KISS is firing up its Love Gun once again. The sixth studio album from the hard-rocking band featuring Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss, Love Gun will arrive in a newly-remastered 2-CD or digital edition on October 28 adding rare and previously unreleased material to the classic, platinum-selling album. The 1977 album, with its cover artwork from artist Ken Kelly, is notable as the first to feature lead vocals performances from Ace Frehley and all four original band members, and the last studio album with the complete original line-up. Since its initial release, Love Gun has since gone on to sell more than four million copies worldwide and reached a No. 4 Peak on the Billboard albums chart.
The upcoming release from Casablanca/Mercury/UMe includes the complete original 10-track album as produced by Eddie Kramer in a fresh remaster on the first disc, while the second CD features rare and previously unreleased material. These extras include demo recordings of “Plaster Caster,” the song inspired by Cynthia Plaster Caster, the groupie famous for taking casts of famous rockers’ private parts, the group’s raucous reworking of Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector’s Crystals hit “Then He (She) Kissed Me,” and “I Know Who You Are,” the opening lines of which evolved into the song “Living in Sin.” The “teaching demo” of “Love Gun” offers insight into Paul Stanley’s creative process, as he’s heard talking through the song’s chord progression; a “finished” demo is also presented. One previously issued demo, “Reputation,” was included earlier this year on the KISS 40 collection.
The second disc is rounded out by a 1977 interview with Gene Simmons plus three previously unavailable live performances from the band’s December 20, 1977 gig at the Capitol Centre in Maryland: “Love Gun,” “Christine Sixteen” and “Shock Me.” This new reissue also includes liner notes rewritten by Joe Elliott of KISS’ current touring mates, Def Leppard.
After the jump, we have the complete track listing plus pre-order links!
The remastered deluxe edition of Love Gun will be available on October 28 and can be ordered at the links below!
KISS, Love Gun: Deluxe Edition (Casablanca/Mercury/UMe, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Disc 1: Original LP (released as Casablanca NBLP-7057, 1977)
- I Stole Your Love
- Christine Sixteen
- Got Love For Sale
- Shock Me
- Tomorrow and Tonight
- Love Gun
- Hooligan
- Almost Human
- Plaster Caster
- Then She Kissed Me
Disc 2: Bonus material (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Much Too Soon (Demo)
- Plaster Caster (Demo)
- Reputation (Demo) (from KISS 40 - Mercury/UMe B0020453-02, 2014)
- Love Gun (Teaching Demo)
- Love Gun (Demo)
- Gene Simmons Interview, 1977
- Tomorrow and Tonight (Demo)
- I Know Who You Are (Demo)
- Love Gun (Live @ The Capitol Centre, Largo, MD - 12/20/1977)
- Christine Sixteen (Live @ The Capitol Centre, Largo, MD - 12/20/1977)
- Shock Me (Live @ The Capitol Centre, Largo, MD - 12/20/1977)
J Wags says
No Christine Sixteen with Van Halen?
mikeladano says
I don't think Gene's ever going to release that.
Jroug says
More substantial than I'd have guessed but aren't those Largo tracks from one of the Kissology volumes? Kind of a stretch to call them unreleased.