Essential 'Klassic' KISS Songs

With KISS being around for 40 years and with various line-ups over those four decades, I'm cheating with my 'top ten' just like with AC/DC. Yet instead of splitting it into two lists (one for Bon Scott, one for Brian Johnson), KISS gets a whopping 4. First up, is ten songs from the original four, since that seemed like the best cut-off point for list #1. Keep in mind, I've only been in the KISS Army since late-2011, so I'm still a beginner in all-things KISS.

10. "Sure Know Something" (Dynasty)
 Maybe an odd choice to begin my personal top ten, but hey, it's my life and I'll do what I wanna! I can pin-point the exact moment when I was thrust into the KISS Army. It was during a visit to ACME Comics in Peoria in late-summer 2011. I heard a song over their stereo that sounded like a live KISS song, yet it didn't sound like a KISS song. I knew it was the voice of Paul Stanley... but I didn't feel like asking the worker in the store what song it was, since KISS really didn't appeal to me much. I went home and looked it up myself on Youtube- turns out KISS had an Unplugged album and this was the song. That live version and the album version both have a style of their own that almost makes it two separate songs. I like both equally.

9. "100,000 Years" (KISS)
This could be the finest example of all four of the original members- it begins with Gene's rumbling bass, Paul provides vocals, during live versions Peter Criss would get an extended drum solo mid-song, then Ace fires off quick and spacey bursts of his guitar before going into an all-out twisty solo. I don't believe there are many songs like this that feature every member.

8. "Do You Love Me" (Destroyer)
Bob Ezrin really pushed the band on this album and gave them a larger-than-life sound, and it's especially obvious after hearing a demo version of this tune. On that track, Paul's vocals were really silly and turned this song into a parody of a KISS song. Yet on this final version, his vocals are much crisper and commanding. The drums from Peter Criss are crisp as well. I like the added touch from Bob Ezrin with the use of chimes and piano.

7. "Hotter Than Hell" (Hotter Than Hell)
I think I'm more of a fan of the extended outro jam then I am of the verse-chorus portion of this song. Once that gong hits, it's ON! I really love the polished KISS sound on Destroyer, with all of it's background noises like the kids on vocals, piano, calliope, and chimes, but there's something about the grime on the Hotter Than Hell album that is a unique quality all of it's own. It's such a dirty yet awesome album.

6. "Strutter" (KISS)
Many people I know who don't like KISS even admit to liking this song, so that's a real testament to the thump and grind of this tune.

5. "God Of Thunder" (Destroyer)
 A bombastic metal song with Gene on vocals, though originally it was not to be. I originally heard this song long before I was a fan, as it was featured on a classic rock compilation in 1998 called Stone Cold Metal, take from the wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was vastly different from anything I'd heard at the time as 14-year old kid and I still haven't heard many songs like it. The song is full of doom, with eerie background noises and kids talking, and for the longest time I even used it as my phone's ring tone. I've also been a big fan of Eric Carr's drum sound on Creatures of the Night, but after listening to this again, this could be put right up there with that album.


4. "Black Diamond (KISS)
 While going through the KISS katalog in late-2011, this hit me instantly as something out of the ordinary. It sounds more like something a metal band would record and shows off the dynamic range of songs that KISS were recording in their early days. It opens softly with Paul singing over just a guitar, then "HIT IT!", and the full band kicks into a dirty metal song as the vocal duties shift to Peter Criss. That's what's also interesting about KISS- that seemingly anyone could take over vocal duties at any given time. You can still hear Paul on backing vocals, repeating the title of "Black Diamond." The song still isn't over, as the dirtiness continues with a minute long outro.

3. "Hard Luck Woman" (Rock And Roll Over)
When I first listened to Rock And Roll Over, the songs that stood out most were "Calling Dr. Love", "I Want You", and "Makin' Love", but over time "Hard Luck Woman" has won me over. It's actually hearing cover versions that have given me a newfound appreciation for it. Garth Brooks performing with KISS, the band The Great Affairs, and also John Corabi performed a solo acoustic version. I thought, if these guys like it, maybe it's worth another chance.


2. "Calling Dr. Love" (Rock And Roll Over)
When anyone even briefly mentions the band KISS, there are two songs that come to mind instantly, and this is one of those two songs. It just has an instant 'killer' hook that is unmistakable- the guitar riff, the cowbell, and as the song progresses, it has one of the best Ace Frehley solos in my mind. You can just feel the notes bend and twist around, making me actually feel like I could bend over backwards and fire off a guitar solo... but I'm not that flexible. Gene's lyrics are full of dumb lines, "there are no bills, there are no fees", but that's what makes it KISS!

1. "Love Gun" (Love Gun)
This is the quintessential KISS song! That machine gun-like intro, the sex driven lyrics, Paul Stanley wailing on vocals, and a twisty Ace Frehley solo that seems like it'll go on forever. While the album it's taken from might be my least favorite album from the original line-up, this song IS KISS, and it's what I think of first and foremost when the band is mentioned.