| Dynasty | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kiss | ||||
| Released | May 23, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | Electric Lady Studios, Record Plant Studios, New York, January-February 1979 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, disco[1] | |||
| Length | 39:19 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | Vini Poncia | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
|
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| Singles from Dynasty | ||||
|
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| ITunes | [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (2.0)[3] |
| Rolling Stone | Not Rated[4] [5] |
| Vista Records | [6] |
| TrueMetal | (70/100)[7] |
| Metal Nightfall | [8] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
Dynasty is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was produced by Vini Poncia and released on Casablanca Records on May 23, 1979.
The album, and the following tour, were billed as the "Return of Kiss"; as a band, Kiss (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss) had not released a studio album since 1977's Love Gun. Instead, Kiss released their second live album and each member had recorded eponymous solo albums independently of their bandmates, which were simultaneously released on September 18, 1978. The critical and popular reception was mixed, with Frehley's album being widely regarded as the best and Criss' album the worst.
After pre-production and rehearsals were completed, Vini Poncia (who had produced Peter Criss), decided that Criss' drumming was substandard, an opinion shared by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Criss, by this time, was battling drug addiction and had suffered injuries to his hands in a 1978 car accident. Kiss hired South African-born studio drummer Anton Fig, who played on Ace Frehley, to play on the Dynasty sessions. With the exception of his song, "Dirty Livin'", Peter Criss does not appear on the album, and he would not perform on another Kiss album until 1998's Psycho Circus. Anton Fig was again hired to replace Criss during recording sessions for the following album, Unmasked; Eric Carr was hired as Criss' replacement before the tour for that album began.
Ace Frehley, who himself would depart the band about eighteen months later, sings three songs on Dynasty: "Hard Times", "Save Your Love" and a cover of the Rolling Stones' "2000 Man". Although he had frequently sung backing vocals and had written the Kiss classics "Cold Gin" and "Parasite", Frehley had only debuted as a lead singer on his song "Shock Me" on Love Gun because he lacked confidence in his ability as a lead singer. Paul Stanley's "I Was Made for Lovin' You" was a concerted effort to write a hit song in the vein of disco music, which was popular at the time. It was one of their biggest singles ever, peaking at #11 on the American singles chart. He also sang "Sure Know Something" and "Magic Touch". In sharp contrast, Gene Simmons sings lead vocals on only two songs: "Charisma" and "X-Ray Eyes". In the original album, a huge, but rather unexciting poster was included of the four members.
The album cover is actually a collage of photos taken from the photo session, and not a group shot as it appears.
Giorgio Moroder was originally scheduled to produce Dynasty. Moroder would later go on to fame as producer of the music in Flashdance as well as with Donna Summer.
Escape from Hell was the subtitle of Dynasty's Japanese release.
Dynasty was to be the last high-charting album by KISS for several years at #9 on the US Billboard charts. It was able to capture the essence of this trend and somehow sold over 3,000,000 copies.
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" was Kiss' first songwriting collaboration with Desmond Child, who would show up later on Animalize, Asylum, Crazy Nights, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, and Hot in the Shade.
Dynasty would restore the band to commercial prominence, reaching #9 on the US Billboard album chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Contents |
The Dynasty Tour was Kiss's most ambitious and most expensive. Kiss sported new costumes featuring colors which coincided with the colors of their respective solo albums: purple (Stanley); red (Simmons); blue (Frehley); and green (Criss). The new production featured Simmons being hoisted to a small stage atop the scaffolding during his bass solo (typically played before "God of Thunder"). The harness malfunctioned on several occasions. Frehley was similarly elevated for his smoking guitar solo. Stanley conceived of a headset which projected a laser from his right eye, but the idea was scrapped when it was determined that it could potentially cause eye damage to him and or fans. Criss' and Frehley's addictions were also hampering their playing and their behaviors. Criss, in particular, botched the lyrics to "Beth" on several occasions and, on one occasion, he stopped playing in the middle of a drum solo. Several shows were cancelled due to poor ticket sales. The tour was considered a financial failure and it would become the final tour featuring the original band until the 1996 Reunion Tour seventeen years later.The Dynasty Tour was a concert tour by the rock band Kiss. It was their first tour since the Alive II tour ended on April 2, 1978 in Japan.
The Dynasty Tour, also known as "The Return of Kiss", was the first tour to feature the infamous flying stunt by Simmons. This was also the first tour to feature Frehley's "light-guitar" and his rocket-shooting stunt. A trick was designed for Stanley that involved him putting on a headset and shooting a laser out of his left eye (to mock the effect seen in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park a year prior). After several run-throughs both Stanley and Bill Aucoin nixed the idea, citing the danger involved. The tour also saw a decline in audience. Additional dates at Madison Square Garden and the Pontiac Silverdome were cancelled, while an additional night at the Los Angeles Forum was moved to the 10,000-capacity Anaheim Convention Center. This was the last tour with Criss on drums until 1996.
This tour is famous for being the only tour to feature songs from all four members solo albums. Simmons performed "Radioactive", Criss performed "Tossin and Turnin", Frehley performed "New York Groove", and Stanley performed "Move On". The two former songs were replaced early in the tour, and replaced by more familiar songs. "Dirty Livin" was reportedly rehearsed, but never performed.
Frehley stated in various interviews that Kiss was becoming a kiddie band. It was because kids were showing up dressed in costume and makeup for their shows along with their parents.
Dynasty marked the first time that the original four members of Kiss didn't all appear together for the entire album -- session drummer Anton Fig subbed for Peter Criss due to the latter's erratic behavior and injuries sustained in a serious car crash. Most critics say this was the beginning of some reasons why Criss and Frehley left the band by 1982. In latter-day interviews, the band admitted that they started to listen to outsiders about what direction the music should go around the time of Dynasty. And since small children were a large part of Kiss' audience by 1979.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Paul Stanley, Vini Poncia, Desmond Child | Stanley | 4:30 |
| 2. | "2,000 Man" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | Ace Frehley | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Sure Know Something" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Dirty Livin'" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Poncia | Criss | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Charisma" | Gene Simmons, Howard Marks | Simmons | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Magic Touch" | Stanley | Stanley | 4:41 |
| 7. | "Hard Times" | Frehley | Frehley | 3:30 |
| 8. | "X-Ray Eyes" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Save Your Love" | Frehley | Frehley | 4:41 |
Special Guest:
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard 200[9] | 9 |
| Year | Nation | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United States | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Billboard Pop Singles | 11[1] |
| "Sure Know Something" | Billboard Pop Singles | 47[1] | ||
| Austria | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 6[10] | |
| Canada | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 1[11] | |
| "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 48[12] | ||
| France | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 2[13] | |
| Germany | Pop Singles | 2[14] | ||
| Holland | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 1[10] | |
| Norway | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 10[10] | |
| New Zealand | Pop Singles | 1[10] | ||
| "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 11[15] | ||
| Sweden | "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 19[10] | |
| Switzerland | Pop Singles | 2[10] | ||
| United Kingdom | Pop Singles | 50[16] |
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
||