Ranking the KISS Album Covers

[@CathyLahn]

Well, first off, excellent list! KISS ALIVE! is without a doubt, one of the greatest album covers & LPs...ever. Any artist, any band. Kiss, Sabbath and David Bowie covers are my favorites! Also, Rolling Stones, AC/DC, LZ, Pink Floyd & Roxy Music. Actually, there are so many great ones from the 1970s... Jesus, the quality of the music, the shows, the album covers, every-damn-thing in the 70s! Anyway, I became a KISS fan, in a "love at first look" situation... at my local record shop (LYRICS) in 1975, upon release of DRESSED TO KILL. I was just 9 years old, but already into ROCK for 3 years! Up to this point, it was about DAVID BOWIE, LED ZEPPELIN, ROLLING STONES and T REX (hadn't discovered Black Sabbath or AC/DC just yet) So yeah, seeing KISS, "for the first time ever" in dress suits was surreal enough to begin with. But then, after getting it home and staring at the cover some more (realizing that the "coolest" guy on the cover... the one with the silver make up, white shoes and that aloof, badass stance, just had to be ACE FREHLEY), I listened to this exciting, exquisitely produced, killer, guitar-centric ear candy Rock n Roll LP, and was instantly in love with the band. And then... my own personal epiphany moment came, while listening to "SHE" --- I had already had some vague youthful dreams of becoming a guitarist..a "Lead guitarist," in the future, but it was during that awesome jungle groove and soloing of "SHE". Man, it just hit me, THIS is what I was going to do! I would learn how to do this, to somehow play just as good... at some point. Well, I'll cut this shorter by saying that in 1979, that epiphany started to come true, and by '80, I was on my way, with a black Stratocaster and Sunn Alpha 112 amp! Sold to me, or influenced to purchase, by Ed King. I was now fluently playing improvised solos and great riffs, playing along with full albums, asding in my own "sauce" to the mix, and soon to be asked to join a band. Great times. So, thank you KISS, and thank you Ace Frehley! 🛸 As for my COVERS, I'll now rank them (below), but I'd like to first say that your list is not only similar to mine, but fantastic! I like seeing "lists" from people who actually know, who lived through it, and also have brain enough to really describe it. ~ As it should be! ⚡ 🦇 🐆 ⭐ Covers Ranking (with their position as "album" # after) btw, the first 10 of these are all f****** brilliant! 1. KISS ALIVE (1975) #1 2. KISS (1974) #4 3. LOVE GUN (1977) #6 4. DESTROYER (1976) #9 5. HOTTER THAN HELL (1974) #5 6. ROCK AND ROLL OVER (1976) #3 7. THE SOLO ALBUMS (1978) Ace Frehley #3 (tie) 8. DRESSED TO KILL (1975) #2 9. DYNASTY (1979) #7 10. CREATURES OF THE NIGHT (1982) #10 11. ALIVE II (1977) #8 12. DOUBLE PLATINUM (1978) 13. UNMASKED (1980) #12 14. THE ELDER (1981) #11 15. LICK IT UP (1983) #13 Kiss Loves You, Rock and Roll!! M ⚡

[@MGKBOSTON]

Hi Paul! I am a KISS fan from way back, but don't have many of them anymore. Nice to see all of the albums in one video. I do appreciate the cover art and wasn't even familiar with some of the later records you showed.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Well awwwright!!

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

I am not a kiss fan, but I grew up during that whole era. I enjoyed the video, my friend.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Thanks!

[@damienlejeune7840]

Thank you Vincent Furnier...

[@CVGuitar]

Great video Paul!

[@jordangassman2595]

Hi, As It Should Be great video ranking the album covers of kiss thanks for posting

[@jessediaz9259]

Greetings from Wisconsin, Hi Paul-so far I got as far as Your opinions on the "Animalize" album. I'm going to stray...I finally watched & listened to some of Your work in Persephone's Bees-the lead singer's voice is Really Nice & Your drumming is Awsome. I liked seeing the video, where You had the black tape on Your white outfit! I was Very young, when my brother got the "Rock n Roll Over" album & it SCARED me-but I got over it. Gene Simmons bass-sounded like a chain saw to me! Got over that too! So far-another great video from You, so far-Thank-You...Your Fan-Sharon

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Hi Sharon! Thank you! Oh yeah, that white outfit was just a disposable pair of painter coveralls with black duct tape. Getting out of that was an adventure...

[@redihip]

Great idea (album art) for some future vids. Keep it up!!

[@NaughtyVampireGod]

I agree. I'm surprised it isn't done more by other channels.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Thanks Redihip!

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

@@NaughtyVampireGod I've seen a couple of others do it but I've had the idea for a while. Me and the others who have done it got the idea totally independent of each other. They just acted quicker than I did!

[@NaughtyVampireGod]

😎Well awwwwlright!! For sure: You are THE original, Sir. 😉 Paul, it would certainly be fun (imho) to continue this theme with other bands. Most bands who have been around for a while seem to have "that" cover which is notorious among the fan base. (Thinking Yes and ELP to name a few . . .) Spoiler alert: It was interesting that my best/worst was so close to your picks in this case. Great minds . . .@@AsItShouldBePodcast

[@rustyblades2566]

I got into KISS in 1979. I was literally a toddler lol. I really enjoyed your childhood experiences w/ the KISS album covers, as I could relate to the whole staring at the covers for hours and having thoughts on them as a teenager ect...whether it be in a magazine or what not. I was too you to have albums then..although my first ever vinyl was Shandi on 45' I got in 1980. Regards, from Sydney Australia.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Oh yeah, I think we all stared at those covers for hours on end back in the day!

[@rustyblades2566]

Absolutely. We had some killer Kiss Merchandise back in 1980 to stare at too, w/ Peter Criss and Eric Carr.

[@johnlorinc2081]

Well all right! Never was a huge fan of Kiss.....but they had great album covers. Even the cheesy ones. Great video once again!

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Thanks JL!

[@georgemathie8123]

Rock and roll over, creatures of the night the original cover not the re issue, and love gun are my top 3 favorite kiss album covers

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Oh yeah, the Creatures re-issue cover was super lame!

[@blitzhammer]

When I look at the Sonic Boom Cover from a distance... Gene and especially Paul always remind me of that guy from the Hip Hop Group Kid'n Play. The one with hi-top haircut. With make up of course 😂 Anyone notice that too? 😅 Great video Paul. Hope for more cover rankings. Do Sabbath.. Their artworks are fun 😁Greetings 🤘

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Ha! I can absolutely see what you mean! 😂

[@duggysduggys5505]

We’ll all-right!!🤟🏻

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

WHOA YEAH!!

[@PapaNicksMusic]

I can’t argue with much of this (and I really like the idea-nicely done!), but I would put Destroyer above Alive.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

I really couldn't blame anybody for either Destroyer or Alive at the top. Those two really are neck-and-neck depending on the vibe you prefer. Destroyer is the ultimate fantasy KISS cover and Alive is your comic book heroes come to life, sweat and all.

[@ASKMEABOUTMYGARDEN]

​@AsItShouldBePodcast you look good for early 50s.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

@@ASKMEABOUTMYGARDEN Thank you

[@RobertFithen]

Great idea for a topic. I agree with most of these. I also stared at the "Dynasty" album cover because when I got it, I wasn't able to listen to it for a couple of days because my family was visiting relatives and my record player wasn't around. If only the music of "The Elder" had lived up to that cover. I never understood why, with such a visual band and great front cover art, that their back covers were sometimes so bland.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Yeah, there seemed to be a thread with their covers where the back was either the background of the front cover image with song titles over the top or just whatever solid color fit with the design. The same guy, Dennis Woloch, did most of their stuff, so maybe it was just his style?

[@alexnejako777]

all before 1980 are great. mystical value . used to read over them as a little kid (i only had Alive II).

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Yeah, there was so much mystery in the earlier KISS. Added so much to the experience.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Now THITHHH ITHHH A GREAT LITHHHHHHST!

[@charlesbronson4282]

I think the Crazy Nights cover is a more successful homage to Rock n Roll Over than Sonic Boom

[@tonyeckman4822]

Cool ranking idea. You look like a younger Alice Cooper.

[@ToddMason]

Well, that was fun.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Thanks, Todd!

[@ErnestIII83]

'Tis funny that they follow up Hot In The Shade, where you can barely see the KISS logo on the cover, with Revenge where the logo takes up the bulk of the cover. Guess they wanted to make sure. Ha. And frankly, the original Carnival Of Souls cover I like even less than the one they went with.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Oh really? You like the OG Carnival of Souls image even less?? I mean, it is pretty '90s industrial/NuMetal type of imagery which I'm not at all into, but at least it's an actual design and not an afterthought.

[@ErnestIII83]

@@AsItShouldBePodcast True, but I dunno. Just a weird and rather silly image to me. An S&M mask with its head on fire and a hand looking like it's about to choke itself. I guess it does match the music within, so there's that, at least. ;)

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

@@ErnestIII83 Eh, I don't like that album anyway, so I guess it's fitting that the cover is also lame.