KISS: Love Gun (MELODIC HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After what could be called a kind of comeback achieved with "Rock'n'Roll Over", Kiss had the choice to try again a "Destroyer"-like evolution or to go on with a melodic hard-rock but without too much refinement. In fact, "Love Gun" offers a kind of compromise, where the band keeps its aggressive side but refines the production, significantly less rough than on the previous album. He offers himself the luxury of some original parts, more diverse guitar sounds, guitar harmonies, a lot of choruses and Paul Stanley experiments with the e-bow (this little object that makes the guitar sound a bit like a violin when held over the microphones).

The album opens with a fast and aggressive composition by Paul Stanley, who only signs three tracks on this album but sings four. "I Stole Your Love" is a breakthrough with its fast riff and its heady chorus that will undoubtedly inspire the Scorpions! The title track, one of the most violent songs he ever wrote, is again written by Stanley, with its frantic opening drums, the medium fast tempo, the dramatic chorus... and the unambiguous and not very subtle lyrics. Paul is on vocals on this record and the voice is well enhanced by Eddie Kramer's spacious production, much more airy than on the almost stuffy "Rock'n'Roll Over".

Gene Simmons has taken the lion's share of the work with four very good compositions, whose lyrics are once again of limited subtlety! He personally marks his irresistible "Christine Sixteen" with a hammering of the piano, whose chorus is sung by Stanley, while he takes a more rock'n'roll style on "Got Love For Sale" and the short but very catchy "Plaster Caster" with a linear rhythm and where the demon takes a still devilishly virile voice (Ha! Ha! that's the way to put it!) but more clear. He is much more threatening on "Almost Human", a track with a strange atmosphere with its medium rhythm, its haunting guitar pattern, its elastic bass, its unhealthy and disturbing chorus supported by androgynous choirs, the extremely distorted solo and the unexpected congas of Jimmy Maelen. Simmons actually plays a little guitar on these last two compositions.

"Love Gun" also marks a premiere: Ace Frehley is trying at vocals for the first time (with Stanley on backing vocals) on "Shock Me," one of Kiss' best compositions, a powerful and melodious mid-tempo that also features one of the best solo's in 70's hard rock. His clear and light but rather nasal tone and Frehley's typical New York accent, suit this composition perfectly. Finally, Peter Criss sings "Hooligan" which he composed with his old friend Stan Pendridge. A rather simple middle tempo song, but illuminated by several inspired solos of Ace Frehley, which reminds slightly the bluesy Led Zeppelin of "The Rover" or "Presence", except for the vocals. We could do without the decidedly too hoarse tone of the drummer, who plays particularly well here.

Finally, "Love Gun" ends witwith a cover of a song that is anything but metal, "And Then She Kisses Me", a song originally performed by the Crystals, a group of female singers from Brooklyn. It is Paul Stanley who leads the vocals of this pretty melody which accelerates progressively, with big reverb which gives a 60's touch to the song, humming electric guitars and some acoustic guitar, and even some castanets!

"Love Gun" marks the end of Kiss' most famous and commercially successful era. A short album as usual but full of good songs that don't have the same sound, recorded in only three weeks but with a very good sound. One of the band's most essential albums. - Official website

KISS

LOVE GUN

MERCURY

MELODIC HARD ROCK