Decent song, nothing special. It has good energy, so it works well as an opening track. The overlapping Ace solos are kind of cool. 7/10
You're going to need an ax and a head start to get me to say anything too critical of Dressed To Kill. As I've blithered about already it was my first KISS album along with Love Gun, on one blank cassette from a buddy who was a major KISS nerd (dolls, Dynasty straight jacket poster on the wall etc.). Part of it is surely nostalgia, part of it is that nearly every song is so short that it's not worth skipping anything so you get used to it being a ten song album, each song belonging exactly where it sits in the rotation. The album does have a very thin sound to it but I would consider it well mixed in that the bass is still there and that is usually the instrument that is the most conspicuous by its absence on too many albums by too many artists. I seem to remember Paul once saying that the thin sound was due to Ace using what was essentially a home made amp that sounded like a card board box. Then again it's right within Paul's wheelhouse to put the blame onto others, particularly Ace or Peter. The aforementioned nostalgia means that to me the album sounds just fine the way it is. Light and breezy after the relative claustrophobia of the Hotter Than Hell recording. The lightness of Room Service after the sludge of Strange Ways? Hell, the debut ended in similar fashion with the droning of Black Diamond. We're onto something else completely different with Dressed To Kill. Room Service. The lyric is kind of one of those "fake it 'til you make it" things. 'Rock and roll stars dream'? They were built on a house of cards at the time. I like the descending bass notes as Paul sings 'just too dead for..". Listening on headphones right now it sounds like there's two different solos at the same time in the last few seconds on the guitar solo (starting about 1:42) which I'd never noticed before. Some good rolls by Peter. I have nothing bad to say about Room Service.
Good post and I agree that Dressed to Kill is a special album. I used to listen to it a lot. Certainly more than HtH or the debut. It really does flow well and has a very light, poppish vibe to most of it. When doing these song analysis things, I try to point out things I'm hearing and, of course, give my opinion on the songs. I'm a bit hard to please and can be critical to a fault but I am trying to be somewhat objective as well. By the way, I think the Ace solos are a multi-tracked deal.
"Room Service" -- yeah, the first thing that hits you after spending time with Hotter Than Hell is "Whoa--it's so bright sounding!" "Room Service" is another tune based on very traditional early rock & roll music-theoretical tropes, but maybe moreso than any other KISS tune in that vein--"Let Me Go Rock 'n' Roll", "Rock and Roll All Nite", etc., the nuances, the tempo and energy that they have here, etc. turn it into something that feels much beefier/more complex than the "generic rock & roll" that it would appear to be in a sheet music/publishing transcription, say. Peter really shines again on this one, too. There's some fantastic ghost-note stuff going on in the chorus groove. Love the guitar tone on the rhythm part, especially on the higher-register chords. Yet another killer Ace solo that's more like an intricately composed melody--in this case almost as if we're going to transition to a fusion tune for a moment. I also love the counterpoint lead at the end of the solo.
Dressed to Kill was one of my later KISS acquisitions and, as other posters have mentioned, it is a breath of fresh air after HTH. I really like how succinct all the songs are and that the album as a whole is a short blast of (mostly) up tempo rock. Room Service is a Paul Stanley classic and it reminds me of an early Beatles rocker. For some reason, I've always imagined DTK to be their Rubber Soul/Revolver or some generic equivalent of the two albums (without the Beatle-esque experimentation, of course). The arrangements for most of the songs on the record are satisfying and the overall sound is crisp. The weak point might be the lyrics, but they don't really detract from my enjoyment of the tracks. I'm not sure how calculated the move was for the cover, but I love the black and white look of the packaging. It gives the album a timeless quality. And even as a youngster, I could tell that Gene's (borrowed) suit pants were too short! For DTK I take the pleasure with the pain. I can't say no.
Dressed To Kill is my least favorite of the original six. Not that there aren't some good tunes on it, but the production is just so...dry. Paul has said in recent years that he and Gene really produced it, with Neil running in and out and providing funds. I've recently come to appreciate how "clean" a recording it is. Room Service...I do not like this song. I just don't. I won't hit skip on it (like some later KISS tunes,) but it just sounds off musically, and Paul just tosses the vocal away. I just think they needed something uptempo to kick off a new album and he spewed this out in 10 minutes. That said; New Jersey based band Monroe used to do this in their live sets and I enjoyed how they pulled it off.
It was pointed out to me that every KISS album up until Revenge (maybe?) starts out with a Paul Stanley tune. I wonder why that is? In the classic period, was he amore prolific writer than Gene? I'd say it had to be about even between those two.
My best guess is that Paul wrote the most up tempo songs and, generally speaking, they like to open an album like they open a show. That said, there are exceptions, but think this theory is generally true.
I think "Unholy" is the first song that breaks the trend but I could be wrong. I think you're both right about Stanley's stuff being more uptempo and definitely more commercial.
Room Service-I can't quit remember whether I just saw Dressed To Kill at the record store, or saw the ad for it first...but I remember thinking, "jeez, these guys really are cranking out the albums!" Between February of 1974, and March of 1975...you had the first three Kiss albums released. All of them had full color, full page ads in Circus, Creem, and others. If you read Circus, and look at their monthly Top 20, you would have thought the band was literally on fire, as opposed to hanging on for dear life. As soon as I put this album on I thought..."wow, it sounds so much better than the last one". I still like the way it sounds overall. Room Service is a fine enough opener, but you could almost shuffle the order any way, and it would still work. That's how consistent it is. To me, Room Service sounds like a NY Dolls song....only with pretty awful lyrics. Back when I was 14 (when I bought this album), I didn't really pay much attention. It seemed perfectly normal (and expected) to have lyrics describing one's sexual conquests in the dumbest way possible. Anyway...it seemed their sound had already changed a lot over that year. Very cool double tracked solo by Ace that reminds me of something Derringer or Montrose might play.
Re DTK: It was written in the studio and they had no time to come up with material. Despite the dire situation they did pretty darn good coming up with 8 songs within just weeks (She and Love Her All I Can were from Wicked Lester). I appreciate the simplicity of the songs and the album itself. It is literally just 30 minutes long so they could fulfill their 1 album per 6 months contract. They probably added that acoustic intro to Rock Bottom just to get it the album over that 30 min mark.
Funny as I always misheard the lyric: But just as I'm about to take my coat and get my flight as: but just as I'm about to take my coke and zip my fly
I find it absolutely fascinating that given how much Wurster hates this track, he appears to be THE definitive authority on the song, even more so than KISS itself!
Those AV Club hate things are kind of a goof. I think, more often than not, they actually like the track they're complaining about. It's just finding something you're familiar with and ripping on it for grins. I doubt he hates the track.
It looks like I don't love the Dressed To Kill album as much as some of you do. There are some classics, to be sure, but in my opinion it is the weakest of the first 6 studio albums. In my view, the material is nowhere near as strong as the first two albums. I'm also not a big fan of the production, as it is a bit too dry and thin sounding for a Kiss album. I prefer the Alive versions of all of the songs, with the exception of Rock and Roll All Nite.
"Room Service", from the album "Dressed To Kill". I remember that it was actually one of the first albums I ever remember seeing in record store when I was kid. The album has completely different approach in production and sound compared to the previous album "Hotter Than Hell". Much cleaner and brighter, but also feels so light now. All the songs are sort and have kind hasty feeling with no mean of slowing down (or going as ballads). 10 songs and running time is only about 30 minutes, that's fast and working album and I really don't need to skip any songs here. Maybe the album the way it sounds just mirrors the hasty recordings and hurry to get it done in time for the contract. Anyways, "Room Service" is good start for the album, it's catchy and energetic song which has nice little guitars going there on the chorus. @GodShifter are we going through all the songs on the album "Dressed To Kill"? If we are, then I reserve to right to include special thing with the song "She", some might have seen it on another topic few years ago, but I want to share it again.
Yes, we're doing them all in order. If you like, you're welcome to do the post for "She" instead of me. In fact, if anyone at any point feels strongly about a song or songs and wants to take the lead, let me know. I want us all to be involved. I only took the lead because the original OP bailed. Anyone is welcome to do something if they choose.
Ok. Well, I think you better do the usual post for the songs as it's gone great anyways and I would not want to change the procedure at all. I will only add couple links later. The thing that Im posting is nothing really special but nice little cool thing about the guitar-solo.
I think it's as @bartels76 mentioned, DTK was kind of a rush job. Third albums are often tricky because usually a band has a bunch of stuff stockpiled for a debut and even a second album. Around the third is where you're writing again or in KISS's case, going back to the well of a previous band's material.
