Dressed to Kill is the third studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 19, 1975. It was produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart and the band itself as the label's financial situation at the time did not permit the hiring of a professional producer.[2]
| Dressed to Kill | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | February 8 – 18, 1975[1] | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady, New York City | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 30:07 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | Neil Bogart, Kiss | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dressed to Kill | ||||
| ||||
Album information
editPossibly due to the short length of the album, original vinyl versions had long pauses between each track to make the sides longer than they would be based on the material they had. Each side ran just 15 minutes, and some of the song times were listed incorrectly on the vinyl versions. For example, "Two Timer" was listed at 2:59 and "Ladies in Waiting" was listed at 2:47.
The album cover was photographed on October 26, 1974 by Bob Gruen.[3] While the cover depicts Kiss in business suits, the only member of the band who owned one was Peter Criss. The suits worn on the cover by the rest of the band were owned by manager Bill Aucoin.[2] The original vinyl release of the album also had the Kiss logo embossed around the picture. The photograph of the band on the album cover was taken on the southwest corner of W23rd Street and 8th Avenue looking North in New York City. A remastered edition of Dressed to Kill was released in 1997.[4]
Recording
editRecorded in 10 days at Electric Lady in Studio B during February of 1975 with the working title "Kiss at Midnight".[5] According to Peter Criss, Neil Bogart's first decision as a producer was to bring in a pound of weed.[6] Paul Stanley stated that Neil didn't do much except say “that's a good take.” "He wasn't trying to keep it fresh, but save money. I remember doing a sloppy take and his saying “Well that should do it.” And I said, no....”.[7] Ace Frehley recorded his guitar parts using a speaker with a cardboard box for the shell.[7] Paul Stanley played the lead on the intro to "C'mon and Love Me". Gene Simmons played guitar on “Ladies in Waiting.” Simmons said, “Ladies in Waiting” was written in the studio, in one afternoon and taught to the band that night. It was all done very quickly with little thought.”[7] Paul mentions adding acoustic guitars to "Anything for My Baby “…because BTO was doing it.”[7] Roadie Paul Chavarria said all of the roadies are on the chorus of “Rock and Roll All Nite” pulling their zippers on their leather jackets up and down to the rhythm of the song.[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Blender |  [9] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[10] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 9.5/10[12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 5/10[14] |
| Uncut | [15] |
| The Village Voice | B[16] |
Dressed to Kill peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US[17] and was certified gold by the RIAA on February 28, 1977.[18] "C'mon and Love Me" and "Rock and Roll All Nite" were released as singles, but failed to rise up the charts. A live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" from Alive!, issued as a single later that year, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[17]
Hi-Fi for Pleasure said of the album:
Hopefully, the coming and going trendiness of Kiss won't leave them high and dry. We're so desperately short of showman crutch [sic] rock that albums like these feel like fresh air and just as rare. But the signs are there that they've been pronounced a bit too proficient to be really heavy.[19]
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is one of Kiss' most well-known songs – and has remained a staple in the band's concerts since 1975 – along with "Rock Bottom", "C'mon and Love Me", and "She".
Track listing
editAll credits adapted from the original release.[20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Room Service" | Paul Stanley | Stanley | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Two Timer" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Ladies in Waiting" | Simmons | Simmons | 2:35 |
| 4. | "Getaway" | Ace Frehley | Peter Criss | 2:43 |
| 5. | "Rock Bottom" | Frehley, Stanley | Stanley | 3:54 |
| 6. | "C'mon and Love Me" | Stanley | Stanley | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Anything for My Baby" | Stanley | Stanley | 2:35 |
| 8. | "She" | Simmons, Stephen Coronel | Simmons, Stanley | 4:08 |
| 9. | "Love Her All I Can" | Stanley | Stanley | 2:40 |
| 10. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Stanley, Simmons | Simmons | 2:49 |
| Total length: | 30:07 | |||
Personnel
editKiss
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar; intro guitar solo on "C'mon and Love Me"
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass; rhythm guitar on "Ladies in Waiting"
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals; all guitars and bass on "Getaway" and "Rock Bottom"
Production
- Neil Bogart – producer
- Dave Wittman – engineer
- George Lopez – assistant engineer
- Allen Zentz – mastering
- Bob Gruen – photography
- Joseph M. Palmaccio – remastering
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[21] | 26 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 32 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[18] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit- Casablanca NBLP-7016 (March 19, 1975): First LP issue
- Mercury 824 148-2 M-1 (July 1987): First CD issue
- Mercury 314 532 3762 (July 15, 1997): Remastered CD
- Mercury B0020146-01 (April 1, 2014): 180 gram vinyl LP, reissue
References
edit- ^ "8. February 1975:Kiss enters the studio to record "Dressed to Kill" - Kiss Timeline".
- ^ a b "Bill Aucoin Q&A session at the 1997 Atlanta Kiss Expo". Kissaholics Magazine. No. 20. July–September 1997. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Kiss does the photoshoot for "Dressed To Kill"". KISS Timeline.
- ^ "Dressed To Kill". Discography. Kiss FAQ. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Gill, Julian (2012). Rock And Roll All Nite (2012 Printing ed.). USA: KissFAQ.com. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-9822537-7-9.
- ^ Criss, Peter (October 2012). Makeup to Breakup (1st ed.). USA: Scribner. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-4516-2082-5.
- ^ a b c d e Leaf, David (October 2003). Kiss Behind the Mask (1st ed.). USA: Warner Books Inc. pp. 230–241. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Kiss: Dressed To Kill" at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ Blender review[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. 161–162. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-857-12595-8.
- ^ Josephes, Jason. "Kiss: Dressed To Kill". Archived from the original on June 26, 2003.
- ^ Fletcher, Gordon (July 17, 1975). "Kiss: Dressed To Kill". Rolling Stone.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 16, 1975). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
- ^ a b "Kiss Charts & Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Kiss – Dressed To Kill". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Hi-Fi for Pleasure, 1975 – precise issue unknown. Review credited to "MT"
- ^ Kiss (1975). Dressed to Kill (LP Sleeve). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7016.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3982a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
External links
edit- Dressed to Kill at Discogs (list of releases)