Animalize

Animalize
Studio album by Kiss
Released September 13, 1984[1]
Recorded May - July 1984 at Right Track Studios, New York
Genre Hard rock, glam metal
Length 35:42
Label Mercury
Vertigo (Europe)
Casablanca Records (Japan)
Producer Paul Stanley
Kiss chronology
Lick It Up
(1983)		 Animalize
(1984)		 Asylum
(1985)
Singles from Animalize
  1. "Heaven's on Fire"
    Released: September 19, 1984
  2. "Thrills in the Night"
    Released: January 13, 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Nightfall[2]
Vista Records[3]
Allmusic[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Animalize is the twelfth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was released in 1984 on Mercury Records.

Background

At the time of the record's issuance, Gene Simmons was pursuing a career in acting. Paul Stanley was thus primarily in charge of the album's production and direction.[6]

Animalize marked the only appearance by lead guitarist Mark St. John, who replaced Vinnie Vincent in April 1984. St. John stated that when recording the record, he had utilized his Rockman gear, and that heavy equalization was used to take the "Boston" sound out of the recording.

St. John was forced to leave Kiss during the subsequent tour after being diagnosed with Reiter's Syndrome. By November 1984, he was out of the band, the third lead guitarist to exit the group in two years. When asked what 'Animalize' meant, Stanley said that people were starting to become more like computers and that "making music by pressing buttons" was no fun.

Reception

In a continuation of Kiss' commercial resurgence begun with Lick It Up, Animalize was certified platinum by the RIAA. It was the biggest-selling Kiss album since 1979's Dynasty. The album has apparently sold two million units, but has not been recertified for that amount.

Critics and longtime fans, however, criticized the band's continued move towards a glam rock style on Animalize. Simmons fell into increasing conflict with his bandmates during this period for a variety of reasons, most of which revolved around his perceived lack of commitment to the band and preoccupation with numerous outside projects, including producing and managing other rock groups such as Black 'n Blue (whom Tommy Thayer was a member of at the time), bit parts in films like Trick or Treat (as a radio DJ), a co-starring role in Runaway, and an assortment of business ventures. "Heaven's on Fire" became the biggest hit from the album (as well as the only song 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 the late Mark St. John.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Lead vocals Length
1. "I've Had Enough (Into the Fire)"  Paul Stanley, Desmond ChildStanley 3:52
2. "Heaven's on Fire"  Stanley, ChildStanley 3:21
3. "Burn Bitch Burn"  Gene SimmonsSimmons 4:42
4. "Get All You Can Take"  Stanley, Mitch WeissmanStanley 3:44
5. "Lonely Is the Hunter"  SimmonsSimmons 4:28
6. "Under the Gun"  Stanley, Eric Carr, ChildStanley 4:01
7. "Thrills in the Night"  Stanley, Jean BeauvoirStanley 4:21
8. "While the City Sleeps"  Simmons, WeissmanSimmons 3:41
9. "Murder in High-Heels"  Simmons, WeissmanSimmons 3:52

Personnel

Kiss

With:

Charts

Album
Chart (1984) Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[7] 40
Austrian Albums Chart[8] 14
Canadian Albums Chart[9] 41
Dutch Albums Chart[8] 17
Finnish Albums Chart[10] 4
German Albums Chart[8] 25
Norwegian Albums Chart[8] 14
Swedish Albums Chart[8] 8
Swiss Albums Chart[8] 9
UK Albums Chart[11] 11
US Billboard 200[12] 19
Singles
Year Nation Chart Single Position
1984 United States Billboard Mainstream Rock "Heaven's on Fire" 11[13]
Billboard Hot 100 49[13]
Austria Pop Singles 62
Canada RPM 100 Singles 46[14]
Netherlands MegaCharts 34[15]
Sweden Topplistan 19[15]

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[17] Gold 25,000[17]
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard Discography - Kiss Animalize". Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  2. ↑ "KISS : ANIMALIZE (1984)" (in French). Metal.nightfall.fr. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  3. ↑ "VISTA RECORDS - KISS - Animalize (1984)". Vistarecords.proboards.com. 2010-03-08. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  4. ↑ Animalize at AllMusic
  5. ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  6. ↑ http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1056247
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Albums chart history-Kiss albums". Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Search - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ↑ "UK Albums chart history-Kiss albums". Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  12. ↑ "AllMusic Billboard albums". Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  13. 1 2 "Billboard artist chart history - Kiss". Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  14. ↑ "RPM Magazine 100 Singles, Vol 41, No 15, Dec 16, 1984". Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Lescharts.com". Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Animalize". Music Canada.
  17. 1 2 "Kiss" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  18. ↑ "American album certifications – Kiss – Animalize". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

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