Rock Warrior – Kiss

This month’s pick

When it was released, on February 18, 1974, Kiss had been a band for little more than one year. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and/or Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band, Wicked Lester. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has stated it took just thirteen days.

Kiss sold approximately 75,000 copies after its initial release, without the presence of a hit single. It was certified Gold on June 8, 1977, having sold 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 (along with most of Kiss’ earlier albums) in a remastered version. The songs, “Strutter”, “Nothin’ to Lose”, “Deuce”, “Cold Gin”, “Black Diamond”, and “100,000 Years” have remained staples of the band’s shows throughout the years.

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