Asylum (Kiss album)
Asylum | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 1985 | |||
Recorded | June – July 1985 | |||
Studio | Electric Lady Studios Right Track Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Glam metal[1] | |||
Length | 38:50 | |||
Label | Mercury Vertigo (Europe) | |||
Producer | Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons | |||
Kiss chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Asylum | ||||
|
Asylum is the 13th studio album by the American rock band Kiss, released on September 16, 1985. The album marked a continuation of the glam metal sound of preceding album Animalize.
Recording
Asylum is the first album to feature lead guitarist Bruce Kulick as an official band member. Kulick had replaced former guitarist Mark St. John on some tracks on the previous album Animalize (1984) during the latter's absence due to reactive arthritis. Subsequently, Kulick filled St. John's spot during most segments of the Animalize tour. This new 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.
Cover
The album cover depicts the four band members 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 artwork for the back cover is similarly stylised and colourful, depicting Kiss against a white background. The cover art of the remastered 1997 CD release of Asylum featured slightly altered, bolder colours than that of the original release.
Live performances
The supporting Asylum Tour ran throughout North America from November 1985 to April 1986. The tour featured the largest light-up 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. "Tears Are Falling" is the only song on the album that has been played regularly in live performances beyond the Asylum Tour. However, like many Kiss songs of the mid-1980s, the track was rarely played live after the 1996 reunion of the original Kiss lineup, although it did feature in both 2004's Rock the Nation Live! DVD and 2014's Kiss Rocks Vegas live release.
In the tour program for the band's final tour, Stanley reflected on the tour:
Over the years the band has been in existence, the ritual of getting ready has literally stayed the same for the last forty plus years. Since the late Seventies we've had a Superman bed sheet that's taped across the door so that if people walk by and the door is open, you don't get a free glimpse. The time that we spend in the dressing room getting ready gives us a chance to focus on what we have to do and interestingly it's calmest time of the night. It's the calm before the storm.[2]
Singles
"Tears Are Falling" was the only track to be released for retail sales as a single and was a hit for the band, with the video in particular proving popular on MTV. A total of 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" respectively.
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metal Nightfall | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vista Records | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album was certified Gold in November 1985 by the RIAA.[6]
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 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
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[7]
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)[6] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b Asylum at AllMusic
- ^ (2019). End of the Road World Tour Program, pg. 22.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Kiss – Asylum". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Saulnier, Jason (March 14, 2011). "Bruce Kulick Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 8, 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 August 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ 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.