KISS - ASYLUM

By the end of the ANIMALIZE tour KISS had polished their non-makeup look, sound and lineup, garnered Platinum success and were well on their way to becoming the bonafide hard rock sensation they had aspired to be the greater part of the decade. Enter Paul Stanley; rock star front man extroidinaire, penning some of the coolest KISS tracks cataloged in the band’s 12-year history with the 1985 release, ASYLUM.
To label KISS as a ‘hair band’ is simply unfair. Yes, KISS spent their entire career relying heavily on image but for the most part steered clear from the rat pack of poofy haired bands that were crowding the Sunset Strip in the late 1980’s. Sure, the hair was large and the outfits were a tad flamboyant, but in the end KISS did what KISS does best; release kick ass rock and roll records.
Before any discussions of the classic 1980 KISS lineup go any further I feel now would be the best opportunity to clear the air. First off…(personal opinion only) I feel that LICK IT UP is the crème de la crème KISS (non-makeup) album. In my eyes it simply remains the most powerful. That being said, I would follow that release quickly with ASYLUM, third by REVENGE, fourth – HOT IN THE SHADE, and CRAZY NIGHTS coming in as 5th in the ranking standards (#1 being the best). Beyond that…. CARNIVAL OF SOULS, ANIMALIZE…. these releases have never done much for me. My point here is that ASYLUM, without a doubt is one of the finest KISS albums to hit the shelves and one that will always remain very close to my heart.
A few years before I fell headfirst into this whole ‘KISS’ thing, ASYLUM was the one album I had the most access to. This had more to do with Dan’s musical taste than anything; Unbeknownst to me Dan was quietly chasing his childhood and rediscovering the band that had brought him so much joy as a kid. No matter where we went or what we did those few late years of the 1980’s ASYLUM was always present in his Camaro’s tape deck. It almost feels as if I had grown up with this album. I didn’t realize it at the time but the album would one day have a profound effect on my adult life.
To trace back my fascination with Paul Stanley you would have to look no further than ASYLUM. It served as the ultimate rock soundtrack for my pre-teen life. Each Stanley penned track-oozed life from the speakers. Tracks like, "Who Wants To Be Lonely?", "Uh! All Nite" and "Radar For Love" simply drip with coolness and attitude. Everything a young kid longs for when facing the horrors of high school. The album definitely left a stamp on my life that to this day has not faded. Paul Stanley is, was and forever will be rock and roll to me. I can’t put it any more bluntly. He is the reason I love rock and roll.
Be it my transition into teenage life, the yearning for nights out on the town, or just the plain ol’ fashioned teenage adolescents kicking in, but the pop-metal sensibilities of ASYLUM still blow me away to this day. This feeling could have a lot to do with the addition of Bruce Kulick on guitar stamping out that classic KISS lineup with that perfect sound. This may also be the reason that ‘this’ KISS lineup has always remained closest to my heart…. who knows? The fact is, ASYLUM is a window’s down, spring evening, cruising album. It is classic formula 1980’s rock. Its album cover contains hints reminiscent of the ‘solo-era’ color scheme (a fact that I still grin madly about) and contains some of the coolest KISS guitar solos to ever touch vinyl. Without a doubt ASYLUM is one of the most underrated KISS albums in the bands catalog.