What are your favorite KISS album sides

[TAC]

Inspired by Kev's Van Halen Thread and Stadler's post on the length of the 70's KISS albums.

I only kept it to the pre Alive II original albums. I thought about Dynasty, but ultimately decided against it, even though it's one of my favorite Kiss albums.

[jammindude]

This is EXTREMELY difficult. I don’t think there’s anything here that doesn’t have something amazing on the same side as something not so amazing.

Side 1 of the debut might be the only one that is all 10s front to back. Two more is tougher but I went for side one of HTH, and side 1 of RNRO. But any one of the rest are pretty much in the same league.

[KevShmev]

[TAC]

This is EXTREMELY difficult. I don’t think there’s anything here that doesn’t have something amazing on the same side as something not so amazing.

Right, that's how I felt about the Van Halen albums.

1/24th down.

[TAC]

I went Side 1 of Love Gun and both sides of Hotter Than Hell, which is easily my favorite Kiss album. I actually love Side 2.

[King Postwhore]

Side one Hotter Than Hell
Side 1 Destroyer
Side 2 Rock N Roll Over

[DTA]

Side 1 of S/T - not a huge Firehouse fan but the rest are really solid

Side 1 of HTH - this is an amazing side aside from LMGR&R imo, side 2 is great as well aside from Mainline

Side 2 of DTK - really strong half with RARAN being the only less than great song

[Podaar]

Didn't vote. No Kevin Moore option.

[Lowdz]

Hotter Than Hell side two. My favourite album of theirs from this period.

[Stadler]

Side one Hotter Than Hell
Side 1 Destroyer
Side 2 Rock N Roll Over

My brother from another mother.   I would switch Destroyer to Side 2, but other than that... right on the mark.   

[Stadler]

Side 1 of S/T - not a huge Firehouse fan but the rest are really solid

Side 1 of HTH - this is an amazing side aside from LMGR&R imo, side 2 is great as well aside from Mainline

Side 2 of DTK - really strong half with RARAN being the only less than great song

I'm only writing this because it's turning into a pattern (someone slagged Speed Of Light by Maiden, and it's probably my favorite song on Book Of Souls), but LMGR&R is one of my top five Kiss songs.  LOVE it.   

[TAC]

LMGRnR is one of my Top 5 Kiss songs too.

Not sure I could get behind that Speed Of Light argument though.

[bl5150]

Tim's mind is wandering.


Let Me Ho!  Rock n Roll.

[Stadler]

LMGRnR is one of my Top 5 Kiss songs too.

Not sure I could get behind that Speed Of Light argument though.

Now it's albums; check out the Van Halen thread.  I'm on a fuckin' ROLL!   

[DTA]

Side 1 of S/T - not a huge Firehouse fan but the rest are really solid

Side 1 of HTH - this is an amazing side aside from LMGR&R imo, side 2 is great as well aside from Mainline

Side 2 of DTK - really strong half with RARAN being the only less than great song

I'm only writing this because it's turning into a pattern (someone slagged Speed Of Light by Maiden, and it's probably my favorite song on Book Of Souls), but LMGR&R is one of my top five Kiss songs.  LOVE it.

I know it's pretty well-loved...but it just doesn't do it for me. I'm honestly more a fan of Kiss' 1980-1987 run of albums than their 70's stuff which already puts me in the extreme minority. Speed of Light kicks ass but TBoS is full of strong songs

[King Postwhore]

Side one Hotter Than Hell
Side 1 Destroyer
Side 2 Rock N Roll Over

My brother from another mother.   I would switch Destroyer to Side 2, but other than that... right on the mark.

That would be my #4.  So damn tough compared to VH.

[TAC]

Similar to VH, each albums 4-6 best songs are split on different sides.

[Mladen]

I chose side one of Destroyer, Rock and roll over and the debut. Although I was also considering side two of Rock and roll over, that's my favorite album.

[TAC]

My issue with Side 1 of Destroyer is that I have never been a fan of God Of Thunder. Ever. And Great Expectations blows.

But the 1-2 punch of DRC and KOTNTW is amazing and almost carried the side on their own.

[Stadler]

Side 1 of S/T - not a huge Firehouse fan but the rest are really solid

Side 1 of HTH - this is an amazing side aside from LMGR&R imo, side 2 is great as well aside from Mainline

Side 2 of DTK - really strong half with RARAN being the only less than great song

I'm only writing this because it's turning into a pattern (someone slagged Speed Of Light by Maiden, and it's probably my favorite song on Book Of Souls), but LMGR&R is one of my top five Kiss songs.  LOVE it.

I know it's pretty well-loved...but it just doesn't do it for me. I'm honestly more a fan of Kiss' 1980-1987 run of albums than their 70's stuff which already puts me in the extreme minority. Speed of Light kicks ass but TBoS is full of strong songs

What's your favorite album from that period?  I just went through the process of ripping the Kissology DVDs to my hard drive, and I was surprised how good some of those early 80's songs have aged, and don't even get me started on the Simmons/Stanley/Kulick/Singer version of the band live.   Either that '92 show from the Palace at Auburn Hills (if ever re-released in a more palatable form than the shitty Alive III) or the '94 Monsters Of Rock show, are easily as good as Alive! in my opinion. 

[TAC]

The 92 tour was the best KISS tour I ever saw.

[Lowdz]

My issue with Side 1 of Destroyer is that I have never been a fan of God Of Thunder. Ever. And Great Expectations blows.

But the 1-2 punch of DRC and KOTNTW is amazing and almost carried the side on their own.

I prefer the faster version of GoT on Alive II. I don't mind GE but that opening salvo is excellent. I preferred side 2 on the whole.

[King Postwhore]

The 92 tour was the best KISS tour I ever saw.

Plus Revenge is a killer album.

[TAC]

The 92 tour was the best KISS tour I ever saw.

Plus Revenge is a killer album.

I saw the club show at Avalon before the arena tour. Fucking awesome!!!

I prefer the faster version of GoT on Alive II. I don't mind GE but that opening salvo is excellent. I preferred side 2 on the whole.

Destroyer just hasn't aged great for me. Other than DRC and KOTNTW. I still like Flaming Youth.

[Lowdz]

Similar to VH, each albums 4-6 best songs are split on different sides.

As a huge KISS fan I'm a deep cuts guy so I'd agree with this.
When I realised I could add the other two choices I missed I went with both sides of Love Gun. It's my second favourite album.

Are we going to do the other albums at some point?

[DTA]

Side 1 of S/T - not a huge Firehouse fan but the rest are really solid

Side 1 of HTH - this is an amazing side aside from LMGR&R imo, side 2 is great as well aside from Mainline

Side 2 of DTK - really strong half with RARAN being the only less than great song

I'm only writing this because it's turning into a pattern (someone slagged Speed Of Light by Maiden, and it's probably my favorite song on Book Of Souls), but LMGR&R is one of my top five Kiss songs.  LOVE it.

I know it's pretty well-loved...but it just doesn't do it for me. I'm honestly more a fan of Kiss' 1980-1987 run of albums than their 70's stuff which already puts me in the extreme minority. Speed of Light kicks ass but TBoS is full of strong songs

What's your favorite album from that period?  I just went through the process of ripping the Kissology DVDs to my hard drive, and I was surprised how good some of those early 80's songs have aged, and don't even get me started on the Simmons/Stanley/Kulick/Singer version of the band live.   Either that '92 show from the Palace at Auburn Hills (if ever re-released in a more palatable form than the shitty Alive III) or the '94 Monsters Of Rock show, are easily as good as Alive! in my opinion.

It's probably a tie between Unmasked and Asylum, with Creatures right behind. Ace's best material was on Unmasked and his songs are usually the highlights for me. Asylum is just awesome 80's glam metal, with two of my favorite Kiss songs in Who Wants To Be Lonely and Radar For Love. Creatures is self-explanatory...just great music with lots of strong Gene tracks. I'm a relative newcomer to Kiss and haven't really heard much live stuff, but it's always bugged me how little of the 80's stuff was played live at the time and afterwards.

[TAC]

So I thought Ace's contributions to Unmasked sucked. Sucked hard. Now if we're talking Dynasty, then Ace rules.

Glad to see Asylum mentioned. Underrated album.

[Lowdz]

So I thought Ace's contributions to Unmasked sucked. Sucked hard. Now if we're talking Dynasty, then Ace rules.

Glad to see Asylum mentioned. Underrated album.

Nah, Ace on Unmasked was great, like on Dynasty. He was on a roll at that time.

[DTA]

So I thought Ace's contributions to Unmasked sucked. Sucked hard. Now if we're talking Dynasty, then Ace rules.

Glad to see Asylum mentioned. Underrated album.

Ace rules on Dynasty also. But Talk To Me, Two Sides, and Torpedo are his top 3 songs for me

[cfmoran13]

Side 1 - Hotter Than Hell - solid beginning to end
Side 1 - Dressed To Kill - has one of the most underrated Peter vocals of all-time
Side 2 - Dressed To Kill - RaRAN is the only weak link on this side

[Stadler]

So I thought Ace's contributions to Unmasked sucked. Sucked hard. Now if we're talking Dynasty, then Ace rules.

Glad to see Asylum mentioned. Underrated album.

Ace rules on Dynasty also. But Talk To Me, Two Sides, and Torpedo are his top 3 songs for me

Other than that intro - ugh - and some of the lyrics (but... Kiss!), I love Torpedo Girl.   That chorus sticks in my head for days. I'm a big fan of Unmasked anyway; I really dig the Gene songs.  The only song I don't like is Shandi, in the mix for my least favorite Kiss song ever along with Hooligan (won't go to school again). 

I used to make cassettes of just Gene, just Paul, and just Ace songs, and the "just Ace" were always played a little bit more often (though I snuck Cold Gin and Parasite on there, even though he didn't sing them). 

[Stadler]

The 92 tour was the best KISS tour I ever saw.

Plus Revenge is a killer album.

I saw the club show at Avalon before the arena tour. Fucking awesome!!!

I rarely get jealous over that sort of thing - time and place and all that - but that one, that one galls me.  I was single then, I was living in an apartment, I wasn't in law school yet... there's no excuse, literally no excuse, for me not seeing that show (or the one at the Ritz). 

[EPICVIEW]

Love this,,,, and SIde 1 Dressed to Kill

[Lowdz]

So I thought Ace's contributions to Unmasked sucked. Sucked hard. Now if we're talking Dynasty, then Ace rules.

Glad to see Asylum mentioned. Underrated album.

Ace rules on Dynasty also. But Talk To Me, Two Sides, and Torpedo are his top 3 songs for me

Other than that intro - ugh - and some of the lyrics (but... Kiss!), I love Torpedo Girl.   That chorus sticks in my head for days. I'm a big fan of Unmasked anyway; I really dig the Gene songs.  The only song I don't like is Shandi, in the mix for my least favorite Kiss song ever along with Hooligan (won't go to school again). 

I used to make cassettes of just Gene, just Paul, and just Ace songs, and the "just Ace" were always played a little bit more often (though I snuck Cold Gin and Parasite on there, even though he didn't sing them).

Unmasked was my first non live KISS album and still probably my favourite. But I love Shandi.

[TAC]

I really don't think Unmasked is very good.

I do think Tomorrow is one of my all time favorite Kiss songs. And Naked City might is a Top 5 Gene song for me, and I generally don't care for his stuff.
Easy As It Seems is also pretty um..easy on the ears. And Shandi is fine.

But other than that, I can't say there's much I care for, and I think Ace's tracks are especially weak.