KISS ROCK AND ROLL OVER 50TH ANNIVERSARY
It’s that time of year again.
That time of year that has become known as “Box Set Season” for us music enthusiasts.
So far, this year has not been disappointing.
We’ve already had anniversary editions of The Beatles Rubber Soul, Motley Crue’s Too Fast for Love, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Origins, and The Who By Numbers to name just a few.
For me, the most anticipated box set of the year is without a doubt the 50th Anniversary of KISS’ fifth studio album Rock and Roll Over.
Rock and Roll Over was released in November of 1976 and was the follow up to the band’s breakthrough studio album Destroyer.
Unlike the bombast of Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over was a back-to-basics album for KISS that harkened back to the rock & roll swagger of their third album Dressed to Kill.
I often rank Rock and Roll Over as my favorite Kiss studio album. It’s usually a toss-up between that and Dressed to Kill. I think both of those albums capture KISS being KISS better than any of their other studio releases.
Now 50 years on we have a super-deluxe 6-LP edition of Rock and Roll Over.
Just like previous deluxe editions from KISS, this box is loaded with a ton of musical content and other goodies. Along with the 6 albums, you also get a 104-page hardcover book with essays from the great Ken Sharp, posters, stickers, trading cards, guitar picks, a press kit, ticket stubs, and the list goes on and on.
Of course, the main attraction here is the music, and you get a lot of it.
You get the original album newly remastered by Bernie Grundman, a new 2026 remix by Eddie Kramer, two albums worth of demos & outtakes and another two albums of live material from the bands 1977 Japanese tour in support of Rock and Roll Over.
When this box was announced the thing that piqued my interest the most was the remix of the album from the original master tapes by the album’s original producer Eddie Kramer.
A remix is a component that had not been offered in previous KISS box sets and the only other time KISS had offered a remix was when Bob Ezrin remixed Destroyer as Destroyer Resurrected over a decade ago.
Remixes have become popular over the past few years when bands are putting together these anniversary editions. They are meant to give the listener a new experience or an alternate way of listening to the album. It’s not necessarily meant to replace the original mix.
So how did Eddie Kramer do?
Overall, I think the remix is great!
I have always loved the way Rock and Roll Over sounded but the remix is a fun listen.
The drum sound has been beefed up, and the separation of the instruments is very noticeable.
The star of this remix for me is the sound of Gene’s bass guitar. Gene’s groove on this album has always been a highlight but now it’s more upfront in the mix and sounds great!
Also, the panning on Ace’s guitar solos is killer.
Some things sound a little jarring at first, but after a few listens I appreciate that Kramer made this mix noticeably different than the original.
Three songs stand out to me as being the most different from their original form.
“Baby Driver” has the bass guitar upfront in the mix and it really drives the song and gives it a new energy. Peter’s vocals are wildly different from the original and there are some different takes used, especially towards the end of the song. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about the added vocal parts, but I think it’s cool that Kramer took some chances here and made the track noticeably different.
For “Mr. Speed” - like “Baby Driver” - the bass guitar is kinda the star of this track. Very big sounding with lots of groove. Also, the tempo of the song has been corrected. On the 1976 mix the music backing track was sped up a bit because they initially thought it was too slow, so on the original mix this tune is slightly out of tune. Kramer decided to take the backing track back to its original speed and present it with a slower tempo. I think this was a cool change, and it does alter the feel of the song. Might be my favorite change.
“Makin’ Love” is quite different as well. Overall, the track is present with a bigger sound. The album was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York because the band wanted the album to have a live concert feel and on “Makin’ Love” you can really hear the room.
I think Eddie Kramer did a great job with the remix and gave Rock and Roll Over some new energy.
I would say I prefer the original mix, but this new mix is worth repeated listens.
Hopefully the band will do more remixes in the future.
The demo and outtakes included on the box set are interesting.
There are several Gene Simmons demos included. Many of these have circulated for years in fan circles but the versions featured here are the best quality I have heard.
My favorite of the Gene demos is a Beatle-esque ballad called “Dreamer.” Doesn’t sound like a KISS tune but I dig it.
The Paul Stanley demo “I Want Love” is an early working-version that would eventually turn into “I Want You”. There is also a Paul demo for “Take Me” included.
One of the strangest demos included is a version of “Baby Driver” with Gene on lead vocals. Gene obviously does not know the words to this song written by Peter Criss. I am glad they decided to have Peter sing this one.
Although Ace Frehley didn’t contribute any songs to Rock and Roll Over, the album features some of his best soloing and is a highlight of the album. There is a demo for a song entitled “Queen for A Day,” but it is an instrumental demo that was never finished but was intended to be Ace’s vocal debut. Kind of has the same vibe as “Getaway” from the Dressed to Kill album. Too bad this track was never finished.
Rounding out the set is a live album recorded during the bands’ 1977 Japanese tour. The tracks are taken from the band’s four-night run at The Budokan in Tokyo and brought together to make an exciting live document of the Rock and Roll Over Tour.
Eddie Kramer recorded these shows, and he recently remixed them from the original master tapes for this box set.
There are rumors floating around that we may be getting a Love Gun box set next year. If it’s as good as this Rock and Roll Over set, I will be ready to purchase as soon as it is announced.
Currently this box set is only available to order via the band’s website. You can get a stand-alone version of the new remix on CD and vinyl at any regular music retailer.
It is aslo available via streaming services, so if it’s just the music you want, it is out there.
Highly recommended.
You can check out my unboxing video below.
Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps and Unmasked OH! Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly-lit bar playing his guitar, or in a record store digging for the holy grail.