Dynasty

For many Kiss fans, this is the album where they draw the line. The band had always had commercial instincts tucked inside their hard rock riffs, but Kiss were never as fashion-conscious as when they attempted to ramp up their sound with a few disco beats for Dynasty’s lead-off track and first single, “I Was Made for Lovin' You.” It was cowritten by producer Vini Poncia and Desmond Child (who'd go on to help the resurrected Aerosmith in the '80s with their hitmaking potential). While the song connected with a mass radio audience, it left the band’s loyalists confused. Yet that single aside, much of the rest of Dynasty is pure-bred Kiss. “Sure Know Something” may be slick pop, but Ace Frehley found the perfect cover with The Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man,” and his own “Hard Times” recounts the band’s early days with truth and affection. Gene Simmons borders on parody, as he often does, with the ultra-nutty “Charisma” and “X-Ray Eyes.” Peter Criss, largely absent from the drum seat, purrs out “Dirty Livin’.”