Double Platinum

by

KISS

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Double Platinum,KISS's 1978 compilation is very good.The twenty songs represented here are original recordings,remixes and a newly recorded version of Strutter.

Double Platinum came about when there were rumors within the KISS ARMY that the band was breaking up. Ace and Peter expressed interest in leaving the band to pursue solo careers.Aucoin,Bogart and the band got together and devised an idea that each of them record solo albums.Criss and Frehley liked the idea and they agreed to remain in the band.Bogart had the band record a new version of Strutter to be released on a greatest hits package.Double Platinum was released in April 1978.It quickly went platinum.It also helped dispell rumors that the band was breaking up.

The original recordings representd here are:Do You Love Me?,Let Me Go Rock and Roll,God of Thunder, I Want You,Deuce,Hotter Than Hell,100,000 Years,Rock and Roll All Nite,Beth,Makin'Love,C'mon and Love Me and Cold Gin.

As for the remixes,some are hits and others are misses.The hits are Hard Luck Woman,Love Gun,Detroit Rock City,She(interspersed with Rock Bottom intro) and Black Diamond.The misses are Firehouse(because it lacks the siren heard at the end of the original) and Calling Dr.Love(because it lacks the HA!,Yeah and I'm your doctor of love that Gene ad libbed on the original).

Sadly,the only ripoff is Strutter'78.This rerecorded version of Strutter proves that "rock and roll" and "disco" do not mix.

While a very good first retrospective,it isn't the definitive anthology that fans old and new would expect.Nonetheless,it's a very good addition to any fans music library.It might encourage fans to raid the other compilations that were released years after this one.