How big were Kiss in 1978? So big that their label shipped out a million copies of solo albums from all four members on the same day in September 1978. The greasepaint rockers will celebrate the 40th anniversary of that unique rock moment on Oct. 19 when the albums from singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley will be collected in a lavish box set for the first time.
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Casablanca/UMe will release Kiss: The Solo Albums — 40th Anniversary Collection in a limited-edition, 180-gram 4LP box set on Oct. 19; pre-orders are available here. Only 2,500 copies of the vinyl box sets will be available, with Simmons’ featuring red vinyl, Stanley’s purple, Frehley’s blue and Criss’ green, and all four packaged in a deluxe black-matte slipcase with glossy black images of each member’s face surrounded by the band’s iconic logo.
The set will also include four 12×12-inch posters of each album cover and an exclusive turntable slipmat with the four Eraldo Carugati painted album cover images from the originals. The Simmons album was co-produced by the bass player and Sean Delaney, with Simmons playing mostly acoustic and electric guitar on tracks including the remake of the Kiss song “See You in Your Dreams,” a cover of the Disney Pinocchio classic “When You Wish Upon a Star” and guest spots from Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Bob Seger, Cher, Donna Summer and Katey Sagal.
Stanley co-produced his album with Jeff Glixman and features the No. 46 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Hold Me, Touch Me (Think Of Me When We’re Apart),” while Frehley co-produced his album with Eddie Kramer, which spawned a No. 13 Hot 100 hit with his cover of Hello’s “New York Groove.” Criss’ album was produced by Ringo Starr associate Vini Poncia and featured a number of songs he wrote in 1971 for his pre-Kiss band Lips, as well as a cover of the 1961 Bobby Lewis hit “Tossin’ and Turnin’.”
Check out the track lists below.
GENE SIMMONS
SIDE A
1. Radioactive
2. Burning Up With Fever
3. See You Tonite
4. Tunnel Of Love
5. True Confessions
SIDE B
6. Living In Sin
7. Always Near You/Nowhere To Hide
8. Man Of 1,000 Faces
9. Mr. Make Believe
10. See You In Your Dreams
11. When You Wish Upon A Star
PAUL STANLEY
SIDE A
1. Tonight You Belong To Me
2. Move On
3. Ain’t Quite Right
4. Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me
5. Take Me Away (Together As One)
SIDE B
6. It’s Alright
7. Hold Me, Touch Me (Think Of Me When We’re Apart)
8. Love In Chains
9. Goodbye
ACE FREHLEY
SIDE A
1. Rip It Out
2. Speedin’ Back To My Baby
3. Snow Blind
4. Ozone
5. What’s On Your Mind?
SIDE B
6. New York Groove
7. I’m In Need Of Love
8. Wiped-Out
9. Fractured Mirror
PETER CRISS
SIDE A
1. I’m Gonna Love You
2. You Matter To Me
3. Tossin’ And Turnin’
4. Don’t You Let Me Down
5. That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes
SIDE B
6. Easy Thing
7. Rock Me, Baby
8. Kiss The Girl Goodbye
9. Hooked On Rock ’N’ Roll
10. I Can’t Stop The Rain