Asylum (Kiss album)
| Asylum | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Studio album by Kiss | ||||||||||
| Released | September 16, 1985 | |||||||||
| Recorded | June – July 1985 | |||||||||
| Studio |
Electric Lady Studios Right Track Studios, New York City | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 38:50 | |||||||||
| Label |
Mercury Vertigo (Europe) | |||||||||
| Producer | Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons | |||||||||
| Kiss chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Asylum is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Kiss. It is the first with lead guitarist Bruce Kulick as an official band member. He was the band's third lead guitarist since the departure of Ace Frehley in late 1982.[2] The lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr, and Kulick would last until Carr's death in November 1991, while Kulick would stay with the band until the reunion of the original lineup in 1996. In contrast to the heavy sound of Kiss's previous three albums, Asylum features a lighter glam rock sound.
Album information
On the album cover, the band members are shown with colored lips, mirroring the colors of the 1978 solo releases: red for Simmons, purple for Stanley, blue for Kulick (replacing Frehley) and green for Carr (replacing Peter Criss). The tour for the album featured the largest Kiss logo the band has ever used, as well as one of the largest lighting rigs. No concert footage of the tour was used in the Kissology II DVD release, except for short clips without sound in the background of the main menu.
The three music videos for the album were filmed on set in London, England, for the songs "Who Wants to Be Lonely", "Uh! All Night" and "Tears Are Falling". Only "Tears Are Falling" was released for retail sales as a single. It is the only song on the album that has been played regularly in live performances; however, like many Kiss songs of the mid-'80s, it was rarely played live after the reunion of the original lineup, although it did feature in both 2004's Rock the Nation Live! DVD and 2014's Kiss Rocks Vegas live release.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Nightfall |   [3] |
| Vista Records | [4] |
| Allmusic |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
Fan reaction to Asylum was mixed. The album was certified Gold and platinum in November, 1985 by the RIAA.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "King of the Mountain" | Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Desmond Child | Stanley | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Any Way You Slice It" | Gene Simmons, Howard Rice | Simmons | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Who Wants to Be Lonely" | Stanley, Child, Jean Beauvoir | Stanley | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Trial By Fire" | Simmons, Kulick | Simmons | 3:25 |
| 5. | "I'm Alive" | Stanley, Kulick, Child | Stanley | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Love's a Deadly Weapon" | Stanley, Simmons, Rod Swenson, Wes Beech | Simmons | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Tears Are Falling" | Stanley | Stanley | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Secretly Cruel" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:41 |
| 9. | "Radar for Love" | Stanley, Child | Stanley | 4:02 |
| 10. | "Uh! All Night" | Stanley, Child, Beauvoir | Stanley | 4:01 |
Personnel
Kiss
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals, bass guitar on "Tears Are Falling"
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals
- Eric Carr - drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Bruce Kulick - lead guitar, backing vocals[8]
Additional musicians
- Jean Beauvoir - bass guitar and backing vocals on "Who Wants to Be Lonely" and "Uh! All Night"
- Allan Schwartzberg - additional drum overdubs
Charts
|
Singles – Billboard (North America)
Single – UK Singles Chart (United Kingdom)
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/asylum-mw0000190545
- ↑ "AllMusic Asylum review". Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ↑ "KISS : ASYLUM (1985)" (in French). Metal.nightfall.fr. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ↑ "VISTA RECORDS – KISS – Asylum (1985)". Vistarecords.proboards.com. March 28, 2010. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ↑ Asylum at AllMusic
- ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- 1 2 "American album certifications – Kiss – Asylum". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ Saulnier, Jason (14 March 2011). "Bruce Kulick Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Search - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=KISS&titel=Asylum&cat=a
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/kiss/
- ↑ "Kiss Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Billboard chart history-Kiss singles". Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Song information "Tears Are Falling"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
- ↑ "The Official Charts Company". Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Asylum". Music Canada.
