Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 17, 1977 by Casablanca Records. Casablanca and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top 5 album on the Billboard 200. The album was remastered in 1997 and again in 2014. 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.
| Love Gun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Ken Kelly | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 17, 1977[1] | |||
| Recorded | May 3 – 28, 1977 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:53 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Love Gun | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.2/10[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 5/10[9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
Background
editBefore 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: their second live album, Alive II (1977).
Composition
editPaul Stanley has said that "I Stole Your Love" "came quickly. It was influenced in some ways by the Deep Purple song 'Burn'."[11]
The lyrics of Gene Simmons' "Christine Sixteen" have a similar theme to "Goin' Blind" from Hotter than Hell (1974); both songs involve older men lusting after underage girls.[12] It was later sampled by Tone Loc for his 1989 hit single "Funky Cold Medina".[13]
Ace Frehley's "Shock Me" was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss's Rock and Roll Over 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 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.[14]
"Tomorrow and Tonight" was written to try to recapture the feeling of "Rock and Roll All Nite".[3] A soundcheck recording of the song appears on Alive II.[15] The song was never played live by the band until Kiss Kruise VII in November 2017.[citation needed]
The title track shares many of its lyrics with "The Hunter", originally recorded by Albert King, a derivation Stanley later acknowledged.[16] Led Zeppelin had also borrowed from the song for "How Many More Times" on their first album.[16] Stanley has stated that "Love Gun" is probably "one of the five signature essential songs" by Kiss and the one he enjoys performing most.[17]
"Plaster Caster" was inspired by Cynthia Plaster Caster, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians,[18] such as Jimi Hendrix.[19]
"Then She Kissed Me" is one of several gender-reversed covers of the Crystals' 1963 single "Then He Kissed Me".[20]
Recording
editAccording to the diary of album engineer Corky Stasiak, Kiss entered the Record Plant to begin recording Love Gun on May 3, 1977 and completed it on May 28th,[21] with their cover of "Then She Kissed Me" being the last song tracked.[22] He also noted that Frehley didn't join the others until May 9, and that many of the basic tracks were completed by Stanley, Simmons and Peter Criss.[21]
Prior to entering the studio, Stanley had made demo recordings of his songs, in which he arranged all of the parts himself, and these were then recreated by the band for the final recordings.[1] Similarly, Eddie and Alex Van Halen played on the demo of Simmons' "Christine Sixteen", and he insisted the band replicate the song note for note, including the lead solo.[23]
"Shock Me" was the first lead vocal that Frehley ever recorded, and he sang it while lying on the floor of the studio.[24] In his autobiography, he states that he originally intended for Stanley or Simmons to sing the song, but they encouraged him to try it himself, with Stanley telling him, "It's way overdue."[25]
Producer Eddie Kramer recalled recording Peter's drums in a hallway.[26] While Simmons is often credited as playing the piano on "Christine Sixteen", Kramer claims he himself played the part, with Gene standing over him, coaching him to "play like a neanderthal."[26] Stanley played bass guitar on the title track.[17]
Release
editLove Gun was released on June 17, 1977.[27]
The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly,[3] who had previously contributed the cover for 1976's Destroyer. A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album,[28] along with a Kiss merchandise order form.[29]
Love Gun was remastered and reissued on CD in 1997 as part of the Kiss Remasters series.
It was remastered and reissued again as a deluxe edition on October 28, 2014, with sleeve notes by Def Leppard'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 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'."[30]
Track listings
edit| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Gun" | Stanley | Stanley | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Hooligan" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge | Criss | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Almost Human" | Simmons | Simmons | 2:49 |
| 4. | "Plaster Caster" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Then She Kissed Me" | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector | Stanley | 3:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Much Too Soon" (demo) | Simmons | Simmons | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Plaster Caster" (demo) | Simmons | Simmons | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Reputation" (demo) | Simmons | Simmons | 5:39 |
| 4. | "Love Gun" (teaching demo) | Stanley | 2:14 | |
| 5. | "Love Gun" (demo) | Stanley | Stanley | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Gene Simmons Interview 1977" | 6:59 | ||
| 7. | "Tomorrow and Tonight" (instrumental demo) | Stanley | Stanley | 3:46 |
| 8. | "I Know Who You Are" (demo) | Simmons | Simmons | 3:09 |
| 9. | "Love Gun" (live in 1977) | Stanley | Stanley | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Christine Sixteen" (live in 1977) | Simmons | Simmons | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Shock Me" (live in 1977) | Frehley | Frehley | 8:21 |
Personnel
editKiss
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar; first guitar solo on "I Stole Your Love"; bass guitar on "Love Gun"[31]
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass guitar; rhythm guitar on "Christine Sixteen" and "Got Love for Sale"
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals; all guitars and bass on "Shock Me"
Additional personnel
- Eddie Kramer – piano on "Christine Sixteen";[32] keyboards on "I Stole Your Love", "Love Gun"
- Tasha Thomas− background vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[33]
- Ray Simpson − background vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[33]
- Hilda Harris − background vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[33]
Credits adapted from LP liner notes:[34]
Technical
Charts
edit| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[35] | 13 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[36] | 3 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] | 18 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[38] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[39] | 6 |
| US Billboard 200[40] | 4 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[41] | 65 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[42] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[43] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 392.
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Monster Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
Monster is a tremendous throwback to the superhuman partying and heavy metal Ragnarök of Kiss albums like Destroyer and Love Gun.
- ^ a b c Prato, Greg (February 5, 2022). "Kiss - Love Gun". AllMusic.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4 (4 ed.). Muze. p. 875. ISBN 0195313739.
- ^ Josephs, Jason (June 26, 2003). "Kiss - Love Gun". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
- ^ "Kiss: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Kiss". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 212. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Kulkarni, Neil (December 1997). "Made up for it". Uncut. No. 7. p. 100.
- ^ Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 398.
- ^ McDermott, Maeve (January 1, 2019). "20 of rock 'n' roll's most politically incorrect songs". The Daily American. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ Kielty, Martin (June 25, 2022). "45 Years Ago: Kiss' 'Christine Sixteen' Starts as 'Brotherly Kibitzing'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.
- ^ Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 407.
- ^ a b Stanley, Paul (2016). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. Harper Collins. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-06-211404-4.
- ^ a b Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 402.
- ^ Guarisco, Donald A. "AllMusic song review "Plaster Caster"". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Cynthia Plaster Caster official website". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Rolling Stone review Love Gun 1977". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 394.
- ^ Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 405.
- ^ Gill, Julian (2004). The Kiss & Related Recordings Focus (1st ed.). USA: KISSFAQ.com. pp. 56–60. ISBN 0-9722253-2-3.
- ^ Guarisco, Donald A. "Shock Me - Kiss". AllMusic. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ Frehley, Ace (2011). No Regrets. VH1 Books. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-85720-477-6.
- ^ a b Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 399.
- ^ Leaf & Sharp 2003, p. 391.
- ^ "Kiss FAQ - Love Gun love gun". Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Kiss FAQ Love Gun merchandise". Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Barton, Geoff (February 2015). "The hard stuff: Reissues". Classic Rock. No. 206. p. 104.
- ^ Leaf, Sharp 2003, p. 402.
- ^ Leaf, Sharp 2003, p. 399.
- ^ a b c Leaf, Sharp 2003, p. 400.
- ^ Kiss (1977). Love Gun (LP liner notes). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7057.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5412a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kiss – Love Gun" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kiss – Love Gun". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 32-35/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Canadian Kisses" (PDF). Cash Box. August 20, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "American album certifications – Kiss – Love Gun". Recording Industry Association of America.
Bibliography
edit- Leaf, David; Sharp, Ken (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. New York City: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.