Nasty Nasty

Nasty Nasty is the third album, on which the band pulled polish back a little and pushed thick guitar and a rougher rock 'n' roll feel forward. Released in 1986. Kiss's Gene Simmons produced, with the exception of “I'll Be There for You,” written and produced by Jonathan Cain of Journey and Bad English. It's a clear swing back after the previous record's buffed approach failed to produce the results they wanted. Jaime St. James's singing carries the big choruses while Thayer and co.'s guitars give the songs hard drive. The title track and “I Want It All (I Want It Now)” hold 1980s metal's flash and a classic hard rock texture at once. The title track, incidentally, became the basis of Kiss's “Domino,” and the closing riff of “Only You” is also contained here — Thayer himself would join Kiss in 2002, so the connection runs deep. The backmasking joke tucked into the end of “Kiss of Death” is much talked about too. Through “Rules” to the closing “Best in the West,” nine songs are short but dense. A record that keeps the band's sturdiness inside the flash.