Hotter Than Hell
Encyclopedia
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 (along with most of Kiss' earlier albums) in a remaster
ed version. The album peaked on the charts at #100 without the benefit of a hit single.
, Kiss flew there to work with them. The band, all New Yorkers
, immediately developed a dislike for their new surroundings. Paul Stanley
's guitar was stolen on his first day in Los Angeles.
The working title for the album was The Harder They Come.
", which details a doomed romance with a 93-year-old and an underage girl, was a song written by Gene Simmons
and Stephen Coronel
during Wicked Lester
's existence. The original title was "Little Lady",
Hotter Than Hell featured far more overdubs than the first album. While Kerner and Wise wanted to produce a record that captured Kiss as a live act, they decided to take advantage of the experience the band had gained as recording artists.
Although the album featured two songs penned solely by Ace Frehley
, he did not sing lead vocals on either one of them. His lack of confidence in his singing abilities at the time led to lead vocal duties for "Parasite" and "Strange Ways" going to Simmons and Peter Criss
, respectively. Frehley's guitar solo in "Strange Ways" has been called one of his best.
ese manga
-influenced artwork, and the back cover showed individual band shots taken by Norman Seeff
at a wild party, and a composite of all four band members' makeup designs. Everyone present at the session (with the exception of Simmons) was drunk for the entire photography session. Stanley was so drunk he had to be locked in his car..
The Japanese character on the bottom of the album cover (力) is chikara, which means "power". It would later be used on various forms of Kiss material during the 1970s and 1980s, most prominently on Eric Carr
's drum kit.
The Japanese on the top-right corner of the album cover (地獄 の さけび) is jigoku no sakebi, which means "Hell's shout" or "The shout of hell".
Frehley's image on the front cover is actually airbrushed, as a side of his face was injured in a car accident and was without makeup on the afflicted area at the time of the photo shoot. Also, the Japanese characters used for Ace's name pronounces it wrong. The characters are エイス フューリ (eisu fyuuri), which would translate to "Ace Fury". The characters should have been エースフレーリー (esu fureri).
' distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records
had ended. The publicity push behind the album was not nearly what it was for the debut album. One notable exception was a television commercial aired to promote the album. The only single released from the album, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", was distributed in low numbers and failed to chart. Four months after the album was released, Kiss were pulled off tour and called back into the studio to record a follow-up. Hotter Than Hell was certified Gold on June 23, 1977.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
from hard rock band Kiss
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,...
. 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
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
in 1997 (along with most of Kiss' earlier albums) in a remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed version. The album peaked on the charts at #100 without the benefit of a hit single.
Move to Los Angeles
The production team of Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who had produced the group's first album, was chosen for the follow-up. Since the pair had relocated to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Kiss flew there to work with them. The band, all New Yorkers
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, immediately developed a dislike for their new surroundings. 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...
's guitar was stolen on his first day in Los Angeles.
The working title for the album was The Harder They Come.
The music
Musically, Hotter Than Hell is darker than the band's first album. This is partly due to the murkier production values, but also to the lyrical content of some of the songs. "Goin' BlindGoin' Blind
"Goin' Blind" is a song by Kiss written by Gene Simmons and Stephen Coronel, sometimes referred to as "Going Blind". The song originally appeared on the band's second album, 1974's Hotter Than Hell...
", which details a doomed romance with a 93-year-old and an underage girl, was a song written by 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:...
and Stephen Coronel
Stephen Coronel
Stephen Coronel Steve Coronel is a guitarist and friend of Gene Simmons since 1963. Coronel was one of the members of the band Wicked Lester.-Biography:He created the riff and chord structure of "She" and "Goin' Blind", co-authoring the songs with Simmons...
during Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester was the name of the New York-based rock and roll group that would eventually come to be known as Kiss. The band, under its original name, Rainbow, formed in 1970. The most notable original members were bassist Gene Klein, , and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen. The two would later be...
's existence. The original title was "Little Lady",
Hotter Than Hell featured far more overdubs than the first album. While Kerner and Wise wanted to produce a record that captured Kiss as a live act, they decided to take advantage of the experience the band had gained as recording artists.
Although the album featured two songs penned solely by 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...
, he did not sing lead vocals on either one of them. His lack of confidence in his singing abilities at the time led to lead vocal duties for "Parasite" and "Strange Ways" going to Simmons and Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George 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...
, respectively. Frehley's guitar solo in "Strange Ways" has been called one of his best.
Photography session
The album is also known for its striking cover: the front featured JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
-influenced artwork, and the back cover showed individual band shots taken by Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff was born March 5, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work as a photographer and filmmaker has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative process....
at a wild party, and a composite of all four band members' makeup designs. Everyone present at the session (with the exception of Simmons) was drunk for the entire photography session. Stanley was so drunk he had to be locked in his car..
The Japanese character on the bottom of the album cover (力) is chikara, which means "power". It would later be used on various forms of Kiss material during the 1970s and 1980s, most prominently on Eric Carr
Eric Carr
Paul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...
's drum kit.
The Japanese on the top-right corner of the album cover (地獄 の さけび) is jigoku no sakebi, which means "Hell's shout" or "The shout of hell".
Frehley's image on the front cover is actually airbrushed, as a side of his face was injured in a car accident and was without makeup on the afflicted area at the time of the photo shoot. Also, the Japanese characters used for Ace's name pronounces it wrong. The characters are エイス フューリ (eisu fyuuri), which would translate to "Ace Fury". The characters should have been エースフレーリー (esu fureri).
A commercial disappointment
Despite the intense touring schedule Kiss maintained in 1974, Hotter Than Hell failed to outperform the band's first album, rather than fare considerably worse. This was due partly to the fact that Casablanca RecordsCasablanca 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...
' distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
had ended. The publicity push behind the album was not nearly what it was for the debut album. One notable exception was a television commercial aired to promote the album. The only single released from the album, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", was distributed in low numbers and failed to chart. Four months after the album was released, Kiss were pulled off tour and called back into the studio to record a follow-up. Hotter Than Hell was certified Gold on June 23, 1977.
Live Performances
Many of the album's songs are live staples for the band, including "Got to Choose", "Parasite", "Hotter Than Hell", "Let Me Go, Rock & Roll", and "Watchin' You".Track listing
Cover versions
- The Smelly Tongues covered "Parasite" on Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers CompilationHard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation-Various labels:Waterfront Records DAMP-121 Southern Records DAMP-121 Records C/Z Records CZ-024 -External links:* Amazon...
. - "Parasite" was also covered by American thrash metalThrash metalThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band AnthraxAnthrax (band)Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
on Attack of the Killer B'sAttack of the Killer B's-Personnel:*Joey Belladonna - Lead vocals, Backing vocals*Dan Spitz - Lead guitar, Backing vocals*Scott Ian - Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals, Lead vocals on "Bring The Noise", "Protest and Survive", "Startin' Up A Posse", and "I'm The Man '91"*Frank Bello - Bass, Backing vocals*Charlie Benante -...
album in the early 90's. - Anthrax also covered "Watchin' You" for the 2001 remastered Stomp 442Stomp 442Stomp 442 is the name of the seventh album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released in 1995, by Elektra Records. The band and Butcher Brothers produced the album, which includes the singles, "Fueled" and "Nothing". The album debuted at #47 on the Billboard 200 charts...
. - "Goin' Blind" was covered by The MelvinsThe MelvinsThe Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
, on the 1993 release HoudiniHoudini (album)Some vinyl copies include a cover of "Rocket Reducer No. 62 ", originally by the MC5, instead of "Spread Eagle Beagle". A Japanese CD release also contains "Rocket Reducer No...
. - "Comin' Home" has been translated into Swedish and recorded on the 2009 album Kyssar & Guld by Rolf Carlsson.
- "Strange Ways" was covered by MegadethMegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, HypocrisyHypocrisyHypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
and UlverUlverUlver is a musical group from Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced black metal release entitled Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler , Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise and...
.
Personnel
- 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...
, vocals - 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....
, vocals - 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 ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals
Production
- Kenny Kerner – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Richie Wise – producer
- Warren Dewey – engineer
- Norman Seeff – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, art direction - John Van HamersveldJohn Van HamersveldJohn Van Hamersveld is an American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands, since the 1960s...
– design, art direction - Joseph M. PalmaccioJoseph M. PalmaccioJoseph M. Palmaccio is an American mastering engineer born in rural South Carolina.Palmaccio has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and has won 3 in the Best Historical Album category for mastering...
– remastering
Charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Pop Albums | 100 |
Certifications
Releases
- CasablancaCasablanca RecordsCasablanca 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...
NBLP-7006 (October 22, 1974): 1st LPGramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
issue - MercuryMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
314 532 375-2 (July 15, 1997): RemasterRemasterRemaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed CD