Alive!
Encyclopedia
Alive! is Kiss
' fourth album and is considered their breakthrough, as well as a landmark for live album
s. Released on September 10, 1975, the double-disc set contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell
, and Dressed to Kill
. The record was recorded from concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Wildwood, New Jersey; Cleveland, Ohio; and Davenport, Iowa.
's American Express
card
. Complicating matters was the fact that their label, Neil Bogart
's Casablanca Records
, was having financial difficulties of its own stemming from a major misstep: the label had released a double album of Johnny Carson
monologues earlier in the year. However, the album was a flop, but Casablanca Records had pressed millions of copies in anticipation of it being a strong seller. Casablanca, however, did think a Kiss live album would be a respectable seller. The album outperformed expectations as it was certified gold, becoming both Kiss' and Casablanca's first top ten album.
Years later, Paul Stanley
and Gene Simmons
recounted that in the weeks after the release, they saw a significant increase in concert attendance. In the documentary Kiss: X-treme Close Up
, Stanley remembers that at one particular show in Dayton
, Ohio
, "the place was packed; I mean you couldn't have gotten another person in with a shoehorn".
. Simmons states in his autobiography
Kiss and Make-Up
that very little corrective work was done in the studio and that most of the studio time was devoted strictly to mixing down the multi-track recordings
. He also emphasized that Kiss could not have done extensive overdubbing even if they had wanted to; thanks in no small part to the Johnny Carson album fiasco, the extremely meager budget allotted to the band simply would not allow it.
The original recordings from the July 23, 1975 concert at the Wildwood Convention Center, "Deuce
", "Hotter Than Hell", "Firehouse", and "Black Diamond", along with the June 21, 1975 Cleveland Music Hall Concert, "Rock and Roll All Nite
", have shown there was very little overdubbing used for the Alive album. These recordings can be seen on YouTube
.
According to Dale Sherman's book Black Diamond and Goldmine magazine
, in the early 1990s, Eddie Kramer
stated there were a few overdubs to correct the most obvious mistakes: strings breaking or off-key
notes, for instance. However, in recent years, Kramer has stated that the only original live recording on the album is Ace Frehley
's guitar.
Stanley has noted that there's a bass mistake in the choruses of "C'mon and Love Me
". He's also made comments that even though there have been live albums recorded later that make Alive! sound like it was recorded in a washroom, he has no qualms about it.
Alive! was re-released in 2006 as part of the Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 box set (also featuring Alive II
, Alive III
and Alive! The Millennium Concert). The short running-time of Alive! allowed for a single, unedited CD edition in this latest release. This remastered CD edition eliminates the breaks between the four sides of the original LP release, resulting in this version of the album playing as one continuous performance. The 72-page booklet that comes with the CD set erroneously credits songwriting for "Cold Gin
" to Stanley instead of Frehley.
rated the album a B-, stating that he and "the multimillion kids who are buying it" "fall into neither category" of those who regard the album "as a de facto best-of" and "those who regard it as the sludge." In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, the album was rated four out of five stars. It was called "a nonstop Kiss-krieg of two-note guitar motifs, fake-sounding audience noise, and inspirational chitchat", but it was then restated as the next best thing to being there, clearly. Jason Josephes of Pitchfork Media rated it 10 out of 10 points, said that "the album may seem like a joke, mainly because it contains every arena rock cliche in the book", but called it "total sonic proof of Kiss climbing their apex".
with
Singles - Billboard (United States)
Singles - Billboard (Austria)
Singles - Billboard (Canada)
International album charts
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
' fourth album and is considered their breakthrough, as well as a landmark for live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s. Released on September 10, 1975, the double-disc set contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell is the second studio album from hard rock band Kiss. It was released on October 22, 1974 and was certified Gold on June 23, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version...
, and Dressed to Kill
Dressed to Kill (album)
Dressed to Kill is the third studio album from American hard rock band Kiss. It is unique for having been produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart, as the financial situation of the label at the time did not allow the hiring of a professional producer."C'mon and Love Me" and "Rock and...
. The record was recorded from concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Wildwood, New Jersey; Cleveland, Ohio; and Davenport, Iowa.
Uncertainty and risk
Despite Kiss' reputation as a live act, which emphasized theatrics as much as it did the music, their notoriety did not translate to increased record sales. Kiss was essentially surviving on then-manager Bill AucoinBill Aucoin
William "Bill" Aucoin was an American band manager, well-known for his work with the rock band Kiss.-Biography:...
's American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
. Complicating matters was the fact that their label, Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart was an American record executive. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Casablanca Records, with Peter Guber....
's Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
, was having financial difficulties of its own stemming from a major misstep: the label had released a double album of Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
monologues earlier in the year. However, the album was a flop, but Casablanca Records had pressed millions of copies in anticipation of it being a strong seller. Casablanca, however, did think a Kiss live album would be a respectable seller. The album outperformed expectations as it was certified gold, becoming both Kiss' and Casablanca's first top ten album.
Years later, Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
and Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
recounted that in the weeks after the release, they saw a significant increase in concert attendance. In the documentary Kiss: X-treme Close Up
X-treme Close-Up
X-treme Close Up features the history, facts and stories of American hard rock band Kiss up to then. The video features vintage concert footage, interviews and videos from the early beginnings to the early 1990s...
, Stanley remembers that at one particular show in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, "the place was packed; I mean you couldn't have gotten another person in with a shoehorn".
Overdubbing controversy
There has been considerable debate as to how much use was made of studio overdubsOverdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
. Simmons states in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Kiss and Make-Up
Kiss and Make-Up
Kiss and Make-Up is a 1934 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant as a doctor who specializes in making women beautiful. Helen Mack and Genevieve Tobin play his romantic entanglements. The film was based on the play Kozmetika by István Békeffi. All of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1934 were cast in...
that very little corrective work was done in the studio and that most of the studio time was devoted strictly to mixing down the multi-track recordings
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
. He also emphasized that Kiss could not have done extensive overdubbing even if they had wanted to; thanks in no small part to the Johnny Carson album fiasco, the extremely meager budget allotted to the band simply would not allow it.
The original recordings from the July 23, 1975 concert at the Wildwood Convention Center, "Deuce
Deuce (song)
"Deuce" is a song written by Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons that first appeared on Kiss' eponymous 1974 debut album. In addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, "Deuce" is a traditional concert opener...
", "Hotter Than Hell", "Firehouse", and "Black Diamond", along with the June 21, 1975 Cleveland Music Hall Concert, "Rock and Roll All Nite
Rock and Roll All Nite
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway." The studio version of the song peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous...
", have shown there was very little overdubbing used for the Alive album. These recordings can be seen on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
According to Dale Sherman's book Black Diamond and Goldmine magazine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
, in the early 1990s, Eddie Kramer
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
stated there were a few overdubs to correct the most obvious mistakes: strings breaking or off-key
Off-key
Off-key is a term often used to denote musical content that is not at the expected frequency or pitch period, either with respect to some absolute reference frequency, or in a ratiometric sense Off-key is a term often used to denote musical content that is not at the expected frequency or pitch...
notes, for instance. However, in recent years, Kramer has stated that the only original live recording on the album is Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
's guitar.
Stanley has noted that there's a bass mistake in the choruses of "C'mon and Love Me
C'mon and Love Me
"C'mon and Love Me" is a single by rock band Kiss from their 3rd album Dressed to Kill. Written by Paul Stanley, a live version exists on Alive!. Paul was inspired by a Moody Blues song, "Question" when writing the song which had been done under an hour...
". He's also made comments that even though there have been live albums recorded later that make Alive! sound like it was recorded in a washroom, he has no qualms about it.
Re-release
Alive! was first issued as a 2CD set in what has now become known as a 'fatboy' 2CD case. When the Kiss back-catalogue was remastered it was housed in a slimline 2CD case and, in keeping with the rest of the reissue program, had the artwork restored.Alive! was re-released in 2006 as part of the Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 box set (also featuring Alive II
Alive II
Alive II is a 1977 live album from Kiss. It is the group's eighth album and second live album.-The songs:The origins of Alive II go back to early 1977 when the band's manager, Bill Aucoin, had the idea to have Eddie Kramer record a live album during the evening show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on...
, Alive III
Alive III
"Take It Off" originally was a bonus track on the Japanese, European and South American CD releases and the US vinyl release only, being placed between "Forever" and "I Love It Loud"...
and Alive! The Millennium Concert). The short running-time of Alive! allowed for a single, unedited CD edition in this latest release. This remastered CD edition eliminates the breaks between the four sides of the original LP release, resulting in this version of the album playing as one continuous performance. The 72-page booklet that comes with the CD set erroneously credits songwriting for "Cold Gin
Cold Gin (song)
Cold Gin is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss. The song was written by the bands' lead guitarist Ace Frehley and is featured on the band's eponymous debut album. The song has gained a status of a Kiss classic song, and is featured on many compilations released by the band...
" to Stanley instead of Frehley.
Reception
Alive! has received generally positive reviews. Greg Prato of Allmusic rated the album four-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated that "the band's youthful energy is contagious" and that the album contains "positively electric versions of their best early material", "although there's been some speculation of extensive overdubbing to correct mistakes". Erik Rupp, an administrator at Vista Records, rated Alive! five out of five stars. He stated that the album "never lets up" and that "KISS sounds like a freight train roaring down the tracks at top speed." Robert ChristgauRobert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
rated the album a B-, stating that he and "the multimillion kids who are buying it" "fall into neither category" of those who regard the album "as a de facto best-of" and "those who regard it as the sludge." In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, the album was rated four out of five stars. It was called "a nonstop Kiss-krieg of two-note guitar motifs, fake-sounding audience noise, and inspirational chitchat", but it was then restated as the next best thing to being there, clearly. Jason Josephes of Pitchfork Media rated it 10 out of 10 points, said that "the album may seem like a joke, mainly because it contains every arena rock cliche in the book", but called it "total sonic proof of Kiss climbing their apex".
Legacy
- In 2006, the album was placed No. 26 on Guitar WorldGuitar WorldGuitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time. - It peaked at #9 on the album charts. The album charted for 110 weeks, by far the longest in the band's history.
- In 2003, the album was ranked number 159 on Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. - In 2009, the album was placed No. 3 on Guitar WorldGuitar WorldGuitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine's list of Top 10 Live Albums.
Track listing
Credits
- Paul StanleyPaul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Gene SimmonsGene SimmonsGene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Ace FrehleyAce FrehleyPaul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Peter CrissPeter CrissGeorge Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
with
- Junior Smalling - Introduction
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop albums | 9 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (live) | Pop singles | 12 |
Singles - Billboard (Austria)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (live) | Pop Singles | 18 |
Singles - Billboard (Canada)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (live) | Pop singles | 12 |
International album charts
| Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S.A. | 9 |
| Austria | 13 |
| Canada | 3 |
| Japan | 56 |
| Norway | 31 |
| Sweden | 22 |
| U.K. | 49 |