KISS began their 1970s cycles of intense productivity by releasing their second album just a few months after the first. Hotter Than Hell contains some all-time KISS classics, but would struggle to match its predecessor.
HOTTER THAN HELL
Produced by Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise
Released 22 October 1974
Side 1
Got To Choose (Stanley)
Parasite (Frehley)
Goin’ Blind (Simmons/Coronel)
Hotter Than Hell (Stanley)
Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll (Stanley/Simmons)
Side 2
All The Way (Simmons)
Watchin’ You (Simmons)
Mainline (Stanley)
Comin’ Home (Stanley/Frehley)
Strange Ways (Frehley)
It was the era of relentless output. From the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, even superstar bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath would release at least one new album every year, maybe two. The time spent on writing and recording albums was much less than it would be in the later 1970s and 1980s. For KISS, a new band on a quest for success, getting enough music out was essential to build a fanbase and also to satisfy their record company Casablanca’s need for product to move. If the band could find two or three weeks to stay off the road, a record could be made.
The second KISS album, with the working title The Harder They Come, was recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles in August 1974. Producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise had moved from New York to LA and suggested that KISS continue their working relationship with them by recording on the West Coast. In an effort to create something sonically edgier and less poppy than the sound of their Kiss (1974) debut, band and producers (along with their regular engineer Warren Dewey) ended up making Hotter Than Hell rather unpleasant on the ears. The record is overdriven and compressed, with drums, guitars and vocals all pushing past the limits of their frequencies on a regular basis.
On the other hand, it could be argued that these sonic hallmarks coupled with the masterful cover design by John Van Hamersveld imbues the Hotter Than Hell album with a distinct vibe and identity that some later KISS records would lack. The intriguing KISS mythology was truly born with this sophomore record, even if the sonic deficiencies admittedly detract from the overall experience. At least the cover image of the KISS members oozes with attitude: Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons projecting their ambition of world domination.
Some of the song material is also strong enough to equal the debut album. Stanley provides bona fide KISS classics with the catchy opener Got To Choose and the riffy title track, while Simmons is up to the challenge with Watchin’ You and the otherwordly ballad Goin’ Blind. Frehley weighs in with the monumental Parasite (sung by Simmons), and the slowburning closing track Strange Ways (sung by Criss). The only songs below par are Simmons’ All The Way and Stanley’s Mainline, a track that Criss sung after threatening to leave the band if they didn’t let him. There is also the somewhat overrated Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll, a track that achieved classic status but never sounded much better than fun filler in this reviewer’s opinion. Then again, there is the hidden gem Comin’ Home, a rare writing collaboration from Stanley and Frehley that would not see prominence until the band’s much later unplugged era in the 1990s.
To appreciate the band’s disapproval of the Hotter Than Hell sound, you should check out the original mastering that was used for the earliest vinyl and music cassette releases. The worst of all is probably the Phonogram vinyl reissue from around 1980, and the sensation when Got To Choose starts playing is one of disgust: Criss’ crash cymbals and most of the vocals distort painfully in the upper frequencies and makes it hard to actually follow the music. It is a much harsher album to listen to than either its predecessor or the album that would shortly follow it, Dressed To Kill (1975).
This problem would be alleviated somewhat starting with the mastering that was done in Japan for the first CD edition of the album in 1986, and also the George Marino mastering for the American CD edition in 1987. There would later on be the overloud but fair-sounding 1997 CD remaster, and also a fine heavyweight vinyl edition in 2014 that makes Hotter Than Hell much more enjoyable for the listener. High quality streaming from the likes of Tidal through high quality headphones or speaker systems is also a good way to experience the record. It’s 50th anniversary having come and gone, it seems unlikely that KISS will ever celebrate this album with the proper remix that has long been called for.
Production issues aside, in just eight months of 1974 KISS had presented two albums that were basically classics in the making thanks to their energetic rock and roll content. Hotter Than Hell sits a little below the debut, but it still packs enough of what any fan or historian would consider essential KISS material to be hailed as another good step on the way.
Place in KISStory:
6/6 Masterpiece
5/6 Great
4/6 GOOD
3/6 OK
2/6 Disappointing
1/6 Crap
STRANGE WAYS 