As part of Universal music's "Back to black" vinyl LP reissue series, they've reissued the classic Alive! double LP in all it's 12" x 12" glory! They've reproduced the original booklet, gatefold sleeve and even Casablanca LP labels on the center rings of the albums, though curiously, they're not the blue "smoking man" label from the first pressing.

Seeing this over the weekend at Newbury Comics brought back memories. KISS should be experienced on vinyl as you pore over the pictures in the gatefold sleeve and the booklet. Keep in mind that when I did this it was the pre-home video era, so one had to use their imagination. Great memories and a great album for you vinyl fanatics!

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Amazon.com essential recording
The fact that Alive! is arguably Kiss's best album highlights the fact that they are performers first, musicians second. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when a live album sounds this good. Stuffed to bursting with classic tracks, Alive!, originally released in 1975, is a classic metal album. "Deuce," "Strutter," "Hotter than Hell," "Black Diamond," "100,000 Years," and especially "Rock and Roll All Nite" (probably the most well-known party song in existence)--they're all here, and wonder of wonders, they still sound fresh after all these years. The success of Kiss's 1996 tour shows that they've still got plenty of fans; Alive! is one album no Kiss fan should be without.

Product Description
2008 double vinyl LP repressing of this classic live album from the Glam/Hard Rockers, originally released in 1975.

Disc: 1
1. Deuce
2. Strutter
3. Got to Choose
4. Hotter Than Hell
5. Firehouse
6. Nothin' to Lose
7. C'mon and Love Me
8. Parasite
9. She

Disc: 2
1. Watchin' You
2. 100,000 Years
3. Black Diamond
4. Rock Bottom
5. Cold Gin
6. Rock and Roll All Nite
7. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A2ADH2/?tag=imwan-20

I still have my original lp. Wasn't that a great cover? Still remains one of my favorite albums of all-time.

Same here. I have the first pressing with the blue "smoking man" cover. A great album, John my friend, you're right.

And overdubbers third...

Yeah, when I read the Goldmine article that had all four members rate every single Kiss record and discuss their memories, it really took the wind out of my sails to learn that not only did they overdub the hell out of that LP but a good portion of it was done with Bob Kulick and a ton of others. I am personally convinced that due to the success of Alive, it caused P&G to do that on all the rest to bring up the playing quality and mantain their sound image as A&P were starting their decline. As a young fan, looking back, I am glad they didn't tell us in the liner notes or I might not have been as big a fan as I became.

Still one of my all time favorite records and in my top five live records for the ages.

Thanks for the update Chris.

Rich

Hang on Rich...ALIVE had overdubs and fix ups, but Bob Kulick was brougt in for side 4 of ALIVE 2. He is nowhere on ALIVE, as far I know. I also found it strange that Ace has his guitar upside down for the photo and then finding out it was a "posed" photo and not actually live.

Mark

Yeah, Bob Kulick did not play on "Alive"-that's all KISS. Kulick and Rick Derringer played on 4 of the 5 studio cuts on "Alive II" as Ace was too busy being wasted and only played on "Rocket Ride".
"Alive" was heavily overdubbed as was almost every great live album from the 70s including Thin Lizzy's "Live And Dangerous"and Judas Priest's "Unleashed In The East-Live In Japan".

Didn't the original "Alive" also come with tattoos or stickers or something? Or was that "Alive II"?

Alive 2 came with tattoos...when they remastered the CD in 1996, they put the tattoo's back in also.

VH1 did a special on this album a few years back and it was really cool to see producer Eddie Kramer behind the mixing board, isolating vocals and tracks and playing what was on the original undubbed tapes Vs. the re-recorded studio parts.

I don't care if it's overdubbed or not...still a great album.

I totally agree Chris...those bombs going off during Black Diamond are still incredible to hear.

Those were definitely overdubbed, Mark. I have a five-song bootleg from the Alive! shows called King Biscuit Alive! Four of the songs are the versions that made the album, but in pre-overdub state. When I listened, the bombs on the un-overdubbed version go "phwump." I mean, you can tell there was a blast, but it sounds positively wimpy compared to the LP version.

The fifth song, "Let Me Know" didn't make the LP, but when you compare it to the "from the vaults" version on the You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best comp, it's clear that at least the vocals were '90s re-recordings.

Actually Chris, I was just agreeing that even with the overdubbing, the bombs sound incredible and knowing that they are overdubbed does not ruin the effect at all. Even on the KISSology DVD's, you can hear the bombs were not that loud.

Sad but true...

I knew what you meant, Mark.

I hope I didn't insult your intelligence oh Great Evil One...

Not at all.

On a semi-related topic, where was "King Of The Nighttime World" on Alive II recorded? It wasn't performed on the Love Gun tour and while I know that "Hard Luck Woman" and "Tomorrow And Tonight" were recorded entirely in the studio with crowd noise dubbed in to help fill out side two of the double album, I've always wondered its origins.

"Beth" on that album is from the Tokyo 1977 concert that's on KISSology I.

KOTNW was done the same way as the other 2...recorded in an empty theater and crowd noise overdubbed. In fact, I believe all 3 of them were done the same day.

Do you have a source for this info, Mark? I don't doubt you, it's just they've admitted to the two other songs being studio creations, but they've never said anything about KOTNW in any of the interviews.

I don't recall if it was Paul Stanley or Eddie Kramer mentioning that. I know there was too much duplication from Alive, which of course led to side 4 being all studio, but I did read somewhere that someone did admit to recording new "live in the studio" versions of those 3 songs. I would rather have had the duplication.

I read somewhere, possibly one of the books, that "Tomorrow And Tonight" wasn't even re-recorded - they just dropped some of the backing vocals of the album version. I knew HLW wasn't from a concert, but this is the first time I've heard that about KOTNTW.

I also recall reading that a good bit of "Alive" was actually soundcheck recordings, not studio recordings, although I don't think anyone ever broke down what came from what source.

I never have picked up "You Wanted The Best" for a couple reasons - one, I wanted the "New York Groove" with Eric Carr that was only on an import version, and two, the re-recorded vocals were so poorly done, I thought Sharon Osbourne must have been behind it.

Alan

After he left the band in 1996, Eric Singer said that Alive III was recorded at soundcheck. "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was not performed that tour, and given KISS's history with live (and studio) albums, anything's possible.

Frankly, I don't care about overdubs or not. They're great albums and that's all that matters. I always laugh when I watch the VH1 special and Fred Durstbag gets all bent out of shape over the fact that the audience was overdubbed. Who cares what that jackass thinks?

I have heard that these new 'back to black' albums are sourced from digital masters, so I don't know how the sound quality is. I would think a pure analog chain would be better, but maybe I'm brainwashed from that other forum.

Eric Singer really said that about Alive 3?