Kiss - Dressed to Kill

Kiss: Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley (vocals, guitar); Gene Simmons (vocals, bass); Peter Criss (vocals, drums). Recorded at Electric Lady Studio, New York, New York. Digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at Sterling Sound, NYC. By 1975, Kiss' songs of sex, fun and rock and and roll had gained the band a loyal following thirsting for more. With their third album, Kiss did not disappoint. The ribald and rollicking "Room Service" kicks things off with a nudge and a wink; it's about getting more than just fresh towels from the front desk. The rest of DRESSED TO KILL continues down that road, whether it's Gene Simmons singing of "moving down the line/the ladies are all looking fine" or Paul Stanley describing a tryst with an exotic dancer who spotted his picture in a magazine. While his bandmates naughtily sang of the fairer sex, Ace Frehley was inspiring legions of fledgling guitarists. Two songs on DRESSED TO KILL come closest to showing why Kiss meant so much to teenagers. Frehley strikes a chord with "Getaway," a fantasy about trying to escape despite being flat broke. And the great rock anthem "Rock And Roll All Nite" is pure fulfillment--this was the exact destination their fans were trying to escape to. Re-released in a live version only months later, "Rock And Roll All Nite" became Kiss' first top-40 single, providing the springboard to the enormous success awaiting them in the following two years.