Alive! (Kiss album)

From 1974 to 1975, Kiss released three albums: Kiss, Hotter Than Hell, and Dressed to Kill. Guitarist Paul Stanley attributed the low sales to Kiss' weak sound when they were in the studio versus when they were in concert. According to Stanley: "I never thought any of our first three albums captured the intensity of what the band was going for or was. And it was a problem because people would come to see us and many of them weren't buying our albums." Kiss was famous for its elaborate stage performances, where the band members would wear kabuki-style makeup, use pyrotechnics, and spit fake blood. Bassist Gene Simmons said that because of Kiss's notoriety, they were kicked off of multiple tours with groups like Argent, Black Sabbath, and Savoy Brown because they were afraid to play after Kiss. Kiss's record label, Casablanca Records, had similar financial issues. By 1974, Casablanca's profits were declining, so CEO Neil Bogart decided to release a double album of audio highlights from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a show that averaged fourteen million viewers a night. Casablanca shipped 750,000 copies, but the album was an enormous failure. Distributors mailed back their free copies, and Casablanca co-founder Larry Harris said: "It hit the floor with a lifeless, echoing thud." The failure negatively affected many acts signed with Casablanca, including Kiss; the band received only a $15,000 advance for the first three albums, and had yet to receive any royalties. As a result of the breach of contract, Kiss began looking at other labels to sign with, and a lawsuit was eventually filed against Bogart. In a last-ditch effort to save the label, Bogart decided to capitalize on Kiss' onstage notoriety and have the band record a live album. Kiss's manager Bill Aucoin was receptive toward the idea, as he felt the band could finally achieve the sound they sought. He also liked the fact that a live recording would be less expensive than a studio recording. The band members also liked the idea, and within a few days, Bogart arranged the Dressed to Kill Tour. Bogart could not finance the tour, however, so Aucoin paid for the entire tour with his own money, a total of $300,000. ==Recording==

Alive! was recorded over four stops on the Dressed to Kill Tour: May 16 at Cobo Arena in Detroit; June 21 at Cleveland Music Hall in Cleveland; July 20 at RKO Orpheum Theater in Davenport; and July 23 at [Convention Hall] in Wildwood. The 78-minute double album comprises 16 songs from the band's first three albums. Producer Eddie Kramer knew that significant dubbing was needed to make the album sound good. Kiss rerecorded parts of the album at Electric Lady Studios in August. The live recordings were so heavily altered, only Criss' drum tracks remained untouched. == Music ==

Staff writers at Classic Rock Magazine wrote that the album is "bristling with gung-ho intensity and feral metal power, [and that it] it puts you right at the heart of the storm." The publication also said: "It’s like having bassist Gene Simmons stomping around your living room." ==Release==

Alive! was released on September 10, 1975. The packaging featured a gatefold sleeve, a tour program with photos, and a photo of handwritten notes from the four band members printed on the sleeve gatefold interior. The short running time of Alive! allowed for a single, unedited CD edition in that release. The remastered CD edition eliminated the breaks between the four sides of the original LP release, resulting in that version of the album playing as one continuous performance. The 72-page booklet packaged with the CD set erroneously credited songwriting for "Cold Gin" to Stanley instead of Ace Frehley. The album was reissued in 2014 on vinyl with the original artwork and sleeve. The album was reissued again in 2020 for its 45th anniversary on colored vinyl. 2025 the album was released as a box set for its 50th anniversary, which included a remastering of the original release, as well as several of the various soundboard recordings from which the album was compiled. ==Reception==

Critical Alive! received negative and mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Alan Niester of Rolling Stone judged the band's music to be "awful, criminally repetitive, thuddingly monotonous... and mildly entertaining for about ten minutes", remarking how Casablanca promoted Kiss as "new bad-boy teen idols". Village Voice critic Robert Christgau manifested "bemused curiosity" for the album and stated that, while many considered the album to be either "a de facto best-of" or "sludge", he and "the multimillion kids who are buying it don't fall into either category". ==Legacy==

In 2003, the album was ranked No. 159 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 update, and dropping to number 305 in the 2020 revision. In 2006, it was placed at No. 26 on Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time. In 2009, the same magazine placed it at No. 3 on their list of Top 10 Live Albums. "Alive! was the first album I ever bought," Soundgarden's Kim Thayil told Guitar World in 1992. "And I wasn't alone: you can hear their influence all over metal and punk." Scott Ian and Charlie Benante of Anthrax were immediate fans of the album and "loved every single song on that record." The RIAA acknowledge only 500,000 units sold in the United States, even though the album has sold over 9 million copies worldwide. The album has not been re-certified by RIAA after December 4, 1975, 3 months after it was originally released. Soundscan figures from 2007 add another 258,000 in US sales between 1991 and 2006, making it the band's fourth best selling pre-1991 album. In 2021, Classic Rock Magazine stated: "This is the album that rescued Kiss’s career – and also saved their label from going down the pan. [...] Did rock'n'roll ever sound so goddamn gigantic? Listen to the mighty 'Black Diamond' or the epic '100,000 Years' and the answer has to be: no." ==Track listing==

All credits adapted from the original releases. ==Personnel==

;Kiss • Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar • Gene Simmons – vocals, bass • Peter Criss – drums, vocals • Ace Frehley – lead guitar, backing vocals ;Additional personnel • J.R. Smalling – spoken word introduction ;Production • Eddie Kramer – producer, engineer, mixing • George Marino – remastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

{{certification Table Bottom ==References==