Welcome to part two of KISS: Ranking Every Song. If you missed part one, check it out here. Based on the comments from part one, no introduction paragraph is needed. So here you go. 150-201. Enjoy.
150 “Spit” – Revenge is a popular record among KISS fans. Myself included. But on a recent spin I felt less connected with it than I recall. That said it may be too high praise to say this song is ok.
149 “Good Girl Gone Bad” – I don’t care what Paul says. Gene’s songs from the 80’s hold up better than a lot of the Starchilds. This is one of the better tracks on a bad album filled with Paul filler.
148 “Love Em’ Leave Em’” – It’s best to start side two by dropping the needle into track two.
147 “Betrayed” – Hot In The Shade would have been better were it only 10-11 tracks. This wouldn’t be one of those tracks.
146 “Uh! All Night” – Intentionally written to prove that “catchy” and “good” are not synonyms.
145 “I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock N Roll” – How many times has Paul tried to re-write “Rock N Roll All Nite”?
144 “Larger Than Life” – Side four is the only reason to re-visit ALIVE II. Maybe not for this ode to Gene’s dick.
143 “Hard Times” – Ace leveraged the success of his 78 solo record to dominate Dynasty. This is one of his best songs.
142 “Mainline” – The early days of KISS found Paul giving Peter one of his songs to sing in exchange for Peter not quitting.
141 “Getaway” – This time Ace was the one giving Peter a song.
140 “Baby Driver” – A run of Peter songs can only mean we are getting closer to the good stuff.
139 “In The Mirror” – Paul claims he struggled to write material for the Carnival Of Souls record. If so it was worth it.
138 “I’m A Legend Tonight” – Some fans actually hate the Elder so much they think this is a good song.
137 “Mr. Blackwell” – Speaking of the Elder. Had he pursued it further, I think Gene could’ve become a great character song writer.
136 “Murder in High Heels” – One of the most unique songs of the unmasked era of KISS. This song reminds one of Gene’s early songwriting style.
135 “Rise To It” – This song is about Paul’s dick.
134 “Comin’ Home” – Quite possibly, also about Paul’s dick.
133 “Goin Blind” – Considering what we know about Gene’s old buddy and co-writer of this song, Stephen Coronel, the line “I’m 93 you’re 16” feels even creepier.
132 “Kissin’ Time” – Forced to record this song after the album came out, the sound on this track is closer to the sound of Hotter Than Hell than the rest of the debut record.
131 “Torpedo Girl” – The last of the “T” songs Ace wrote for Unmasked.
130 “Anyway You Slice It” – For some reason Gene’s lyrics in the post-makeup era seem grosser. Maybe it’s the whole Whorehouse Madame look he was rocking during the Asylum tour.
129 “Trial By Fire” – Another Asylum Gene track. Do I really need to say more?
128 “You Wanted The Best” – This isn’t really a good song. But it’s fun as hell. Plus it’s the only KISS song to feature each member on lead vocals.
127 “Fit’s Like A Glove” – Gene’s scream on this track is legendary.
126 “Under the Gun” – Good song. But not as good as many think.
125 “Raise Your Glasses” – Psycho Circus could have been a great record I think had they welcomed Ace and Peter into the creative process. Instead we get an album that’s just ok.
124 “Ladies Room” – Meet, meat you in the Ladies Room.
123 “Saint and Sinner” – Like Paul, Gene is better when he’s not writing about his dick.
122 “We Are One” – This is a good song. As much as Paul likes to muse about what a focused Ace could accomplish, imagine what a focused Gene could accomplish as a song writer.
121 “Ladies In Waiting” – Meet, meat the ladies in waiting in the Ladies room? Why not?
120 “Cadillac Dreams” – Every now and then Gene likes to reflect on how well things have worked out for him.
119 “See You In Your Dreams” – The Rock N Roll Over version pales when compared to the cranked up rendition from Gene’s 78’ solo record.
118 “King Of Hearts” – Paul can write a story song with the best of em.
117 “Lonely Is The Hunter” – Another outside the box track from Gene on Animalize.
116 “Love’s A Slap In The Face” – The story is this is a drum machine on this track. I’m guessing it was more about saving money. Being mean to Eric Carr was probably just a bonus.
115 “A World Without Heroes” – A very strong Gene ballad.
114 “Forever” – A strong Paul ballad. This was a big hit at a key time for KISS. The HITS tour showed KISS packing arenas again. No doubt this song helped with that.
113 “Everytime I Look At You” – As good as “Forever” was, this is better. Sadly by the time Revenge was released the power ballad was going to be a hard sell.
112 “Down On Your Knees” – One of the better tracks from KILLERS.
111 “Hate” – With COS we finally got to see what Bruce could bring when he’s allowed to be himself. The guitar playing on this track is badass.
110 “Easy As It Seems” – A great Paul pop song. “When you’re walking out on your dreams. You just walk away.” Killer lyric.
109 “Got Love For Sale” – Love Gun may be the first KISS album with obvious filler. But even the filler ain’t that bad.
108 “Plaster Caster” – This song is about groupies making a plaster cast of Gene’s dick. Another fun fact. Millions of 7 year olds loved this song.
107 “Naked City” – It’s not easy for Gene to write a song that’s not about his dick. So he uses the word naked in the title to ease himself.
106 “She’s So European” – As much shit as Gene gets for writing songs about his manhood and it’s escapades, he really is quite good at. Strong melody on this track from a record that deserves more love.
105 “Tomorrow And Tonight” – There are examples throughout this list where Paul took a stab at writing an anthem on par with “Rock N Roll All Nite”. This song is one I wished hadn’t been forgotten by the band live.
104 “Makin’ Love” – You don’t need a background cracking coded messages for the military to figure out what this song is about. Great riff.
103 “Two Timer” – It’s odd that someone who would go on to cheat on the mother of his children, by his own admission, a few thousand times, would write this song.
102 “Great Expectations” – A touching song about women watching Gene on stage and wondering what else he can do with this fingers, tongue and other body parts.
101 “Shock Me” – Ace’s first lead vocal in KISS. Lyrically it’s an unimaginative spin on Ace getting electrocuted during a KISS concert.
bakko@decibelgeek.com
