Kiss were riding high at the end of 1976 as they entered the studio for fifth studio album in roughly three years. This time with Eddie Kramer producing, the band would do a little backtracking from their last album to their core hard rock sound.
Track List
1.I Want You- This song catches you off guard with its soft opening but right away hits you with its swaggering hard rocking riffs front and center. The big highlight is Stanley and Frehleys dualing bluesy soloes. The guitars sound razor sharp here as well as the rest of the album.
2.Take Me- A major favorite for me. This one is a hard energetic rocker with some great shuffled drumming from Criss as well. The chorus is also catchy as hell and always gets stuck in my head. Its simple but oh so effective.
3.Calling Dr. Love- The most well known track on the album and with Gene singing it reallt has that good sleazy factor. The chorus is classic with the kinda laid back background vocals. Pure 70s hard rocking excellence.
4.Ladies Room-This one definitely feels like it was cut from the same cloth as "Dressed To Kill" but way more beefed up thanks to the legendary Eddie Kramer. It keeps the energy the album has going at a very consistent pace with KISS' typical rock n roll throwback feeling.
5.Baby Driver- This song has a really great groove and Criss' more raspy vocals really fit it. The pre chorus riffs sound so big and Aces bluesy string bends really give this song a heavy vibe as well.
6.Love 'Em and Leave 'Em-Another catchy simple rocker in the vein of "Ladies Room". This may be the least memorable song on the album for me but it still isn't bad by a long shot. Its just one that repeats alot. The solo however is a highlight with Ave going absolutely mad.
7.Mr. Speed- My favorite track on the album with a great upbeat groovy riff and catchy vocal lines. The chorus especially makes this song so infectious. Its also got one of my favorite Ace solos as well.
8.See You In Your Dreams- Kiss go for yet another straight rocker with some nice gang vocals on the chorus. Couple yet another powerful solo and you got another great tune especially this late into the album.
9.Hard Luck Woman-We get a slow down more ballad type track with Paul handing Peter vocal duties again. It seems he wanted to spawn Beth part 2 but it didn't quite happen. However, I like this one more with the acoustic guitars and bass, it feels more like a band effort. I feel like it still matches the album with having an energy to it.
10.Makin' Love- THIS is how Destroyer should have ended. This song is pure 70's hard rock with a fast riff and Paul screaming and crooning his way around some of classic KISS' most ferocious riffs. However, it still has that KISS groove to it to keep it from going full on 70s metal. I really like the acoustic guitars before the chorus hits too its a nice touch. Ace again is a major highlight here with his solos. Easily one of KISS' best closers.
Overall, Rock and Roll Over easily gets a 9.5 out of 10. This is my favorite album of their 70's outputs just for its sheer consistency and quality. The songs that rock really rock and the one ballad is nice and doesn't overstay its welcome. Frehley is the major highlight here even though he had zero songwriting credits, his soloing is top notch. Kramers production also really hit the nail on the head with how full the drums and guitars really sound. The album wasn't as high profile as "Destroyer" but it still kept the band in the limelight. However, it would be the next album that really made KISS a true cultural phenomenon.
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