Kilroy Was Here (album)

Kilroy Was Here
Studio album by Styx
Released	February 28, 1983
Recorded	1982 at Pumpkin Studios, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Genre	Progressive rock, pop rock, rock
Length	40:41
Label	A&M
Producer	Styx
Styx chronology
Paradise Theatre (1981) Kilroy Was Here (1983) Caught in the Act (1984)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Rolling Stone	link

Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the rock band Styx, released on February 28, 1983. The title comes from a famous World War II graffiti "Kilroy was here".

The album is certified platinum by the RIAA.

Background

"Kilroy Was Here" was conceived by lead singer Dennis DeYoung as an album and accompanying stage show, which opened with a short film of the same name. While the supporting tour was a financial disaster, the album sold over 1 million copies and peaked at #3 on the US charts. However, it broke the streak of multi-platinum albums for Styx and ushered in a more keyboard-oriented, progressive rock direction that would divide DeYoung and guitarists James Young and Tommy Shaw, ultimately leading to their acrimonious split in 1984.

The album's somewhat rock-operatic story tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)". The story's protagonist, Kilroy, is a former rock star who has been imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Righteous. He escapes using a disguise (according to the album's famous song "Mr. Roboto") when he becomes aware that a young musician, Jonathan Chance, is on a mission to bring rock music back.

The album spawned two hit singles, "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End".

Despite its success and well known hits, after the replacement of singer Dennis DeYoung in 1999 the current lineup of the band essentially disowned the album and quickly phased its songs out of their live sets. The band has not performed anything from this album in over a decade, however DeYoung still performs songs from it during his solo tours.

Music video

Three of the four videos for the album - "Mr. Roboto", "Don't Let It End", and "Heavy Metal Poisoning" - were filmed at the same time and used footage from the minifilm. A fourth video, "Haven't We Been Here Before", was filmed a few months after the album was released; it did not interact with the album's story.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mr. Roboto"	Dennis DeYoung	5:28
2.	"Cold War"	Tommy Shaw	4:27
3.	"Don't Let It End"	Dennis DeYoung	4:56
4.	"High Time"	Dennis De Young	4:33
5.	"Heavy Metal Poisoning"	James Young	4:57
6.	"Just Get Through This Night"	Tommy Shaw	6:06
7.	"Double Life"	James Young	3:46
8.	"Haven't We Been Here Before"	Tommy Shaw	4:06
9.	"Don't Let It End" (Reprise)	Dennis DeYoung	2:22
Total length:			40:41

Personnel

Styx

• Dennis DeYoung - keyboards, vocals as Kilroy
• Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals as Lt. Vanish
• John Panozzo - drums, vocals as Colonel Hyde
• Tommy Shaw - guitar, vocals as Jonathan Chance
• James Young - guitar, vocals as Dr. Righteous

Additional personnel

• Dan Barber - horn
• Steve Eisen - saxophone
• Mike Halpin - horn
• Michael Mossman - horn
• Mark Ohlson - horn

Production

• Arranged & Produced By Styx
• Engineers: Gary Loizzo, Will Rascati, Rob Kingsland
• Apprentice engineer: Jim Popko

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1983	Pop Albums	3

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	"Don't Let It End"	Adult Contemporary	13
1983	"Don't Let It End"	Pop Singles	6
1983	"High Time"	Pop Singles	48
1983	"Mr. Roboto"	Pop Singles	3
1983	"Mr. Roboto"	Mainstream Rock	3