This is still sealed and seems to be in close to mint condition.
- Vinyl (September 2, 2014)
- Original Release Date: 2014
- Number of Discs: 1
Crazy Nights is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 15, 1987 by Mercury and Vertigo in Europe. This was the second album to feature the new line up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr.[4] It featured keyboards which was another departure in their music style changing from their Creatures of the Night/Lick It Up/Animalize/Asylum heavy metal sound into a light metal sound.[5] It was re-released in 1998 as part of the Kiss Remasters series, it is the last Kiss album to have been remastered.
A relatively high number of songs from Crazy Nights were performed live during its supporting tour, but during and especially immediately following the tour most of those songs were dropped and were never performed again. Only the song "Crazy Crazy Nights" was retained in their setlist for the Hot in the Shade Tour which followed a couple years later, it was dropped after that tour and would not return for nearly 20 years until theSonic Boom Over Europe Tour. This makes the album one of the least represented in the bands' entire catalog over the course of their career in their setlists, behind only their 1981 album commercial flop Music from "The Elder".
Kiss took a different approach in creating their album Crazy Nights, in efforts to turn around their image after they had a down fall in their music career due to experimentation of the band's music genre and the loss of two prime members.[6] The band had a lot to prove after their decrease of success, leading to the decision to change their trademark appearance from the removal of their signature make-up to their rock inspired style.[7] A few shows performed in Brazil would be the last time KISS performed in their signature make-up until The KISS Reunion Tour in 1996.[8]
After the Asylum Tour had ended, Kiss went on couple of month long hiatus due to Gene Simmons' career as an actor and a producer which made the band seem like his side job instead of primary job. For KISStory,Paul Stanley stated that he got tired of Simmons' lack of commitment and one day he told him:
We were in the parking lot one day, and I said to Gene:
"Look – you're off doing all these other things while still reaping the benefits of this band, and I'm getting screwed. It's not fair for me to put in this kind of time, while somebody else who is supposed to be my partner, is not." And Gene looked at me and said:
"That's fair." I could have used Gene's input. But my attitude at that point was that I certainly wasn't going to listen to a guy who's off managing cabaret singers, and producing five bands, while I was trying to make an album.[9]
Simmons' temporary departure gave space to Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick. Kulick had four co-writing credits and Carr one, but almost got other material on the album. Stanley had worked with Desmond Child, Diane Warren and Adam Mitchell and co-wrote songs: "Crazy Crazy Nights", "I'll Fight Hell to Hold You" and "When Your Walls Come Down" with Mitchell ("I'll Fight Hell to Hold You" and "When Your Walls Come Down" with Kulick), "Bang Bang You", "My Way" and "Reason to Live" with Child ("My Way" with Bruce Turgon also), and "Turn On the Night" was co-written by Stanley and Warren.
As Kiss' previous two albums had been self-produced, the band felt it needed to bring in an outside producer who would help the album achieve more commercial success. Producer Ron Nevison was hired to produced the album, but because of Nevison's filled schedule, the band had to wait for his schedule to clear. Nevison was chosen in part from his recent commercial success in producing platinum albums for Heart and Ozzy Osbourne. Simmons said for KISStory, "When we started working on "Crazy Nights", we looked for someone else to pull the cart – another person to help guide the band... So we hooked up with a producer named Ron Nevison, who Paul had wanted to work with for a while, although I never did.[9] In the "Crazy Nights, it's 25 years strong" KissFAQ interview Ron Nevison describes the efforts band members put in to the album, “Well, this was the only album I did with them. I do know that Gene wasn’t there all the time. Obviously Bruce was, and to some extent, Eric. Mostly, a majority of the work on that album I did with Bruce and Paul. The bass tracks were cut initially, and Gene was only needed for lead vocals. I must say that most of the time he was there, he was in the back of the studio reading “Variety.”[10] Although Simmons' participation was low for the album he did contribute in providing Nevison with 20-25 songs that were potential material for the Crazy Nights album. Including one song called "I'm Going to Put A Log In Your Fire Place" which was ultimately not used on this or any subsequent albums.[11] The albums Crazy Nights and Asylum were also under new management representation with Larry Mazur, a consultant.[4]
The album was at first called "Who Dares Wins", which was Carr's idea. According to him, "During a photo session our wardrobe girl had this commando patch lying around with 'Who Dares Wins' on it, and I said: "Hey, what a great idea for an album title!" Then she brought it over to Paul who said the same thing. We ended up not using it because it didn't look good in print, and it sounded as if no one would understand it."[9] The idea was dropped in June, but managed to appear on some Japanese advertisements for the upcoming album. Another title the band thought of was "Condomnation", but as Stanley said, "Well, Condomnation was never really the title. It was just a thought that passed through our minds and gave everyone a chuckle."[9] The record sessions started in March at One on One Recording Studios in Canoga Park, California but later continued in Rumbo Recorders also in Canoga Park and Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana, California. In June the album was completed and it was mixed at Can-Am Recorders by Nevison, before being turned over to PolyGram in July.
Album songs
"Crazy Crazy Nights"
"Crazy Crazy Nights" was the first single from the album and only reached #65 on Billboard Hot 100 and #37 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, but it was a hit in UK where it reached #4, and to date, is Kiss' highest charting single in the UK. "Crazy Crazy Nights" also went into the Top 40 in Norway, Netherlands and Australia, where it reached #7, #28 and #34 respectively. A music video was made on August 8, 1987 at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA which was directed by Jean Pellerin and Doug Freel. It was featured in the Crazy Nights video.[17] The song would be performed regularly on live shows until Eric Carr's death in 1991 and returned to the set list on the Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour.
"I'll Fight Hell to Hold You"
Adam Mitchell reportedly plays on the song along with Bruce Kulick.[18]
"Bang Bang You"
According to Paul Stanley, "Bang Bang You" is, "the classic story of boys and their toys".[19]
It was only performed live during the Crazy Nights Tour.
"No, No, No"
"No, No, No", was originally titled "Assume the Position" and later "Down on All Fours". It was based on Kulick's riff which he and Carr developed into a song in Carr's apartment in New York so it could be finished by Gene Simmons. According to Carr, "I just set up a double bass drum beat on my drum machine. I just got this feel in my head and I started coming up with this real staccato stuff for the verse."[20] It is Kulick's favorite song because "It's the fastest, ferocious thing, and it features me a lot."[20]
The song was only performed live during the Crazy Nights Tour.
"Hell or High Water"
"Hell or High Water" is a song based on Kulick's idea and riff which came to him during the Asylum Tour; Simmons wrote the lyrics. The song was rarely performed during the Crazy Nights Tour.
"My Way"
"My Way" was written by Stanley, Kulick and Bruce Turgon. It does not differ from the demo version a lot. The song was never played live.[21]
"When Your Walls Come Down"
"When Your Walls Come Down" is another song based on Kulick's riff that came to him during the Asylum Tour. Stanley had the chorus and with Mitchell's assistance, the song was finished. The song did not come out well when played live so it was only played a couple of times.
"Reason to Live"
Stanley recalled when he played the "Reason to Live" demo to Simmons, "I remember calling up Gene and playing it to him down the phone... I played the song to Gene and obviously the bomb had gone off at the other end. He was speechless."[22] Stanley was always okay with having power-ballads on Kiss albums, which first started with "I Still Love You" on Creatures of the Night. Stanley also said, "If a band was to be honest they would tell you that at that time the only hope for airplay was a ballad."[22] A music video directed by Marty Callner was made, and featured Playboy centerfold Eloise Broady.[22] "Reason to Live" reached #64 Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and #33 in the UK. The song managed to chart in the Netherlands, reaching a poor #89.
"Good Girl Gone Bad"
"Good Girl Gone Bad" was written by Simmons, friend Davitt Sigerson and his song-writing partner Peter Diggins, whom Simmons never met. The song was lyrically based on something obvious from Simmons's community college period: "A young lady who Gene went to college with, a girl who started out the demure virgin, all coy and unclaimed... then met up with 'The Tongue'! The only sad thing about the tale is that when she finally did give way, it was in the back seat of a car and with someone else, a friend of Gene's in fact." The song was not performed live.
"Turn On the Night"
"Turn On the Night" was the third single off the album. A music video was made in Worcester, Massachusetts, on December 15, 1987. Video was directed by Marty Callner. "Turn On the Night" only charted in the UK, where it reached #41.
"Thief in the Night"
"Thief in the Night" was first recorded by Wendy O. Williams on her 1984 solo album WOW.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crazy Crazy Nights" | Paul Stanley, Adam Mitchell | Stanley | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "I'll Fight Hell to Hold You" | Stanley, Mitchell, Bruce Kulick | Stanley | 4:10 | |
| 3. | "Bang Bang You" | Stanley, Desmond Child | Stanley | 3:53 | |
| 4. | "No, No, No" | Gene Simmons, Kulick, Eric Carr | Simmons | 4:19 | |
| 5. | "Hell or High Water" | Simmons, Kulick | Simmons | 3:28 | |
| 6. | "My Way" | Stanley, Child, Bruce Turgon | Stanley | 3:58 | |
| 7. | "When Your Walls Come Down" | Stanley, Mitchell, Kulick | Stanley | 3:25 | |
| 8. | "Reason to Live" | Stanley, Child | Stanley | 4:00 | |
| 9. | "Good Girl Gone Bad" | Simmons, Davitt Sigerson, Peter Diggins | Simmons | 4:35 | |
| 10. | "Turn On the Night" | Stanley, Diane Warren | Stanley | 3:18 | |
| 11. | "Thief in the Night" | Simmons, Mitch Weissman | Simmons | 4:07 |
Singles
- "Crazy Crazy Nights"/"No, No, No" - August 18, 1987 (Mercury 888 796)
- "Reason to Live"/"Thief in the Night" - November 12, 1987 (Mercury 870 022)
- "Turn On the Night"/"Hell or High Water" - February 18, 1988 (Mercury 870 215)
Personnel
Kiss:
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals
- Eric Carr - drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Bruce Kulick - lead guitar, backing vocals, bass guitar on "Hell or High Water"[23]
Additional personnel:
- Phil Ashley - keyboards
- Tom Kelly - backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[24] | 24 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[25] | 21 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[26] | 44 |
| European Albums Chart[27] | 23 |
| Finnish Albums Chart[28] | 4 |
| German Albums Chart[26] | 44 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[26] | 8 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[26] | 11 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[26] | 14 |
| UK Albums Chart[29] | 4 |
| US Billboard Pop Albums[30] | 18 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Crazy Crazy Nights" | US Billboard Hot 100[31] | 65 |
| US Mainstream Rock[31] | 37 | ||
| Australian charts[32] | 34 | ||
| Dutch charts[33] | 28 | ||
| Norwegian charts[33] | 7 | ||
| UK Singles Chart[34] | 4 | ||
| 1987 | "Reason to Live" | US Mainstream Rock[31] | 34 |
| Dutch charts[32] | 89 | ||
| UK Singles Chart[35] | 33 | ||
| 1988 | Billboard Hot 100[31] | 64 | |
| 1987 | "Turn On the Night"[36] | UK Singles Chart | 41 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[37] | Gold | 25,000[37] |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
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