Alive! (1975-2000)

It’s no coincidence that Kiss’ incredible rise to fame came on the release of their first Alive! album. The 1975 double-LP captured the raw essence that had been muted on their three previous studio albums. Air-guitar anthems such as “Deuce,” “Firehouse,” “Hotter Than Hell,” and “Black Diamond” suddenly came, yes, alive. “Rock and Roll All Nite” became the group’s first hit single and their reigning signature tune to this day. Noting this winning formula, Kiss quickly released three additional studio albums and capped their second era a little over two years later with Alive II at the end of 1977 (with a side of five studio cuts). Again, the versions of “Detroit Rock City,” “Love Gun,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “I Stole Your Love” and “God of Thunder” captured the incendiary elements missing from their studio recordings. This collection gathers those two landmark live albums with the 1993 Alive III release that features guitarist Bruce Kulick and drummer Eric Singer in place of the departed Ace Frehley and Peter Criss and the previously unreleased ‘Millennium Concert’ recorded with the original line-up back intact on December 31, 1999 in Vancouver. All is fun if not always definitive.