Rock and Roll Over is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on November 11, 1976, by Casablanca Records. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York. The album contains the songs "Hard Luck Woman" and "Calling Dr. Love", which became hit singles in the United States.
| Rock and Roll Over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Michael Doret | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 1976 | |||
| Recorded | September 28 – October 17, 1976[1][2] | |||
| Studio | Star Theatre, Nanuet, New York | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:38 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | Eddie Kramer | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Rock and Roll Over | ||||
| ||||
Album information
editTo get the proper drum sound, Peter Criss recorded his tracks in a bathroom, communicating via video-link with the rest of the band.[3] This is the first Kiss album to not feature a writing credit from Ace Frehley.
Many of the songs that appear on the album were developed before or during Destroyer. Three of Gene Simmons' songs are clear re-workings of demos from the 1975 Magna Graphics Studios demo: "Calling Dr. Love" is a re-working of "Bad, Bad Lovin'"; "Ladies Room" is based on "Don't Want Your Romance"; and "Love' Em and Leave' Em" is based on "Rock and Rolls-Royce";[4] Criss's "Baby Driver" is a rewrite of a Peter Criss/Stan Penridge demo from Criss's pre-Kiss band Lips; and "Hard Luck Woman", a song Paul Stanley originally planned to pitch to Rod Stewart, was held over to provide Criss a ballad to sing following the success of "Beth".
Recording
editUsing the Record Plant recording truck, Kiss began recording in the Star Theater, an abandoned theater-in-the-round, in Nanuet, New York on September 30th, 1976 and completed basic tracks on October 11th, with overdubs being done at the Record Plant from October 12th-17th. [1] Working 16-17 hours a day, Eddie Kramer attempted to capture the live sound of the band by utilizing the entire building. Ace, Paul and Gene's amplifiers were placed under the stage in separate dressing rooms to prevent bleed into the drum mikes. Peter's drums were recorded both on the middle of the stage and in a bathroom. Vocals were sometimes done in hallways. Kramer recorded with the same special tube microphones that he had used with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Engineer Corky Stasiak has amusingly recounted a story of his skateboarding down the steep aisle of the theater and attempting to jump onto the stage, only to pinball into the drums and microphones. He hurriedly reset everything, without the band's nor Kramer's knowledge. Shortly thereafter, while listening to a playback, Paul Stanley commented, “it sounds better today than it did yesterday.”[5]
Release
editRock and Roll Over was released by Casablanca Records on November 11, 1976,[6] and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.[7]
The cover artwork is by Michael Doret, who worked with Kiss again on 2009's Sonic Boom.[8] Inside the sleeve was a sticker of the cover art and a glossy photo press release pamphlet. The live album Kings Among Scotland, by Anthrax, pays homage to the artwork.[9]
"Hard Luck Woman" did not equal the success of "Beth", but became another top 20 single, as did "Calling Dr. Love". The latter also became a concert staple.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Blender | [11] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[12] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[13] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[15] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 5/10[17] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[18] |
| Uncut | [19] |
In a contemporary review of the album, Robert Christgau wrote that Kiss "write tough, catchy songs, and if they had a sly, Jagger-style singer they'd be a menace", but are diminished by appearing as a "caricature" of themselves.[12]
Modern reviews are generally positive. Greg Prato of AllMusic was largely praising of Rock and Roll Over for the band's "return to the raw hard rock of their first four albums", proclaiming it "one of Kiss' most consistent records".[10] A Pitchfork reviewer compared the album to Destroyer, finding it "sonically punchier, if not just a bit lacking in complete vitality".[15] In his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, Martin Popoff called Rock and Roll Over "the most childish Kiss album" and "a disappointment after the amusing ambitions, diversions and excursions of Destroyer", lamenting the "return to the wee dumb hard rock cartoons of the early albums".[13]
Track listing
editAll credits adapted from the original release.[20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want You" | Paul Stanley | Stanley | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Take Me" | Stanley, Sean Delaney | Stanley | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Calling Dr. Love" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Ladies Room" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Baby Driver" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge | Criss | 3:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Mr. Speed" | Stanley, Delaney | Stanley | 3:18 |
| 8. | "See You in Your Dreams" | Simmons | Simmons | 2:34 |
| 9. | "Hard Luck Woman" | Stanley | Criss | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Makin' Love" | Stanley, Delaney | Stanley | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 33:18 | |||
Personnel
edit- Kiss
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar, first guitar solo on "I Want You"
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass; rhythm guitar on "Ladies Room"
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Production
- Eddie Kramer – producer, engineer, mixing at the Record Plant, New York City
- Corky Stasiak – engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[21] | 16 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] | 7 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 39 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[24] | 15 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 9 |
| US Billboard 200[26] | 11 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Gill, Julian (2012). Rock And Roll All Nite (2012 ed.). USA: KissFAQ.com. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-9822537-7-9.
- ^ "28. September 1976: Kiss enters the studio to record "Rock and Roll Over" - Kiss Timeline". Kisstimeline.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (November 11, 2019). "43 Years Ago: KISS Crank It Up With 'Rock And Roll Over'". Loudwire. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (2014). Kiss – den osminkade sanningen. Bokfabriken. ISBN 9789187301896.
- ^ Leaf, David (2003). KISS Behind the Mask The Official Authorized Biography (1st ed.). USA: AOL Time Warner Company (published October 2003). pp. 272–275. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
- ^ "KISS – Rock and Roll Over (1976)". KISSMONSTER/The KissFAQ. November 1, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History: The Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ "The Art of Letterform & Design: Music". Michael Doret. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
- ^ "Kings Among Scotland | ANTHRAX". Archived from the original on January 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Kiss: Rock and Roll Over Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4 (4 ed.). Muze. p. 875. ISBN 0195313739.
- ^ a b Josephes, Jason. "Kiss: Rock and Roll Over [Mercury Remasters Series]". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on April 16, 2004.
- ^ "Kiss: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Rock and Roll Over. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Kiss". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 212. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "KISS Rock and Roll Over (album review 2)". sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
- ^ Kulkarni, Neil (December 1997). "Made up for it". Uncut. No. 7. p. 100.
- ^ Kiss (1976). Rock and Roll Over (LP Sleeve). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7037.
- ^ "The Complete KISS Album Chart Action, 1974–". The KISSFAQ. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5159a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kiss – Rock And Roll Over" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kiss – Rock and Roll Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "American album certifications – Kiss – Rock & Roll Over". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
edit- Rock and Roll Over at Discogs (list of releases)