| Psycho Circus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kiss | ||||
| Released | September 22, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | January – April 1998, A&M Studios, Hollywood, California, One on One Studios, New York | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal, pop metal[1] | |||
| Length | 47:03 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Bruce Fairbairn | |||
| Kiss chronology | ||||
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Psycho Circus is the 18th studio album by American band Kiss. The album features the original four members back together, and in full make-up.
Some pressings featured a lenticular cover that alternates between a black Kiss logo and the album title with pictures of a clown and the band members while the Japan initial first pressing featured a pop-up cover which had 3 foam spring-loaded panels of a clown face and 2 others with band members faces that popped out when the doors were opened.
The track "You Wanted the Best" is the only Kiss song in which lead vocals are shared by the entire lineup.
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Metal Nightfall | [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-)[5] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
Following Kiss' highly successful 1996-1997 reunion tour, Psycho Circus was marketed as the first studio album by the band's original lineup since 1979's Dynasty (as Peter Criss did not participate on 1980's Unmasked). As with Dynasty and Unmasked, however, many of the songs were recorded by uncredited players. Guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were used sparingly, with Criss only playing drums on "Into the Void." (He had also played on only one Dynasty song.) Frehley played on only two songs from the album (not including vocals). In a radio interview with Eddie Trunk following his departure Criss stated that only "Into the Void" featured instrumental contributions from all four members.
Regarding the lack of cohesion in the group at the time of recording, Stanley stated "We tried to do a Kiss album, and it was an ill-fated attempt because there was no real band,"[6] and continued by adding "For a band to make a great album, it has to share a common purpose, and we didn’t have it."[6]
Despite the controversy, Psycho Circus debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 110,000 copies in its first week of release,[7] and was certified Gold by the RIAA on October 22, 1998.[8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Psycho Circus" | Paul Stanley, Curtis Cuomo | Stanley | 5:30 |
| 2. | "Within" | Gene Simmons | Simmons | 5:10 |
| 3. | "I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock & Roll" | Stanley, Cuomo, Holly Knight | Stanley | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Into the Void" | Ace Frehley, Karl Cochran | Frehley | 4:24 |
| 5. | "We Are One" | Simmons | Simmons | 4:41 |
| 6. | "You Wanted the Best" | Simmons | Simmons, Stanley, Criss, Frehley | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Raise Your Glasses" | Stanley, Knight | Stanley | 4:14 |
| 8. | "I Finally Found My Way" | Stanley, Bob Ezrin | Criss | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Dreamin'" | Stanley, Bruce Kulick | Stanley | 4:12 |
| 10. | "Journey of 1,000 Years" | Simmons | Simmons | 4:49 |
| 11. | "In Your Face" (Limited Edition and Japan Only) | Simmons | Frehley | 3:40 |
| Limited edition bonus disc | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Psycho Circus" (Live) | Stanley, Cuomo | Stanley | 5:34 | |||||
| 2. | "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" (Live) | Stanley, Simmons | Simmons | 5:33 | |||||
| 3. | "Into the Void" (Live) | Frehley, Karl Cochran | Frehley | 9:10 | |||||
| 4. | "Within" (Live) | Simmons | Simmons | 7:57 | |||||
| 5. | "100,000 Years" (Live) | Stanley, Simmons | Stanley | 5:17 | |||||
| 6. | "Black Diamond" (Live) | Stanley | Criss, intro by Stanley | 6:12 | |||||
A limited edition was released in Brazil on the wake of the Kiss concerts in the country, adding the second disc with live tracks, like the Japanese release, but without the bonus track "In Your Face" on the first disc. In Europe this expanded-release was tied-in with the tour, retaining the prismatic jewel-case of the original CD-release but adding a new sticker to the front and amended tray-insert.
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[9] | 3 |
| Canada Billboard Top Canadian Albums[10] | 2 |
| Australia ARIA Album Chart[11] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart[12] | 47 |
| Sweden Albums Top 60[13] | 1 |
| Norway VG-lista[13] | 4 |
| Finland Albums Top 50[13] | 5 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[13] | 25 |
| France SNEP[13] | 71 |
| Switzerland Albums Top 100[13] | 30 |
| Netherlands Mega Album Top 100[13] | 51 |
| Single | Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Psycho Circus" | Netherland Dutch Top 40[14] | 98 |
| Sweden Singles Top 60[14] | 4 | |
| Norway VG-lista[14] | 8 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] | 1 | |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart[16] | 22 | |
| "We Are One" | 40 | |
| Norway VG-lista[17] | 18 | |
| Sweden Albums Top 60[17] | 31 | |
| "You Wanted the Best" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] | 22 |
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
||
| Preceded by Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album October 4–10, 1998 |
Succeeded by Songs from Ally McBeal by Vonda Shepard |
| Preceded by This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours by Manic Street Preachers |
Swedish Albums Top 60 number-one album October 1–7, 1998 |
Succeeded by The Singles 86–98 by Depeche Mode |