Love Gun
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''Love Gun'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
and became the band's first top 5 album on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album was remastered in 1997 and again in 2014.


Overview

''Love Gun'' is the first Kiss studio album to feature a lead vocal performance from Ace Frehley, thus making it the first to feature lead vocal performances from all four band members. Before ''Love Gun'' was completed, a Gallup poll indicated that Kiss was the most popular band in the United States, beating
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
and the
Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
. On August 26, 27 and 28, 1977, Kiss recorded three shows at the LA Forum for their next release, their second live album ''
Alive II ''Alive II'' is the second live album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 14, 1977, by Casablanca Records. The band had released three albums (''Destroyer'', '' Rock and Roll Over'', and '' Love Gun'') since the previous live ...
''. The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, who had previously contributed the cover for 1976's ''
Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
''. A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album, along with a Kiss merchandise order form.


Recording

According to the diary of album engineer Corky Stasiak,
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
entered the
Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...
to begin recording Love Gun on May 3, 1977 and completed it on May 28th, with their cover of “Then She Kissed Me” being the last song cut. He also notes that Ace didn’t join the others until May 9 and that many of the basic tracks were completed by Paul, Gene and Peter. Producer
Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, L ...
notes that, in addition to Ace lying on his back to sing “Shock Me,” he recalls recording Peter’s drums in a hallway and that while Gene is often quoted as playing the piano on “Christine Sixteen” himself, Kramer claims HE played the piano on the song, with Gene standing over him, coaching him to “play like a neanderthal.” Eddie and
Alex Van Halen Alexander Arthur Van Halen ( , ; born May 8, 1953) is an American musician who was the drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, which was formed in 1972 by Van Halen and his younger brother Eddie Van Halen, Eddie under the name "Ma ...
played on the demo of “Christine Sixteen” and Simmons insisted the band replicate the song note for note, including the lead solo.


Songs

"I Stole Your Love" Stanley has said the song "came quickly. It was influenced in some ways by the
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
song '
Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
'.” " Christine Sixteen" Then-unknown guitarist
Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...
and drummer
Alex Van Halen Alexander Arthur Van Halen ( , ; born May 8, 1953) is an American musician who was the drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, which was formed in 1972 by Van Halen and his younger brother Eddie Van Halen, Eddie under the name "Ma ...
played on the demo of this song, as well as "Got Love for Sale". The lyrics have a similar theme to " Goin' Blind" from '' Hotter than Hell''; both songs involve older men lusting after
underage In law, a minor is someone under a certain age, usually the age of majority, which demarcates an underage individual from legal adulthood. The age of majority depends upon jurisdiction and application, but it is commonly 18. ''Minor'' may also ...
girls. It was sampled by Tone Loc on " Funky Cold Medina". " Shock Me" The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss's '' Rock and Roll Over'' tour when Frehley suffered an
electric shock An electrical injury (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current. The injury depends on the Current density, density of the current, tissu ...
. On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center in
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...
. During the opening song, Frehley touched an ungrounded metal staircase railing. He was knocked backward, and the concert was delayed for 30 minutes. The show was eventually completed, and Frehley lost feeling in his hand for the remainder of the concert. This was the first lead vocal that Frehley recorded. In his autobiography, he states that he originally intended for
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
to sing the song, but the bassist encouraged Frehley to try it himself. Frehley recorded his lead vocal part while lying on the floor of the studio because he liked the added pressure on his chest. "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 aforementioned hit. A soundcheck recording of the song appears on ''
Alive II ''Alive II'' is the second live album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 14, 1977, by Casablanca Records. The band had released three albums (''Destroyer'', '' Rock and Roll Over'', and '' Love Gun'') since the previous live ...
''. The song was never played live by the band until Kiss Kruise VII in November 2017. " Love Gun" The title song has been played on every Kiss tour since its release. Stanley has cited it as the Kiss song he is the proudest of writing. It was the first song that he wrote, arranged, and produced in its entirety. The song shares many of its lyrics with " The Hunter", written by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and originally recorded by
Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...
in 1967. In his autobiography ''Face the Music'', Stanley acknowledges the derivation: "I stole the idea of a 'love gun' from Albert King's version of 'The Hunter'." Both
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
(as part of "How Many More Times") and Free, two big influences on Paul, recorded the song on their first albums in 1968. "Plaster Caster" The song was inspired by
Cynthia Plaster Caster Cynthia Dorothy Albritton (May 24, 1947 – April 21, 2022), better known by the pseudonym Cynthia Plaster Caster, was an American visual artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who gained fame for creating plaster casts of celebrities' ...
, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians, such as
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
. "Then She Kissed Me" The track is one of several gender-reversed covers of the Crystals' 1963 single " Then He Kissed Me".


Reissues

''Love Gun'' was reissued for the first time in 1985. The reissue included the original artwork, and while it featured a plain sleeve the jacket still contained a reference for the original color sleeve. The first 10,000 pressings contained label errors: specifically, the third track of the 'A' side was listed as "Plaster Caster" but played as "Got Love for Sale", and the 'B' side track listings were completely out of order. ''Love Gun'' was remastered and reissued in 1997 as part of the Kiss Remasters series. It was remastered and reissued in a deluxe edition on October 28, 2014, with
sleeve notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the progra ...
by
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...
's Joe Elliott and a second disc containing demos, live rarities, and a 1977 interview with Gene Simmons. All tracks on the second disc were previously unreleased, bar the demo of "Reputation", which had appeared on the compilation '' Kiss 40'' a few months earlier. The three live tracks were recorded at the Capital Center in
Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...
on December 20, 1977. "The potential for this to be the greatest deluxe edition of all time," noted music writer Geoff Barton, "is ruined by a too-clean remastering job – plus, if truth be told, a track that has dated badly in 'Christine Sixteen'."


Track listings

All credits adapted from the original release.


Personnel

;Kiss *
Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
, first
guitar solo A guitar solo is a melody, melodic passage, instrumental section (music), section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, classical, electric guitar, electric, or acoustic guitar. In 20th and ...
on "I Stole Your Love", bass on "Love Gun" *
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
– vocals,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
; rhythm guitar on "Christine Sixteen" and "Got Love for Sale" * Peter Criss
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
, vocals * Ace Frehley
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, vocals; all guitars and bass on "Shock Me" ;Additional personnel *
Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, L ...
keyboards on "I Stole Your Love", "Christine Sixteen", "Love Gun" * Tasha Thomas, Ray Simpson, and Hilda Harris −
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
on "Tomorrow and Tonight" ;Production *
Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, L ...
producer,
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
* Corky Stasiak – engineer * Dennis Woloch – design * Ken Kelly – cover art * David Spindel –
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...


Charts


Certifications


References


External links

* {{Authority control Kiss (band) albums 1977 albums Albums produced by Eddie Kramer Albums recorded at Record Plant (New York City) Casablanca Records albums Albums with cover art by Ken Kelly (artist)