Three of the four band members applied their own makeup for the album cover photo, as they usually did, but Criss's 'Catman' makeup was applied by a professional, whose work came out looking quite a bit different from the look Criss had established, and to which he would return immediately afterward. The album's cover showed the group positioned against a black background in a pose visually reminiscent of the Beatles' With the Beatles album. You can't hide the hook', referring to Simmons' nose. During the interview portion of the show, Gene Simmons declared himself to be 'evil incarnate', eliciting nervousness, confused reactions from the studio audience, to which comedian Totie Fields humorously commented, 'Wouldn't it be funny if he's just a nice Jewish boy underneath the makeup?' Although neither confirming or denying his Jewish heritage, Simmons replied, 'You should only know', to which, Fields countered, 'I do.

A few weeks later, they made their first national TV appearance on ABC's In Concert (aired March 29, 1974), performing 'Nothin to Lose', 'Firehouse', and 'Black Diamond', followed by a performance of 'Firehouse' on The Mike Douglas Show (also aired March 29, 1974). Kiss began their first album tour with a performance at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta, on February 5, 1974. Shortly after the release of Kiss, Warner Bros. With manager Bill Aucoin's backing, Kiss refused. contacted Neil Bogart and threatened to end their deal with Casablanca if Kiss did not remove their makeup. Records (Casablanca's record distributor) against the group. Kiss performed their usual loud and bombastic stage show, which turned Warner Bros. In keeping with the Casablanca theme, the party included palm trees and a Humphrey Bogart lookalike. There were approximately 100,000 copies of the original pressing without 'Kissin' Time' on it. The original release of the album did not include 'Kissin' Time'. Casablanca Records held a party at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate the West Coast release of Kiss (February 8) and to introduce the record company to the press and other record industry executives. Neil Bogart, the founder of Casablanca Records, was an executive at Buddah before forming Casablanca. The album was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, which was owned by the company that owned Buddah Records. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has stated it took just 13 days.

Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band Wicked Lester. Kiss is the debut studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on February 18, 1974.

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