Dressed to Kill (Remastered)

iTunes Review

Disappointed that Kiss’s first two albums had failed to produce a chart hit, Casablanca label head Neil Bogart assumed the producer’s role for Dressed To Kill. Bogart gave the band’s sound a much-needed facelift: the production here is brighter and sharper, and the tempos faster — a contrast to the muddy rhythms of the first two albums. Paul Stanley’s “Room Service” is a whip-smart opener, while Gene Simmons’ “Ladies In Waiting” presents a tight, furious groove. Both songs revel in Kiss’s growing reputation as groupie hounds, and with Dressed To Kill the band’s reputation for offstage hedonism became as much a calling card as their trademark face paint. The album also contains some of Ace Frehley’s finest work. As a songwriter he contributed “Getaway” (featuring a Peter Criss vocal), and his solos never fail to create the flashpoint that sends songs like “Ladies In Waiting” and “Love Her All I Can” into overdrive. The grinding “She” became a favorite among metal diehards, but it was the closing track that captured the band’s essence. With “Rock and Roll All Nite,” Bogart didn’t just get his hit single; he got a rock anthem for the ages.