KISS Paul Stanley

In 1978 the four members of Kiss simultaneously released their first solo albums. It was the group's first commercial miscalculation. Fans were overwhelmed, and while the media blitz over the unusual marketing campaign was substantial, it didn’t translate into mega-sales. Paul Stanley, who’d already established himself as the group’s chief songwriter and main lead vocalist, stuck closest to the Kiss playbook and offered up songs that approximated the Kiss sound. “Hold Me, Touch Me” was a sentimental ballad in the “Beth” vein, while the epic soundstage of “Tonight You Belong to Me” and “Take Me Away (Together as One)” represented Kiss-type drama at its finest. “Move On” is slightly stilted boogie, but “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me” and “It’s Alright” are loud, commanding, preening hard rock tunes that could’ve been the centerpiece of a new Kiss album.