20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Kiss CD

Kiss: Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley (vocals, guitar); Gene Simmons (vocals, bass); Peter Criss (vocals, drums).
Recorded between 1974 & 1979. Includes liner notes by Jeff Kitts.
The discount-priced 20th Century Masters compilation presents the highlights of the first half-decade of Kiss' existence, drawing from recordings originally released between 1974 and 1979. For that period, compilation producer Bill Levenson begins by picking four LP tracks from the band's initially unsuccessful first three albums: "Strutter" and "Deuce" from Kiss, the title track from Hotter Than Hell, and "C'mon and Love Me" from Dressed to Kill. The remaining eight tracks represent Kiss' highest charting singles of the next several years, among them the breakthrough live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite," the Top Ten ballad "Beth," and their second gold-selling single, "I Was Made for Lovin' You." For such a brief and focused compilation, the only significant omission to note is "Shout It Out Loud," which charted in both studio and live version, the former getting to number 31 on the Hot 100. Of course, a more career-spanning collection would have included the 1990 Top Ten hit "Forever," but that's saved for a second volume. ~ William Ruhlmann
This anthology's focus is on Kiss's rich, '70s period, serving as an excellent sampler for neophytes curious to find out how Kiss has managed to invoke such slavish devotion from their fans. If one is willing to look past the make-up and hoopla, the success of these New York City natives is founded on what is essentially basic rock & roll packed with hooks, straightforward subject matter (i.e. sex), and killer guitar solos provided by one Ace Frehley.
Among the band's classic numbers included here are songs about streetwalkers ("Strutter") and teen ingenues ("Christine Sixteen"), and plenty of cuts loaded with the aforementioned sexual innuendo ("Love Gun," "Calling Dr. Love"). There are stabs at country-flavored melancholy, ("Hard Luck Woman," which was later covered by Garth Brooks), disco opportunism ("I Was Made for Lovin' You"), and the seed of the power-ballad movement that erupted in the '80s ("Beth.") Last but not least is "Rock and Roll All Nite," a quintessential rock and roll anthem in its own right.