Revenge (KISS album)
Encyclopedia
Revenge is the 16th studio album
by American
heavy metal
band Kiss
, released on May 19, 1992. It was the band's first album after the death of long-time drummer Eric Carr
in November 1991. His replacement, Eric Singer
, had played with Black Sabbath
, Brian May
, Alice Cooper
and even Paul Stanley
, among others. It was Kiss' first album since the 1979 Dynasty to reach Top-10 in United States
, although it would quickly fall off the charts. The album was a success over the world, reaching Top-20 in seven other countries. It was certified
gold
by the RIAA
on July 20, 1992.
The album was dedicated to Carr, and the last track ("Carr Jam 1981") was a demo he had recorded soon after joining the group. One modification to the song, however, was the dubbing of Bruce Kulick
's guitar over Ace Frehley
's, which originally appeared. The main riff
of the song was used as the basis for the Frehley's Comet
song "Breakout", found on 1987's Frehley's Comet
.
From the album, "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
" and "Unholy
" have remained regular Kiss live staples. "Domino
" was performed during the Revenge Tour
and Kiss My Ass Tour
. "I Just Wanna" and "Take It Off" were only performed during the Revenge Tour
, while "Every Time I Look at You" and "Spit" were, along "Domino", performed during the MTV Unplugged
appearance of the band.
to record a song God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You by the English
rock
band Argent
, which would be produced by Bob Ezrin
. The band agreed, and reunited with Ezrin after 10 years and the failure they had with Music from "The Elder". Gene Simmons
was not sure it was the right move "especially after the bad experience of The Elder". Simmons, Ezrin and Paul Stanley
rewrote the song which they recorded with both Eric Carr
and Eric Singer
, with Singer playing the drums while Carr (who was not able to play the drums due to health problems) sang the a cappella
line "...to everyone, he gave his song to be sung".
The song was featured in a sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
with a forty second long Steve Vai
solo instead of Kiss' intro found on the album. It was a major success, breaking Top-30 in seven countries, including United States
(although on Mainstream Rock Tracks), United Kingdom
and Australia
. It was reason enough for the band to continue with Ezrin on a Hot in the Shade
follow-up.
Carr went to the hospital and was diagnosed with heart cancer
. He underwent open heart surgery in April 1991 to remove tumors. Shortly after the surgery, Carr joined the band to perform in the "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
" music video. According to Simmons, Carr had lost all his hair due to chemotherapy, and had to wear a wig for the shoot. After the shoot, Paul Stanley
and Gene Simmons
persuaded Carr to take care of his health and not worry about the band. Kiss' original plan was for Singer to play drums with the band, until Carr was healthy enough to return. Unfortunately, Carr's health turned for the worse and he died in November 1991, and Kiss tabbed Singer in as their new drummer.
In December 1991, Kiss and Bob Ezrin returned to the studio to work on a new album. In a surprising move, they sought help from former guitarist Vinnie Vincent
. According to Simmons: "Vinnie Vincent came up to me and apologized for causing the band all the grief while he was a member. He wanted to patch things up and wondered if I would consider writing some songs with him.
Sure, I said. I wanted to let bygones be bygones. I called Paul and told him that Vinnie had apparentley changed. Paul wrote songs with him as well. But before the album was released, Vinnie was up to his old tricks again. He reneged on a signed deal we had made and decided that he wanted to renegotiate. He eventually sued us and lost. As far as I was concerned, he was persona non grata forever."
Stanley wrote a song "Do Ya Wanna Touch Me Now" with Dave "The Snake" Sabo of Skid Row. Stanley said about the exclusion of the song from the album: "It's a great luxury to have an album that's so good that another song is only going to detract from it rather than make it any better. As good as the song is, we didn't need it." The two met when Stanley was on the phone with Nikki Sixx
who had Sabo on the other line. They later discussed Stanley's possible appearance for Skid Row's recording of Kiss' song "C'mon and Love Me
" for an all covers EP
B-Side Ourselves
. That was never made, so the two wrote a song in L.A.
.
Stanley also worked with Jani Lane
of Warrant on a song "If You Could See Through My Eyes". The collaboration started before the recording sessions for "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II", and during the recording sessions for Warrant's most successful album Cherry Pie
.
Simmons, however, went to work with Bob Dylan
. The music was written at Simmons' guesthouse, and while Simmons was to write the lyrics to the song, he thought they weren't completed and asked Dylan to write them. Dylan insisted that Simmons writes the lyrics. Simmons explained the meeting with Dylan: "I wanted to write a song with Dylan. So, like most things I do, I bull headedly picked up the phone, tracked down his manager and said 'Hi, I'm that guy who sticks his tongue out and I wanna write a song with Dylan,' or words to that effect. The results could only be 'yes' and 'no.' Dylan said yes. He came over to my house a few years back and we sat down and started throwing ideas around. Bob came up with a melody/chordal pattern... I chimed in with a melody/chorus idea and voila, we had a song. Lyrics weren't written as yet. I demoed the track with Tommy Thayer
. Bob came down to visit and listen. When the demo was done, I asked Bob to write the lyric. He said no, why don't I write it. I have tried to write a meaningful lyric, but it has eluded me. I've bumped into Bob a few times...in Tokyo
, while he was on tour and every time I ask him to write the lyric and he always says, 'Mr. KISS, you write it'." The song, originally titled "Laughing When I Want to Cry" was later renamed to "Waiting for the Morning Light" and released on Simmons' second studio album Asshole
.
The recording of the album was finished in March 1992. At first, the songs "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" and "Carr Jam 1981" were not planned to be featured on the album, but after the death of Eric Carr
, the two were included and the album was dedicated to Carr. During the Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991
special aired on VH1 Classic
, Simmons has stated about the importance of song "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II": "It's not just a cover song for a soundtrack, but a testament to Eric Carr, and I think a lot of people don't realize that."
Rolling Stone
's review was, as usual, harsh, giving the album one out of five stars. Erik Rupp of Vista Records said of the album: "Sonically, Revenge is outstanding as well. The drums are mixed just right - not too big and boomy, but big enough to sound right with these songs. The snare drum has a snap to it to go along with the depth and presence that gives each song a firecracker-like energy. The guitar tones are not super distorted, and they aren't as up front in the mix as on an album like, say, Asylum, but when the complementary rhythm parts are played together they sound big and bold anyway. They cut through. And the bass sounds both fuller and punchier than on any previous KISS album." He gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Revenge debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200
and was Kiss' first Top-10 album in the United States
since 1979 Dynasty. The album would also reach the Top-10 in Australia
(where it reached its second highest position, number 5), United Kingdom
and Sweden
(where it reached number 10), Switzerland
(where it reached number 6), and Norway
(where the album reached its highest position, number 4). Despite the high debut, the album quickly fell off the charts, but sold enough for gold certificate in the United States and Canada
. As of February 12, 2007, the album has sold around 596,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan
.
", which was a big hit in the UK
and Switzerland
reaching #4. It peaked at #21 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and #18 on the Australian Singles Charts. "Domino
" was the next single from the album, peaking at #26 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. The third was "I Just Wanna", which peaked at #34 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. The last single was "Every Time I Look at You", which managed to chart only in Sweden
, reaching #31. "Unholy
" was promotionly released in the USA, but it was released as second single in other countries. It reached Top-30 in five countries: United Kingdom
and Germany
where it reached #26, Netherlands where it charted slightly worse reaching #28, Sweden
where the song reached #19 and Norway
where "Unholy" reached its highest, #2. Music videos were made for each single, with Revenge being Kiss album with most produced music videos.
"
"Unholy
"
"Domino
"
"I Just Wanna"
"Every Time I Look at You"
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, released on May 19, 1992. It was the band's first album after the death of long-time drummer Eric Carr
Eric Carr
Paul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...
in November 1991. His replacement, Eric Singer
Eric Singer
Eric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
, had played with Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and even Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, among others. It was Kiss' first album since the 1979 Dynasty to reach Top-10 in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although it would quickly fall off the charts. The album was a success over the world, reaching Top-20 in seven other countries. It was certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on July 20, 1992.
The album was dedicated to Carr, and the last track ("Carr Jam 1981") was a demo he had recorded soon after joining the group. One modification to the song, however, was the dubbing of Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
's guitar over Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
's, which originally appeared. The main riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
of the song was used as the basis for the Frehley's Comet
Frehley's Comet
Frehley's Comet was an American rock band formed and led by ex-Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley. The group released two studio albums and one live EP before Ace Frehley left the band to release his 1989 solo album, Trouble Walkin. Before forming a band for his post-Kiss career, Frehley had previous...
song "Breakout", found on 1987's Frehley's Comet
Frehley's Comet (album)
Frehley's Comet is the second solo release from Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist of Kiss. Frehley also named his band after the title of this album, and in this way it is also considered the self-titled first album credited to the band Frehley's Comet . It was the first album Frehley released...
.
From the album, "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in July 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka. It features the band playing in a room with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr during the make-up years featured in the video,...
" and "Unholy
Unholy (song)
"Unholy" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Featured on their 1992 album Revenge, the song is one of the three Vincent co-writes to appear on the album despite the fact that he had been fired from the band 8 years earlier...
" have remained regular Kiss live staples. "Domino
Domino (Kiss song)
"Domino" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's sixteenth studio album Revenge in 1992. The song was written by the band's bassist Gene Simmons, and it borrows parts from a song "Nasty Nasty", from the band Black 'n Blue he had worked with. The song was released as a...
" was performed during the Revenge Tour
Revenge Tour (Kiss Tour)
The Revenge Tour was a concert tour by Kiss. It was the first tour with drummer Eric Singer, replacing Eric Carr who died of cancer on November 24, 1991. The Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland shows were recorded for Kiss' first live album in 14 years, Alive III.-Stage setup:The stage featured a...
and Kiss My Ass Tour
Kiss My Ass Tour
The Kiss My Ass Tour was a concert tour by Kiss. In late August, and early September 1994 Kiss toured South America as headliners on the touring Monsters of Rock festival. Following this, the band toured Japan in January 1995 on their own, and in February 1995 they toured Australia for the first...
. "I Just Wanna" and "Take It Off" were only performed during the Revenge Tour
Revenge Tour (Kiss Tour)
The Revenge Tour was a concert tour by Kiss. It was the first tour with drummer Eric Singer, replacing Eric Carr who died of cancer on November 24, 1991. The Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland shows were recorded for Kiss' first live album in 14 years, Alive III.-Stage setup:The stage featured a...
, while "Every Time I Look at You" and "Spit" were, along "Domino", performed during the MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
appearance of the band.
Album background
In February 1991, Kiss were asked by the producers of film Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
to record a song God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Argent
Argent (band)
Argent are an English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies.-Career:The first three demos from Argent, recorded in the autumn of 1968 featured Mac MacLeod on bass guitar though he was not meant to become a member of the group.Original members of the band were...
, which would be produced by Bob Ezrin
Bob Ezrin
Robert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
. The band agreed, and reunited with Ezrin after 10 years and the failure they had with Music from "The Elder". Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
was not sure it was the right move "especially after the bad experience of The Elder". Simmons, Ezrin and Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
rewrote the song which they recorded with both Eric Carr
Eric Carr
Paul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...
and Eric Singer
Eric Singer
Eric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
, with Singer playing the drums while Carr (who was not able to play the drums due to health problems) sang the a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
line "...to everyone, he gave his song to be sung".
The song was featured in a sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles...
with a forty second long Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
solo instead of Kiss' intro found on the album. It was a major success, breaking Top-30 in seven countries, including United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(although on Mainstream Rock Tracks), United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was reason enough for the band to continue with Ezrin on a Hot in the Shade
Hot in the Shade
-Personnel:*Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar, vocals*Gene Simmons – bass guitar, vocals*Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, backing vocals*Eric Carr – drums, percussion, vocals-Charts:AlbumSingles- Certifications :...
follow-up.
Carr went to the hospital and was diagnosed with heart cancer
Heart cancer
Heart cancer is an extremely rare form of cancer that is divided into primary tumors of the heart and secondary tumors of the heart.-Primary:...
. He underwent open heart surgery in April 1991 to remove tumors. Shortly after the surgery, Carr joined the band to perform in the "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in July 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka. It features the band playing in a room with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr during the make-up years featured in the video,...
" music video. According to Simmons, Carr had lost all his hair due to chemotherapy, and had to wear a wig for the shoot. After the shoot, Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
and Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
persuaded Carr to take care of his health and not worry about the band. Kiss' original plan was for Singer to play drums with the band, until Carr was healthy enough to return. Unfortunately, Carr's health turned for the worse and he died in November 1991, and Kiss tabbed Singer in as their new drummer.
In December 1991, Kiss and Bob Ezrin returned to the studio to work on a new album. In a surprising move, they sought help from former guitarist Vinnie Vincent
Vinnie Vincent
Vincent John Cusano, better known as Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist from Bridgeport, Connecticut and songwriter known for his brief membership in the band Kiss.-Replacing Ace Frehley in Kiss:...
. According to Simmons: "Vinnie Vincent came up to me and apologized for causing the band all the grief while he was a member. He wanted to patch things up and wondered if I would consider writing some songs with him.
Sure, I said. I wanted to let bygones be bygones. I called Paul and told him that Vinnie had apparentley changed. Paul wrote songs with him as well. But before the album was released, Vinnie was up to his old tricks again. He reneged on a signed deal we had made and decided that he wanted to renegotiate. He eventually sued us and lost. As far as I was concerned, he was persona non grata forever."
Stanley wrote a song "Do Ya Wanna Touch Me Now" with Dave "The Snake" Sabo of Skid Row. Stanley said about the exclusion of the song from the album: "It's a great luxury to have an album that's so good that another song is only going to detract from it rather than make it any better. As good as the song is, we didn't need it." The two met when Stanley was on the phone with Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
who had Sabo on the other line. They later discussed Stanley's possible appearance for Skid Row's recording of Kiss' song "C'mon and Love Me
C'mon and Love Me
"C'mon and Love Me" is a single by rock band Kiss from their 3rd album Dressed to Kill. Written by Paul Stanley, a live version exists on Alive!. Paul was inspired by a Moody Blues song, "Question" when writing the song which had been done under an hour...
" for an all covers EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
B-Side Ourselves
B-Side Ourselves
B-Side Ourselves is an EP released by the American rock group Skid Row. All of the songs are cover versions of songs originally recorded by bands which influenced Skid Row...
. That was never made, so the two wrote a song in L.A.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Stanley also worked with Jani Lane
Jani Lane
Jani Lane , born John Kennedy Oswald, later changed to John Patrick Oswald, was an American recording artist and the lead vocalist, frontman, lyricist and main songwriter for the hard rock band Warrant....
of Warrant on a song "If You Could See Through My Eyes". The collaboration started before the recording sessions for "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II", and during the recording sessions for Warrant's most successful album Cherry Pie
Cherry Pie (album)
Cherry Pie is the second music album by American heavy metal band Warrant. The record—which spawned the hits "Cherry Pie", "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and "I Saw Red"—is the band's best-known and highest-selling release. The album peaked at number 7 on The Billboard 200.- Production and marketing :Cherry...
.
Simmons, however, went to work with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. The music was written at Simmons' guesthouse, and while Simmons was to write the lyrics to the song, he thought they weren't completed and asked Dylan to write them. Dylan insisted that Simmons writes the lyrics. Simmons explained the meeting with Dylan: "I wanted to write a song with Dylan. So, like most things I do, I bull headedly picked up the phone, tracked down his manager and said 'Hi, I'm that guy who sticks his tongue out and I wanna write a song with Dylan,' or words to that effect. The results could only be 'yes' and 'no.' Dylan said yes. He came over to my house a few years back and we sat down and started throwing ideas around. Bob came up with a melody/chordal pattern... I chimed in with a melody/chorus idea and voila, we had a song. Lyrics weren't written as yet. I demoed the track with Tommy Thayer
Tommy Thayer
Tommy Cunningham Thayer is an American musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist for the American hard rock band Kiss.- Early life :...
. Bob came down to visit and listen. When the demo was done, I asked Bob to write the lyric. He said no, why don't I write it. I have tried to write a meaningful lyric, but it has eluded me. I've bumped into Bob a few times...in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, while he was on tour and every time I ask him to write the lyric and he always says, 'Mr. KISS, you write it'." The song, originally titled "Laughing When I Want to Cry" was later renamed to "Waiting for the Morning Light" and released on Simmons' second studio album Asshole
Asshole (album)
Asshole is the second solo album release by Kiss member, Gene Simmons. It was released in 2004 on Sanctuary Records. Due to its controversial allusion to a portion of human anatomy, the album's title does not appear on the front cover of the album...
.
The recording of the album was finished in March 1992. At first, the songs "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" and "Carr Jam 1981" were not planned to be featured on the album, but after the death of Eric Carr
Eric Carr
Paul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...
, the two were included and the album was dedicated to Carr. During the Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991
Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991
Kissology Volume Two: 1978–1991 is a DVD/Home Video that was released by Kiss on August 14, 2007. It contains three discs, plus three separate bonus discs sold only within initial first pressings. Some initial packages included a replica ticket to Magic Mountain for Kiss meets the Phantom of the...
special aired on VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...
, Simmons has stated about the importance of song "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II": "It's not just a cover song for a soundtrack, but a testament to Eric Carr, and I think a lot of people don't realize that."
Reception
The album has received mixed reviews. John Franck of Allmusic said: "Some of the cuts are excellent, delivered with conviction and panache, but for all the hype, the album is also tainted with filler. On the up tip, Ezrin's mongo-enormous production galvanizes the Kiss sound, making it fresh again." He gave the album three out of five stars.Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's review was, as usual, harsh, giving the album one out of five stars. Erik Rupp of Vista Records said of the album: "Sonically, Revenge is outstanding as well. The drums are mixed just right - not too big and boomy, but big enough to sound right with these songs. The snare drum has a snap to it to go along with the depth and presence that gives each song a firecracker-like energy. The guitar tones are not super distorted, and they aren't as up front in the mix as on an album like, say, Asylum, but when the complementary rhythm parts are played together they sound big and bold anyway. They cut through. And the bass sounds both fuller and punchier than on any previous KISS album." He gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Revenge debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and was Kiss' first Top-10 album in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1979 Dynasty. The album would also reach the Top-10 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(where it reached its second highest position, number 5), United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(where it reached number 10), Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(where it reached number 6), and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(where the album reached its highest position, number 4). Despite the high debut, the album quickly fell off the charts, but sold enough for gold certificate in the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As of February 12, 2007, the album has sold around 596,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
.
Singles
The first single released from the album was "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You IIGod Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in July 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka. It features the band playing in a room with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr during the make-up years featured in the video,...
", which was a big hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
reaching #4. It peaked at #21 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and #18 on the Australian Singles Charts. "Domino
Domino (Kiss song)
"Domino" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's sixteenth studio album Revenge in 1992. The song was written by the band's bassist Gene Simmons, and it borrows parts from a song "Nasty Nasty", from the band Black 'n Blue he had worked with. The song was released as a...
" was the next single from the album, peaking at #26 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. The third was "I Just Wanna", which peaked at #34 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. The last single was "Every Time I Look at You", which managed to chart only in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, reaching #31. "Unholy
Unholy (song)
"Unholy" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Featured on their 1992 album Revenge, the song is one of the three Vincent co-writes to appear on the album despite the fact that he had been fired from the band 8 years earlier...
" was promotionly released in the USA, but it was released as second single in other countries. It reached Top-30 in five countries: United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where it reached #26, Netherlands where it charted slightly worse reaching #28, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where the song reached #19 and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
where "Unholy" reached its highest, #2. Music videos were made for each single, with Revenge being Kiss album with most produced music videos.
Track listing
Kiss
- Paul StanleyPaul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals - Gene SimmonsGene SimmonsGene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Bruce KulickBruce KulickBruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Eric SingerEric SingerEric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals - Eric CarrEric CarrPaul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...
- backing vocals on "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You IIGod Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You IIThe video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in July 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka. It features the band playing in a room with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr during the make-up years featured in the video,...
", drums on "Carr Jam 1981"
Additional personnel
- Dick WagnerDick WagnerDick Wagner Dick Wagner Dick Wagner (born December 14, 1943, in Oelwein, Iowa is an American rock music guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and KISS.-Performing career:...
- guitar solo on "Every Time I Look at You" - Kevin ValentineKevin ValentineKevin Valentine is an American rock drummer who is best known for being a member of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Valentine played drums on all of the band's early albums during the 1980s....
- drums on "Take It Off" - Jesse Damon - backing vocals
Production
- Bob EzrinBob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
- producer - Chris SteinmetzChris SteinmetzChris Steinmetz is a record producer and engineer living in Chicago. He is a staff engineer at Chicago Recording Company and president of Stonecutter Records .-Early life:...
- engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Niko BolasNiko BolasNiko Bolas is an American music producer, sound engineer, and consultant and business developer in the fields of virtual reality and Internet radio...
- engineering - George Tutko - engineering
- Pete Magdaleno - assistant engineer
- Dick Keneshiro - assistant engineer
- Bart Stevens - assistant engineer
- Andy Udoff - assistant engineer
- Julie Last - assistant engineer
- Richard Hasai - assistant engineer
- Mick Guzauski - mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Rall Rogut - mixing
Album
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Album Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Canada RPM100 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
11 |
| Germany Top 100 Albums Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
16 |
| Netherlands Mega Album Top 100 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
46 |
| Norway VG-lista VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 |
| Sweden Albums Top 60 Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
10 |
| Switzerland Albums Top 100 Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
6 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
10 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
6 |
Singles
"God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You IIGod Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II
The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in July 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka. It features the band playing in a room with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr during the make-up years featured in the video,...
"
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 21 |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
18 |
| Switzerland Singles Top 100 Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
| Germany Top 100 Singles Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
9 |
| Sweden Singles Top 60 Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
24 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
16 |
"Unholy
Unholy (song)
"Unholy" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Featured on their 1992 album Revenge, the song is one of the three Vincent co-writes to appear on the album despite the fact that he had been fired from the band 8 years earlier...
"
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 26 |
| Norway Singles VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| Sweden Singles Top 60 | 19 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
28 |
| Germany Top 100 Singles | 26 |
"Domino
Domino (Kiss song)
"Domino" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on the band's sixteenth studio album Revenge in 1992. The song was written by the band's bassist Gene Simmons, and it borrows parts from a song "Nasty Nasty", from the band Black 'n Blue he had worked with. The song was released as a...
"
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
"I Just Wanna"
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 34 |
"Every Time I Look at You"
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden Singles Top 60 | 31 |