Love Gun

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[1]
BlenderStarStarStarStarHalf star[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[4]
Pitchfork9.2/10[5]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarHalf starFile:Star empty.svg[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[7]
UncutStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[8]

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.

Background

Before 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

Paul Stanley has said that "I Stole Your Love" "came quickly. It was influenced in some ways by the Deep Purple song 'Burn'."[9]

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.[10] It was later sampled by Tone Loc for his 1989 hit single "Funky Cold Medina".[11]

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.[12]

"Tomorrow and Tonight" was written to try to recapture the feeling of "Rock and Roll All Nite".[1] A soundcheck recording of the song appears on Alive II.[13]

The title track shares many of its lyrics with "The Hunter", originally recorded by Albert King, a derivation Stanley later acknowledged.[14] Led Zeppelin had also borrowed from the song for "How Many More Times" on their first album.[14] Stanley has stated that "Love Gun" is probably "one of the five signature essential songs" by Kiss and the one he enjoys performing most.[15]

"Plaster Caster" was inspired by Cynthia Plaster Caster, a former groupie famous for casting penises of famous rock musicians,[16] such as Jimi Hendrix.[17]

"Then She Kissed Me" is one of several gender-reversed covers of the Crystals' 1963 single "Then He Kissed Me".[18]

Recording

According 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,[19] with their cover of "Then She Kissed Me" being the last song tracked.[20] 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.[19]

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.[21] 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.[22]

"Shock Me" was the first lead vocal that Frehley ever recorded, and he sang it while lying on the floor of the studio.[23] 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."[24]

Producer Eddie Kramer recalled recording Peter's drums in a hallway.[25] 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".[25] Stanley played bass guitar on the title track.[15]

Release

Love Gun was released on June 17, 1977.[26]

The album cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly,[1] who had previously contributed the cover for 1976's Destroyer. A cardboard "Love Gun" (assembly required) was included inside the album,[27] along with a Kiss merchandise order form.[28]

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'."[29]

Track listings

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Personnel

Kiss

  • Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass on "Love Gun", first guitar solo on "I Stole Your Love"[15]
  • Gene Simmons – vocals, bass; rhythm guitar on "Christine Sixteen", "Got Love for Sale", "Almost Human" and "Plaster Caster"[30]
  • Peter Criss – drums, vocals
  • Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals, all guitars and bass on "Shock Me", second guitar solo on "I Stole Your Love"

Additional personnel

  • Eddie Kramer – piano on "Christine Sixteen", "Tomorrow and Tonight"; keyboards on "I Stole Your Love", "Love Gun"[[25]
  • Tasha Thomas – backing vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[31]
  • Ray Simpson – backing vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[31]
  • Hilda Harris – backing vocals on "Tomorrow and Tonight"[31]
  • Jimmy Maelin – congas on "Almost Human"[31]

Credits adapted from LP liner notes:[32]

Technical

  • Kiss – producers
  • Eddie Kramer – producer, engineer
  • Corky Stasiak – engineer
  • Dennis Woloch – cover and inner sleeve design
  • Ken Kelly – cover painting
  • David Spindel – sleeve photography

Charts

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[33] 13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34] 2
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[35] 65

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Platinum 100,000 
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum 1,000,000 

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Greg Prato (February 5, 2022). "Kiss - Love Gun". AllMusic.
  2. ^ [1][dead link]
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin Popoff (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.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Colin Larkin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4 (4 ed.). Muze. p. 875. ISBN 0195313739.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jason Josephs (June 26, 2003). "Kiss - Love Gun". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kiss: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jason Cohen (1995). "Kiss". In Eric Weisbard; Craig Marks (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 212. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Neil Kulkarni (December 1997). "Made up for it". Uncut. No. 7. p. 100.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 398. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Maeve McDermott (January 1, 2019). "20 of rock 'n' roll's most politically incorrect songs". The Daily American. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin Kielty (June 25, 2022). "45 Years Ago: Kiss' 'Christine Sixteen' Starts as 'Brotherly Kibitzing'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Curt Gooch; Jeff Suhs (2002). KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 407. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  14. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Paul Stanley (2016). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. Harper Collins. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-06-211404-4.
  15. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 402. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Donald A. Guarisco. "AllMusic song review "Plaster Caster"". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cynthia Plaster Caster official website". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rolling Stone review Love Gun 1977". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  19. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 394. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 405. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Leaf392 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Julian Gill (2004). The Kiss & Related Recordings Focus (1st ed.). USA: KISSFAQ.com. pp. 56–60. ISBN 0-9722253-2-3.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Donald A. Guarisco. "Shock Me - Kiss". AllMusic. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ace Frehley (2011). No Regrets. VH1 Books. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-85720-477-6.
  25. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 399. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 391. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kiss FAQ - Love Gun love gun". Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kiss FAQ Love Gun merchandise". Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Geoff Barton (February 2015). "The hard stuff: Reissues". Classic Rock. No. 206. p. 104.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 403. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  31. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Leaf; Ken Sharp (2003). KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. p. 400. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kiss (1977). Love Gun (LP liner notes). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7057.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 32-35/2025" (in Ελληνικά). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Canadian Kisses" (PDF). Cash Box. August 20, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  37. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".

Bibliography

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