KISS’ Debut Album Turns 46

Kiss released their debut, self titled album, on February 18, 1974. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band Wicked Lester. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has stated it took just 13 days.

The album was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, which was owned by the company that owned Buddah Records. Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, was an executive at Buddah prior to forming Casablanca. Casablanca Records held a party at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate the West Coast release of Kiss and to introduce the record company to the press and other record industry executives.

Despite the band’s promoting and touring, Kiss sold approximately 75,000 copies after its initial release without the presence of a hit single. It was certified gold on June 8, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version.

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