Originally founded under the name Wicked Lester, formed in 1972 in New York City
by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, KISS soon changed their name following the
additions of Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley to the band, and began
performing across the New York club scene, signing their first record contract
in November 1973. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1974, sold only
75,000 copies in spite of constant touring and numerous TV appearances. Despite
the poor album sales, there was gaining support for the group's energetic live
performances. To capitalise on this, KI...