Kiss 40
| Kiss 40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | May 23, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 1973–2013 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 2:31:07 | |||
| Label | Universal Music Group | |||
| Producer | Various | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Kiss 40 (also known as Kiss 40 Years: Decades of Decibels) is a compilation released by Kiss to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.[2]
Information
[edit]The album contains one track from every album the band has released over their 40-year career including live albums, the 1978 solo albums, as well as songs from compilations and from the three instant live albums, which are commercially available for the first time. There is one unreleased song: "Reputation".[3]
The album is the first released by the band since their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[4]
A limited-edition Best Buy exclusive version was released that came with a T-shirt.[5]
The Japanese edition features an exclusive track, "Hell or Hallelujah (Live at Budokan 2013)".[6]
Reception
[edit]Reception for the album has been mostly positive. In David Jeffries' review for AllMusic, he praised the album for being "filled with classics and desirable extras" but questioned the album's "odd one song-per-album rule" before finishing the review by commenting that "this is a triumph of format and the band's longevity, but not necessarily a knockout introduction".
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nothin' to Lose" | Gene Simmons | Kiss, 1974 | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" | Simmons, Paul Stanley | Hotter Than Hell, 1974 | 2:14 |
| 3. | "C'mon and Love Me" | Stanley | Dressed to Kill, 1975 | 2:55 |
| 4. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (live in 1975) | Simmons; Stanley | Alive!, 1975 | 3:59 |
| 5. | "God of Thunder" (demo) | Stanley | The Box Set, 2001; originally from Destroyer, 1976 | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Beth" | Bob Ezrin, Peter Criss, Stan Penridge | Destroyer | 2:45 |
| 7. | "Hard Luck Woman" | Stanley | Rock and Roll Over, 1976 | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Reputation" (unreleased demo) | Simmons | Previously unreleased, 2014 | 5:39 |
| 9. | "Christine Sixteen" | Simmons | Love Gun, 1977 | 3:11 |
| 10. | "Shout It Out Loud" (live in 1977) | Ezrin, Simmons, Stanley | Alive II, 1977 | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Strutter ‘78" | Simmons, Stanley | Double Platinum, 1978 | 3:40 |
| 12. | "You Matter to Me" | John Vastano, Michael Morgan, Vini Poncia | Peter Criss, 1978 | 3:14 |
| 13. | "Radioactive" | Simmons | Gene Simmons, 1978 | 3:51 |
| 14. | "New York Groove" | Russ Ballard | Ace Frehley, 1978 | 2:59 |
| 15. | "Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart)" | Stanley | Paul Stanley, 1978 | 3:39 |
| 16. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" (single edit) | Desmond Child, Stanley, Poncia | Dynasty, 1979 | 4:01 |
| 17. | "Shandi" | Stanley, Poncia | Unmasked, 1980 | 3:34 |
| 18. | "A World Without Heroes" | Ezrin, Simmons, Lou Reed, Stanley | Music From “The Elder”, 1981 | 2:37 |
| 19. | "I Love It Loud" (Remix 1985) | Simmons, Vinnie Vincent | Creatures of the Night, 1982 | 4:12 |
| 20. | "Down on Your Knees" | Mikel Japp, Stanley, Bryan Adams | Killers, 1982 | 3:27 |
| 21. | "Lick It Up" | Stanley, Vincent | Lick It Up, 1983 | 3:53 |
| 22. | "Heaven's on Fire" | Child, Stanley | Animalize, 1984 | 3:17 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tears Are Falling" | Stanley | Asylum, 1985 | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Reason to Live" | Child, Stanley | Crazy Nights, 1987 | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Let’s Put the X in Sex" | Child, Stanley | Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, 1988 | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Forever" (Remix) | Michael Bolton, Stanley | Hot in the Shade, 1989 | 3:51 |
| 5. | "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" | Ezrin, Simmons, Stanley, Ballard | Revenge, 1992 | 5:20 |
| 6. | "Unholy" (live in 1992) | Simmons, Vincent | Alive III, 1993 | 3:31 |
| 7. | "Do You Love Me?" (live unplugged 1995) | Stanley, Ezrin, Kim Fowley | Kiss Unplugged, 1996 | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Room Service" (live in 1975) | Stanley | You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!, 1996 | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Jungle" (radio edit) | Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo | Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions, 1997 | 4:53 |
| 10. | "Psycho Circus" | Stanley, Cuomo | Psycho Circus, 1998 | 4:50 |
| 11. | "Nothing Can Keep Me From You" | Diane Warren | Detroit Rock City soundtrack, 1999 | 4:04 |
| 12. | "Detroit Rock City" (live in 2003) | Stanley, Ezrin | Kiss Symphony: Alive IV, 2003 | 4:43 |
| 13. | "Deuce" (live in 2004) | Simmons | Kiss Instant Live, 2004 | 3:51 |
| 14. | "Firehouse" (live in 1999) | Stanley | Alive! The Millennium Concert, 2006 | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Modern Day Delilah" | Stanley | Sonic Boom, 2009 | 3:36 |
| 16. | "Cold Gin" (live in 2008) | Ace Frehley | Kiss Alive 35, 2008 | 5:30 |
| 17. | "Crazy Crazy Nights" (live in 2010) | Adam Mitchell, Stanley | Kiss Sonic Boom Over Europe, 2010 | 4:08 |
| 18. | "Hell or Hallelujah" | Stanley | Monster, 2012 | 4:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19. | "Hell or Hallelujah" (live in 2013) | Stanley | previously unreleased, 2014; originally from Monster, 2012 | 5:07 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 31 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 87 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 161 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] | 45 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] | 86 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[12] | 55 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 53 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 30 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[16] | 8 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
[edit]- Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar (disc 1, tracks 1-5, 7-11, 15-22; disc 2), lead vocals (disc 1, tracks 3, 5, 10-11, 15-17, 20-22; disc 2, tracks 1-5, 7-12, 14, 16-18), acoustic guitar (disc 2, track 7)
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar (disc 1, tracks 1-5, 7-11, 14, 16-18; disc 2, tracks 10-11, 14), lead vocals (disc 1, track 14), acoustic guitar (disc 1, track 18)
- Gene Simmons – bass guitar (disc 1, tracks 1-5, 7-11, 13, 16-22; disc 2), lead vocals (disc 1, tracks 1-2, 4, 8-10, 13, 18-19; disc 2, tracks 5-6, 13, 15), acoustic bass (disc 2, track 7)
- Peter Criss – drums (disc 1, tracks 1-5, 7-12, 16-17; disc 2, tracks 11-12, 15), lead vocals (disc 1, tracks 6-7, 12), (for disc 1 tracks 16-17 credit only)
- Eric Carr – drums, vocals (disc 1, tracks 18-22; disc 2, tracks 1-4)
- Vinnie Vincent – lead guitar, vocals (disc 1, track 19, 21)
- Mark St. John – lead guitar (disc 1, track 22)
- Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, backing vocals, (disc 2, tracks 1-6, 8-9), acoustic guitar (disc 2, track 7)
- Eric Singer – drums, backing vocals (disc 2, tracks 5-9, 13, 15-19)
- Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, backing vocals (disc 2, tracks 10, 12-13, 15-19)
with
- Bob Kulick – lead guitar (disc 1, track 20)
- Bob Ezrin – piano (disc 1, track 6)
- Dick Wagner – acoustic guitar (disc 1, track 6)
- Kevin Valentine – drums (disc 2, track 10)
- Tobias Nievelstein – recording engineer (disc 2, tracks 16-17)
- Anton Fig – drums (disc 1, tracks 16-17)
References
[edit]- ^ "Kiss 40 Years: Decades of Decibels - Kiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "Lick It Up: "KISS 40" to Include Rare Live Tracks, Unreleased Demo | The Second Disc". theseconddisc.com. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- ^ "KISS - KISS 40 | Album Review | Hit The Floor". hitthefloor.com. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "Kiss founders set aside feud to take the stage at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "KISS 40 Years Only @ Best Buy - CD - Best Buy". bestbuy.com. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "Pre-Ordered: KISS 40 (Japanese with bonus track) | mikeladano.com". mikeladano.com. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kiss – 40 Years - Decades Of Decibels". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Kiss – 40 Years - Decades Of Decibels" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Kiss – 40 Years - Decades Of Decibels" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss 40". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Kiss – 40 Years - Decades Of Decibels". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kiss – 40 Years - Decades Of Decibels". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Kiss – 40". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
