What do you think ?

I would agree with that. It is frickin' brilliant. I love the production, guitars, drums, vocals sound great.

More albums like that would have gotten Kiss back on top of the metal heap by the end of the 80s.

As soon as i saw this one, i was think Vic will be all over it!

Like Vinnie on someone else's credit card!

Yeah! Best non makeup album!

yes , i have to agree.

I thought for sure there would be some Revenge buff's on here even though Vin did not play on it.

Revenge is not as good as LIU. No contest. Some good songs but not enough.

Can listen to LIU all the time, not so with Revenge. I like other albums better, I think they were trying too hard. LIU was just the alb they did without over thinking it.

I very much agree, just thought someone might throw in Revenge cuz of Vins contributions to it .... fun to imagine how Revenge would have sounded had Vin played on it !

LIU for me is the best KISS album ever. Every song is brilliant and after so many years I like to play the record. Great stuff
Wolfi

LICK IT UP is one of the best, most consistent KISS albums...make-up or no make-up. There's not a throw-away song on the album. (And I'm not saying every song is a hit or a masterpiece...there are some that are merely decent...just no outright stinkers.)
Best of all is that all the songs have a consistent, familial feel. One problem with all the KISS albums that preceded LIU was the disparity in songwriting, musical composition and playing. Lots of great songs, but the Ace songs were pretty different than the Gene songs and Paul songs...and let's not talk about the Peter songs.

This was the first time that entire album sounded like a group effort. Like the band got together and wrote all the songs TOGETHER as a team for the album. And at the same time, while they all have a collective feel, I don't get bored listening to it. To this day it's the only KISS album I put on and play beginning to end.

Revenge gets a LOT of credit on the internet as being the best non-make-up album. I think it's WAY too inconsistent and for every amazing song there is a turd or a filler track.

Hmmm LIU best Kiss album, I wouldn't say that. LIU is no doubt technically the best yes but, Kiss (1st album ) for the period / time in coming out it cant be touched due to the rawness of it.

I agree w/erg2 on Revenge being to consistent. It is a great album though in my mind especially fallowing up all the shit they did after Animalize !

I didn't say LIU was "the best", but that "...is ONE of the best...". Truth is, I agree with you about the first KISS album probably being the best. (Well, most of the time. My favorite changes depending on mood. But I get your points about it.)

You nailed it ! Mood is organic, sounds are structured around them ... at times i fall for Unmasked ! lmfao

eddiepagechicago wrote:BET YOUR ASS IT IS!!!!

I agree

I bought Lick it up, Creatures and Dynasty when I was 10 years old. I think I bought Asylum next when it came out. These were the only Kiss records I knew for a long time and I always loved Lick it up the best, even though now I can not decide which is better LIU or Creatures. I kind of go with Creatures but its real close. I don't like all the lick it up tunes but I do like all the Creatures tunes. I don't really like Give me more and 8th Day too much, but I am working on memory. I would love to see a Creatures/LIU double album set released with the killers tracks and maybe some outtakes from all records.

I don't really have a favorite but LIU is real close... it contains A Million To One afterall and I friggin' love that tune.

I don't understand how that song got so forgotten.

Paul remembers it, he played it on his solo tour. Great song.

Imagine the next KISS tour... breakin' out gems like A Million To One, All Hell's Breakin Loose, Almost Human, Strange Ways, etc.

Never happen though... bring on Rock n Roll All Nite, Love Gun, etc.

Might happen on the next cruise as they pulled out some gems last year !!!

Yeah, I dont understand that they didn't carry all hells breakin loose over to later live shows. It gets air play from time to time still.

Tommy mentioned in an interview that All Hell's Breakin Loose is one of his fave KISS tunes and he'd love to see it added to the set.

The Loop in Chicago will play AHBL on very rare occasions. I would've thought they would play it on the ROCK THE NATION TOUR...just because of the one line. Wasted opportunity and missed chance to play a great song.

However, my guess is that after the last round of lawsuits they are going to avoid playing as many Vinnie co-writes as possible. It sounds like Vinnie is complaining every time they play one live.

erg2 wrote:The Loop in Chicago will play AHBL on very rare occasions. I would've thought they would play it on the ROCK THE NATION TOUR...just because of the one line. Wasted opportunity and missed chance to play a great song.

However, my guess is that after the last round of lawsuits they are going to avoid playing as many Vinnie co-writes as possible. It sounds like Vinnie is complaining every time they play one live.

Yes, it would've been a great show opener for the Rock The Nation tour!

"THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD... KISS!!" nur nur nur nur NUR nur... nur nur nur NUR...

They played Lick It Up during one of the electric shows on the Kiss Cruise.

Not sure how many times they played electric but Lick It Up stood out like dogs ball in a set dominated by songs, many obscure, from the first three albums.

Until LIU turned up later in the set I thought it was a special set of very early songs.

I'm sure Gene & Paul would like to get LIU out of their set list entirely and just put Vinnie behind them.

I think it's because Paul is having trouble doing the Ooooh-Ooooh-OooohOooohYeah lead into to HOF. As much as I like the LIU album and the song LIU, I think HOF is a stronger song and, as mentioned it was a bigger hit so it the only reason I can come up with for them keeping LIU and leaving out HOF is Paul's vocal problems.

I've always wondered why Tears Are Falling doesn't get more love. Although I admit that it sounds pretty crappy when performed live.

Yeah Tears Are Falling was a bit too over-produced on the album for them to pull it off live.

The entire album was overproduced. Too many guitar layers, too many vocal layers and too many effects on the vocals. It's another album I'd like to hear re-recorded.

wolfgang161272 wrote:LIU for me is the best KISS album ever. Every song is brilliant and after so many years I like to play the record. Great stuff
Wolfi

I AGREE WITH YOU WOLFGANG!!!! AFTER LICK IT UP THEY WHERE NOT MORE ABLE TO MAKE A KILLER KISS ALBUM... BUT I WAS ANYWAY HAPPY WITH SONIC BOOM... LET'S SEE HOW MOSTER WILL BE..

yeah, some great moments after LIU but no complete album like LIU.

Good point. There are few KISS albums that I just completely dislike, but the ones that came after LIU in the 80s just didn't cut it.

Animalize - Where the hell was Gene? His songs are just plain ridiculous.
Asylum - Better songs, but way too overproduced
Crazy Nights - Wrong kind of production, better songs
Hot In The Shade - Glorified demo with too much filler.

Yes, those albums would have been totally killer with Vinnie's writing and playing.

But kiss write fast 8 studio albums in the 80s . They can not always have always great albums at that rate.

They could have with Vinnie !!!!

Absolutely.

I would rank them like this....

Lick It Up
Revenge
Crazy Nights
Asylum
Animalize
Hot In The Shade

strangeways wrote:Absolutely.

I would rank them like this....

Lick It Up
Revenge
Crazy Nights
Asylum
Animalize
Hot In The Shade

I'd agree with that. But what about Carnival Of Souls?

erg2 wrote:

strangeways wrote:Absolutely.

I would rank them like this....

Lick It Up
Revenge
Crazy Nights
Asylum
Animalize
Hot In The Shade

I'd agree with that. But what about Carnival Of Souls?

Lick It Up
Revenge
Animalize
Carnival ..
Asylum
Crazy Nights
Hot in the shade ( worst then The Elder a.f.a.i.c. )

As of today, this is the order I would reach for the discs to listen to:

Asylum
Animalize
Lick It Up
C.O.S.
Revenge
Crazy Nights
Hot in the shade


(Cadillac Dreams anyone ???)

If hot in the shade had less songs its ok to me. Just some songs get my goat.

1. Lick it up
2. Asylum
3. Ohh who gives a shit

doublev2 wrote: 3. Ohh who gives a shit

Their best work.

I don't mind Cadillac Dreams!!!

I actually find LIU (the song) more annoying.

Lick It Up
Revenge
Carnival Of Souls
Crazy Nights
Asylum
Animalize
Hot In The Shade

I agree.. lick it up the song does nothing for me . Worst tune on the asg tour set.

I don't mind LIU the song. I enjoy how "simple" it is. At a time when KISS was getting away from meat & potatoes rock, it was a welcome return. Lyrically? It's certainly not their greatest effort.

LIU the song is fantastic in its catchy simplicity!!!!! Heard it in the car last night, it rocked again!!!