Review Summary: The first mediocre KISS album, even with a couple of great moments.
1974's
Hotter Than Hell once again was not the huge (and deserved) chart success that KISS could have hoped for. Much like with their début album, any promise of impacting the charts suffered when the album slipped places rather quickly and no hit single was produced. Once again then KISS quickly pulled into the studio for their third studio effort in 2 years,
Dressed To Kill.
A sign of how little KISS made before was the fact that record company Casablanca couldn't afford KISS a professional producer, instead
Dressed To Kill was produced by the record label president. This may also go on to explain why this is the first KISS album that unfortunately does not work so well.
Much like the previous two albums
Dressed To Kill does not have the clearest of productions (clearer than
Hotter Than Hell mind you), nor do the songs differ substantially from before. Here in part lies the problem however as much of the album sounds very samey to what they have done before, just not as memorable and catchy. A lot of the tracks here could easily have been offcuts from previous recording sessions.
Album opener 'Room Service' is one of the more memorable songs on the album, in part to it's quirky chorus which refers to time on the road with groupies; "Room Service, baby I could use a meal, Room Service, so do what you feel". This however otherwise is by no means one of their strongest songs, and unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't raise the bar from it's low standing.
'Ladies In Waiting' for example is actually a very dull song, which considering a band heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones and The New York Dolls, and considering their previous material is not right. 'Rock Bottom' could have been a bigger treat if it wasn't for the long and pointless musical introduction before the song really kicks in and much of the rest drowns into mediocrity as well.
It isn't entirely bad however; 'Two Timer' is a very enjoyable song with much familiarity much like 'Anything For My Baby', and of course this is the album with KISS' anthem 'Rock 'N' Roll All Nite' which no KISS concert, best of etc can do without (even if as I have mentioned before is very similar to a previous song), but unfortunately there are not enough highlights to make this a great album, or give you much incentive to revisit again and again.
Recommended: Room Service, Two Timer, Rock 'N' Roll All Nite
