Kiss Unplugged

MTV Unplugged: Kiss
Live album by Kiss
Released March 12, 1996
Recorded August 9, 1995
Genre Hard rock, acoustic rock
Length 56:07
Label Mercury
Producer Alex Coletti
Kiss chronology
Alive III
(1993)
MTV Unplugged: Kiss
(1996)
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Sputnikmusic [2]
Metal Nightfall [3]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Kiss Unplugged is a Kiss album featuring the group performance in MTV Unplugged. On August 9, 1995, hard rock band Kiss performed on MTV Unplugged in what fans consider the beginning of the eventual Kiss Reunion Tour. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons contacted former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley and invited them to participate in the event. Fan reaction to Criss and Frehley at the Unplugged show was so positive that, in 1996, the original lineup of Kiss reunited, with all four original members together for the first time since 1980.

It also marked the only time the original lineup performed live without their trademark makeup, other than at Ace Frehley's wedding, and was also the only time Frehley and Criss shared a stage with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick. Further, it was the first time Eric Singer had part of a lead vocal (shared with Peter Criss on Nothin' To Lose). On March 12, 1996, the concert was released on CD, and on the Kissology Volume Three: 1992–2000 DVD set, which was released December 18, 2007. This included the original DVD release of the concert plus five previously unreleased songs: "Hard Luck Woman" (with Paul Stanley on vocals), "Heaven's on Fire", "Spit", "C'mon and Love Me" and the infamous country version of "God of Thunder". The LP version of this album includes a poster and some were pressed on yellow marbled vinyl.

Contents

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. "Comin' Home"   Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Paul Stanley 2:51
2. "Plaster Caster"   Gene Simmons Gene Simmons 3:17
3. "Goin' Blind"   Simmons, Stephen Coronel Simmons 3:37
4. "Do You Love Me?"   Stanley, Bob Ezrin, Kim Fowley Stanley 3:13
5. "Domino"   Simmons Simmons 3:46
6. "Sure Know Something"   Stanley, Vini Poncia Stanley 4:14
7. "A World Without Heroes"   Stanley, Simmons, Ezrin, Lou Reed Simmons 2:57
8. "Rock Bottom"   Frehley, Stanley Stanley 3:20
9. "See You Tonight"   Simmons Simmons 2:26
10. "I Still Love You"   Stanley, Vinnie Vincent Stanley 6:09
11. "Every Time I Look at You"   Stanley, Ezrin Stanley 4:43
12. "2,000 Man"   Mick Jagger, Keith Richards Ace Frehley 5:12
13. "Beth"   Peter Criss, Ezrin, Stan Penridge Peter Criss 2:50
14. "Nothin' to Lose"   Simmons Eric Singer, Criss 3:42
15. "Rock and Roll All Nite"   Stanley, Simmons Simmons, Frehley, Criss 4:20
16. "Got to Choose"   Stanley Stanley 4:01

"Got to Choose" is only available on vinyl and on CD releases in Japan and on volume 3 of the The Best of Kiss, Volume 3: The Millennium Collection and The Box Set.

Personnel

with

Charts

Album
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australia ARIA Albums Chart[4] 4
US Billboard 200 [5] 15
Singles
Single Chart (1996) Position
"Rock and Roll All Nite" US Mainstream Rock Tracks[6] 13

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[7] Gold 30,000x
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[9]
Video
Gold 50,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ^ Kiss Unplugged at Allmusic
  2. ^ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/34935/KISS-MTV-Unplugged:-Kiss/
  3. ^ http://metal.nightfall.fr/index_8967_-unplugged-1996.html
  4. ^ "ARIA chart history database-Kiss albums". http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?cat=a&artist=Kiss&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts. Retrieved February 13, 2009. 
  5. ^ "Billboard chart history-Kiss albums". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=5004&model.vnuAlbumId=66345. Retrieved February 13, 2009. 
  6. ^ "Billboard chart history-Kiss singles". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Singles&model.vnuArtistId=5004&model.vnuAlbumId=66345. Retrieved February 13, 2009. 
  7. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – Kiss – Unplugged". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=Kiss&album=Unplugged&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. 
  8. ^ "American album certifications – Kiss – Unplugged". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Unplugged%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  9. ^ "American video certifications – Kiss – Unplugged". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Unplugged%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Video Longform, then click SEARCH