Dynasty is the seventh studio album by the American band KISS. The album, and its subsequent tour, were billed as the "Return of Kiss." The band as a full unit had not released a studio album since 1977 and had not toured since the Spring of 1978. The album would restore the band to commercial prominence, reaching # 9 on the US Billboard album chart.
Kiss enlisted Vini Poncia, who produced Peter Criss's solo album, to produce Dynasty. After pre-production and rehearsals were completed, Poncia decided to exclude Criss from most of the recording, judging him unable to drum well enough. Criss, by this time, had fallen deep into substance abuse and was also recovering from an automobile accident. He performed on only one song, "Dirty Livin'". The rest of the drums were recorded by Anton Fig, who played drums on Ace Frehley's 1978 solo album.
The first single from the album, "I Was Made for Lovin' You," marked a rather drastic stylistic departure for Kiss. It had a pronounced disco beat, and was a success at a time when disco was at its peak popularity.
After waiting nearly two years to record lead vocals for a Kiss song (1977's "Shock Me" and "Rocket Ride"), Ace Frehley contributed three to Dynasty - "2,000 Man," "Hard Times" and "Save Your Love." "2,000 Man," a cover of the 1967 Rolling Stones song, would become a concert staple for Kiss and one of Frehley's signature songs. "Hard Times" and "Save Your Love" were recorded in the same hard rock style as Frehley's solo album. This was the only Kiss album where Frehley sang as many songs as Paul Stanley and more than Gene Simmons. Simmons, one of the band's primary songwriters and vocalists, sings only two.
While "I Was Made For Lovin' You" remains a permanent staple in the band's shows, much of the album's songs (other than "Sure Know Something," and "2,000 Man") have rarely been played live after the Dynasty tour. In 2006, Paul Stanley resurrected "Magic Touch," which was played every night on the "Live to Win" tour.
RIAA: 2x Platinum
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Paul Stanley, Vini Poncia, Desmond Child | Paul Stanley | 4:30 |
| 2. | "2,000 Man" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | Ace Frehley | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Sure Know Something" | Stanley, Poncia | Stanley | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Dirty Livin'" | Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Vini Poncia | Peter Criss | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Charisma" | Gene Simmons, Howard Marks | Gene Simmons | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Magic Touch" | Stanley | Stanley | 4:41 |
| 7. | "Hard Times" | Frehley | Frehley | 3:30 |
| 8. | "X-Ray Eyes" | Simmons | Simmons | 3:46 |
| 9. |
"Save Your Love" |
Frehley |
Frehley |
4:41 |
Promotional Material[]
Personnel[]
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass guitar
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar, vocals
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals on 4
Special Guest
- Anton Fig - drums on 1-3, 5-9