Maps of Music

Revenge (1992)

Where the lyrics of Revenge take you, and where it was really made.

Kiss made this album while drummer Eric Carr was dying, and it closes with a demo Carr had recorded in 1980.

Key places

Recording begins at Rumbo Recorders (1991)

Recording site Rumbo Recorders — The album's recording sessions began at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles in September 1991. Carr died in November of that year, and the band kept working on the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Ocean Way session (1992)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — The band recorded "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" at Ocean Way Recording, one of the studios used for the song, which later appeared on the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Enterprise session (1992)

Recording site The Enterprise Studios — The song "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" was also recorded at The Enterprise Studios in Burbank, one of the California studios named for the track. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A&M Studios session (1992)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — The band also recorded "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" at A&M Studios in Hollywood, one of the three California studios used for the track. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Revenge: 16th studio album by Kiss, released May 19, 1992
• First Kiss album with drummer Eric Singer
• Last album to include musical contributions from Eric Carr
• Dedicated to Carr, who died in November 1991
• Closing track "Carr Jam 1981" is a demo Carr recorded soon after joining in 1980
• Heavier sound, a departure from the pop-influenced glam metal of the 1980s

Background

• February 1991: Kiss asked to record "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
• Band reunited with producer Bob Ezrin, ten years after Music From "The Elder"
• Carr diagnosed with heart cancer; open-heart surgery in April 1991
• Singer joined for the "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll" video; officially hired after Carr died at 41
• December 1991: back in the studio with Ezrin to start a new album
• Vinnie Vincent returned to write songs, then reneged on a signed deal, according to Simmons

Recording

• Sessions began September 1991 at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles
• Carr was still in treatment, so the band hired a drummer to record the parts
• "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" and "Carr Jam 1981" added after Carr's death
• Recording finished March 1992
• Dick Wagner played the guitar solo on "Every Time I Look at You"
• Kevin Valentine drummed on "Take It Off"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · fr.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

• Billboard acclaimed the band's return to form
• Rolling Stone's review was harsh, giving the album one out of five stars
• John Franck of AllMusic praised Ezrin's production, which made Kiss sound fresh again
• Franck wrote that some cuts are excellent, but the album is also tainted with filler
• Canadian journalist Martin Popoff liked the album and said it put Kiss back in charge of their brand of doofus metal
• Reviews were mixed overall, and the album failed to bring the band back into the mainstream

Records

• Debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, the band's first US Top 10 album since Dynasty (1979)
• Top 10 in Australia (5), the UK and Sweden (10), Switzerland (6), and Norway (4)
• Five singles released; none reached the Billboard Hot 100
• "Unholy" released in Europe and charted in 5 countries
• Certified gold by the RIAA on July 20, 1992
• Over 596,000 copies sold in the US as of February 12, 2007, according to Nielsen SoundScan
• Music videos made for each single, the most of any Kiss album

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

Trivia

• "Carr Jam 1981" has Bruce Kulick's guitar dubbed over Ace Frehley's original work.
• The main riff of "Carr Jam 1981" became the basis for "Breakout", a song on Frehley's Comet's 1987 album.
• Dick Wagner, who had been a ghost player on Destroyer, played the solo on "Every Time I Look at You".
• Vinnie Vincent reneged on a signed deal with the band, then sued and lost, according to Simmons.
• Simmons's Bob Dylan song, first titled "Laughing When I Want to Cry", was later renamed "Waiting for the Morning Light" and released on his solo album Asshole.

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

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact