Hotter than Hell (album)

This article is about the Kiss album. For the song by Airbourne, see Ready to Rock.

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Hotter Than Hell is the second studio album from American 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. The album peaked on the charts at #100, without the benefit of a hit single. Many of the album's songs are live staples for the band, including "Got to Choose", "Parasite", "Hotter Than Hell", "Let Me Go, Rock & Roll" and "Watchin' You".

Album information

The production team of Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who had produced the group's first album, was chosen for the follow-up. Since the pair had relocated to Los Angeles, Kiss moved there to work with them. The band who are all from New York, immediately developed a dislike for their new surroundings. Paul Stanley's guitar was stolen on his first day in Los Angeles. The working title for the album was The Harder They Come. Although the album featured two songs penned by Ace Frehley, he did not sing lead vocals on them. His lack of confidence in his singing abilities at the time led to lead vocal duties for "Parasite" and "Strange Ways" going to Simmons and Peter Criss, respectively. Frehley's guitar solo in "Strange Ways" has been called one of his best.

The album is well known for its striking cover. The front featured Japanese manga-influenced artwork, and the back cover showed individual band shots taken by Norman Seeff at a wild party, and a composite of all four band members' makeup designs. Everyone present at the session (with the exception of Simmons) was drunk for the entire photography session. Stanley was so drunk he had to be locked in his car..

The Japanese character on the bottom of the album cover (力) is chikara, which means "power". It would later be used on various forms of Kiss material during the 1970s and 1980s, most prominently on Eric Carr's drum kit. The Japanese on the top-right corner of the album cover (地獄 の さけび) is jigoku no sakebi, which means "Hell's shout" or "The shout of hell". Frehley's image on the front cover is actually airbrushed, as a side of his face was injured in a car accident and was without makeup on the afflicted area at the time of the photo shoot. The Japanese characters used for Ace's name pronounces it wrong. The characters are エイス フューリ (eisu fyuuri), which would translate to "Ace Fury". The characters should have been エースフレーリー (esu fureri).

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Vista Records
Rolling Stone
Blender
Metal Nightfall
Pitchfork Media	(5.3/10)

Despite the intense touring schedule Kiss maintained in 1974, Hotter Than Hell failed to outperform the band's first album and fared considerably worse. This was due partly to the fact that Casablanca Records' distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records had ended. The publicity push behind the album was not nearly what it was for the debut album. One notable exception was a television commercial aired to promote the album. The only single released from the album "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", was distributed in low numbers and failed to chart. Four months after the album was released, Kiss were pulled off tour and called back into the studio to record a follow-up. Hotter Than Hell was certified Gold on June 23, 1977.

Musically, Hotter Than Hell is darker than the band's first album. This is partly due to the murkier production values, but also the lyrical content of some of the songs. "Goin' Blind", which details a doomed romance with a 93-year-old and an underage girl, was a song written by Gene Simmons and Stephen Coronel during their days with Wicked Lester. The original title was "Little Lady". Hotter Than Hell featured a lot more overdubs than the first album. While Kerner and Wise wanted to produce a record that captured Kiss as a live act, they decided to take advantage of the experience the band had gained as recording artists.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Got to Choose"	Paul Stanley	Stanley	3:54
2.	"Parasite"	Ace Frehley	Gene Simmons	3:02
3.	"Goin' Blind"	Simmons, Stephen Coronel	Simmons	3:37
4.	"Hotter Than Hell"	Stanley	Stanley	3:30
5.	"Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"	Stanley, Simmons	Simmons	2:15
6.	"All the Way"	Simmons	Simmons	3:18
7.	"Watchin' You"	Simmons	Simmons	3:44
8.	"Mainline"	Stanley	Peter Criss	3:50
9.	"Comin' Home"	Frehley, Stanley	Stanley	2:38
10.	"Strange Ways"	Frehley	Criss	3:18

Cover versions

• The Smelly Tongues covered "Parasite" on Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation.
• "Parasite" was also covered by American thrash metal band Anthrax on Attack of the Killer B's album in the early 90's.
• Anthrax also covered "Watchin' You" for the 2001 remastered Stomp 442.
• "Goin' Blind" was covered by The Melvins, on the 1993 release Houdini.
• "Comin' Home" has been translated into Swedish and recorded on the 2009 album Kyssar & Guld by Rolf Carlsson.
• "Strange Ways" was covered by Megadeth, Hypocrisy and Ulver.

Personnel

• Paul Stanley – lead vocals and rhythm guitar
• Gene Simmons – lead vocals and bass guitar
• Ace Frehley – lead guitar, bass guitar on "Parasite"
• Peter Criss – lead vocals, drums and percussion

Production

• Kenny Kerner – producer
• Richie Wise – producer
• Warren Dewey – engineer
• Norman Seeff – photography, art direction
• John Van Hamersveld – design, art direction
• Joseph M. Palmaccio – remastering

Charts

Chart (1974)	Peak position
US Pop Albums	100

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Releases

• Casablanca NBLP-7006 (October 22, 1974): 1st LP issue
• Mercury 314 532 375-2 (July 15, 1997): Remastered CD