Love Gun: how Ken Kelly made KISS look bigger than life
The four of them stand in a blaze of light, boots planted, while women in KISS make-up lounge at their feet. The first sketch was a back alley with one light bulb. Gene Simmons wanted more.
Four figures stand in a blaze of yellow light, framed by an archway and two glowing pillars. Platform boots, studs, silver and black, the famous painted faces. Below them, a whole crowd of women with painted faces of their own, lounging and gazing up at the band. Subtle it is not. That was the point.
The nephew of a legend
The painting is by Ken Kelly, a fantasy artist who learned his trade in the studio of his uncle, the great Frank Frazetta. KISS had first wanted Frazetta himself for Destroyer in 1976, could not agree a fee, and ended up with Kelly instead. That cover did so well that the band came back to him for the next big one.
From a back alley to a palace
Kelly later remembered that his first sketch for Love Gun was much smaller in scale: the band in an alley, lit by a single bulb, surrounded by women. Gene Simmons turned it down. In his view it did not show KISS as big as they really were by then. So Kelly went back to the drawing board, and the alley became the glowing, temple-like stage you see here.
The women, by the way, were not just painted from imagination. Kelly's own wife reportedly modelled for the face-painted fans.
A gun in the box
Love Gun came out on Casablanca Records in June 1977. It was recorded in May that year at the Record Plant in New York, with Eddie Kramer producing alongside the band. Inside the sleeve fans found a cardboard "love gun" to cut out and build yourself, which is the kind of extra only KISS would think of.
It paid off. The album reached number four in the US and went platinum, and Gene got his wish: on this cover, KISS look like the biggest band in the world.
About the poster
This is the Love Gun sleeve printed as a 50 × 70 cm (20 × 28 in) portrait poster, from 2024. It is an original magazine insert, never hung, with no staple holes, folded three times as issued. The sheet is double-sided, with Darkthrone "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" on the back. Glam on one side, pure black metal on the other, so you can change your mood with the season.
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Quick answers
Who painted the KISS Love Gun cover?
Ken Kelly, the fantasy artist who also painted Destroyer. He was a nephew of Frank Frazetta and trained in his studio.
Why was the first Love Gun sketch rejected?
Kelly's first idea showed the band in an alley lit by one bulb. Gene Simmons felt it did not show KISS as big as they were, so Kelly painted the grander version used on the album.
When was Love Gun released?
In June 1977, on Casablanca Records. It reached number four in the US and went platinum.
How big is the poster?
50 × 70 cm (about 20 × 28 inches), portrait. It is a separate insert, so it has no staple holes, and it is folded three times as issued.
What is on the other side?
Darkthrone "A Blaze in the Northern Sky". The sheet is double-sided, so you choose which cover goes on the wall.