Kiss rocks its way to a new career peak on the U.K.’s Official Album Downloads chart as the ’40’ compilation debuts, beating a record that ‘Sonic Boom’ held for years. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 02: Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of KISS take final bow during the final show of KISS: End of the Road World Tour at Madison Square Garden on December 02, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Getty Images for Live Nation
After decades together creating a hybrid of hard rock and glam metal, Kiss finally said goodbye in 2023 with a final concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since then, the brand – not necessarily the band – has remained active in many ways, and it continues to make money, which has always been central to the existence of Kiss.
A hologram show is in the works, along with various media projects and even another music-centered cruise, but when all of these endeavors will finally be completed varies, and some may take years before fans get to enjoy them. In the United Kingdom this week, a compilation filled with favorites from throughout Kiss’s career, titled Kiss 40 — or simply 40 — debuts on one ranking and brings the band to a never-before-seen high.
Kiss Debuts 40 as a Bestseller
Kiss 40 arrives on the Official Album Downloads chart this frame, opening at No. 53. That is the only ranking in the U.K. where the compilation appears this week, as the compilation didn’t perform well enough in any other metric to chart. The Official Album Downloads roster focuses specifically on the bestselling full-lengths purchased via download storefronts like iTunes.
Kiss Celebrated 40 Years With Kiss 40
40 was originally released in May 2014 to celebrate, of course, the band’s fortieth anniversary. The compilation was designed to represent Kiss’s entire career up to that point, and it included material from the group’s studio and live albums, the solo efforts recorded by all four members, and other special tunes.
The collection also included several rarities. Among them was “Reputation,” an unreleased Gene Simmons demo recorded during the Love Gun era, and it also featured several live recordings that were made commercially available for the first time via the album.
Kiss Reaches a New Career High
The No. 53 debut of 40 marks a new career high for Kiss on the Official Album Downloads chart, years after the group officially stopped functioning as an active recording and touring act. The compilation beats Sonic Boom, which brought Kiss to the ranking for the first time in October 2009. That set spent just a single turn at No. 59 before disappearing.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 02: Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley perform during the final show of KISS: End of the Road World Tour at Madison Square Garden on December 02, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Getty Images for Live Nation
Kiss Has Charted Six Albums on the Downloads List
Kiss has now placed half a dozen projects on the Official Album Downloads chart throughout more than a decade and a half. None of those releases have managed to spend more than a single week on the roster, and most are compilations.
Here is a look at all of the Kiss titles that have reached the U.K.’s Official Album Downloads chart and where they peaked.
- 40
- Alive
- Kissworld – The Best Of
- Monster
- Sonic Boom
- The Very Best Of
Kiss Claims One of 31 Debuts with Charli XCX, Shania Twain and More
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Charli XCX attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
It is a busy week for arrivals on the Official Album Downloads chart, and 31 titles debut on the ranking. 40 is the seventeenth-highest-ranking launch of the bunch. Charli XCX’s Music Fashion Film leads the roster, while new releases from The Strokes, Shania Twain and Waterparks also debut inside the top 10.