeup. * Kiss was also featured in the '' Family Guy'' episodes " A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" and "
Road to Europe "Road to Europe" (originally called "European Road Show") is the 20th episode of the third season of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 7, 2002. The episode follows ba ...
". * In 2002, Kiss filmed a music video with the cast of the popular sitcom ''
That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, ...
'' to announce that the show was going into syndication. The half-hour special showed behind the scenes of the making of the video. The half-hour special, called ''That '70s Kiss Show'', aired on VH1. * Gene Simmons makes a cameo appearance in the 2008 movie ''
Detroit Metal City is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kiminori Wakasugi. It was serialized in Hakusensha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Young Animal'' from September 2005 to April 2010, with its chapters collected in ten ''tankƍbon'' volume ...
'' (a live action adaptation of the manga of the same name) as Jack ill Dark, a legendary Black metal guitarist from the United States. * Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley appeared as themselves in the 2009 '' Fairly OddParents'' episode " Wishology Part 1: The Big Beginning." * Kiss appeared on the season finale of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' in 2009 and 2014 during results shows in which they performed with
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
and Caleb Johnson. * Gene Simmons appears as himself on the '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' episode "Long Road Home". * Gene Simmons makes an appearance on '' Castle'', in the episode "To Love and Die in L.A." as a friend of the murder victim whose case Castle and Beckett investigate. * They also appear in an episode of '' What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' performing as themselves, they later appeared in the Scooby-Doo movie '' Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery''. *Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley appear in the 2016 comedy film '' Why Him?'' as themselves. *In 1976 Kiss appeared in ''
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special ''The Paul Lynde Halloween Special'' is a Halloween-themed television special starring Paul Lynde broadcast October 29, 1976 on ABC. It featured guest stars Margaret Hamilton in a reprisal of her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from '' Th ...
'' as themselves. *In 1998, Kiss appeared on the
Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentie ...
Halloween special, performing comedy skits, but not singing.


Music videos


Lyric videos


See also

* List of songs recorded by Kiss


Notes


References


External links


Official discography
* {{Kiss singles
Discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...
Heavy metal group discographies Discographies of American artists ca:Kiss#Discografia