| Animalize | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 17, 1984 [1] | |||
| Studio | Right Track Recording (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:42 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Paul Stanley | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Animalize | ||||
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Animalize is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Kiss. It was released on September 17, 1984, [1] by Mercury Records. The album marked the only appearance by lead guitarist Mark St. John, who replaced Vinnie Vincent in April 1984.
At this point in Kiss's career, the band had lost two founding members, released two unsuccessful albums that largely alienated their fanbase (1980's Unmasked and 1981's Music from "The Elder" ) and made a "return to form" with 1982's Creatures of the Night that still failed to gain the public's attention. [4] However, the sessions for Animalize saw the band regaining momentum, as 1983's Lick It Up had achieved Platinum status and yielded a successful tour. [4] With the departure of another member in lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent and the hiring of a complete unknown in Mark St. John to replace him, Animalize saw the band at a crossroads of sorts. [4]
At the time of the album's recording, vocalist/bassist Gene Simmons was pursuing a career in acting and was largely absent from Kiss. Vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley later said, "I felt abandoned when it came time to make Animalize. After informing me without any warning or discussion that he wouldn't be around for the album, Gene went into a studio and crapped out some demos as fast as he could. Then he was off to do a movie." Stanley had become Kiss' de facto leader and he was left responsible for songwriting, production and direction of the new album. [5]
Simmons' relationships with his bandmates were at an all time low during this period. Most of this centered around his perceived lack of commitment to the band and his preoccupation with numerous outside projects, including producing and managing other rock groups such as Black 'n Blue (of whom Tommy Thayer was a member at the time), and co-starring in the 1984 movie Runaway .[ citation needed ]
Entering the studio to record Animalize, newly hired lead guitarist St. John clashed often with his new bandmates, with Carr saying years later that St. John's talent led to a very arrogant demeanor in the studio. A disagreement over a bass part which bassist Simmons had asked St. John to record for the album left both Simmons and Carr furious with the new guitarist, with Stanley and Simmons later taking St. John aside to warn him about his bad attitude. [6] According to St. John himself, Stanley and Simmons got "all kind of weird" over what he was recording in the studio, with Stanley saying that his playing had no structure and that the guitarist was "just puking notes" and could never play the same thing twice. [7] Bruce Kulick, brother of former Kiss-collaborator Bob Kulick, was eventually brought into the studio to play lead guitar on the tracks "Murder in High-Heels" and "Lonely Is the Hunter". [4]
Along with songwriter Desmond Child, Stanley gave the band its biggest hit single in years with "Heaven's on Fire". On top of production, Stanley claims to have personally handled everything from naming the album to marketing and "cajoling MTV". [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [8] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
In retrospective reviews, Matthew Wilkening of Ultimate Classic Rock described Animalize as "Kiss' most aggressive album ever" with some tracks "bordering on metal territory with their heavily distorted, uptempo attack." [4] Greg Prato of AllMusic observed that "Kiss seemed to be copying other successful pop-metal bands (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, etc.), both musically and visually" and concluded that the album, despite having a few good songs, wasn't as strong as its two predecessors, singling out most of Simmons' contributions as "forgettable" and "embarrassing". [2]
Guitar World magazine later placed the album on their list of "New Sensations: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1984". [11]
In a continuation of Kiss' commercial resurgence which had begun with 1983's Lick It Up , Animalize was certified Platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 1984. [12] It was the biggest-selling Kiss album since 1979's Dynasty .[ citation needed ]
"Heaven's on Fire" became the biggest hit from the album (as well as one of the only songs to survive on the band's live setlist after the '80s), and its music video received heavy MTV rotation. It is also the only music video appearance of Mark St. John.[ citation needed ]
St. John was forced to temporarily leave Kiss before the subsequent tour after being diagnosed with reactive arthritis. The group again turned to Bruce Kulick as a temporary replacement for St. John for the first two months of the tour in Europe. [7] St. John himself later confessed that his health was not the reason he left the band. "The arthritis thing was really a cover up for the other reasons, you know what I'm trying to say?", he said later. He referred to his inability to get along with his new Kiss bandmates as "a meeting of East meets West type of thing". [7]
Eventually, St. John played two full shows and one partial show with the band during the American leg of the tour in late November 1984. However, it quickly became apparent that Kulick gelled with the band's personalities and playing styles better than St. John; by December 1984, St. John had been officially fired and replaced on a permanent basis by Kulick, making him the third lead guitarist to exit the group in only two years.
Critics and longtime fans criticized the band's continued move towards a glam metal image during the tour.[ citation needed ]
All credits adapted from the original release. [13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I've Had Enough (Into the Fire)" | Paul Stanley, Desmond Child | Stanley | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Heaven's on Fire" | Stanley, Child | Stanley | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Burn Bitch Burn" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Get All You Can Take" | Stanley, Mitch Weissman | Stanley | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Lonely Is the Hunter" | Simmons | Simmons | 4:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Under the Gun" | Stanley, Eric Carr, Child | Stanley | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Thrills in the Night" | Stanley, Jean Beauvoir | Stanley | 4:21 |
| 8. | "While the City Sleeps" | Simmons, Weissman | Simmons | 3:41 |
| 9. | "Murder in High-Heels" | Simmons, Weissman | Simmons | 3:52 |
| Total length: | 35:42 | |||
Kiss
Additional musicians
Production
| Chart (1984-1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [15] | 40 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] | 14 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [17] | 41 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [18] | 17 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [19] | 4 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20] | 25 |
| Icelandic Albums Chart [21] | 7 |
| Italian Albums ( Musica e Dischi ) [22] | 25 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [23] | 23 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [24] | 7 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [25] | 8 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [27] | 11 |
| US Billboard 200 [28] | 19 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) [29] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [30] | Gold | 25,000 [30] |
| United States (RIAA) [31] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Mark Leslie Norton, better known as Mark St. John, was an American guitarist best known for his brief stint with the hard rock band Kiss from April to November 1984. His work can be heard on the band's 1984 album Animalize and their 2023 live album Off the Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, NY. After leaving Kiss, he co-founded the band White Tiger.
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (1984–1996). He was also a member of Union with John Corabi from 1997–2002, Blackjack from 1979–1980 and Grand Funk Railroad from 2000–2023.
Revenge is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on May 19, 1992. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Eric Singer, following the death of former drummer Eric Carr in November 1991 and is the group's last album to feature musical contributions from the latter. Marking a stylistic departure from the pop-influenced glam metal which characterized much of the band's 1980s output for a heavier sound, the album reached the Top 20 in several countries, though it failed to reestablish the group back in the mainstream and its sales were equal-to or less than its predecessors, ultimately only being certified gold by the RIAA on July 20, 1992.
Hot in the Shade is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1989. It is the first Kiss studio album since 1981's Music From "The Elder" to feature lead vocals from someone other than Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons, with drummer Eric Carr singing lead on "Little Caesar". It is also the final Kiss album in its entirety to feature Carr before his death in November 1991 during production of the band’s next album Revenge. Unlike its predecessor album, 1987's Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade does not heavily feature keyboards.
Killers is the second compilation album by American hard rock group Kiss. It was released only outside the US, but quickly became available as an import. Of the album's twelve songs, four were new compositions recorded specifically for it: "I'm a Legend Tonight," "Down on Your Knees," "Nowhere to Run" and "Partners in Crime." These new songs were recorded at the behest of Phonogram, in response to the commercial failure of 1981's Music from "The Elder".
Unmasked is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on May 20, 1980, by Casablanca Records. It was their first not to feature original drummer and founding member Peter Criss. Despite having no involvement in its production, Criss features in the album's artwork and the video for "Shandi", and also receives credit.
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memory of Casablanca founder and early Kiss supporter Neil Bogart, who had died of cancer during the recording sessions. It is also the band's last album recorded with Ace Frehley credited as an official member and their first album with Vinnie Vincent, as the initially uncredited lead guitarist. Vincent would later be credited but not featured on the cover of the 1985 reissue of the album. It was also Kiss' last album to feature the band with their trademark makeup until the release of Psycho Circus in 1998.
Lick It Up is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Kiss. Before its 1983 release, the band members appeared on MTV without their trademark make-up. It was the first public appearance without make-up by the band, and their first for Mercury Records, where they had been signed following their departure from Casablanca Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million units in the US.
Asylum is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on September 16, 1985. The album marked a continuation of the glam metal sound of the preceding album Animalize.
Crazy Nights is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr. The album is notable for its pop-metal sound as well as for its use of keyboards and synthesizers, a reflection of popular trends in the commercial rock genre of this time. It was re-released in 1998 as part of the Kiss Remasters series and is the last Kiss album to have been remastered.
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a compilation album by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the fourth hits album overall but the second hits album released by the band in the United States. Of the 15 songs on the album, two were new compositions, and three were released after the band's unmasking in 1983. The remaining 10 were all released during the band's years in make-up.
Psycho Circus is the eighteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss and the first and only album to involve all four original members since 1979's Dynasty. While touted as a band effort, Peter Criss only played drums on the Ace Frehley-penned track, "Into the Void", and guitarist Frehley only played on two regular album tracks, the one he wrote plus "You Wanted the Best". He also played on a bonus track called "In Your Face", penned by Simmons. All four band members, however, sang lead vocals on the album.
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions is the seventeenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1997. It is the band's final album with lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, and their last album with drummer Eric Singer until 2009's Sonic Boom. The album is a departure from the band's classic hard rock style, favoring a dark and dense grunge-oriented sound. It is also the band's last album of their unmasked era.
Alive III is a live album released by the American hard rock band Kiss in 1993. It is the third installment of the Alive series. The recording of Alive III took place over multiple dates during the band's 1992 tour in support of Revenge. It was certified gold in 1994.
"Heaven's on Fire" is a song by the American rock band Kiss. Written by vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley and songwriter Desmond Child, it was the first single released from the group's 1984 album Animalize.
Greatest Kiss is a greatest hits album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was released in 1997 on Mercury Records.
Kiss: Animalize Live Uncensored is a live video by the American rock band Kiss recorded at Detroit Cobo Hall on December 8, 1984, during Kiss's Animalize World Tour. It was originally aired on MTV. The tour featured perhaps the most varied setlist Kiss has ever played, featuring songs from seven of the band's studio releases up to that point. Three songs from Animalize were played, and many of the band's more popular songs were performed. The show was filmed on the same day temporary guitarist Bruce Kulick was named an official member, replacing Mark St. John. As suggested by its title, Animalize Live Uncensored features plenty of profane onstage banter from singer/guitarist Paul Stanley.
The Animalize World Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Kiss in support of their twelfth studio album, Animalize.
Kiss 40 is a compilation released by Kiss to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.
