A Little Bit of Everything

As the follow-up to their unusually experimental Destroyer (nonetheless one of Kiss's best albums ever), Rock and Roll Over, released the same year, contains more conventional three-chord material. That's not a bad thing, since Kiss at their peak arguably did three-chord arena-rock better than anyone else. "Calling Dr. Love" was a hit single, as was the surprisingly bittersweet (for Kiss) "Hard Luck Woman." "I Want You" is an unnerving mix of tenderness and tension, while "Take Me" is understandably urgent. Although this was material that would become conventional over the years--thanks to legions of copycat bands--it still sounds good today, probably because whether they're being sleazy or sweet, Kiss sound like they mean it. -- Genevieve Williams