Smashes, Thrashes & Hits

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a compilation album by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the fourth hits album overall but the second hits album released by the band in the United States (Killers and Chikara were 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.

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedNovember 15, 1988
Recorded1973–1988
GenreHard rock
Length51:54
LanguageEnglish
LabelMercury
ProducerVarious
Kiss chronology
Chikara
(1988)
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
(1988)
Hot in the Shade
(1989)
Singles from Smashes, Trashes & Hits
  1. "Let's Put the X in Sex"
    Released: October 11, 1988
  2. "(You Make Me) Rock Hard"
    Released: December, 1988

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 art was done by Amy Guip and directed by Mitchell Kanner.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

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.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Let's Put the X in Sex"Paul Stanley, Desmond ChildPreviously unreleased3:48
2."(You Make Me) Rock Hard"Stanley, Child, Diane WarrenPreviously unreleased3:26
3."Love Gun" (Remix)StanleyLove Gun3:31
4."Detroit Rock City" (Remix)Stanley, Bob EzrinDestroyer3:45
5."I Love It Loud" (Remix)Gene Simmons, Vinnie VincentCreatures of the Night3:48
6."Deuce" (Remix)SimmonsKISS3:20
7."Lick It Up"Vincent, StanleyLick It Up3:53
8."Heaven's on Fire"Stanley, ChildAnimalize3:19
9."Calling Dr. Love" (Remix)SimmonsRock and Roll Over3:38
10."Strutter" (Remix)Stanley, SimmonsKISS3:38
11."Beth" (Eric Carr vocal)Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Ezrin1988 re-recording. Original from Destroyer2:46
12."Tears Are Falling"StanleyAsylum3:54
13."I Was Made for Lovin' You"Stanley, Child, Vini PonciaDynasty4:29
14."Rock and Roll All Nite" (Remix)Stanley, SimmonsDressed to Kill2:56
15."Shout It Out Loud" (Remix)Stanley, Simmons, EzrinDestroyer3:07
Total length:51:54
United Kingdom Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Let's Put the X in Sex"Stanley, ChildPreviously unreleased3:48
2."Crazy Crazy Nights"Stanley, Adam MitchellCrazy Nights3:45
3."(You Make Me) Rock Hard"Stanley, Child, WarrenPreviously unreleased3:26
4."Love Gun" (Remix)StanleyLove Gun3:31
5."Detroit Rock City" (Remix)Stanley, EzrinDestroyer3:45
6."I Love It Loud" (Remix)Simmons, VincentCreatures of the Night3:48
7."Reason to Live"Stanley, ChildCrazy Nights3:59
8."Lick It Up"Vincent, StanleyLick It Up3:53
9."Heaven's on Fire"Stanley, ChildAnimalize3:19
10."Calling Dr. Love" (Remix)SimmonsRock and Roll Over3:38
11."Strutter" (Remix)Stanley, SimmonsKISS3:38
12."Beth" (Eric Carr Vocal)Criss, Penridge, EzrinDestroyer2:46
13."Tears Are Falling"StanleyAsylum3:54
14."I Was Made for Lovin' You"Stanley, Child, PonciaDynasty4:29
15."Rock and Roll All Nite" (Remix)Stanley, SimmonsDressed to Kill2:56
16."Shout It Out Loud" (Remix)Stanley, Simmons, EzrinDestroyer3:07
Total length:56:18

Personnel

KISS
  • 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", drum programming on “Let’s Put the X in Sex”
  • Gene Simmons – vocals, bass
  • Bruce Kulick – lead guitars on "Let's Put the X in Sex", (You Make Me) Rock Hard", "Crazy Crazy Nights", "Tears Are Falling" and "Reason to Live"
  • Eric Carr – drums on "(You Make Me) Rock Hard, "I Love it Loud", "Lick it Up", "Heaven's on Fire", "Tears are Falling", "Crazy Crazy Nights" and "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 CertificationCertified 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

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