KISS - ALIVE! Vh1 Ultimate Albums
Released on September 10, 1975, Alive! is the album that propelled one of rock’s most notorious acts into super stardom, blasting their good time, "rock and roll all nite, party every day" philosophy to millions of fans around the globe.
Formed in New York City in 1973, Kiss - Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss - adopted a flamboyant look and brash musical style. But the band's road to the top was paved with almost insurmountable obstacles. For starters, no one took them seriously. They were seen as a joke, four clowns in pancake makeup with minimal musical talent. Despite bashing by critics, Kiss steadfastly built their following by embarking on an exhaustive touring schedule, performing their larger than life spectacles around the States, gaining fans one by one.
However, much to the band's chagrin, their explosive live shows were not translating into record sales, leading the group to the brink of extinction. The failure of the group's first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed To Kill, led the band to a critical financial crossroads. By 1975, Kiss was a quarter million dollars in debt. Their next album release needed to be a hit ... or else.
With few new songs to record, and little money to record them, the band made a desperate and unprecedented choice. They would release a live double album, in effect, a "greatest hits compilation" for a band that never had a hit. By industry standards, it was ridiculous. But in typical Kiss fashion, the band forged ahead.
Enlisting producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix/Led Zeppelin), who also produced Kiss' first demo, the group recorded a series of shows in Detroit, Cleveland, Davenport, Iowa and Wildwood, New Jersey. Kiss Alive! was the staggering result. It was an instant hit. The album's single, the group's signature song, "Rock And Roll All Nite," was a smash hit, and the album went on to sell more than four million copies.
To this day, rampant controversy surrounds the Kiss Alive! recording with reports that a large portion of the record was recreated in the studio. The band finally comes clean in this episode of Ultimate Albums, admitting that portions of it were re-dubbed and re-mixed, to perfect its over the top live sound.
Tune in as Ultimate Albums explores a classic LP that inspired legions of followers and proved the live album was a highly profitable enterprise.
Download part 1 here
Download part 2 here
Download part 3 here
Released on September 10, 1975, Alive! is the album that propelled one of rock’s most notorious acts into super stardom, blasting their good time, "rock and roll all nite, party every day" philosophy to millions of fans around the globe.
Formed in New York City in 1973, Kiss - Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss - adopted a flamboyant look and brash musical style. But the band's road to the top was paved with almost insurmountable obstacles. For starters, no one took them seriously. They were seen as a joke, four clowns in pancake makeup with minimal musical talent. Despite bashing by critics, Kiss steadfastly built their following by embarking on an exhaustive touring schedule, performing their larger than life spectacles around the States, gaining fans one by one.
However, much to the band's chagrin, their explosive live shows were not translating into record sales, leading the group to the brink of extinction. The failure of the group's first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed To Kill, led the band to a critical financial crossroads. By 1975, Kiss was a quarter million dollars in debt. Their next album release needed to be a hit ... or else.
With few new songs to record, and little money to record them, the band made a desperate and unprecedented choice. They would release a live double album, in effect, a "greatest hits compilation" for a band that never had a hit. By industry standards, it was ridiculous. But in typical Kiss fashion, the band forged ahead.
Enlisting producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix/Led Zeppelin), who also produced Kiss' first demo, the group recorded a series of shows in Detroit, Cleveland, Davenport, Iowa and Wildwood, New Jersey. Kiss Alive! was the staggering result. It was an instant hit. The album's single, the group's signature song, "Rock And Roll All Nite," was a smash hit, and the album went on to sell more than four million copies.
To this day, rampant controversy surrounds the Kiss Alive! recording with reports that a large portion of the record was recreated in the studio. The band finally comes clean in this episode of Ultimate Albums, admitting that portions of it were re-dubbed and re-mixed, to perfect its over the top live sound.
Tune in as Ultimate Albums explores a classic LP that inspired legions of followers and proved the live album was a highly profitable enterprise.
Download part 1 here
Download part 2 here
Download part 3 here