Shane’s Rock Challenge: KISS – 1985 – Asylum

Shane’s Rock Challenge: KISS – 1985 – Asylum
By Shane Pinnegar
6/10

Has any band had so many glorious highs and embarrassing lows?

The Animalize/Asylum period saw Gene Simmons off playing movie star and businessman and sleaze (a role not particularly new to him), leaving Stanley and the hired help – in this case drummer Eric Carr and new guitarist Bruce Kulick to do the heavy lifting and keep Kiss as close to their former glory as they could.

In a nutshell, every Kiss album, no matter how bad – and there have been some average ones! – has at least one stone cold classic on it.

This album’s clear cut winner is Paul Stanley’s Tears Are Falling – a great song that is still a Kiss Greatest Hits staple to this day. But don’t write Asylum off at that so easily – Who Wants To Be Lonely is a pretty damn good mid pacer and Uh! All Night is the band at their sleazy best, playing as usual to their lustful image.

The rest of the record isn’t as good, mostly consisting of B-grade fillers – Gene’s mind was elsewhere and his Anyway You Slice It and Secretly Cruel showed it. Don’t remember how they go? You’re not alone…

Still, they got through it with some favourites under their belts, and their next few albums would steadily improve. At least… until Psycho Circus, the nadir of their career.

Category: Shane's Rock Challenge