Love Gun
Encyclopedia
Love Gun is the sixth studio album
by American
hard rock band Kiss
. It was certified platinum on June 30, 1977, just two weeks after the album's release.
Love Gun is notable for being the first Kiss album to feature a lead vocal performance from Ace Frehley
. This marks the first album for the group to feature lead vocal performances from all four band members. It was also the last studio album to feature the entire original lineup of Kiss on every track, as drummer Peter Criss
was replaced by session drummer Anton Fig
for much of 1979's Dynasty.
A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album, along with a Kiss merchandise order form.
Shortly before Love Gun was completed, a Gallup poll indicated that KISS was the most popular band in the US, beating Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and the Eagles.August 25-26, 1977--KISS records 2 shows at the LA Forum to be used as live material for their next release, Alive II.
, "I Stole Your Love" is in the same vein as songs like "Makin' Love" and "C'mon and Love Me".This punchy, pop-tinged rocker became a live favorite for Kiss in the late '70s thanks to its catchy hooks and energy. Lyrically, "I Stole Your Love" was reminiscent of the Rolling Stones song "Under My Thumb" as it portrayed a vengeful narrator declaring his control over a lover who had once tried to give him the runaround: "You played with my heart, played with my head/I got to laugh when I think of the things you said/'Cause I stole your love, stole your love/Ain't never gonna let you go." Musically, Paul Stanley took his inspiration for "I Stole Your Love" from the Deep Purple classic "Burn" and fashioned a fast-paced rock track that matched twisty verses that sped through countless notes at a blinding pace to a slower, punchier chorus that delivered its hooks in a stomping style. Kiss gives the song a tight arrangement on its recording of "I Stole Your Love": after a stop-start intro where choppy guitar riffs are punctuated by quick bursts of drums, the song kicks into a taut arrangement where power chords are pushed along at a fast clip by steady drum work from Peter Criss. All these touches helped make "I Stole Your Love" a song that was as fiery as it was hook-laden. As a result, it made the perfect album opener for Love Gun and also became the concert opener of choice on the Love Gun tour.
and drummer Alex Van Halen
played on the demo of this song. The meaning of the lyrics are similar to "Goin' Blind
" from Hotter Than Hell
, as "Christine Sixteen" is about a man who fell in love with a sixteen year old girl named Christine and "Goin' Blind" is about a ninety-three year old man who fell in love with a girl who is also sixteen years old.
tour, when 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.
", but never reached the success of the original. A sound check recording of it appears on Alive II
.
, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians like Jimi Hendrix
, as well as breasts of female musicians.Given songs like "Ladies in Waiting" and "Got Love for Sale," Gene Simmons' work with Kiss proved he was a master at the art of penning odes to lust. His most notorious entry in this arena is "Plaster Caster," a deliciously sleazy rocker that has become a favorite with Kiss fans. The lyrics for this randy tune take their inspiration from the real-life exploits of some groupies who made plaster casts of the private parts of their rock star conquests. Simmons' lyrics present this scenario in a cheeky way that manages to be salacious without ever becoming explicit: "The plaster's getting harder/And my love is perfection/A token of my love for her collection/Plaster caster, grab ahold of me faster/If you wanna see my love, just ask her." The melody is pure melodic drive, a model of songwriting economy that constantly ascends as it builds from moody verses into its snarling, triumphant chorus. Kiss' recording of "Plaster Caster" is surprisingly atmospheric: it starts with a bubbling bass line that is soon fleshed out by power chords as it transforms itself into a stomping guitar rock jam driven by Peter Criss' crashing drum work. Simmons matches the slow-burning flow of this arrangement with a slick vocal that builds from a breathy whisper into his familiar guttural roar. The end result was a classic bit of hard-rocking sleaze that has become a cult favorite with the group's fans and was later covered by the Lemonheads.
' 1963 pop classic "Then He Kissed Me
". It is one of many gender-reversed cover versions of the song.
band GWAR
's 2009 album Lust in Space
is a homage/parody of Love Guns album art.
album Nevermind
features a photograph of a rubber monkey in front of a collage created by its singer/guitarist, Kurt Cobain
. The collage features photos of raw beef from a supermarket advertisement, images from Dante's Inferno, and pictures of diseased vaginas from Cobain's collection of medical photos. He noted, "If you look real close, there is a picture of Kiss' Love Gun cover in the back standing on a slab of beef."
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. It was certified platinum on June 30, 1977, just two weeks after the album's release.
Love Gun is notable for being the first Kiss album to feature a lead vocal performance from Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
. This marks the first album for the group to feature lead vocal performances from all four band members. It was also the last studio album to feature the entire original lineup of Kiss on every track, as drummer Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
was replaced by session drummer Anton Fig
Anton Fig
Anton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra. Letterman often refers to Fig as "Anton Zip"or "Buddy Rich Jr."...
for much of 1979's Dynasty.
A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album, along with a Kiss merchandise order form.
Shortly before Love Gun was completed, a Gallup poll indicated that KISS was the most popular band in the US, beating Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and the Eagles.August 25-26, 1977--KISS records 2 shows at the LA Forum to be used as live material for their next release, Alive II.
I Stole Your Love
Written by Paul StanleyPaul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, "I Stole Your Love" is in the same vein as songs like "Makin' Love" and "C'mon and Love Me".This punchy, pop-tinged rocker became a live favorite for Kiss in the late '70s thanks to its catchy hooks and energy. Lyrically, "I Stole Your Love" was reminiscent of the Rolling Stones song "Under My Thumb" as it portrayed a vengeful narrator declaring his control over a lover who had once tried to give him the runaround: "You played with my heart, played with my head/I got to laugh when I think of the things you said/'Cause I stole your love, stole your love/Ain't never gonna let you go." Musically, Paul Stanley took his inspiration for "I Stole Your Love" from the Deep Purple classic "Burn" and fashioned a fast-paced rock track that matched twisty verses that sped through countless notes at a blinding pace to a slower, punchier chorus that delivered its hooks in a stomping style. Kiss gives the song a tight arrangement on its recording of "I Stole Your Love": after a stop-start intro where choppy guitar riffs are punctuated by quick bursts of drums, the song kicks into a taut arrangement where power chords are pushed along at a fast clip by steady drum work from Peter Criss. All these touches helped make "I Stole Your Love" a song that was as fiery as it was hook-laden. As a result, it made the perfect album opener for Love Gun and also became the concert opener of choice on the Love Gun tour.
"Christine Sixteen"
Then-unknown guitarist EddieEddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
and drummer Alex Van Halen
Alex Van Halen
Alexander Arthur "Alex" Van Halen is a Dutch-born American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. Originally, his brother Eddie had taken lessons for drums, while Alex practiced guitar...
played on the demo of this song. The meaning of the lyrics are similar to "Goin' Blind
Goin' Blind
"Goin' Blind" is a song by Kiss written by Gene Simmons and Stephen Coronel, sometimes referred to as "Going Blind". The song originally appeared on the band's second album, 1974's Hotter Than Hell...
" from Hotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell is the second studio album from hard rock band Kiss. It was released on October 22, 1974 and was certified Gold on June 23, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version...
, as "Christine Sixteen" is about a man who fell in love with a sixteen year old girl named Christine and "Goin' Blind" is about a ninety-three year old man who fell in love with a girl who is also sixteen years old.
"Shock Me"
The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss' Rock and Roll OverRock and Roll Over
-Personnel:*Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar , vocals*Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals, rhythm guitar on "Ladies Room"*Ace Frehley - lead guitar, backing vocals*Peter Criss - drums, percussion, vocals-Charts:-Certifications:...
tour, when Frehley suffered an electric shock
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
. On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center
Lakeland Center
The Lakeland Center is an 8,178-seat multi-purpose arena, in Lakeland, Florida. It opened in November 1974, as the Lakeland Civic Center, it gained its current name in June 1994....
in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. During the opening number, Frehley touched a metal staircase railing, which was ungrounded
Ground (electricity)
In electrical engineering, ground or earth may be the reference point in an electrical circuit from which other voltages are measured, or a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth....
. 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.
"Tomorrow and Tonight"
This song was written to try and recapture the feeling of "Rock and Roll All NiteRock and Roll All Nite
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway." The studio version of the song peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous...
", but never reached the success of the original. A sound check recording of it appears on Alive II
Alive II
Alive II is a 1977 live album from Kiss. It is the group's eighth album and second live album.-The songs:The origins of Alive II go back to early 1977 when the band's manager, Bill Aucoin, had the idea to have Eddie Kramer record a live album during the evening show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on...
.
"Love Gun"
The title song has been played on every Kiss tour since its release. Paul Stanley has cited it as one of his favorite Kiss songs."Plaster Caster"
This song was inspired by Cynthia Plaster CasterCynthia Plaster Caster
Cynthia Plaster Caster , whose real name is Cynthia Albritton, is an artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who creates plaster casts of famous persons' penises and breasts. She began her career in 1968 by casting penises of rock musicians. She later expanded her subjects to include...
, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians like Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, as well as breasts of female musicians.Given songs like "Ladies in Waiting" and "Got Love for Sale," Gene Simmons' work with Kiss proved he was a master at the art of penning odes to lust. His most notorious entry in this arena is "Plaster Caster," a deliciously sleazy rocker that has become a favorite with Kiss fans. The lyrics for this randy tune take their inspiration from the real-life exploits of some groupies who made plaster casts of the private parts of their rock star conquests. Simmons' lyrics present this scenario in a cheeky way that manages to be salacious without ever becoming explicit: "The plaster's getting harder/And my love is perfection/A token of my love for her collection/Plaster caster, grab ahold of me faster/If you wanna see my love, just ask her." The melody is pure melodic drive, a model of songwriting economy that constantly ascends as it builds from moody verses into its snarling, triumphant chorus. Kiss' recording of "Plaster Caster" is surprisingly atmospheric: it starts with a bubbling bass line that is soon fleshed out by power chords as it transforms itself into a stomping guitar rock jam driven by Peter Criss' crashing drum work. Simmons matches the slow-burning flow of this arrangement with a slick vocal that builds from a breathy whisper into his familiar guttural roar. The end result was a classic bit of hard-rocking sleaze that has become a cult favorite with the group's fans and was later covered by the Lemonheads.
"Then She Kissed Me"
This song is a gender-reversed cover of The CrystalsThe Crystals
The Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s. Their 1961–1964 chart hits, including "Uptown", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron " and "Then He Kissed Me", featured three successive female lead...
' 1963 pop classic "Then He Kissed Me
Then He Kissed Me
"Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song was released as a single in September 1963 by The Crystals. It is a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual marriage with a fellow youth. The single is one of The Crystals' most...
". It is one of many gender-reversed cover versions of the song.
Cover art
The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, who previously did the cover for 1976's Destroyer. The album art of shock rockShock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
band GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
's 2009 album Lust in Space
Lust in Space
-Line-up:*Dave Brockie - lead vocals*Cory Smoot - lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Release the Flies"*Mike Derks - rhythm guitar, backing vocals...
is a homage/parody of Love Guns album art.
In pop culture
The back cover of Nirvana'sNirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
album Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
features a photograph of a rubber monkey in front of a collage created by its singer/guitarist, Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
. The collage features photos of raw beef from a supermarket advertisement, images from Dante's Inferno, and pictures of diseased vaginas from Cobain's collection of medical photos. He noted, "If you look real close, there is a picture of Kiss' Love Gun cover in the back standing on a slab of beef."
Track listing
Personnel
- Paul StanleyPaul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "Love Gun" - Gene SimmonsGene SimmonsGene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
- vocals, bass guitar - Ace FrehleyAce FrehleyPaul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Peter CrissPeter CrissGeorge Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
- drums, percussion, vocals
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USA Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |