Released on this day in 1975, Alive! is the first live album (and fourth overall album) by KISS. It is considered to be their breakthrough and a landmark for live albums. The double LP contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums and was recorded at concerts in Detroit, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Iowa. The band's record Casablanca Records was having financial issues at the time, forcing Kiss to look at other labels to sign with, and a lawsuit was eventually filed against Casablanca's manager Neil Bogart. In a last-ditch effort to save the label, Bogart decided to capitalize on KISS' onstage notoriety and have the band record a double live album. It was a decision that not only saved the label but saved the band's career. Alive! peaked at #2 in the UK and #9 No. 9 in the US , and stayed on the Billboard album chart for 110 weeks, by far the longest in the band's history.
In honor of the 48th anniversary, check out "Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll" live at Cobo Hall in Detroit in 1975, above