Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
| Smashes, Thrashes & Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by Kiss | ||||
| Released | November 15, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1973–1988 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 51:54 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Various | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Smashes, Trashes & Hits | ||||
| ||||
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a compilation album by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the third hits album overall but the second album released by the band in the United States (Killers was not released there originally). Of the 15 songs on the album, two were new compositions, and three were released after the band's unmasking in 1983. The remaining 10 were all released during the band's years in make-up.
The two new songs on Smashes, Thrashes & Hits were "Let's Put the X in Sex" and "(You Make Me) Rock Hard," which featured a similar polished production style as 1987's Crazy Nights. They were both produced and co-written by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, and were accompanied by videos that received moderate airplay on MTV. Unusual for Kiss videos, Paul Stanley never plays a guitar in either video for the new songs.
Nearly all of the songs recorded by the band's original lineup were altered in one way or another. "Beth" was re-recorded with lead vocals by drummer Eric Carr,[1] who had replaced the original drummer Peter Criss in 1980. It was Carr's first lead vocal on a Kiss album. The cover was designed and art directed by Mitchell Kanner.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone |  |
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA on February 26, 1996.
In the United States Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is the best selling Kiss album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking record sales in 1991 with 810,000 copies sold since 2007.[4]
Track listing
| North American Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
| 1. | "Let's Put the X in Sex" | Paul Stanley, Desmond Child | 1988 ~ Previously Unreleased | 3:48 |
| 2. | "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" | Stanley, Child, Diane Warren | 1988 ~ Previously unreleased | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Love Gun" (Remix) | Stanley | 1977 ~ Love Gun | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Detroit Rock City" (Remix) | Stanley, Bob Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 3:45 |
| 5. | "I Love It Loud" (Remix) | Gene Simmons, Vinnie Vincent | 1982 ~ Creatures of the Night | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Deuce" (Remix) | Simmons | 1974 ~ KISS | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Lick It Up" | Vincent, Stanley | 1983 ~ Lick It Up | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Heaven's on Fire" | Stanley, Child | 1984 ~ Animalize | 3:19 |
| 9. | "Calling Dr. Love" (Remix) | Simmons | 1976 ~ Rock and Roll Over | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Strutter" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons | 1974 ~ KISS | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Beth" (Eric Carr vocal) | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 2:46 |
| 12. | "Tears Are Falling" | Stanley | 1985 ~ Asylum | 3:54 |
| 13. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Stanley, Child, Vini Poncia | 1979 ~ Dynasty | 4:29 |
| 14. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons | 1975 ~ Dressed to Kill | 2:56 |
| 15. | "Shout It Out Loud" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons, Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 51:54 | |||
| United Kingdom Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
| 1. | "Let's Put the X in Sex" | Stanley, Child | 1988 ~ Previously Unreleased | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Crazy Crazy Nights" | Stanley, Adam Mitchell | 1987 ~ Crazy Nights | 3:45 |
| 3. | "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" | Stanley, Child, Warren | 1988 ~ Previously Unreleased | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Love Gun" (Remix) | Stanley | 1977 ~ Love Gun | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Detroit Rock City" (Remix) | Stanley, Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 3:45 |
| 6. | "I Love It Loud" (Remix) | Simmons, Vincent | 1982 ~ Creatures of the Night | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Reason to Live" | Stanley, Child | 1987 ~ Crazy Nights | 3:59 |
| 8. | "Lick It Up" | Vincent, Stanley | 1983 ~ Lick It Up | 3:53 |
| 9. | "Heaven's on Fire" | Stanley, Child | 1984 ~ Animalize | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Calling Dr. Love" (Remix) | Simmons | 1976 ~ Rock and Roll Over | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Strutter" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons | 1974 ~ KISS | 3:38 |
| 12. | "Beth" (Eric Carr Vocal) | Criss, Penridge, Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 2:46 |
| 13. | "Tears Are Falling" | Stanley | 1985 ~ Asylum | 3:54 |
| 14. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Stanley, Child, Poncia | 1979 ~ Dynasty | 4:29 |
| 15. | "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons | 1975 ~ Dressed to Kill | 2:56 |
| 16. | "Shout It Out Loud" (Remix) | Stanley, Simmons, Ezrin | 1976 ~ Destroyer | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 56:18 | |||
Personnel
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass on "Let's Put the X in Sex", "(You Make Me) Rock Hard", "Love Gun", "Tears are Falling", "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass
- Bruce Kulick – lead guitars on "Let's Put the X in Sex", (You Make Me) Rock Hard", "Tears Are Falling" and "Reason to Live"
- Eric Carr – drums on "Let's Put the X in Sex", "(You Make Me) Rock Hard, "I Love it Loud", "Lick it Up", "Heaven's on Fire", "Tears are Falling", "Reason to Live". Vocals on "Beth"
- Additional Personnel
- Ace Frehley – lead guitars on "Love Gun, "Detroit Rock City", "Deuce", "Calling Dr. Love", Strutter", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Shout it Out Loud"
- Peter Criss – drums on "Love Gun, "Detroit Rock City", "Deuce", "Calling Dr. Love", Strutter", "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Shout it Out Loud"
- Vinnie Vincent – lead guitars on "I Love it Loud and "Lick it Up"
- Mark St. John – lead guitars on "Heaven's on Fire"
- Anton Fig – drums on "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
- Vini Poncia – keyboards on "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
- Dick Wagner – acoustic guitar on "Beth"
- Bob Ezrin – piano on "Beth"
- Phil Ashley – keyboards on "Let's Put the X in Sex" and "(You Make Me) Rock Hard"
Charts
Album
| Year | Nation | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | United States | Billboard 200 | 21[5] |
| Australia | ARIA Albums Chart | 38[6] |
Singles
| Year | Single | Nation | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Let's Put the X in Sex" | Australia | ARIA Singles Chart | 49[7] |
| 1989 | United States | Billboard Hot 100 | 97[8] |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[9] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ "AllMusic overview Smashes, Thrashes & Hits". Retrieved February 11, 2009.
- ↑ Smashes, Thrashes & Hits at AllMusic
- ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ↑ Blabbermouth.net KISS: SoundScan-Era Record Sales Revealed – Feb. 12, 2007 Archived 2007-03-08 at the Wayback Machine.. Retrieved December 3, 2012
- ↑ "All Music album chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 13, 2010.
- ↑ "ARIA album chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ↑ "ARIA singles chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ↑ "Billboard chart history-Kiss singles". Retrieved February 11, 2009.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Smashes, Thrashes and Hits". Music Canada.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Kiss – Smashes, Thrashes & Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
