The 10 best KISS songs you may not have heard

Featuring album songs, deep cuts and two solo tracks

KISS in 1976

Author: Ian DanterPublished 5th Sep 2022
Last updated 5th Sep 2022

With 20 studio albums over half a century in existence, it’s easy to overlook some parts of the sprawling KISS catalogue.

Of course, there are some (like me) who’ve devoured the lot and still critique it all time and time again with likeminded über fans online or at KISS gigs and conventions.

When I played drums for the KISS tribute Dressed To Kill a few years ago, bass player Gary always spoke of putting a set list together for our shows with what he called “The Dirty Dozen” - those 12 or so songs from the band’s repertoire that you just HAVE to play live (‘Detroit Rock City’, ‘Love Gun’, ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ etc).

So, how about the lesser-known tracks from KISS’ career that slipped through the net somehow and aren’t quite as much on rock fans’ collective radar?

As played on Planet Rock on the evening of Sunday 4th September as part of KISS THIS – our monthlong celebration of the band - here are just 10 of many great KISS songs you may not have heard, but certainly need to…

10 of the best KISS songs you might not have heard:

1) ‘C’mon & Love Me’ (1975):

Originally recorded on KISS’ third studio album, 1975’s ‘Dressed To Kill’, ‘C’mon And Love Me’ is a bouncy, fun Paul Stanley song featuring the classic opening lyric “She’s a dancer, a romancer - I’m a Capricorn and she’s a Cancer…”.

This live version which features on the seminal “Alive!” Double album, recorded in the Spring of ‘75, takes the song to a new sonic level (as applies to pretty much every live version of the songs from the first 3 albums on Alive!) and it’s also a great showcase of Ace Frehley’s unmistakably unique vibrato tone when soloing.

2) ‘Mr Speed’ (1976):

After the bombast of 1976’s ‘Destroyer’ with Bob Ezrin producing as only he can, KISS went ‘back to basics’ with their follow up LP, ‘Rock And Roll Over’, released in November of the same year. Mr Speed is another fun, up-tempo Stanley-penned tune that has rarely been played live, so it remains a lovely obscurity

3) ‘Larger Than Life’ (1977):

As 1977’s ‘Alive II’ was deliberately put together avoiding any repetition of tracks from ‘Alive!’ just two years before, KISS had space on Side 4 of the double LP to record some brand-new studio songs. The sessions were somewhat fractured, and it’s well known that Bob Kulick (who’d auditioned for the band back in 1973 on the same day Ace Frehley did!) played lead guitar on a number of the new songs in Ace’s absence from the studio. ‘Larger Than Life’ is one such case in point - indeed some wonder if it’s actually Peter Criss on drums doing his best John Bonham impression underneath Gene Simmons’ leery vocal. Regardless it’s a great, stomping song that - again - has rarely been performed live.

4) Ace Frehley – ‘Rip It Out’ (1978):

The 1978 solo albums from all 4 KISS members - released on the same September day in a massive marketing ploy that has never been repeated by a band since - allowed each guy to stretch his legs musically. Ace Frehley particularly seemed to enjoy this new-found freedom to express himself. His album is best known for the cover of Hello’s ‘New York Groove’ that eventually became a signature song for him, but the album opener is a wonderful way to kick things off. Drummer Anton Fig (who went on to secretly play on KISS’ next two studio LP’s) has a little solo spot to showcase his considerable talent midway through, and Ace just sounds like he’s having a ball playing and singing everything else!

5) Paul Stanley – ‘Tonight You Belong To Me’ (1978):

Meanwhile, Paul Stanley’s solo effort was probably the closest of all four members to sounding like a classic KISS album - this track was his opening salvo and a mightily impressive track it is too. Bob Kulick pops up again on lead guitar…elements of this song would resurface on ‘Sure Know Something’ from the following year’s ‘Dynasty’ KISS album.

6) ‘A World Without Heroes’ (1981):

‘(Music From) The Elder’ is easily KISS’ most divisive and controversial LP. A 1981 concept album with choirs and orchestras helping to tell the story of ‘a boy’ who unwittingly becomes the chosen one to battle evil. It’s a bit odd at points really, but there are some standout musical moments. This song, for example, was a UK single and almost cracked the Top 40 - I vividly remember BBC1’s Swap Shop playing the video for it one Saturday morning just after Noel Edmonds had spoken to a girl who could solve a Rubix Cube with her feet. No, really!! Co written by Lou Reed as well, don’t you know…and that’s Paul Stanley playing the lead guitar break!!

7) ‘Saint and Sinner’ (1982):

‘Creatures of the Night’ was the album KISS desperately needed to make after the creative misstep of ‘(Music From) The Elder’. A raw, heavy rock album that stands amongst the very best in their catalogue, although the fans didn’t buy it in huge numbers after The Elder had turned many disillusioned fans away from the band. A shame, as the drums of Eric Carr sound phenomenal throughout, and this song showcases not only his thunderous playing, but also a great guttural Gene Simmons bass line and a guitar solo that could have been Ace, but was once again someone just sitting in for him… someone who subsequently became Ace’s replacement by late 1982!

8) 'Not For The Innocent' (1983):

That replacement was Vinnie Vincent, and the following year’s ‘Lick It Up’ album was not only where the greasepaint was finally ditched, but also where Vinnie shone so briefly as a hot shot lead player and a terrific song writer to boot. ‘Not For The Innocent’ is a Gene/Vinnie co-write which I love to pieces and the guitar solo is quintessentially Vinnie - but he was gone by the following year! Again, this was never played live, more’s the pity.

9) 'Turn On The Night' (1987):

Eventually, after all the guitar player musical chairs of the early 80’s, KISS did settle on Bruce (brother of Bob) Kulick, a man who would then spend 12 very productive years playing some stellar lead guitar for the band. By ‘Crazy Nights’ in 1987, the keyboards were creeping in to commercialise the sound a bit, but catchy songs like ‘Turn On The Night’ deserved far more recognition than they got. And I’m almost certain they NEVER played this tune live either, for shame.

10) ‘Master & Slave’ (1997):

‘Carnival of Souls’ is the KISS album that was originally intended to follow up the success of 1992’s ‘Revenge’, but it was put on hold in 1996 when the original line-up of Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter reformed with make-up and costumes to rule the world once again. That meant Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer were surplus to requirements, but their final act was to contribute to this smart, dark album (which finally got an official release much later) that unashamedly chased the ‘grunge’ detuned sound so in favour by rock bands at this point. Paul Stanley wasn’t a fan of this musical direction that KISS took, but he still wrote some absolute corkers for this album, like ‘Master & Slave’ here.

So, there’s just 10 great KISS songs! And I could mention ‘Young and Wasted’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Take Me Away (Together As One)’, ‘Danger’, ‘Talk To Me’, ‘Who Wants To Be Lonely’, ‘Room Service’, ‘Tomorrow And Tonight’, ‘Rocket Ride’… oh I’ll be here forever at this rate. Ah, ‘Forever’! There’s another good one!