KISS - Take It Off

[MattleyCrue]

Great song

[JamesHetfieldsAcneScars]

Sux almost as bad as domino.

[Stinky McFister]

How easily kiss fans were fooled by the look on the back cover and the song unholy.

The rest of the record was mostly Paul's usual 80's trash. Take it off is the perfect example of this

[pieceofme]

I like it.

[Velvis]

How easily kiss fans were fooled by the look on the back cover and the song unholy.

The rest of the record was mostly Paul's usual 80's trash. Take it off is the perfect example of this

It also had a real producer and VV for some songwriting. So, while I think it's overrated, it's better than the stuff that came before it. I think it is overrated because the few records before it most people think are garbage.

[BernieTaupson]

None of Paul’s songs on that album stood the test of time. And once you notice they all have a slow breakdown in the middle it’s really distracting.

[StateOfShock]

Great song

It is a very fun and catchy song. If it came out a few years earlier, it would have been a hit.

[daveg]

Great song

It is a very fun and catchy song. If it came out a few years earlier, it would have been a hit.

Not sure it could have been a hit, but its a big dumb fun Kiss song. Always dug it.

[Hatchets Molly]

I'm one of those who generally like Revenge. It's not as heavy as Unholy sets the tone for, as well as all the things others have said, but for me, it's an okay listen. The first song I heard was Spit on a Z-Rock pre-release playback. I dug it then, not now. Gene sounded more Gene than in the previous few albums. Unholy sold me. As for Take It Off I didn't mind in 92 or whatever, but it IS schlock, for sure.

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

Fun song, good solo by Bruce … they played it live for the last time EVER on the 2021 KISS Kruise.

I didn’t like any of Paul’s songs at first except “I Just Wanna” until I started playing them on guitar 20 years later, the whole album is fun to play on guitar.

[AlexVonHaig]

About 1/10th as good as the Donna's version

[Mister Freeze]

I was so pumped to check out this new heavier Kiss. Bought Revenge the day it came out and played it right away.

I was looking over the CD booklet while "Unholy" was on and merely glanced at the lyrics to "Take It Off" - and realized immediately it was still the same old dumb Kiss.

"Everytime I Look at You" sealed the deal: they were afraid to commit.

[StateOfShock]

Great song

It is a very fun and catchy song. If it came out a few years earlier, it would have been a hit.

Not sure it could have been a hit, but its a big dumb fun Kiss song. Always dug it.

If it would have been released as a single during the Love in an Elevator/Cherry Pie point in time, it would have been a hit. Maybe not as big as those songs, but it still would have been something.

[pieceofme]

People really do overestimate how many of these songs from the era would have been hits.

Take it off would have done sod all in the singles charts.

[Chip Z'Hoy]

I love it. One of my favorite songs on Revenge.

[NeonKnite]

Great song.

If you don't like it, you might be gay.

[SterileEyes1]

Maybe it’s because I was 13 when it was first shown to me but I love this song.

There’s plenty on Revenge that I either never got into or now think is lame. This song rocks. It’s cheesy and it rocks.

[HueyRamone]

Paul on Monday:
Wave your panties in the air
Lick your lips and shake your hair, uh-huh
Ooh, when you spread a little oil
Yeah, my blood begins to boil, uh-huh

Paul on friday:

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

Not allowing Bruce to do an original solo for “Everytime I Look At You” after his amazing “Forever” solo was BS.

Is that Dick Wagner playing the solo on the album or is it Bruce playing Dick Wagner’s solo?

[Mister Freeze]

People really do overestimate how many of these songs from the era would have been hits.

Take it off would have done sod all in the singles charts.

Thank you for bringing sanity to this discussion.

[El Vampiro Blanco]

The whole album has one good song in unholy, the rest is the same old 80s shlock...
And the most ridiculous thing is when management wanted to capitalize on Genes new hard core image, Gene had to tell them the 2nd single needed to be a Paul song, because otherwise Paul's ego wouldn't be able to handle it.

[Hatchets Molly]

I am curious how many songs were written for earlier albums, dusted off, and reworked a la VH's ADKOT. I'm interested in that regardless of Revenge or any other album. I believe a lot of songwriting is like that.

I remember that awful movie where Gene played a transvestite, Never Too Young To Die (1986), some of his dialogue used lyrics from Spit. So 6 years later, they turn up in a song.

[Love_Industry]

I am curious how many songs were written for earlier albums, dusted off, and reworked a la VH's ADKOT.

VH were the jedi masters of this. For VH2, I think they wrote one new song, DTNA. For Diver Down, two (Secrets and Little Guitars).
WACF had two all new songs And the Cradle Will Rock and Everybody Wants Some, and Romeo Delight was "new" frankensteined together from at least 2 different early songs.
Half of 1984 was also based on songs written in 76-81.
I believe most of Fair Warning was newly written except for Mean Street, again a frankenstein of Voodoo Queen, She's The Woman and some other bits and pieces.

Gene Simmons is also famous for recycling his own songs. Most of his 1978 solo album is reworked Kiss demos, Calling Dr. Love uses the riff from one demo song and the lyrics/melody from another, etc etc. But nothing I can recall on Revenge, except that he put in a Spinal Tap lyric in Spit as a joke.

[Love_Industry]

I was so pumped to check out this new heavier Kiss. Bought Revenge the day it came out and played it right away.

I was looking over the CD booklet while "Unholy" was on and merely glanced at the lyrics to "Take It Off" - and realized immediately it was still the same old dumb Kiss.

"Everytime I Look at You" sealed the deal: they were afraid to commit.

On CoS, Paul got the memo and tried not to write dumb sex lyrics.
So he came up with lyrics that were just dumb. And bad.

"Heartless rich and greedy, watch the churches rape the needy" may be Paul's worst line ever. That or something off MFTE about stallions and mares.
Paul's wheelhouse is "Grab on to my rocket, feels so good to see you Lucille", not anger and depression.

[DonJuanDeMarco]

I think the real point of the record is that they got rid of the 80's gloss. Sure, Take it Off is not much different than Let's Put the X in Sex but it sounds grittier and more garage rock like the band just plugged in and played instead of having Ron Nevison or whoever multi overdub and spend months on the mix.

Thou Shalt Not, Heart of Chrome, Domino, of course Unholy...those were "heavier' than anything they did in the 80's.

They totally overdid it with Carnival of Souls though. I don't think I've ever listened to that album all the way through!

[TREVERLAST]

I am curious how many songs were written for earlier albums, dusted off, and reworked a la VH's ADKOT.

VH were the jedi masters of this. For VH2, I think they wrote one new song, DTNA. For Diver Down, two (Secrets and Little Guitars).
WACF had two all new songs And the Cradle Will Rock and Everybody Wants Some, and Romeo Delight was "new" frankensteined together from at least 2 different early songs.
Half of 1984 was also based on songs written in 76-81.
I believe most of Fair Warning was newly written except for Mean Street, again a frankenstein of Voodoo Queen, She's The Woman and some other bits and pieces.

Gene Simmons is also famous for recycling his own songs. Most of his 1978 solo album is reworked Kiss demos, Calling Dr. Love uses the riff from one demo song and the lyrics/melody from another, etc etc. But nothing I can recall on Revenge, except that he put in a Spinal Tap lyric in Spit as a joke.

Gene recycled a Black N' Blue song for 'Domino'

[alleyrulez]

I am curious how many songs were written for earlier albums, dusted off, and reworked a la VH's ADKOT.

VH were the jedi masters of this. For VH2, I think they wrote one new song, DTNA. For Diver Down, two (Secrets and Little Guitars).
WACF had two all new songs And the Cradle Will Rock and Everybody Wants Some, and Romeo Delight was "new" frankensteined together from at least 2 different early songs.
Half of 1984 was also based on songs written in 76-81.
I believe most of Fair Warning was newly written except for Mean Street, again a frankenstein of Voodoo Queen, She's The Woman and some other bits and pieces.

Gene Simmons is also famous for recycling his own songs. Most of his 1978 solo album is reworked Kiss demos, Calling Dr. Love uses the riff from one demo song and the lyrics/melody from another, etc etc. But nothing I can recall on Revenge, except that he put in a Spinal Tap lyric in Spit as a joke.

Gene recycled a Black N' Blue song for 'Domino'

yep.

[Hatchets Molly]

Just saw something on YouTube that the solo from She is a ripoff from a Doors song Five To One and was further ripped off by McCready in Pearl Jam.

Not recycling one’s own song, but a case of recycling.

[endstand]

One of the worst KISS songs ever. Almost as bad as Murder on High Heels.

Revenge gets praise because of the solid production and arrangements, but when it comes to the songs, even Hot in the Shade had better stuff.

There is only song on the Revenge with at least a bit of hit potential and that is God Gave Rock And Roll to You II…and that has proved to be a bit of better known KISS songs at some markets. But otherwise it is no wonder the album flopped, it did not have good songs

Take it Off is so cringey, even on a KISS level that it could not have been ANY kind of a success even if would have been released in 1989.

[Hair I Go Again]

I can't be the only one here who will always have a soft spot for this song because of the local "talent" that joined the band on stage when they played it live back in '92.