Álbum: Kiss
Artista: Kiss
- Fecha de lanzamiento: 18 de Febrero de 1974
- Sello Discográfico: Casablanca
- Compositores: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley
- Productores: Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise
Kiss, el álbum debut homónimo de la icónica banda neoyorquina, lanzado en 1974, es la primera salva de una de las carreras más espectaculares de la historia del rock. Este disco es una explosión de hard rock crudo, directo y con una fuerte influencia del glam rock. Aunque en su momento no fue un gran éxito comercial, el álbum contiene la semilla de todo lo que haría grande a Kiss: riffs de guitarra potentes, estribillos coreables y una actitud descarada. Prácticamente todas las canciones de este disco, como "Strutter", "Deuce" y "Black Diamond", se convertirían en pilares de su legendario espectáculo en directo, demostrando que, desde el principio, Kiss era una banda concebida para el escenario.
Contexto y Grabación
Tras formarse en Nueva York en 1973 a partir de las cenizas de la banda Wicked Lester, el cuarteto formado por Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley y Peter Criss desarrolló rápidamente una potente propuesta musical y, sobre todo, visual, con su ya icónico maquillaje y sus trajes de superhéroes. Después de ser descubiertos por el productor Bill Aucoin, firmaron con el recién creado sello Casablanca Records.
La grabación del álbum tuvo lugar en los Bell Sound Studios de Nueva York con los productores Kenny Kerner y Richie Wise. La banda intentó capturar la energía de sus conciertos, pero el resultado final, aunque potente, sonaba mucho menos pesado que sus directos. La producción ha sido a menudo criticada por ser algo plana, pero logra transmitir la urgencia y la crudeza de una banda joven y hambrienta.
Análisis Musical y Estilo
El sonido de "Kiss" es una mezcla de hard rock con la actitud melódica del glam rock de bandas como The Slade y New York Dolls. Las composiciones, lideradas por la dupla Stanley/Simmons, se basan en riffs de guitarra simples pero efectivos, solos de guitarra blueseros de Ace Frehley y una sección rítmica contundente. Las letras exploran temas de rock and roll arquetípicos: el sexo ("Nothin' to Lose"), el amor y la vida en la ciudad.
Análisis de las canciones
El álbum es prácticamente un "grandes éxitos" encubierto. Se abre con "Strutter", uno de los himnos definitivos de la banda. "Deuce" y "Cold Gin", ambas escritas por Ace Frehley, se convirtieron en clásicos instantáneos. "Firehouse", con su icónica sirena, se convirtió en el vehículo para el número de Gene Simmons escupiendo fuego en el escenario. La épica "Black Diamond", cantada por el batería Peter Criss, cierra el álbum de forma majestuosa.
El sencillo "Kissin' Time" fue una adición de última hora, una versión de una canción de Bobby Rydell que la discográfica les obligó a grabar con la esperanza de conseguir un éxito en la radio, algo que no sucedió.
Portada
La portada, inspirada en la del álbum de The Beatles "With the Beatles", muestra los cuatro rostros maquillados de la banda sobre un fondo negro. Es una de las imágenes más icónicas de la historia del rock, la presentación al mundo de los personajes que se convertirían en leyenda: "The Starchild" (Stanley), "The Demon" (Simmons), "The Spaceman" (Frehley) y "The Catman" (Criss).
Lanzamiento y Rendimiento Comercial
El álbum fue un fracaso comercial inicial, vendiendo apenas 75.000 copias en su primer año. La falta de un sencillo de éxito y la resistencia de las radios a su imagen provocadora dificultaron su difusión. No fue hasta el éxito masivo de su álbum en directo "Alive!" en 1975 que el público redescubrió este debut y sus ventas se dispararon, alcanzando finalmente la certificación de oro.
- USA Billboard 200: 87
- Canadá (RPM): 82
Recepción Crítica
La crítica inicial fue en su mayoría tibia o negativa. Sin embargo, con el tiempo, el álbum ha sido reevaluado y es considerado un clásico del hard rock y un debut muy influyente. Es la piedra angular de la discografía de Kiss y el punto de partida de un fenómeno que cambiaría la faz del rock and roll.
Listado de Canciones
- Strutter3:12
I know a thing or two about her I know she'll only make you cry She'll let you walk the streets beside her But when she wants she'll pass you by Everybody says she's lookin' good And the lady knows it's understood Strutter She wears her satins like a lady She gets her way just like a child You take her home and she says: Maybe, baby She takes you down and drives you wild Everybody says she's lookin' good And the lady knows it's understood Strutter I know a thing or two about her I know she'll only make you cry She'll let you walk the streets beside her But when she wants she'll pass you by Everybody says she's lookin' good And the lady knows it's understood Strutter Strutter Strutter - Nothin' To Lose3:29
Letra
Before I had a baby I didn't care anyway I thought about the back door I didn't know what to say But once I got a baby I, I tried every way She didn't wanna do it But she did anyway But baby please don't refuse You know you got nothin' to lose You got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose, well nothin' You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah baby You got, got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose, you g-g-g-g-got nothin' You got, got nothin' to lose, well come on mama You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah shake your You got, got You got, you got, you got nothin' to lose So now I've got a baby And we've tried every way You know she wants to do it And she does anyway But baby please don't refuse You know you got nothin' to lose You got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah baby You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah You got, got nothin' to lose, you feel so good You got, got nothin' to lose, well come on mama You got, got nothin' to lose, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch yeah You got, got nothin' to lose, well come on You got, got You got, you got you, got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose, ooh baby You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah You got, got nothin' to lose, oh you g-g-got, baby You got, got nothin' to lose, shake it honey You got, got nothin' to lose, oh you know you're a sweet thing You got, got nothin' to lose, oh really mama You got, got nothin' to lose, yeah you really can move it You got, got nothin' to lose, oh you g-g-got nothin' You got, got nothin' to lose, Yeah shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it You got, got nothin' to lose You got, got nothin' to lose You got, got - Firehouse3:19
Letra
Whoo, hoo, yeah Whoo, hoo, yeah She'll adore you and she'll floor you With her wisdom and her vision And you'll love it and think of it Till you lose all intuition Come on She can move you and improve you With her love and her devotion And she'll thrill you and she'll chill you But you're headed for commotion And you'll need her so you'll feed her With your endless dedication And the quicker you get sicker She'll remove your medication Get the firehouse 'Cause she sets my soul afire Get the firehouse And the flames keep gettin' higher She's like bad weather but it seems so good You'd never leave her but you know you should She's like bad weather but it seems so good You'd never leave her but you know you should Ooh Get the firehouse 'Cause she sets my soul afire Get the firehouse Whoo, hoo, yeah Get the firehouse Whoo, hoo, yeah - Cold Gin4:23
Letra
Whoo, alright My heater's broke and I'm so tired I need some fuel to build a fire The girl next door, her lights are out, yeah The landlord's gone, I'm down and out Ooh, it's cold gin time again You know it'll always win Cold gin time again You know it's the only thing That keeps us together, ow It's time to leave and get another quart Around the corner at the liquor store Haha, the cheapest stuff is all I need To get me back on my feet again Ooh, it's cold gin time again You know it'll always win It's cold gin time again You know it's the only thing That keeps us together, ow Whoa yeah Ooh, it's cold gin time again You know it'll always win It's cold gin time again You know it's the only thing That keeps us together, ow - Let Me Know3:01
Letra
Ah let me, let me Let me be your Sunday driver Let me be your Monday man I'll take you anywhere you want Just as fast as I can It doesn't matter what you wanna do It doesn't matter where you wanna go Just gotta decide girl and then you let me know Oh, did you ever want lovin', so you're callin' Up your baby and she's stallin' with the neighbors And the night keeps gettin' longer And the urge keeps getting stronger So you're tryin and you're dyin' and you're wonderin' does she love you? A knock comes at your door Let me in honey Let me Let me be your Tuesday taxi Let me be your Wednesday boy I'll be your lovin' man You'll be my bundle of joy And oh It doesn't matter what you wanna do It doesn't matter where you wanna go You just gotta decide girl and then you let me know - Kissin' Time3:54
Letra
Come on Charlotte Wake up San Diego, Milwaukie, Miami Put your two lips together and kiss We're kissin' in Cleveland, and Cincinnatti too Way out in Chicago, I'll tell you what to do They party all over, even in St. Lou So baby get ready and I'll be kissin' you Oh, oh, 'cause anytime is kissin' time, USA So treat me right, don't make me fight And we'll rock and roll tonight We're kissin' in Dallas And Philly's goin' wild So let's Kiss Atlanta, ho You know we'll make it smile We love the women Way down in Tennessee So baby come on now and start a-kissin' me Oh, oh, 'cause anytime is kissin' time, USA So treat me right, don't make me fight And we'll rock and roll tonight Kiss all of Seattle, LA to Baltimore You know we been kissin' in 'Frisco, so lets kiss some more Let's do it in Detroit, they all know the score So baby, oh baby, what are we waitin' for Oh, oh, 'cause anytime is kissin' time, USA So treat me right, don't make me fight And we'll rock and roll tonight Oh, oh, 'cause anytime is kissin' time, USA So treat me right, don't make me fight And we'll rock and roll tonight Oh, oh, 'cause anytime is kissin' time, USA So treat me right, don't make me fight And we'll rock and roll tonight - Deuce3:08
Get up And get your grandma outta here Pick up Old Jim is workin' hard this year And baby Do the things he says to do Baby, if you're feeling good And baby if you're feeling nice You know your man is workin' hard He's worth a deuce Honey Don't put your man behind his years And baby Stop cryin' all your tears Baby Do the things he says to do Do it Baby, if you're feeling good And baby if you're feeling nice You know your man is workin' hard He's worth a deuce And baby, if you're feeling good Yes baby if you're feeling nice You know your man is workin' hard Yeah - Love Theme From Kiss2:26
- 100,000 Years3:25
Letra
I'm sorry to have taken so long It must have been a bitch while I was gone You mind if I sit down for a while? You'll reacquaint yourself with my style Well, how could you have waited so long It must have been a bitch while I was gone All this time you put up a fear For a hundred thousand years I'm sorry to have taken so long It must have been a bitch while I was gone All this time you put up a fear For a hundred thousand years And, baby, won't you let me I think I'm goin' out of my head I'm just about to, ooh, yeah, ha I'm sorry to have taken so long It must have been a bitch while I was gone You mind if I sit down for a while, would you, babe? You'll reacquaint yourself with my style - Black Diamond5:14
Letra
Out on the street for a living Picture's only begun Got you under their thumb Hit it !!! Out on the streets for a living Picture's only begun Your day is sorrow and madness Got you under their thumb Whoo, black diamond Whoo, black diamond Darkness will fall on the city It seems to follow you too And though you don't ask for pity There's nothin' that you can do, no, no Whoo, black diamond Whoo, black diamond Out on the streets for a living Picture's only begun Your day is sorrow and madness Got you under their thumb Whoo, black diamond, yeah Whoo, black diamond