Kiss was at a crossroad in 1984. Their previous album, Lick It Up, reached platinum, and public interest seemed to be leaning back towards the band. However, founding member, Gene Simmons, didn't appear too interested in this. Rather than jump headlong into a new album, he instead redirected his focus on acting, and producing other bands.
Meanwhile, Paul Stanley was left picking up the pieces, trying to salvage the band. He would later say, "I felt abandoned when it came time to make Animalize. After informing me without any warning or discussion that he wouldn't be around for the album, Gene went into a studio and crapped out some demos as fast as he could. Then he was off to do a movie." This left Stanley responsible for songwriting, production and direction of the new album. However, if there's one thing his 1978 solo Kiss effort proved, it was that he didn't necessarily need the other members to make a Kiss record.
With guitarist Vinnie Vincent out, Stanley not only needed a replacement for the strings, but lost a songwriting collaborator. While Mark St. John would fill the slot of guitarist, he clashed with his new bandmates, leading to both Stanley and Simmons warning him to check his attitude. The two also chastised him for his inconsistent guitar playing, stating he was, "just puking notes," and as a result could never play the same thing twice. Eventually, Bruce Kulick was brought in to finish recording tracks for the album. However, St. John would remain with the band until during tour rehearsals he was diagnosed with reactive arthritis which sidelined him. Kulick was once again brought in, replacing him full time.
With the aid of MTV, who pushed the Desmond Child co-penned single, Heaven's on Fire frequently in rotation, Animalize would go platinum. It would also be their biggest selling release for the decade, helping to recapture some of their earlier glory in tour attendance. Kiss was on track for a resurgence, but would it last?
Before we can find out, we first need to stop and hear 1984's Animalize, and by the time you read that prior sentence, I'll have done just that.
Despite being a platinum seller, personally, I find the album to be forgettable. It feels phoned in, and this in turn mirrors what Stanley was quoted as saying above. It didn't seem like anyone really cared about what was going on the record, with Gene Simmon's contributed songs being some of the most bland I've ever heard from him. Whereas in prior albums I was more so a fan of his songs, this time I leaned more towards Stanely's.
With that said, there weren't many stand out tunes for me on this one. I've Had Enough (Into The Fire), and Heaven's On Fire were all I really took away from it.
Overall, I think my biggest hang up with Animalize is that it doesn't sound like a Kiss album. There were moments where it feels more like a Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, or Def Leppard album. Basically, Kiss were trying to be anything other than Kiss. Intent to mimic what everyone else was doing at the time, vs. standing on their own merit. It doesn't work.
There was, however, some good that came from all of this. The lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Carr and Kulick turned out to be the most stable since the original, and for the rest of the 1980s continued to churn out gold and platinum selling albums, including the popular compilation, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988).
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 18, 1980 |
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 18, 1986 |
No comments:
Post a Comment