Maps of Music

Lick It Up (1983)

Where the lyrics of Lick It Up take you, and where it was really made.

The band's first album without face paint was the record that brought Vinnie Vincent into the public eye, yet he never signed a contract that made him an official member of Kiss.

Key places

Right Track Recording, New York (1983)

Recording site MSR Studios — Right Track Recording is one of the New York studios where Lick It Up was recorded. Sessions began in July 1983 at Right Track and The Record Plant. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Record Plant, New York (1983)

Recording site The Record Plant — The Record Plant is one of the New York studios used for recording Lick It Up. Sessions began in July 1983 at this studio and at Right Track. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlantic Studios, New York (1983)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Atlantic Studios is listed among the New York studios where Lick It Up was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Lick It Up: the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Kiss
• Released 18 September 1983 by Mercury Records, the band's first release for the label after leaving Casablanca Records
• The first public appearance of the band without their trademark make-up
• Certified gold on 22 December 1983, the first Kiss album certified since Unmasked in 1980
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on 19 December 1990 for sales of over a million units in the US

Background

• Preceded by Creatures of the Night (1982), which Ace Frehley did not play on despite appearing on its cover
• Weak commercial reception of Creatures of the Night in the US and cancelled concerts led Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to drop the make-up for this album
• Vinnie Vincent was never legally a member of the band and never signed a contract making his employment official

Recording

• Recording began in July 1983 at two New York studios, Right Track and The Record Plant
• Produced by Michael James Jackson, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley
• Session work ran from midday to two or three in the morning, six days a week
• Rick Derringer played the guitar solo on "Exciter", the only outside musician on the album

Cover

• The cover photo was taken by Bernard Vidal, showing the members in street clothes on a white background
• Gene Simmons is shown sticking out his tongue to keep a link to the band's past
• Vinnie Vincent wore a wig for the photo session, as he was often asked whether he was a girl

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
• The band traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York rock band led by Simmons and Stanley.
• Their first performance took place on January 30, 1973, at the Popcorn Club (later Coventry) in Queens.
• Casablanca Records signed the band on November 1, 1973, as the label's first act.

Members

• The four original members were Stanley (Starchild), Simmons (Demon), Frehley (Spaceman) and Criss (Catman).
• Eric Carr replaced Criss in 1980; Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John and Bruce Kulick later held lead guitar.
• Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer formed the final lineup.

Career

• Kiss became one of America's most successful rock bands in the late 1970s, with a 1977 Gallup poll naming them the most popular band in America.
• The band unmasked in 1983 and reunited the original lineup for the 1996 reunion tour.
• The band announced its retirement after its final show at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023.
• Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Richard Bienstock of Rolling Stone wrote that the album "resurrected the band through reinvention"
• Greg Prato of AllMusic said tracks such as "Exciter", "Not for the Innocent", "A Million to One" and "All Hell's Breaking Loose" showed the group was back on track
• Chuck Klosterman, author of Fargo Rock City, called it a very good hard rock album and the catalyst for the band's recovery
• Matthew Wilkening of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that the album traded its predecessor's glorious dynamics for a more polished, slightly pop metal sound
• Dante Bonutto of Kerrang! said the production was more balanced than Creatures of the Night

Reappraisal

• Kerrang! listed the album at No. 3 on its year-end list of the best hard rock albums of 1983
• In 2011, Guitar World's readers placed it at No. 10 in their top 10 guitar albums of 1983

Records

• Billboard 200: peaked at No. 24, the band's best position since Dynasty (1979)
• UK Albums Chart: No. 7, the group's best UK chart placement until then
• Scandinavian countries: top ten
• Lead single "Lick It Up" peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100
• "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" reached No. 71 in Germany
• The video for "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The recording was split between two New York studios because the sessions had not been finished on schedule, according to producer Michael James Jackson.
• Vinnie Vincent was credited as guitarist even though, as the band said, he never officially joined; this was the first album where he appeared on the cover.
• Ace Frehley is on the Creatures of the Night cover despite having left the band, and he did not take part in Lick It Up.
• Vincent's guitar was partly replaced by Rick Derringer on "Exciter", a move Vincent said he only learned about after the album was finished.
• "Lick It Up" became a staple of the band's live shows and has been played over 1,500 times as of December 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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