Revenge is the 16th studio album by Kiss, released in 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 Lita Ford, Black Sabbath, Badlands, Brian May, Alice Cooper, and Paul Stanley as a solo artist, among others.
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.
RIAA: Gold
Album background[]
In February 1991, Kiss returned to the studio, reuniting with producer Bob Ezrin, to work on a cover of Argent's God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II for the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which would be released that July. It would be the last song Kiss did with Eric Carr. However, during the sessions, Carr was beginning to have problems with his health. Eric Singer wound up playing drums on the song, while Carr provided background vocals.
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" music video. 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 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 among others, to work on the songs. In a salute to their late drummer, "God Gave Rock 'N Roll To You II" and "Carr Jam 1981" were added. The album was finished in March 1992.
"God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II", "Unholy", and "Domino" are the songs from the album that have endured as regular Kiss live staples. "I Just Wanna" and "Take It Off" were played on the Revenge Tour and appeared on Alive III, and "Every Time I Look at You" was performed on Kiss Unplugged.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Unholy" | Gene Simmons, Vinnie Vincent | Gene Simmons | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Take It Off" | Paul Stanley, Bob Ezrin, Kane Roberts | Paul Stanley | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Tough Love" | Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Ezrin | Stanley | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Spit" | Simmons, Scott Van Zen, Stanley | Simmons, Stanley | 3:32 |
| 5. | "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" | Russ Ballard, Stanley, Simmons, Ezrin | Stanley, Simmons | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Domino" | Simmons | Simmons | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Heart of Chrome" | Stanley, Vincent, Ezrin | Stanley | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Thou Shalt Not" | Simmons, Jesse Damon | Simmons | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Every Time I Look at You" | Stanley, Ezrin | Stanley | 4:38 |
| 10. | "Paralyzed" | Simmons, Ezrin | Simmons | 4:14 |
| 11. | "I Just Wanna" | Stanley, Vincent | Stanley | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Carr Jam 1981" | Eric Carr | (instrumental) | 2:46 |
Personnel[]
*Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals
- Bruce Kulick - lead guitar
- Eric Singer - drums, backing vocals
- Eric Carr - backing vocals on "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II," drums on "Carr Jam 1981"
Additional Personnel
*Dick Wagner - guitar solo on "Every Time I Look at You"
- Kevin Valentine - drums on "Take It Off"