Creatures of the Night

Creatures of the Night is a 1982 album from American hard rock band KISS. It is the band's 14th studio album and last for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for, and was dedicated to the memory of Casablanca founder and early KISS supporter Neil Bogart, who had died of cancer during the recording sessions.

The album represented a conscious effort on KISS's part to return to the style of hard rock/heavy metal that had helped them achieve commercial success in the 1970s. That success had been in decline since 1979, but accelerated quickly with the release of Unmasked in 1980 (a decidedly pop-oriented effort), and Music from "The Elder" (concept album) in 1981.

The album

Background

By 1982, KISS' popularity in the US had plummeted. This was due partly to the changing landscape of popular music, but also due to the fact that KISS had strayed from the hard rock style that had made them popular in the first place. 1979's Dynasty, while commercially successful, alienated many fans with the disco-flavored track "I Was Made For Lovin' You." 1980's Unmasked was a pure pop album and the first time a KISS album failed to achieve platinum status since Dressed to Kill. The band did not even tour the US behind the album, and was soon faced with its first lineup change - founding member Peter Criss, who had not participated in any of the Unmasked recording sessions, officially left KISS in 1980. He was replaced by Eric Carr, a drummer much more in the mold of John Bonham than Criss.

Fan hopes were raised in late 1980 when KISS announced that they were going to record their heaviest record yet. Instead, the band released Music From "The Elder" in late 1981, a concept album that had ballads, a short orchestral piece and lyrical themes more in common with bands like Rush and Yes. The album failed to achieve gold status and the band cancelled their planned tour. In addition, founding member Ace Frehley soon left the band after expressing his displeasure over the path the band had chosen.

KISS' label situation had changed as well. Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart had sold the label to its distributor, PolyGram, and went on to briefly form The Boardwalk Recording Company before being diagnosed with (and later succumbing to) cancer. Using a clause in their Casablanca contract that gave the band an option to leave the label if Bogart did, KISS became free agents and signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Mercury Records. Almost ironically, Mercury - a label also owned by PolyGram - reverted the band back to their "old" label, at least in name only.

After the failure of "The Elder," KISS knew it needed to deliver on their earlier promise of a heavy record if they were to continue as a band. The first key ingredient was songwriter/guitarist Vincent Cusano, with whom the band had recently begun writing and recording. Cusano brought a heavier style of playing to the group, and was working with KISS to record demos but was not a member of the band.

When recording sessions for Creatures of the Night began in July 1982, KISS was essentially a trio. Frehley still made appearances with the band but had essentially ended his musical involvement with KISS. Frehley looked completely out of sorts in promotional appearances for the album (in cases where the band was lip synching to recorded tracks, it is obvious that he did not know the material).

It was only after the album was released and a short tour of Europe was completed that Frehley officially left KISS. His replacement was Cusano, who by then had taken the stage name of Vinnie Vincent.

Return to form

Musically, Creatures of the Night is the band's heaviest recording since Destroyer. The progressive rock stylings of Music From "The Elder" and the pop of Dynasty and Unmasked were completely absent. In its place was a sound that was as close to true heavy metal as the band had ever achieved. The only ballad on the album, "I Still Love You," was still heavier and darker than anything KISS had released in years. The production values contributed to the heaviness - in particular, the drum sound was louder and heavier than on any previous KISS album.

Creatures of the Night is the first KISS album to have all lead vocal duties handled by either Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley exclusively. All previous studio releases (solo albums notwithstanding) contained at least one song with lead vocals by another band member.

The band released a video for "I Love It Loud," which received moderate airplay on MTV. In it was a stage setup that featured Eric Carr's drum kit as a giant, metallic tank (with an exploding turret). Flames and explosions were also in abundance, as KISS attempted to produce a video that reflected the music on Creatures of the Night. Although Frehley had not played on the album, he did appear in the video as the rhythm guitarist (Stanley was shown playing Cusano's solo).

Reaction

Despite positive reviews, Creatures of the Night did not return the band to the commercial standing they had held five years previous. Although the album charted higher than "The Elder" (#45), it also failed to achieve gold status (until 1994). Even more dramatically, the band's first US tour since 1979 was a flop. Cancelled shows and half-full (at most) arenas were the rule, not the exception.

In later years, KISS fans have come to regard Creatures of the Night as one of the band's best albums. But it is clear that multiple shifts in the band's lineup, image and musical styles from 1979 to 1982 had done severe damage. As a result, Creatures of the Night is one of the major commercial disappointments for KISS.

Track listing

"Creatures of the Night" (Paul Stanley, Adam Mitchell) - 4:01
- Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
"Saint And Sinner" (Gene Simmons, Mikel Japp) - 4:50
- Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
"Keep Me Comin'" (Stanley, Mitchell) - 4:00
- Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
"Rock And Roll Hell" (Simmons, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance) - 4:08
- Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
"Danger" (Stanley, Mitchell) - 3:55
- Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
"I Love It Loud" (Simmons, Vincent Cusano) - 4:12
- Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
"I Still Love You" (Stanley, Cusano) - 6:06
- Lead vocals - Paul Stanley
"Killer" (Simmons, Cusano) - 3:19
- Lead vocals - Gene Simmons
"War Machine" (Simmons, Adams, Vallance) - 4:13
- Lead vocals - Gene Simmons

Personnel

Gene Simmons - Bass, lead and backing vocals; rhythm guitar on 9.
Paul Stanley - Lead & rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals
Ace Frehley - Lead & rhythm guitars (credited, but does not appear on the album)
Eric Carr - Drums; Bass on 7; backing vocals.

Uncredited musicians

Vincent Cusano - Lead guitar 2,3,8,9; Rhythm guitar; Backing vocals.
Bob Kulick - Lead and rhythm guitars on 5.
Robben Ford - Lead guitar on 4 & 7.
Adam Mitchell - Rhythm guitars 1.
Steve Ferris - Guitar solo on 1.
Jimmy Haslip - Bass on 5.

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1983	Pop Albums	45

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Single	Position
1983	Mainstream Rock Tracks	"I Love It Loud"	22

Album notes

Three different covers of this album exist—The 1982 original issue, the 1985 reissue (featuring Bruce Kulick and the band without makeup), and the 1997 remastered version (same cover as the original, but with a slightly altered logo and lettering).Creatures of the Night. The KISSFAQ. Retrieved July 8, 2006.

Notes and references

External links

All links verified as of September 15, 2005.

KISS FAQ - Creatures of the Night

KISS albums | 1982 albums