Maps of Music

Dressed to Kill (1975)

Where the lyrics of Dressed to Kill take you, and where it was really made.

At 30 minutes and 7 seconds, this is Kiss's shortest studio album, and the original vinyl's long pauses between tracks were a possible reason for the short running time.

Key places

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (1975)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — The album was recorded in 10 days in Studio B at Electric Lady during February 1975, under the working title Kiss at Midnight. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo corner in Manhattan (1974)

Album cover Record Plant Studios — The band's cover photo was taken at the southwest corner of West 23rd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan, looking north, on October 26, 1974. The point is shown at city level, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Dressed to Kill: third studio album by American hard rock band Kiss
• Released March 19, 1975
• Produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart and the band itself
• The label's finances did not allow hiring a professional producer
• Runs 30 minutes 7 seconds, the shortest Kiss studio album
• The only Kiss album produced by Neil Bogart

Background

• Released by Casablanca Records
• Songs carry over from the Wicked Lester period
• Remastered edition released in 1997

Recording

• Recorded in 10 days at Electric Lady, Studio B, February 1975
• Working title: 'Kiss at Midnight'
• Bogart's first producer decision was bringing in a pound of weed, according to Peter Criss
• Ace Frehley recorded his guitar parts through a speaker with a cardboard box for the shell
• Gene Simmons wrote 'Ladies in Waiting' in the studio in one afternoon and taught it to the band that night
• Paul Stanley added acoustic guitars to 'Anything for My Baby' because BTO was doing it

Cover

• Photographed October 26, 1974 by Bob Gruen
• The band wears business suits, but only Peter Criss owned one; the other suits belonged to manager Bill Aucoin
• The original vinyl had the Kiss logo embossed around the photo
• Photo taken at the southwest corner of West 23rd Street and 8th Avenue, Manhattan, looking north

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
• The band traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York rock band led by Simmons and Stanley.
• Their first performance took place on January 30, 1973, at the Popcorn Club (later Coventry) in Queens.
• Casablanca Records signed the band on November 1, 1973, as the label's first act.

Members

• The four original members were Stanley (Starchild), Simmons (Demon), Frehley (Spaceman) and Criss (Catman).
• Eric Carr replaced Criss in 1980; Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John and Bruce Kulick later held lead guitar.
• Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer formed the final lineup.

Career

• Kiss became one of America's most successful rock bands in the late 1970s, with a 1977 Gallup poll naming them the most popular band in America.
• The band unmasked in 1983 and reunited the original lineup for the 1996 reunion tour.
• The band announced its retirement after its final show at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023.
• Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Hi-Fi for Pleasure: hoped the passing trendiness of Kiss would not leave the band stranded
• Hi-Fi for Pleasure: noted that rock lacking showmanship was scarce, so albums like this felt like fresh air
• Hi-Fi for Pleasure: said the band had been pronounced a bit too proficient to be really heavy

Records

• Peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 in the US, a higher position than its two predecessors
• Certified gold by the RIAA on February 28, 1977, about two years after release
• 'C'mon and Love Me' and 'Rock and Roll All Nite' were released as singles but failed to rise up the charts
• 'Rock and Roll All Nite' reached No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100, the best position for a Kiss single up to then
• A live version of 'Rock and Roll All Nite' from Alive!, issued as a single later in 1975, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• At 30 minutes and 7 seconds, this is the shortest Kiss studio album.
• The original vinyl had long pauses between tracks, making each side run 15 minutes, which were longer than the material alone would give.
• Some song times on the vinyl were listed incorrectly, such as 'Two Timer' at 2:59 and 'Ladies in Waiting' at 2:47.
• 'Rock and Roll All Nite' has stayed in the band's concerts since 1975 along with 'Rock Bottom', 'C'mon and Love Me' and 'She'.
• 'She' is the longest song on the album at about four minutes.
• The cover's band logos are embossed on the front and back.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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