Unmasked (Kiss album)

Unmasked
Studio album by Kiss
Released	May 20, 1980
Recorded	January – March 1980 at The Record Plant Studios, New York City
Genre	Glam rock, hard rock
Length	39:46
Label	Casablanca
Producer	Vini Poncia
Kiss chronology
Dynasty (1979) Unmasked (1980) Music from "The Elder" (1981)
Singles from Unmasked
"Shandi" Released: June 1, 1980 "Talk to Me" Released: August 24, 1980 "Tomorrow" Released: November 1, 1980

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. Criss actually had no involvement with the recording of the album; Anton Fig (uncredited) played all the drums on the album.

Album information

The band filmed a promotional video for "Shandi" with Peter 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] 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 to officially introduce Carr as Criss' permanent replacement in the band.

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 Ace Frehley contributions were written or co-written by someone outside the band.

The album's songs have been largely ignored on 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 played in 2001 during the Australian and Japanese concerts of the Farewell Tour, and has not been performed again since the departure of Frehley. The album cover and poster insert were designed by artist Victor Stabin and featured a winking Peter Criss.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Vista Records	[3]
Sputnikmusic	[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Pitchfork	(0.8/10)[6]

Unmasked marked a major departure musically for the band. It reached #35 on the US Billboard chart^[7] and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 30, 1980.^[8] The album marked another departure for Kiss, as this was the first album since 1976's Love Gun not to feature all members on vocals, excluding the four solo releases in 1978.^[1]

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 1975's Dressed to Kill. Kiss only played one show in the US, at the Palladium with Eric 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, Germany, France, and Italy.

Track listing

Personnel

Credited personnel

• Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals, bass guitar on "Tomorrow" and "Easy As It Seems", lead guitar on "Is That You?", "What Makes the World Go 'Round", "Tomorrow" and "Easy As It Seems", all guitars on "Shandi"
• Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals
• Ace Frehley - lead guitar, vocals (bass guitar on "Talk to Me", "Two Sides of the Coin" and "Torpedo Girl")
• Peter Criss - drums (credit only)

Uncredited personnel

• Anton Fig - drums on all tracks
• Vini Poncia - backing vocals
• Tom Harper - bass guitar on "Shandi"
• Holly Knight - keyboards
• Bob Kulick - lead guitar on "Naked City"

Touring personnel

• Eric Carr - drums

Charts

Album

Singles

Certifications

References