Sold Date: October 20, 2023
Start Date: October 13, 2023
Final Price: $20.50 (USD)
Bid Count: 3
Seller Feedback: 3470
Buyer Feedback: 0

KISS "DOUBLE PLATINUM" FIRST PRESSING 1978 CASABLANCA NBL5-7100 NICE SILVER COPY
KISS "DOUBLE PLATINUM" ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING 1978 REFLECTIVE SILVER COVER EMBOSSED STAMPED COVER & GATEFOLD ~ $12.98 AUCOIN SPINE LABEL: CASABLANCA ~ NBLP-7100-2 RELEASED: APRIL 24, 1978 RECORD COMPANY: CASABLANCA RECORD & FILMWORKS ~ AUCOIN MANAGEMENT, INC. REMIXING: TRIDENT STUDIOS ~ SEAN DELANEY PRESSING PLANT: COLUMBIA RECORDS PRESSING PLANT ~ TERRE HAUTE ('T' IN MATRIX) MATRIX (SIDE 3): NBLP 7100-2 CS 1TH STERLING T
CONDITION:  VINYL: VG++ (SIDE 3 VG ~ SEE BELOW)    JACKET: EX-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection this summer and pulling out some LPs and 45s that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 40 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on Ebay I am offering up this vey cool, original, embossed, reflective silver, original copy of the great KISS album 'Double Platinum.'
This is my original copy from way back in the day. I forget if I purchased it myself, or got it for my Birthday/Christmas, but I've had this since it was a 'new' release, over 45 years now, and have taken pretty good care of it since.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Double Platinum' is a 20-track greatest hits compilation, released in the Spring of 1978.
This is the definitive best-of collection of KISS pre-1978, which many call their 'Golden Age'. It contains their best songs and biggest hits from their best era. 
It's a great retrospective of KISS at their peak and still one of the best compilations the band has ever put out. 
There have been zillions of KISS compilations over the years but this was the first and many fans feel the best.
I'm old enough to remember when this album was released and what a big impact it had. The silver cover of the record was impressive at the time and everybody wanted a copy.
I can remember first hearing about this release from the TV commercial promoting the album.
When this album came out back in '78, KISS fans were thrilled to have 20 amazing tracks representing the best of the KISS catalog up to that point, but I remember all the fans discussing the high price, and discussing what songs were left off this greatest hits collection.
This album cost $12.98 when released, compared to $9.98 for most other 'Double' albums. This one has the price code printed on the spine to remind store owners of the price.
Most Kiss fans were happy to hand over their money for this in 1978.
The band had 6 studio albums by this point and it was hard to whittle it down to just 20 songs. On this album, over half the tracks were pulled from the first three albums, six alone from the 1974 self-titled debut release. 
Kiss fans felt there were other tracks that should have been included, such as "Shout It Out Loud” and “Christine Sixteen” but the 20 tunes here have really stood the test of time and, nearly 50 years later, the song selection is still excellent.
This is a fantastic collection of the band’s earlier material and a great introduction to the original classic line-up. It's a great place to start for people who are first discovering the band.
If you weren't a major fan and just wanted one album, and one 'package' that sums up the early classic years, this would be the one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The 20 classic KISS songs on this 2-LP set include:
Strutter ‘78 Do You Love Me? Hard Luck Woman (Remix) Calling Dr. Love (Remix) Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Gun God of Thunder Firehouse (Remix) Hotter Than Hell I Want You Deuce (Remix) 100,000 Years (Remix) Detroit Rock City (Remix) Rock Bottom (Intro) / She (Remix) Rock and Roll All Nite Beth Makin’ Love C’mon And Love Me (Remix) Cold Gin Black Diamond (Remix) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ KISS had 6 studio albums and 2 live albums released by this point and they were tired and band friction was starting to form. This greatest hits package was put together by the label to give the band a rest and let them work on their own solo projects.
Casablanca‘s Neil Bogart knew that the album needed something 'new' on it as an incentive for completists to purchase it, and to justify the high price, so the album starts out with a remade version of 'Strutter' called “Strutter ’78” which had the tempo sped up a little and it has a more dance/disco feel to it.
Also, several on the songs on the album were the 45 single versions and several others were remixed and reworked as well, just for this release.
The story is that the different early KISS albums were recorded in different studios, by different Engineers and Producers, and they all had different 'sounds'.
The band felt that their early work with Bob Ezrin on 'Destroyer' was the sound they wanted to match, so this album's producer Sean Delaney remixed many of the tracks to even out the sound and try to meet Ezrin's high quality. Delaney also tweaked some of the songs, giving them a slightly different mix and sound.
After this album was released, the band members went on to do their own solo albums, made a movie, and then changed their sound slightly, trying to follow industry trends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This 20 song 2-LP set contains only about 1 hour of music, and people at the time thought it could have been released as a single disc, or with more music. People forgot that KISS were the "masters of marketing" and sales back then, and the more product the better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
This is an original early 1978 version of the album. The discs are in a reflective silver gatefold cover which has embossed images and logos on the outside and in the gatefold. It's quite hard to photograph without lots of glare and/or reflection, but I did my best.
Many original pressings like this came with a replica platinum album award certificate and a Kiss merchandise order form. Unfortunately, there are NO inserts with this copy. They went the way of my Kiss Mego dolls and my Kiss Army T-shirt.
Just the great, shiny, original album cover and the first pressing discs, as shown in my photos.
I purchased this copy back in the summer of 1978, 45 years ago, paid the ridiculous $12.98, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks excellent throughout, except for a superficial scuff on side 3. It looks worse than it sounds.(See Pic). Otherwise, clean and bright. Maybe a tiny hairline here and there, but No serious scuffs, palpable scratches, or dings, other than the scuff on side 3. It looks quite good otherwise, and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
The Deadwax has the Sterling stamp and the First Pressing indicators. A Terre Haute 'T' pressing. See the full Matrix numbers above and in my photo.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good most of it looks. I showed a detail shot of the 'scuff' on side 3. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 45 years, since Jimmy Carter was in office. It could use a good deep cleaning to make it even better looking and better sounding. 
LABELS: This is pressed with custom KISS 'Double Platinum' Labels. Original First Pressing labels with HONORS (in Red) and KISS (in Silver). Kiss always had great record labels.
The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks very nice for a 45 year old OG copy.  Really hard to photograph! Even Discogs has crappy pictures.
This thick, all silver mirrored jacket is notorious for showing ringwear, dirt, scuffs and damage, but this copy is still quite nice. Almost no ringwear and the 'edges' of all the stamping looks great. Displays great!
The embossed pictures of the guys on the inside of the gatefold look great. Minimal wear, clean tight seam, and generally terrific.
There's some very very minor edge wear and corner bumping, but overall very nice. The original gloss and mirror finish is still present.
The inner gatefold is clean and crisp. The spine is straight and has the First Pressing $12.98 Aucoin information. (See Pic). A nice survivor.
Overall, I'll call the whole record VG++, but the vinyl is very nice, except for the scuff on side 3.
This record has been sleeved and stored properly for decades, and is still quite nice for an original pressing.
You can see from my pictures it's still quite nice and acceptable. This copy is all original, No inserts, and a real gem. I'm sure you'll love it.
A great addition to any KISS collection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're a KISS fan, I'm sure you know the story, but if you're new to the band, here's a...
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAND KISS
Kiss was formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley, rhythm guitar, vocals and Gene Simmons, bass, vocals, who went on to recruit Peter Criss, drums, vocals and Ace Frehley, lead guitar, vocals. 
In early 1973, after impressing local New York City audiences, they were signed to Neil Bogart's recently established Casablanca Records. In just over a year, Kiss had released their first three albums with only slight success. 
It wasn't until 1975's double live album, 'Alive', that the group broke through to mainstream audiences. The album spawned their first US hit single, with the reissued live version of 'Rock And Roll All Nite' climbing to number 12. The song became a party anthem for a generation of teenagers who grew up in the 1970's and earned KISS a place in the pantheon of rock stardom. 
The appeal of Kiss has always been based on their live shows: Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, a multi-level stage, blood spitting, and fire breathing, which along with their hard-rocking anthems, combined to create what was billed as 'The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Show On Earth'. Their live reputation engendered a dramatic upsurge in record sales, and 'Alive' became their first certified platinum album in the USA.
Their 1976 follow-up, 'Destroyer', also became platinum, due largely in part to Peter Criss' power ballad, "Beth," which reached No. 7 on the singles chart. Ironically this sensitive love song, written for Criss' wife, proved to be the group's most successful single ever. 
KISS mania was at its peak between 1976 and 1979 when the band scored a string of platinum albums, including 1976's 'Rock and Roll Over', 1977's 'Love Gun', 1977's 'Alive II' and 1979's 'Dynasty'.
By 1977 Kiss topped the prestigious Gallup poll as the most popular act in the USA. They had become a marketing dream: Kiss merchandise included make-up kits, masks, board games, and pinball machines. Marvel Comics produced two super-hero cartoon books, and a full-length science-fiction film, 'Kiss Meet The Phantom Of The Park', was even produced. The ranks of their fan club, the Kiss Army, had swollen to over a million members.
In September 1978 all four group members released solo albums on the same day, a feat never before envisaged, let alone matched. At the time, this represented the biggest shipment of albums from one 'unit' to record stores in the history of recorded music. The albums enjoyed varying degrees of success; Ace Frehley's record came out on top and included the US Top 20 hit single, 'New York Groove'. Gene Simmons, whose album featured an impressive line-up of guests including Cher, Donna Summer, Bob Seger and Janis Ian, had a hit single in the UK with 'Radioactive.'
After the release of Dynasty in 1979, cracks appeared in the ranks. Peter Criss left to be replaced by session player Anton Fig, who had previously appeared on Frehley's solo album. Fig played drums on the 1980 release 'Unmasked' until a permanent replacement was found in the form of New Yorker Eric Carr. 
Ace Frehley, increasingly disenchanted with the musical direction of the band, finally left in December 1982. The two albums prior to his departure had featured outside musicians. 
By 1983 the popularity of the band was waning and drastic measures were called for. The legendary make-up that had concealed their true identities for almost 10 years was removed on MTV. Vinnie Vincent made his first official appearance on 'Lick It Up', an album that provided Kiss with their first Top 10 hit in the UK. The resurgence of the band continued with 'Animalize'. Work on a new Kiss album with producer Bob Ezrin was delayed following Eric Carr's illness due to complications from cancer. He died on November 24, 1991, in New York, at the age of 41.
The 'Kiss My Ass' tribute album was released in 1994, with contributions from Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Lemonheads, Faith No More, Dinosaur Jr, Rage Against The Machine and others.
The interest in 'Kiss My Ass' led to a historic reunion for MTV. In 1996 the original KISS members -- Simmons, Frehley, Stanley and Criss -- reunited for an "MTV Unplugged" concert. The group then hit the road (in full make up) with their successful "Alive Worldwide" tour.
In 1998, 'Psycho Circus' marked the return of the original line-up to the studio, and became the group's highest charting US album when it debuted at number three.
With a history spanning three decades, Kiss' impact on the consciousness of a generation of music fans, particularly in the USA, remains enormous.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What a Fabulous addition to your vinyl record collection or a great gift to put away for that special Kiss collector in your life. Please see the pictures for the best sense of the condition. And Please check out our other Vintage music items we have up this week for auction.
~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
My grading is fair and honest. I have had over 3,400 happy and satisfied EBay customers over the years, with 100% positive feedback, and I have been buying/selling on EBay for well over 25 years, so please bid with confidence!
I'm a 0ne-man operation, this is a hobby, not my job. I do this for fun. I do this because I love music, love collecting vinyl and want others to share in that same experience. I take my time listening, researching, grading, listing and packaging. I will NOT sell any record that I personally would not want in my collection.
As you well know, packing and shipping rare records requires special care and attention, therefore, shipping cost within the lower 48 states is $5.00 on this item. If you would like insurance, or anything faster than Media/Economy Mail, please let me know and I can arrange it for you. I’ll work with you to make sure you’re happy!
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN