Released on this day in 1974, Kiss is the debut studio album by Kiss. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band Wicked Lester. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has stated it took just 13 days. The album's cover showed the group positioned against a black background in a pose visually reminiscent of the Beatles' With the Beatles album (Peter Criss stated that this was the visual effect the band was looking for). Gene Simmons has since stated that Meet The Beatles was a big inspiration to him. The album sold about 75-thousand copies after its initial release, an impressive feat since there weren’t any hit singles. By 1977, the record was certified gold for moving 500-thousand copies.
In honor of the anniversary, check out Paul Stanley describing how the band recorded their debut album (above), and scroll down for a classic live performance of "Strutter" from 1974