Kiss "Double Platinum"

Double Platinum is the first greatest hits album by the American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1978. Many of the songs on Double Platinum were remixed and differ from their original versions: in the case of "Strutter," it was re-recorded with a slight disco beat and dubbed as "Strutter '78." Other songs ("Hard Luck Woman," "Detroit Rock City") had sections completely removed, while the beginning of "Black Diamond" was repeated at the end, fading out at the start of the first verse and giving the song a "wrap around" feel. The overall sound of the album is slightly flat and compressed, to give a similar sound to the varying productions of each track which are taken from the albums between the years 1974 up to 1977.

The Japanese single release of "Strutter '78" includes a different version to that on the album: faster and shorter, with an altered guitar solo, plus a more prominent hi-hat (cymbal) sound throughout.

The original vinyl release, in a gatefold-sleeve, had an embossed, silver-foiled sleeve, with the band members in bas-relief inside. The album was packaged with a printed "Platinum Award" thanking the Kiss Army for making the band a "Double Platinum Success". Later reissues would retain the gatefold-sleeve but replaced the logo with a printed, red-type version and the band members were now represented inside by photos rather than the bas illustrations. When the album was remastered for CD in the US in 1997, it mimicked the original vinyl.

The album was certified Platinum on May 16, 1978 by the RIAA. In Canada it was certified Gold on June 1, 1978 after shipping 50,000 copies.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes: "If "Strutter" was represented by the original version, instead of a pointless 1978 remake—which was recorded only to entice collectors into buying an album of music they already owned -- Double Platinum would have been a definitive collection, but as it stands, it's simply a very, very good overview."

Rolling Stone writes "Kiss's greatest-hits collections have all been conspicuously incomplete, as if it hates the idea of anyone buying just one Kiss album, but Double Platinum is the most solid, though not as much fun as Alive!.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Strutter '78" Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons 3:43
2. "Do You Love Me?" Stanley, Bob Ezrin, Kim Fowley 3:32
3. "Hard Luck Woman" (Remix) Stanley 3:23
4. "Calling Dr. Love" (Remix) Simmons 3:20
5. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" Stanley, Simmons 2:15

Side two

1. "Love Gun" Stanley 3:17
2. "God of Thunder" Stanley 4:14
3. "Firehouse" (Remix) Stanley 3:20
4. "Hotter Than Hell" Stanley 3:30
5. "I Want You" Stanley 3:02

Side three

1. "Deuce" (Remix) Simmons 3:02
2. "100,000 Years" (Remix) Stanley, Simmons 3:24
3. "Detroit Rock City" (Remix) Stanley, Ezrin 3:35
4. "Rock Bottom (Intro)/She" (Remix) Ace Frehley, Stanley/Simmons, Stephen Coronel 5:27
5. "Rock and Roll All Nite" Stanley, Simmons 2:48

Side four

1. "Beth" Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Ezrin 2:45
2. "Makin' Love" Stanley, Sean Delaney 3:12
3. "C'mon and Love Me" (Remix) Stanley 2:54
4. "Cold Gin" Frehley 4:22
5. "Black Diamond" (Remix) Stanley 4:14