The Originals was issued by Casablanca Records in 1976 to ca$h in on the massive and mind-blowing success of the KISS _Alive!_ double-LP set. With the release of _The Originals_, KISS established a precedent for re-packaging and re-issuing anything stamped with the big, bold KISS logo for years to come. The ca$h registers keep ringing... and that is music to the ears of batwinged bassist Gene Simmons and star-child Paul Stanley.
The limited edition release of _The Originals_, which features the grease paint group's first three studio LP's (_KISS_, _Hotter Than Hell_, and _Dressed to Kill_), was issued in a gatefold sleeve. The inclusion of a 16-page booklet, that traces the history of KISS, is loaded with photos. In addition, the compilation included six "wallet size" full color KISS rock superstar cards and a large KISS Army pressure-sensitive sticker.
As the promotional advertisement for _The Originals_ stated, "The ultimate KISS record package for the dedicated KISS fan". In other words, your card-carrying KISS Army member was armed and ready with _The Originals_.
KISS (1974)
"What they is need is a gimmick."
-Alice Cooper
And along came a rock group from the "Big Apple" under the cute name of KISS... little did we know that the wild world of rock 'n' roll would soon be taken over by smoke bombs, fire-breathing mayhem, fake blood and grease paint, not to mention a barrage of hard hitting rock tracks from four previously unknown New Yorkers. While Alice Cooper initiated the shock-rock stage show, KISS built on it and took it all over the world. Welcome to the hype machine known as KISS, featuring a cat, a bat, the space ranger from Jandell, and a star-gazed love child.
Formed in the early seventies, KISS performed relentlessly in an effort to perfect their intense stage show. Between concert dates, the group managed to pen several hot cuts that are included on their riff-heavy, self-titled debut album. Armed with the likes of "Cold Gin", "Black Diamond", "Strutter", "Duece", and "Firehouse", KISS' raw recording from '74 is a loud 'n' proud debut effort. More than anything, the tracks were built for the live environment, where KISS pumped new life into the songs.
This was just the start for Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter. Who would have guessed that in just a few years time, following the release of their first LP, the group would become larger-than-life? With an immense world-wide fan base known as the KISS Army buying anything and everything sporting the colorful KISS logo, major marketing behind the group became a massive non-stop campaign. KISS lunch boxes, pinball machines, comic books, posters and dolls followed. As the KISS empire grew, the stage show and over-the-top theatrics took off exponentially. This was before the days of MTV and daily band updates. Unlike the mighty Led Zeppelin, who shunned the media, while their cold-hearted manager, Peter Grant, carefully weighed every move the band made, KISS were rock 'n' roll whores, who were pushed into the public eye on a non-stop basis. The strategy paid off as KISS eventually took the world by storm.
The _KISS_ disc takes us back to the wild ride known as the seventies, before MTV ruined the scene, and rock 'n' roll was cheap entertainment. Anything went down along the way... just ask the surviving groupies.
Hotter Than Hell (1974)
The second KISS LP from 1974, _Hotter Than Hell_, finds the group struggling to gain ground, while taking on legendary status in their own mind. Still a cult phenomenon, the grease paint gang shipped an album that packs on several tracks that would remain concert staples for years to come. The sophomore effort from Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace holds it's own with "Got to Choose", "Parasite", Goin' Blind", "Let Me Go Rock 'n' Roll", "Watchin' You", "Mainline", and the kick ass title track.
Dressed to Kill (1975)
After pushing out their first two albums in 1974, the greased KISS machine was ready for major business in '75. The group's third studio effort, _Dressed to Kill_, is loaded down with more straight shootin' sex 'n' roll. Sticking to a simple cock-rock formula, the songs are short and focused, as the boys in grease paint deal out the likes of "Room Service", "Getaway", "Rock Bottom", "C'mon and Love Me", "She", "Love Her All I Can", and of course the group's flagship track and wild party anthem, "Rock and Roll All Nite", which closes out the _Dressed to Kill_ LP.
KISS was now armed and ready for world domination. Many of the tracks carried over well to the live side and are included on the legendary _Alive_ set, which helped KISS achieve international fame and fortune. The rest of the story is KISS-tory...
The Originals Track listing
Record I - Kiss
A1. "Strutter" (3:10) - Stanley/Simmons
A2. "Nothin' to Lose" (3:26) - Simmons
A3. "Firehouse" (3:18) - Stanley
A4. "Cold Gin" (4:21) - Frehley
A5. "Let Me Know" (2:58) - Stanley
B1. "Kissin' Time" (3:52) - Mann/Lowe
B2. "Deuce" (3:05) - Simmons
B3. "Love Theme From Kiss" (2:24) - Stanley/Simmons/Frehley/Criss
B4. "100,000 Years" (3:22) - Stanley/Simmons
B5. "Black Diamond" (5:11) - Stanley
Record II - Hotter than Hell
A1. "Got to Choose" (3:52) - Stanley
A2. "Parasite" (3:01) - Frehley
A3. "Goin' Blind" (3:34) - Simmons/Coronel
A4. "Hotter Than Hell" (3:30) - Stanley
A5. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" (2:16) - Stanley/Simmons
B1. "All the Way" (3:17) - Simmons
B2. "Watchin' You" (3:45) - Simmons
B3. "Mainline" (3:50) - Stanley
B4. "Comin' Home" (2:37) - Stanley/Frehley
B5. "Strange Ways" (3:17) - Frehley
Record III - Dressed to Kill
A1. "Room Service" (2:59) - Stanley
A2. "Two Timer" (2:48) - Simmons
A3. "Ladies in Waiting" (2:32) - Simmons
A4. "Getaway" (2:44) - Frehley
A5. "Rock Bottom" (3:55) - (Intro: Frehley) Stanley
B1. "C'mon and Love Me" (2:59) - Stanley
B2. "Anything for My Baby" (2:34) - Stanley
B3. "She" (4:08) - Simmons/Coronel
B4. "Love Her All I Can" (2:41) - Stanley
B5. "Rock and Roll All Nite" (2:49) - Stanley/Simmons