Band:	KISS
Album:	Love Gun
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	1977

Disc I
01. I Stole Your Love
02. Christine Sixteen
03. Got Love For Sale
04. Shock Me
05. Tomorrow And Tonight
06. Love Gun
07. Hooligan
08. Almost Human
09. Plaster Caster
10. Then She Kissed Me

Disc II [2014 re-release]
01. Much Too Soon [demo]
02. Plaster Caster [demo]
03. Reputation [demo]
04. Love Gun [teaching demo]
05. Love Gun [demo]
06. Gene Simmons Interview 1977
07. Tomorrow And Tonight [demo]
08. I Know Who You Are [demo]
09. Love Gun [Live 1997]
10. Christine Sixteen [Live 1997]
11. Shock Me [Live 1997]

The golden era draws to a close.

Remember when KISS ruled the world? When on name value alone they could pull you in, and weren't beholden to gimmicks or bumping along trying to remain relevant in whatever era they found themselves in? Well, before nostalgia revived their career to the point they could stand on their own two platformed feet again, Love Gun signed off the prior golden period for the band where they could do no wrong; no disco, make up still firmly affixed and no glam or grunge record in sight, just straight up rock 'n' roll that is some of the best of the period.

Love Gun contains some of the band's best work and a selection of album tracks that can hold their own even in the shadow of the album's more revered work. Taking the route of more of the same but better, KISS raised their game to the point they made what I think is their opus. Sure, Destroyer might be the popular choice, but I think this album has several advantages over it (though both are rightfully argued amongst as to which is the band's best work). One of these advantages is that the album tracks are of a higher quality, meaning you have a solid listening experience as opposed to one that is of peaks and valleys.

Love Gun isn't an equal listening experience, itself having tracks that are stronger than others, but compared to other albums, the weaker tracks are still solid, just lacking that something to put them on a par with the classics. Songs like "I Stole Your Love", "Got Love For Sale" and "Almost Human" are classic old school rockers that are more than mere padding; on many other albums they would rank amongst the best cuts.

It is because of instant classics like "Shock Me", "Love Gun" and "Plaster Caster", signature KISS tracks and ones readily identified with the band to this day, that Love Gun can claim to be the album that represents the band best. While the band would add to their collection of classics for the rest of their career, Love Gun serves to be the last time so many and such quality ones were added in one go.

There are drawbacks to be had, however; "Then She Kissed Me" is a flipped version of The Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me". The band aren't able to translate the charm and catchiness of the original, and it ends the album with a whimper rather than a bang. However, given that it's the last track on the record, at least you can spend the majority of the album listening uninterrupted before you reach for the stop button prematurely.

As is a somewhat common theme with KISS records, there are lines that do make you wince; here it belongs to "Christine Sixteen", and I quote ""I don't usually say things like this to girls your age, but when I saw you coming out of the school that day, that day I knew, I knew, I've got to have you"?yikes. "Hooligan" would join this list, but I have a feeling the band have their tongue in cheek (which must be a struggle for Gene) when they sing (an ode to youthful rebellion) "I went down to the candy store, If I had a nickel I'd buy some more" - oh no, the youth wish to buy more candy, where did society go so wrong?!

KISS wanted to rock all night and party every day; Love Gun would be the last record where this was possible, with subsequent albums ending the party at around 10pm or with someone forgetting the beer.