10 Underrated Classic Rock Albums Of The '70s
5. Unmasked - KISS
By the time the late '70s rolled around, KISS started to become old news. After conquering the hard rock world with the live album Alive!, the band quickly started to lose their goodwill with fans after hopping on the disco train with "I Was Made For Lovin You." A course correction needed to happen, but first the band knocked out a delightful helping of power pop.
Yes...you heard that right. The shock rockers known for writing some of the most frightening hard rock music of the time were writing songs that wouldn't feel out of place on a Cheap Trick record. This may have felt like the band treading water, but their knack for writing catchy melodies exploded on this record. While drummer Peter Criss was on his way out at the time, Ace Frehley really stepped up on this record, with songs like "Torpedo Girl" and "Two Sides of the Coin" bringing a healthy dose of attitude to the more glossy sound.
There was also one fantastic ballad on the record in "Shandi," which would go on to be one of the band's biggest hits in Australia. Unmasked may not have been the change of scenery the band needed, but by pop rock standards, KISS could still pump out quality music even at half capacity.