Kiss
Love Gun [Deluxe Edition]
(UME)

Kiss’s 1977 album, Love Gun, remastered and added to here in a two-disc Deluxe Edition, opens with “I Stole Your Love,” a fast and furious rocker featuring the silly lyrics you’d expect, but it moves with all the instruments well up in your face on this remaster. The infamous Gene Simmons-led vocals on “Christine Sixteen” follows, with its ’50s-like piano, low bass and tom backing.

“Tomorrow and Tonight” is a pure cut-through guitar party song; it fits Kiss perfectly. And the big anthem title track with lyrics that will make you cringe (even by Kiss standards) with Paul Stanley singing about his “love gun” is over-the-top with the perfect singable chorus.

I like drummer Peter Criss’ scratchy vocals over the simple “Hooligan.” Ace Frehley manages a good lead here and he also sears through the strutting “Almost Human.” This tune features the best Simmon’s vocals and some different drumming from Peter Criss (some cool tom tribal stuff) and some effective backing vocals. For me, this is the best tune on Love Gun; it is probably the most sophisticated tune here and the furthest from the rest of the vibe of Kiss.

“Plaster Caster” sees the band paying tribute to one of the most infamous groupies and her specific backstage “life’s work.” It’s a fun tune. The band’s cover of “Then She Kissed Me” is a strange ender to this collection of 10, but Kiss manages a good 1977 read on this ’50s classic.

This second disc here has some real gems. There are a bunch of demos from Love Gun, a Gene Simmons interview and live versions of “Love Gun,” “Christine Sixteen,” and “Shock Me,” all circa 1977.