Double Platinum (Kiss album)
Double Platinum is the first greatest hits album by the American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1978. Many of the songs on "Double Platinum" were remixed and differed from their original versions: in the case of "Strutter," it was re-recorded with a slight disco beat and dubbed "Strutter '78." Other songs ("Hard Luck Woman," "Detroit Rock City") had sections completely removed, while the beginning of "Black Diamond" was repeated at the end, fading out at the start of the first verse and giving the song a "wrap around" feel. The overall sound of the  album is slightly flat and compressed, to give a similar sound to the varying productions of each track which are taken from the albums between the years 1974 up to 1977. A detailed walkthrough of the remixes can be found at the Axiology website. The Japanese single release of "Strutter '78" includes a different version to that on the album: faster and shorter, with an altered guitar solo, plus a more prominent hi-hat (cymbal) sound throughout. Release and reception. The original vinyl release, in a gatefold sleeve, had an embossed, silver-foiled sleeve, with the band members in bas -relief inside. The album was packaged with a printed "Platinum Award" thanking the Kiss Army for making the band a "Double Platinum Success". Later reissues would retain the gatefold sleeve but replaced the logo with a printed, red-type version and the band members were now represented inside by photos rather than the "base" illustrations. When the album was remastered for CD in the US in 1997, it mimicked the original vinyl. The album was certified Platinum on May 16, 1978, by the RIAA. In Canada, it was certified Gold on June 1, 1978, after shipping 50,000 copies. Stephen Thomas  Erlewine of AllMusic writes: "If 'Strutter' was represented by the original version, instead of a pointless 1978 remake—which was recorded only to entice collectors into buying an album of music they already owned—"Double Platinum" would have been a definitive collection, but as it stands, it's simply a very, very good overview." "Rolling Stone" writes "Kiss's greatest-hits collections have all been conspicuously incomplete as if it hates the idea of anyone buying just one Kiss album, but "Double Platinum" is the most solid, though not as much fun as "Alive!""