10 Perfect Albums That Will Make You Love Hair Metal Music

Before the likes of Motley Crue or even the glam stars like Marc Bolan of T Rex, KISS was the real archetype for what constituted a glam rock band. Long before they underwent their own Sunset Strip conversion by taking their face paint off, their live record Alive! captured the essence of what it's like going to the biggest rock and roll circus the world had ever seen. KISS had the world in the palm of their hand whenever they hit the stage, and Destroyer was the first time they seemed to really capitalize on the promises that they made to their fans every night.

From start to finish, this record feels like a 24 hour party celebrating the glamour of rock and roll, from the decadence behind Paul Stanley's delivery on King of the Nighttime World to Gene Simmons playing up his Demon persona to the nth degree on God of Thunder. While there are definitely some decent party jams like Shout It Out Loud, there's actually a serious slant to some of these songs as well, as Detroit Rock City talks about a fan getting into a car crash going to see the band and Beth being one of the first true power ballads that the world had ever seen.

Then again, it's hard to take a group with this kind of makeup on seriously for too long, and their heart is always in the songs about celebrating life like Flaming Youth or Shout it Out Loud. Rock and roll might get serious every now and again, but it was created for everyone to have a good time, and this is the kind of non stop rager that sold America on the rock and roll superhero.