Dynasty (Kiss album)
Dynasty is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Kiss, produced by Vini Poncia and released by Casablanca Records on May 23, 1979. It was the first time that the four original members of Kiss did not all appear together for the entire album.
Album information
The album and the following tour were billed as the "Return of Kiss". Kiss had not released a studio album since Love Gun in 1977. Instead, the band released their second live album, Alive II, and each member had recorded eponymous solo albums, which were simultaneously released on September 18, 1978.After pre-production and rehearsals were completed, Vini Poncia, decided that Criss' drumming was substandard, an opinion shared by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Criss was hindered by injuries to his hands that he had suffered in a 1978 car accident. Kiss hired the South African-born studio drummer Anton Fig, who played on Ace Frehley, to play on the Dynasty sessions. "On Dynasty, Peter was pretty much out of commission," reflected Stanley, "so I wouldn't point to it as a classic Kiss album." With the exception of his song "Dirty Livin'", a rewrite of a song of the same title demoed during his pre-Kiss days in Lips, Criss does not appear on the album, and he did not perform on another Kiss album until Psycho Circus in 1998, on which he again only played on one song. Fig was again hired to replace Criss during recording sessions for the following album, Unmasked. Eric Carr was hired as Criss' permanent replacement before the Unmasked Tour began.
Frehley, who himself left the band three years later, sings three songs on Dynasty: "Hard Times", "Save Your Love" and a cover version of the Rolling Stones' song "2000 Man". Although he had frequently sung backing vocals and had written the Kiss classics "Cold Gin" and "Parasite", Frehley had only previously been lead singer on his songs "Shock Me" on Love Gun, and "Rocket Ride" on the studio side of Alive II, as he lacked confidence in his ability as a lead singer.
Stanley's "I Was Made for Lovin' You" was one of the band's most successful singles, peaking at #11 on the American singles chart. He also sang on "Sure Know Something" and "Magic Touch". In contrast, Simmons sings lead vocals on only two songs, "Charisma" and "X-Ray Eyes".
The album includes a colorful jacket cover which is actually a collage of photos taken from the photo session and not a group shot as it appears. The label shows a portrait of all four members instead of the usual Casablanca label. Inserts included a merchandise order form and a full-color poster.
Tour
The Dynasty Tour ran in the second half of 1979 and was Kiss' most expensive. It was their first tour since the Alive II tour ended on April 2, 1978, in Japan. Kiss sported new costumes with colors that coincided with the colors of their respective solo albums: purple, red, blue and green.The new production had Simmons being hoisted to a small stage atop the scaffolding during his bass guitar solo. The harness malfunctioned on several occasions. Frehley was similarly elevated for his guitar solo and the tour was the first to feature his "light-guitar" and his rocket-shooting stunt. A trick was designed for Stanley that involved him putting on a headset and shooting a laser out of his right eye. After several run-throughs both Stanley and Bill Aucoin canceled the idea, citing the danger involved to both him and the fans.
The tour saw a decline in audience. Shows at Madison Square Garden and the Pontiac Silverdome were canceled, while an additional night at the Los Angeles Forum was moved to the 10,000-capacity Anaheim Convention Center. The last concert with all the original members took place at the Toledo Sports Arena, in Toledo, Ohio, on December 16, 1979. The tour was considered a financial failure, and it became the final tour with the original band until the 1996 Reunion Tour sixteen years later.
Track listing
Personnel
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass on "I Was Made for Lovin' You", lead guitar on "Sure Know Something" and "Magic Touch"
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass, rhythm guitar on "X-Ray Eyes"
- Ace Frehley – vocals, lead guitar, all guitars and bass on "2,000 Man", "Hard Times" and "Save Your Love"
- Peter Criss – drums and lead vocals on "Dirty Livin'"
- Anton Fig – drums
- Vini Poncia – producer, percussion, backing vocals, keyboards
- Jon Mathias – engineer
- Jim Galante – engineer
- Jay Messina – mixing
- George Marino – mastering engineer
Charts
| Year | Country | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1979 | United States | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Billboard Pop Singles | 11 |
| 1979 | United States | "Sure Know Something" | Billboard Pop Singles | 47 |
| 1979 | Australia | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1979 | Australia | "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 5 |
| 1979 | Austria | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 6 |
| 1979 | Canada | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1979 | Canada | "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 48 |
| 1979 | France | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1979 | Germany | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1979 | The Netherlands | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1979 | The Netherlands | "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 3 |
| 1979 | Norway | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 10 |
| 1979 | New Zealand | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1979 | New Zealand | "Sure Know Something" | Pop Singles | 11 |
| 1979 | Sweden | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 19 |
| 1979 | Switzerland | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1979 | United Kingdom | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Pop Singles | 50 |