Greatest Kiss CD

Kiss has been the subject of numerous best-of compilations over the years, some released stateside (1978's Double Platinum, 1988's Smashes, Thrashes & Hits), while others only in specified regions (1982's Killers in Europe, 1988's Chikara in Japan, etc.). The 1996 collection Greatest Kiss was originally intended to only be issued outside the U.S., but since it was selling well as an import stateside, it was eventually issued domestically one year later. There are four different versions of Greatest Kiss, each including a slightly different track listing: European/Australian, Japanese, Mexican, and U.S. Instead of focusing only on overlooked songs not included previously on their past best-of packages, Greatest Kiss is an extremely haphazardly assembled collection since the majority of the songs have been included on the aforementioned collections ("Rock and Roll All Nite," "Deuce," "Beth," "Detroit Rock City," etc.). Tracks making their first appearance on a Kiss anthology are "Sure Know Something," "Christine Sixteen," "Plaster Caster," "Flaming Youth," "Two Sides of the Coin," and a 1996 live version of "Shout It Out Loud." Instead of getting it right and focusing only on truly overlooked gems (such as "Magic Touch," "Larger Than Life," "Shock Me," "Parasite," "Talk to Me," "Rocket Ride," "Watchin' You," "Mr. Speed," "New York Groove," "I Stole Your Love," "King of the Night Time World," etc.), Greatest Kiss ultimately misses the mark. For the newcomer, stick with 1978's better-assembled Double Platinum. ~ Greg Prato
Greatest Kiss is a fine 16-track collection of the group's biggest hits presented in their original studio versions, with the notable exception of a live version of "Shout It Out," a track recorded at the opening of the group's 1996 reunion tour that was added to entice dedicated collectors. Ignoring "Shout It Out," Greatest Kiss lives up to its billing, since it captures the band's most familiar material -- "Rock & Roll All Night," "Strutter," "Beth," "Cold Gin" -- on one disc, making it and Alive the only necessary albums for casual Kiss fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
1996 was the year that dreams came true for die-hard Kiss fans. The original quartet reunited and donned make-up for a lucrative tour to go along with their UNPLUGGED record and a live compilation. GREATEST KISS, a collection of their biggest hits, keeps the cash registers ringing. Throughout the first years of the band's success, Kiss were not unlike their fans (except for the make-up)...kids from the street who dreamed of rock stardom. Not surprisingly, sex and rebellion were popular topics for the rock & roll masses. Whether the subject was groupies ("Plaster Caster", "Do You Love Me"), streetwalkers ("Strutter") or youthful anthems ("Flaming Youth," "Rock And Roll All Nite"), these simple yet effective songs affected everyone from Nirvana and The Melvins to Garth Brooks and Lenny Kravitz.