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Rock and Roll Over (1976)

Where the lyrics of Rock and Roll Over take you, and where it was really made.

Peter Criss recorded part of the drums in a bathroom, talking to the rest of the band over a video link to get the sound he wanted.

Key places

Basic tracks recorded at the Star Theatre (1976)

Recording site Star Theatre — Kiss began recording in the Star Theatre, a theater-in-the-round, in Nanuet, New York on September 30, 1976. Basic tracks were completed there on October 11. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Overdubs at the Record Plant (1976)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Overdubs for the album were done at the Record Plant from October 12 to 17, 1976, after the basic tracks were recorded at the Star Theatre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Rock and Roll Over: fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss
• Released November 11, 1976 by Casablanca Records
• Recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York
• Contains the songs "Hard Luck Woman" and "Calling Dr. Love", which became hit singles in the United States

Background

• Many songs were developed before or during Destroyer
• Three Gene Simmons songs clearly re-worked 1975 Magna Graphics Studios demos
• "Calling Dr. Love" is a re-working of "Bad, Bad Lovin'"
• "Hard Luck Woman" was originally planned by Paul Stanley to pitch to Rod Stewart, then kept to give Peter Criss a ballad after the success of "Beth"
• The album arrived only several months after Destroyer, adding pressure to keep the momentum going

Recording

• Recording began at the Star Theatre, a theater-in-the-round, on September 30, 1976
• Basic tracks were completed October 11
• Overdubs were done at the Record Plant from October 12 to 17
• Eddie Kramer worked 16–17 hours a day to capture the band's live sound
• Amplifiers were placed under the stage in separate dressing rooms to prevent bleed into the drum mics
• Peter Criss's drums were recorded both on the middle of the stage and in a bathroom
• Vocals were sometimes recorded in hallways
• This is the first Kiss album without a writing credit from Ace Frehley

Cover

• Cover artwork by Michael Doret, who worked with Kiss again on 2009's Sonic Boom
• Inside the sleeve were a sticker of the cover art and a glossy photo press release pamphlet

Sources: en.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

• Robert Christgau wrote in a contemporary review that Kiss write tough, catchy songs but are diminished by appearing as a caricature of themselves

Reappraisal

• Modern reviews are generally positive
• Greg Prato of AllMusic praised the album for the band's return to the raw hard rock of their first four albums and called it one of Kiss's most consistent records
• A Pitchfork reviewer compared the album to Destroyer, finding it sonically punchier but a bit lacking in complete vitality
• In his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, Martin Popoff called Rock and Roll Over the most childish Kiss album and a disappointment after Destroyer
• Beverly Paterson of Something Else! wrote in a retrospective review that the album documents Kiss in their prime as a perfect paragon of their heavy-duty glitter garage rock

Records

• Peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200
• "Hard Luck Woman" did not equal the success of "Beth" but became another top 20 single
• "Calling Dr. Love" also reached the top 20 and became a concert staple

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Peter Criss recorded drums in a bathroom to get the proper drum sound, communicating with the rest of the band by video link
• Engineer Corky Stasiak skateboarded down the theater's steep aisle, pinballed into the drums and microphones, and reset everything without the band or Kramer knowing
• After a playback, Paul Stanley praised the take as sounding better than the day before
• Eddie Kramer used the same special tube microphones he had used with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin
• Three of Gene Simmons's songs were re-workings of 1975 demos from Magna Graphics Studios

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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