Top Twenty
(sorry Kiss was too much for us to just come up with a top ten, it had to be a top twenty)
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Kip:​
(All songs with * are the live version)
20. Calling Dr Love - Cool riff and solo. A character defining song for Gene. I can literally see myself beaming upon hearing this for the first time. From my favorite era of the band.
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19. Rock Bottom* - Live version just rocks. Cool groove to this song. I consider side 4 of Alive to be one of the greatest side of an album ever. Just exploded out of the speakers.
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18. Tonight You Belong To Me - Majestic album opener off Paul's solo album. His guitar sound on this album is just epic. When that beautiful acoustic piece goes into the riff...just magic.
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17. Parasite* - One of Ace's best songs. Most metal guitarists favorite Kiss song. Probably the first really hard rock (almost metal) song Kiss recorded. Should have been Ace's first vocal.
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16. I Want You - One of Paul's best album openers. Acoustic intro into a smoking groove. Another song that I can “see” the first listen, as I repeated it so many times, my patient mother finally yelled down, “enough!!”
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15. Rip it Out - Ace's best song. Should have been the opener on the next Kiss album. As much as I wish it had been on a Kiss album, I fear it would diminish greatly without Anton Fig's drumming. The riff is somewhat a combo of “China Grove” and “Fool for the City.”
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14. Strutter* - Suffers a bit from ear fatigue, but Kiss' statement of purpose song. The live version just absolutely smokes. The energy is palpable. With “Deuce,” one of the best one/two punches to ever open an album.*
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13. Hotter Than Hell - Paul's attempt to rewrite “All Right Now.”This song was initially my favorite Kiss song, as Paul's outro riff leading into Ace's leads elicited an audible, “oh hell yeah!”
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12. Watchin' You* - One of Gene's early best writes-weird lyrics up there with “Deuce.” Hard to imagine now, as we know SO much about Kiss, but before I knew the difference between a Paul song and a Gene song, I KNEW this was all Gene. One of his earliest “evil” songs.
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11. Black Diamond* - Kiss' contribution to 70's epics. Probably there most “mature” song.Weird in hindsight to think of a live Kiss show having four songs after this, but it sure worked on Alive.
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10. Deuce* - First Kiss song I ever heard. Immediately hooked for life. Though they have used others, for early Kiss songs, no other song should open a Kiss show. Immediately put you in the crowd at their show. Just crackled out of the speakers. I DO have to admit, I LOVE the later addition of the “yeah” between the last two punches.
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9. Firehouse* - A debut classic. Because I first heard it on Alive, it always seems to be a twin to “Hotter than Hell.” A bit of an outlier with Kiss, as it isn't a straight ahead rocker, but one that has to be played at the right speed to hear the immense groove. In later years, it got sped up so much that it became almost comic, but in the non-makeup years, the superior players found it again. Check out the version on the extra disc of Kissology 2 at the Ritz. Just smokin'.
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8. Cold Gin* - Ace's classic. This is one that seemed painfully slow on the debut album, after initially hearing it on Alive. An instant air guitar riff. Definitely influenced by “White Room.” Also is the exact same chord pattern as the breakdown section of “All Right Now”
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7. I Stole Your Love - Another song I can visually and sonically remember dropping the needle on for the first time. Always thought this was the closest they ever came to catching their live vibe in the studio. Possibly Paul's best riff, even if it is stolen from “Burn.” Awesome opener. The adrenaline rush of hearing that first punch, followed by them being slowly lowered to the stage on the Love Gun/Alive II tour was almost overwhelming. Close to “Deuce” as their best opener.
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6.Mainline - Because I heard Alive before any of the studio albums. I was predisposed to dismiss any songs not from that album as inferior, with two notable exceptions. The lyrics are hokey and it is far from a rocker, but from first listen, I found this one irresistible. Definite deep cut\guilty pleasure favorite. Perfect for Peter's voice.
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5. Take Me - A sort of hidden gem, as it's sandwiched between “I Want You” and “Calling Dr. Love” on Rock and Roll Over. This was the sound that I anticipated finding on the first three studio albums, but better produced and played at a more aggressive speed. A favorite to play along with on guitar. Just a pure, straight-ahead rocker.
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4. Love Her All I Can - This is my other deep cut favorite and it was at first listen. I immediately wanted to know how to play the riff and the song structure was just perfect. While I am not the Ace worshipper that many of my friends were, I have to give him credit for coming up with the cool fills he wrote for the instrumental section that precedes his solo. Even the original Wicked Lester guitarist admits that he never knew what to play on the section and apparently Ace played it on first hearing the song. Just a feel-good gem.
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3. She* - A very rare slow tempo, almost Black Sabbath drudge riff leads into some of the most stream of conscious set of lyrics in their catalog. This was the momentary break to the breakneck pace of their early set, but the eeriness to it's presentation kept attention and momentum. The bass/drums breakdown during the '75 tour is one of my favorite ever music moments.
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2. Let Me Go, Rock and Roll* - While the studio version is stiff and almost comically short, the live version finished off perfectly what I consider the greatest live album of all time. (I know, I know, not “live.”) This was the perfect rocker to finish with and was as close to “jamming” as Kiss ever got. The buildup climactic last section, not present on the studio version, was the perfect way to end the show and album. Talk about leaving an audience begging for more while simultaneously feeling exhausted. Because I immersed myself so completely in the band, many of their songs suffer from ear fatigue by me, but I NEVER tire of hearing this one. Pretty sure I have found every version on YouTube, but that doesn't keep me from searching.
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1. Detroit Rock City - While Kiss has many detractors and is not famous for their songwriting depth, if they have a “classic,” this is it. Ezrin's cool radio bit, the driving opening riff, the cinematic nature of the lyric, the Ezrin composed dual guitar lead; while no “Stairway to Heaven,” this defined that era of music almost as well. Even non music lovers are aware of this song and it is constantly used during Detroit sporting events. Because we Kiss fans have heard just about every demo available, it is obvious that Ezrin had a massive hand in the composition of the final product, but so what. To my ears, this is the song to play for people who dismiss Kiss as just clown makeup and explosions.
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Jeff:​​​
20. Psycho Circus: Pretty much a solo song from Stanley during the supposed re-union album of Psycho Circus. Stanley emulated Bob Ezrin’s production, and came up with one of his last masterpieces; great album opener!
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19. Rocket Ride: Killer Ace riff. This song owes a lot to Sean Delany who helped on many tunes with the band. Love the sound they got on Alive II’s side 4. In my world this is Ace’s signature song, not “Shock Me”.
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18. Anything For My Baby: This is like a Beach Boys song to me. I just can’t help but smile when I listen to this. Once again, Paul Stanley makes something quite unique.
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17. Creatures of the Night: I thought this was a great turn around sound for their album afterThe Elder. This is some of their heavier stuff. I adore the background harmonies on the chorus and love the depth and echo on Paul Stanley’s voice on this track. The lead work from Steve Farris is perfection.
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16. C’mon and Love Me: My best friend in high school described it best, “This is what I would choose to open with if I was in a band!” Perfect Paul Stanley coolness in his performance here.
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15. Charisma: I always loved this track! I like Simmon’s voice and like the marriage of his rockin disco beat with Stanley’s Dave Clark Five vocals on the refrain!
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14. Rock Bottom: This is a missed opportunity. They could’ve used some longer tracks on their Dressed to Kill album and this song should’ve been their Free Bird. It’s got a great riff and it could’ve been developed and played out for easily three more minutes longer than it is…love, love, this song. It just could have been so much more!
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13. Shout It Out Loud: Think I’d get sick of this, but actually still really like it. Love the Simmons/Stanley vocal trade off. Didn’t like this so much when it first came out. It was the first single off the album and I remember sitting in class and an ex-girlfriend of mine singing along with it as it came on the radio. All of sudden it clicked!
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12. Naked City: A perfect moody Simmons song with awesome vocals from the man. He really can sing with a unique quality. This song showcases his voice perfectly. Bob Kulick brings a lot to this song.
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11. I’m a Legend Tonight: Shame this song was lost to the Japanese Killers greatest hits album. Cool riff with great common man lyrics all topped off with one the coolest leads every gracing a Kiss song thanks to Bob Kulick who was let loose on this awesome Stanley/Mitchell track.
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10. Love Gun: Only version I listen to is the Smashes, Thrashes & Hits mix. Better bass and I prefer removing Stanley’s ending vocal and allowing us to focus more on the chorus and Ace’s lead work.
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9. Sure Know Something: I loved it since the first time I heard it. Stanley knocks it out of the ballpark in coming up with this highly original tune. I love that Kiss would still surprise me with each release. This doesn’t sound anything like the first albums.
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8. War Machine: This, along with "Creatures...", brought Kiss back into being cool. For eighties rock it doesn’t get much better than this. I remember playing this at a party when it first came out and everyone’s ears perked up, “Who is this?” Kiss was back!
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7. I Was Made for Lovin' You: I can understand how this wouldn’t be on many a Kiss fan’s song list, but this thing is perfect power pop for my poppish nature. Thank you Desmond Child!
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6. Makin Love: Killer Zepplin style riff. Stanley worked with Sean Delany on this rockin track. Love the acoustic guitar in the chorus. Great closer to an album.
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5. Deuce: How many times have I heard this? Still haven’t got sick of it. I wish Simmons would have written more Stones styled songs like this.
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4. Strutter: This song turns me into a Paul Stanley fan. Wouldn’t change a thing! A perfect song! My air guitar workout piece!
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3. Detroit Rock City: This song makes Kiss, at the time, my favorite band. This was my high school theme song. Love the band’s performance of this on the Paul Lynde Halloween show.
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2. Parasite: Every car cassette playlist I made for someone had this Frehley song on it! Killer vocals from Simmons. On YouTube, Herman Rios, has created a great new version with Simmon’s original vocals, awesome version.
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1. Black Diamond: If I choose the best version of this classic, I'm going with the Double Platinum version. The intro is better, and the change to the last of song is better with it going back to the acoustic opening instead of the original slowed down ending. Sean Delany created a lot of tweaks to the songs on Double Platinum and his choice was spot on here, except I would end the song with the "got you under their thumb" and not reuse the count in and harder section of the song to fade out on. Not sure what he was thinking there! This should have been on NASA’s Voyager interplanetary golden record that sent off into space for alien civilizations to be able to hear the perfect Rock song.
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Mark: Oh my goodness. I’m in rock and roll hell! Top 20 Kiss songs… top 20 Kiss songs! TOP 20 KISS SONGS!!! My tinny tiny mind and tinnitus ravaged ears are surrounded by all things Kiss. Peter Criss to the left of me Gene Simmons to the right, Paul Stanley was in my mail box yesterday! Ace Frehley took a $20 off my dresser! I saw him!! Man I gotta get it together…Ok, the songs. Let’s see, I got it whittled down tooooo…I’m counting. 56. Don’t you see that this is a cruel joke? A goal that cannot be won!? This list is laughing at me. It’s. It’s daring me to choose, but I got to choose. I gotta get these guys out of my house. Sheesh! Here’s my top 20.
20. Creatures of the Night
19. Lick It Up
18. Parasite
17. 100,000 Years
16. Black Diamond
15 Love Her All I Can
14. Psycho Circus
13. She
12. Hotter Than Hell
11. Shandi
10. Strange Ways
9. Sure Know Something
8. Love Gun
7. Rock Bottom
6. Strutter
5. Do You Love Me
4. Baby Driver
3. Got to Choose
2. I Was Made for Lovin’ You
1. I Want You
What a great great band! These guys were so influential to me, and I feel so blessed to have grown up with these guys. Going to Budgets to pick up the new Kiss album was a big big deal! Year after year great album after great album. Kiss Alive! Wow! So powerful! The solo albums, the live shows, the spectacle. Gene’s hair on fire! Now that’s dedication, Now that’s a show! For me they never disappointed.