I received this LP as my 9th birthday present when it had just come out, and recently bought a used copy of the remaster of it.

All the complaints about how artificially-enhanced this album is are spurious, as if 3/4 of the "live albums" in history aren't re-constructed and optimized for maximum effect in the post-production. Eddie Kramer did an amazing job, and his role was central in making this one of the ear-splatteringest, heaviest records of all time. I listened to the remaster in headphones on 11 and afterwards I had to lie down it was so head-crushingly loud.

The versions of the tunes on this make their studio counterparts sound like "Alvin and the Chipmunks Play Kiss". Every song just completely obliterates its corresponding appearance on the first 3 albums that preceded it, as if their studio records were just a run-through and the live one was meant to be "here's our songs played by Satan on steroids" by comparison.

What's telling is that there are no visuals, and despite this band's reliance on the poly-pyrotechnic stage show and all the criticism about how the theatrics were there to conceal the crappy music, the tunes stand up just fine. The truth is that without good tunes nobody would have cared that the drumkit was levitating or that the bass player was breathing fire. Someone said that in the '70s even the bad music was great, and the very worst twaddle on this album is like Vivaldi compared with the crap that passes for music today. Jessica Simpson couldn't write songs this good, even if she were to receive Brian Wilson's brain in a transplant... that's how hopeless things have gotten.

This record just roars and blows your head off from start to finish, every song just builds and builds the momentum... let's just say it's worth a Deuce, even if it does put yet more money into the misogynistic, greedy hands of Gene Simmons.

Having released 3 poorly produced studio records and one step away from the poor house...Kiss went into the studio to enhance (overdub) some recently recorded live performances. Kiss's first three albums contained some of the best rocks songs ever written, unfortunately the albums failed to capture the energy Kiss was able to produce on stage. Kiss's entire existence was riding on the sales of a double vinyl "live" album..... The result? Kiss's best album and arguably one of the best rock records ever released. An album that vaulted Kiss into the Pantheon of hard rock music forever. The songs recorded on Kiss's first 3 studio albums pale by comparison to the power, punch and sonic impact to the versions recorded on "Alive!". "Deuce" & "Strutter" begin the assault and there is no let up whatsoever. The best of it all? Ace Frehley's guitar. There is not one song here without a memorable solo or classic riffage. I could go on, but take my word for it...I bought this album over 25 years ago on vinyl and it still holds up to repeated listenings today in 2003. I would give this album 100 stars if I could. With the remastering, these songs have never sounded better. ADD TO CART NOW! "Ace Frehly lead guitar!"

Kiss's Alive is incredible. Kiss's music is meant to be listened to live. Their studio stuff is great, but their live stuff is incredible. I'm seeing Kiss in concert on their farewell tour. I've never seen them live. I can't wait. I hope they sound close to as good as they do on this album. Every song on the album is classic Kiss and essential listening. If you want only one album by Kiss, this is the one to get.

Brian M's review below criticizes this record because many portions of it were re-done in the studio. While that may be true, it is true for all live records. For example, the guitar solo on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird from One More From the Road was completely re-done by Allen Collins in the studio. It happens all the time. Cheap Trick at Budokan is another classic Live record, but does anyone think that the crowd noise is "real" time recording. Hell no!!

The bottom line is that this Kiss record gives the ear a great live feel. As a result it remains one of the most exciting rock albums to listen to. I had this record on vinyl when I was a kid and today I have it on CD. It sounds as fresh and invigorating today as it did then. The record holds up with 30 years passing since its original release.

Get it, load it onto your I-pod and enjoy.

KISS' first few albums did nothing to convey the showmanship of this original foursome. "Alive" took the band from being an oddity and attention getter to all out stars. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons recall time after time in various interviews, how fans remarked they were better live, and wished there was a way to share that. Well, these dynamic "rock-trapeneurs" had the will and found the way to get this experience captured.

This was the first ground-breaking live album, that spawned a popular trend of captured live performances.. After "Alive" artists showed their chops by doing a live album (Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, etc). This pre-dates MTV and pre-fab artists with PR, wardrobe and marketing departments in the wings. This was rock and roll at it's finest. This release made "Rock and Roll All Nite" a modern classic.

At age 13, Metaldiva's very first hard rock concert in 1976 was seeing Kiss at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. It was the winter following this concert which was recorded downtown at Cobo Arena. This was when you could get a ticket for about 20 bucks and it was the ONLY way to see your favorite artists AND you had to show up at school the next day wearing a t-shirt to proved you were there. This is during the rock heydays when you experienced the performance with the artist and musicians and lip-synching was for American Bandstand only.

"Alive" truly captures the band on it's way to international stardom and becoming a marketing phenom. The energy from those now famous Detroit audiences is electric. Every song is good, solid New York rock and roll. Don't miss "Black Diamond" with lead vocals by Peter Criss. His seldom heard lead, is the voice of the time, gravelly and classic. Although you can't see the show, there's enough sparkle in the tracks to feel the excitment. This stands the test of time because the music is just plain good. When it comes to music, you can do acrobatics and shocking things on stage and get a little radio play and record sales, but to last for decades, you have to have good solid music. Kiss does on "Alive" and many subsequent albums that followed. The shocking on stage antics, though outrageous at the time, seem rather mild today, but they, with Alice Cooper, took rock from just something to listen to, to shows you couldn't wait to get in to.

Rockgod, my husband, was part of the entourage which went in 1976 and was at the tender age of 14, and my first boyfriend. In 2000, we saw them on their farewell tour, with Ted Nugent, in Sacramento, CA. We got a few seconds of radio-time on the local classic rock station as we celebrated 25 years together and 25th anniversary of that first concert for the both of us. They were never better!!! Our metalbabies adore them now, too.

Metaldiva Sez: This is a classic first of 70's rock performances that anyone can enjoy. These gentlemen received a well deserved nod at the VH1 Rock Honors. If you love hard rock, shock rock, glam rock, KISS will satisfy all your needs.. Get it home and enjoy...