- Vinyl (May 13, 2014)
- Original Release Date: 2014
- Numberof Discs: 1
Asylum is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Kiss. It features the debut of lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, who played on Animalize (ghost guitarist for "Lonely Is The Hunter"), and filled in for guitarist Mark St. John (Mark Norton) for their European and American Animalize tour, and officially replaced Mark St. John in December, 1984. He was the band's third lead guitarist since the departure of Ace Frehley in late 1982.[1]The new lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick would last for six years until Carr's death in November 1991.
Album information
The color of the lips on the sleeve mimic the colors of the 1978 solo releases: red for Simmons, purple for Stanley, blue for the lead guitarist (Kulick here, not Frehley) and green for the drummer (Carr here, not Peter Criss). The tour for the album featured the largest Kiss logo on stage 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 release, bar silent filmthat is overshadowed by graphics in the 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. "Tears Are Falling" is the only song on the album that has been played regularly in live performances. However, like many of the band's songs of the mid-80s, it was rarely played live after the reunion of the original lineup, although it would be resurrected in the band's set list during their 2004 Rock the Nation Tour.
Fan reaction to Asylum was mixed. The album was certified Gold in November, 1985 by the RIAA .[6] Asylum sold over 1.5 million copies, but never was recertified for the Platinum award. The Kiss Remasters seem to confirm this as it states that Asylum is one of the four albums that were certified Platinum in a row. Evidently, there is a RIAA Platinum award for this album, but the entry was never updated in the database. Until the RIAA confirms this, it remains only Gold.
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 |
Credits
- 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]
With:
- 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[edit]
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
||