My Fave Albums Of All Time Pt. 9

I figured that since I haven't done a KISS record yet, it probably time.  For anyone who knows me, I have always been a huge KISS fan.  Through the good and the bad, makeup or not, I've stood by them since I was about 7 or 8 years old.  The Originals was my introduction to the band in 1976, they were pretty much my introduction into real rock n' roll.  I have followed them throughout their career, collected the stuff, got the tattoo...maybe I have some issues...At any rate, nostalgia is a powerful thing, and today we go back in time to when KISS began their climb to fame, 1975's Alive!  

You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the land...KISS!!  That intro still gives me goosebumps. Like so many of my fave artists, there are a bunch of albums I could rave about, but this one is something special.  Not only was it a watermark moment in their career, not only is it probably their best album, it is possibly the greatest live record ever.  So what if there were studio touch ups and overdubs...does it sound great?  Is it full of energy? Is it powerful and raw?  Hell yeah!  If you are familiar with KISS's show at the time, this is pretty representative of that. And what live albums aren't doctored anyway??  Plus NO ONE put on show like KISS, Cooper was close...but not close enough.

I love old KISS and this is a prime example of how fantastic, heavy and hungry they were in 1975.  Stuff like Parasite, Got To Choose, Watching You and 100,00 Years have never been performed better.

Not only when you purchased this album did you get a double gatefold cover and 2 discs of incredible music, it also came with a book of live photos.  When I was 8 years old, that was it for me. I still have my original LP, as well as a newer one in mint for the collection, a cassette ,and of course CD.  At this point, I think Gene owes ME money LOL.  If anyone wanted to get a taste of KISS, I would not give them a greatest hits collection, I'd give them this record.

This record along with a few others was what got me into hard rock and metal.  I never tire of this album.  While KISS has had their ups and downs with me, their classic material always holds up.  I'm sure you'll be reading more about KISS in upcoming posts.  Here you go, some live KISS from 1975.