From 1982’s Creatures of the Night, “I Love It Loud” was the last Kiss single released during the band’s time on the Casablanca label. Gene Simmons co-wrote the song with Vinnie Vincent, who replaced Ace Frehley on guitar but was not included on the original cover of the album. The track has been a staple of Kiss live shows and prominently features Eric Carr’s drum work.

In 1987, with the lineup of Simmons, Stanley, Carr, and Bruce Kulick without makeup, Kiss could be easily confused with the musical stylings of Poison or Ratt. The band’s changing pop-metal, MTV-friendly sound made for many a defection within the ranks of the “Kiss Army.” However, “Crazy Crazy Nights” was an unabashed celebration of what was going on during the hard rock/hair metal scene of the day.

One of the better offerings from the post-makeup, hair metal days of the band. From 1992’s Revenge record, the track is one of the better power ballads in the waning days of the pop-metal era. Perhaps the best version of the song came during the band’s appearance on the MTV Unplugged series in 1995. It just sounds better in an intimate, acoustic setting, which proved Kiss could still pack a punch in that environment.

The first of back-to-back tracks from Kiss’ second album Hotter Than Hell (1974) that we’ll showcase. “Parasite” is one of the harder, heavier rocking sounds in Kiss’ vast catalog, maybe because guitarist Ace Frehley wrote it.