Love Gun

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For the eponymous song, see Love Gun (song).
Love Gun
Love gun cover.jpg
Studio album by Kiss
Released June 30, 1977
Recorded May 1977 at Record Plant Studios, New York City
Genre Hard rock
Length 32:53
Language English
Label Casablanca
Producer Kiss, Eddie Kramer
Kiss chronology
Rock and Roll Over
(1976)Rock and Roll Over1976		 Love Gun
(1977)		 Alive II
(1977)
Singles from Love Gun
  1. "Christine Sixteen"
    Released: June 1, 1977
  2. "Love Gun"
    Released: July 31, 1977

Alive II1977
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
Blender 4.5/5 stars[2]
Pitchfork Media (9.2/10)[3]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[4]

Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1977.[5] The album was remastered in 1997. It is notable for being their first album to feature a lead vocal performance from Ace Frehley, making it the first Kiss album to feature lead vocal performances from all four band members. It was also the last studio album to feature Peter Criss on every song, as he was replaced by session drummer Anton Fig for all but one song on 1979's Dynasty.[6]

Album information

A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album,[7] along with a Kiss merchandise order form.[8] Before Love Gun was completed, a Gallup poll indicated that Kiss was the most popular band in the United States, beating Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles. On August 26, 27, and 28 1977, Kiss recorded three shows at the LA Forum for their next release, the live album Alive II.

The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly,[9] who previously contributed the cover for 1976's Destroyer.

Reception

Love Gun was certified platinum on June 30, 1977.

Reissues

Love Gun was remastered and reissued in 1997 as part of the Kiss Remasters series. It was remastered and reissued again in a deluxe edition on October 28, 2014, with a second disc containing demos and live rarities as well as a 1977 interview with Gene Simmons.

Songs

"I Stole Your Love"

Written by Paul Stanley, "I Stole Your Love" is in the same vein as songs like "Makin' Love" and "C'mon and Love Me". Stanley has said that this song was influenced by Deep Purple's "Burn".[10]

"Christine Sixteen"

Then-unknown guitarist Eddie and drummer Alex Van Halen played on the demo of this song, as well as "Got Love for Sale".[11] The lyrics have a similar theme to "Goin' Blind" from Hotter Than Hell; both songs involve older men falling in love with younger girls.

"Shock Me"

The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss' Rock and Roll Over tour, when Ace Frehley suffered an electric shock. On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida. During the opening number, Frehley touched a metal staircase railing, which was ungrounded. He was knocked to the ground, and the concert was delayed for 30 minutes. The show was eventually completed, and he claimed to have lost feeling in his hand for the remainder of the concert.[12]

This was the first lead vocal that Frehley recorded. In his autobiography, he stated that he originally intended for Simmons to sing the song, but the bassist encouraged Frehley to try it himself. Frehley laid down in the studio while singing, claiming that it improved his vocals and helped him reach the correct pitch.

"Tomorrow and Tonight"

The song was written to try to recapture the feeling of "Rock and Roll All Nite", but never reached the success of the original.[citation needed] A soundcheck recording of the song appears on Alive II.

"Love Gun"

The title song has been played on every Kiss tour since its release. Stanley has cited it as one of his favorite Kiss songs. It was the first song that Stanley wrote, arranged and produced in its entirety.[13]

"Plaster Caster"

The song was inspired by Cynthia Plaster Caster, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians,[14] such as Jimi Hendrix, as well as breasts of female musicians.[15]

"Then She Kissed Me"

The song is one of several gender-reversed covers of The Crystals' 1963 single "Then He Kissed Me".[16]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. "I Stole Your Love"   Paul Stanley Stanley 3:04
2. "Christine Sixteen"   Gene Simmons Simmons 3:14
3. "Got Love for Sale"   Simmons Simmons 3:29
4. "Shock Me"   Ace Frehley Frehley 3:49
5. "Tomorrow and Tonight"   Stanley Stanley 3:40
6. "Love Gun"   Stanley Stanley 3:18
7. "Hooligan"   Peter Criss, Stan Penridge Criss 3:01
8. "Almost Human"   Simmons Simmons 2:49
9. "Plaster Caster"   Simmons Simmons 3:27
10. "Then She Kissed Me"   Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector Stanley 3:02

Personnel

Additional Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1977) Peak
position		 Weeks
on chart
Australian Albums Chart[17] 13
Canadian Albums Chart[18] 3
German Albums Chart[19] 18
Swedish Albums Chart[19] 6
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 8
US Billboard Pop Albums[20] 4 25

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Love Gun at AllMusic
  2. ↑ [1][dead link]
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ http://www.kissonline.com/news/article/id/39759
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Gooch, Curt and Jeff Suhs. KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History, Billboard Books, 2002. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5
  13. ↑ Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0-446-53073-5
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=KISS&titel=Love+Gun&cat=a
  20. ↑ "Kiss Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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