Unmasked (Kiss album)
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Unmasked is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1980. It was the last studio album to feature the original lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss until the band reunited in 1996. Criss had no involvement with the recording of the album; Anton Fig (uncredited) played all the drums on the album.
Album information
The album features substantial songwriting contributions from Vini Poncia, who had previously been Ringo Starr's post-Beatles songwriting partner. The album marked the first time Kiss had used the contributions of outside songwriters to such a large extent, as all but the two Frehley contributions, "Talk to Me" and "Two Sides of the Coin", were written or co-written by someone outside the band.
The band filmed a promotional video for "Shandi" with Criss. It was the last time he appeared with Kiss until he performed with them at a Kiss Convention on June 17, 1995. In the band's authorized biography, he revealed that he was the last one left in the band's dressing room after filming and broke down crying.[1] The album cover and poster insert, designed by artist Victor Stabin, featured a winking Criss. "Unmasked was like the tail end of a comet," reflected Stanley, "and I don't mean Frehley's."[2]
A lip-synched German television performance of "Talk to Me" and "She's So European" featured the debut of Eric Carr, who became the band's permanent drummer until his death in 1991. The band would play a concert at the Palladium Theatre in New York City to officially introduce Carr as Criss' permanent replacement in the band. Kiss then toured Europe and Australia (where their popularity was at an all time high) and played "Is That You?", "Talk to Me", "Shandi" and for a short time, "You're All That I Want" Otherwise, the album's songs have been largely ignored in live performances, with the exception of "Shandi", which is sometimes played in the band's shows, particularly in Australia (where the song became a top ten hit in 1980). "Talk to Me" was also played in 2001 during the Australian and Japanese concerts of the Farewell Tour but has not been performed again since the departure of Frehley.
Heavy metal singer Jørn Lande covered "Naked City" on the album Unlocking the Past (2007). In 1999, Germany label Aor Heaven released a compilation with various artists covering the entire album, it was named "Undressed An Unmasked Tribute To Kiss".
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Vista Records | [4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Pitchfork | (0.8/10)[7] |
Unmasked marked a major departure musically for the band. It reached #35 on the US Billboard chart[8] and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 30, 1980.[9]
One year after their last tour, which was somewhat a disaster, Criss was fired from the band due to his erratic behavior. Unmasked was the first album that failed to reach platinum status since 1976's Destroyer. Kiss played only one show in the US, at the Palladium with Carr. The band decided to take a break from the US because the album was more successful in other countries, and Kiss played in Australia, England, New Zealand, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, and Italy.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Is That You?" | Gerard McMahon | Paul Stanley | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Shandi" | Stanley, Vini Poncia | Stanley | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Talk to Me" | Ace Frehley | Frehley | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Naked City" | Gene Simmons, Poncia, Bob Kulick, Pepe Castro | Simmons | 3:49 |
| 5. | "What Makes the World Go 'Round" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Tomorrow" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Two Sides of the Coin" | Frehley | Frehley | 3:16 |
| 8. | "She's So European" | Simmons, Poncia | Simmons | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Easy as It Seems" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 3:24 |
| 10. | "Torpedo Girl" | Frehley, Poncia | Frehley | 3:31 |
| 11. | "You're All That I Want" | Simmons, Poncia | Simmons | 3:04 |
Personnel
Kiss
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals, lead guitar on "Is That You?", "Shandi", "Tomorrow", and "You're All That I Want", bass guitar on "Tomorrow" and "Easy As It Seems"
- Ace Frehley - lead guitar, vocals and all guitars on "Talk to Me", "Two Sides of the Coin" and "Torpedo Girl"
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals, rhythm guitar on "You're All That I Want"
- Peter Criss - drums (credit only)
Additional musicians
- Anton Fig - drums
- Vini Poncia - keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
- Tom Harper - bass guitar on "Shandi"
- Holly Knight - keyboards on "Shandi"
Charts
- Album
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[10] | 3 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[11] | 3 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[12] | 12 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[11] | 13 |
| German Albums Chart[11] | 4 |
| Italian Albums Chart[13] | 11 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[11] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[11] | 1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart[14] | 11 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 17 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[11] | 8 |
| UK Albums Chart[15] | 48 |
| US Billboard Pop Albums[16] | 35 |
Singles
| Year | Nation | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | United States | "Shandi" | Billboard Pop Singles | 47[17] |
| Australia | Pop Singles | 10[citation needed] | ||
| Austria | Pop Singles | 5[18] | ||
| "Talk to Me" | Pop Singles | 39[citation needed] | ||
| Canada | "Shandi" | RPM 100 Singles | 69[19] | |
| Germany | Pop Singles | 28[citation needed] | ||
| "Talk to Me" | Pop Singles | 32[citation needed] | ||
| "Tomorrow" | Pop Singles | 70[citation needed] | ||
| Holland | "Shandi" | Pop Singles | 24[citation needed] | |
| "Talk to Me" | Pop Singles | 39[20] | ||
| Norway | "Shandi" | Pop Singles | 4[18] | |
| New Zealand | Pop Singles | 6[18] | ||
| Switzerland | "Talk to Me" | Pop Singles | 10[20] |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Leaf, David; Sharp, Ken (2003). Kiss: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-53073-5.
- ^ Kitts, Jeff: 'Back in black (and white)', Guitar World, September 1996, p68
- ^ Unmasked at AllMusic
- ^ "Kiss - Unmasked (1980)". Vista Records. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Kiss - Unmasked (album review)". Sputnikmusic. January 1, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Kiss: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Kiss: Unmasked". Pitchfork Media. June 26, 2003. Archived from the original on June 26, 2003. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "AllMusic Billboard Unmasked". Retrieved January 27, 2009.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Kiss – Unmasked". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g Steffen Hung. "Kiss - Unmasked". swisscharts.com. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ "Search - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Album 1980". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Kiss | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. January 4, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ "Kiss Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ^ "AllMusic Billboard singles". Retrieved January 27, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Kiss - Shandi". Lescharts.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
- ^ "RPM Magazine 100 singles". Retrieved March 19, 2010.
- ^ a b "Kiss - Talk to Me". Lescharts.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Unmasked". Music Canada.
