KISS - Unmasked (1980) [1st Japanese Pressing - 1986 & 2nd Japanese Pressing - 1989] RE-UP

Unmasked is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1980. It was the last studio album to feature the original lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss until the band reunited. Criss actually had no involvement with the recording of the album; Anton Fig (uncredited) played all the drums on the album.

The album features substantial songwriting contributions from Vini Poncia, who had previously been Ringo Starr's post-Beatles songwriting partner. The album marked the first time Kiss had used the contributions of outside songwriters to such a large extent, as all but the two Ace Frehley contributions were written or co-written by someone outside the band.

Although Unmasked was certified gold shortly after its release in the U.S., it quickly fell off the charts. Deciding factors included the band's failure to mount a stateside tour, the fact that the majority of the compositions on Unmasked were easily forgettable, and longtime fans' weariness with Kiss' attempts to branch out into other musical styles. Vini Poncia was on board as producer again, and again he replaces the raw, heavy rock of earlier Kiss releases with pop gloss. Several tracks are indeed strong, and would have benefited greatly by a more direct sound, such as "Is That You?", "Talk to Me", "Two Sides of the Coin", "Naked City", and the single, "Shandi". But there's more filler on Unmasked than the average Kiss release – "What Makes the World Go 'Round", "Tomorrow", and "She's So European" are tedious and predictable, both compositionally and sonically. Again, session drummer Anton Fig fills in for Peter Criss, who would officially split from the band soon after the album's release (eventually replaced by Eric Carr). Although the band's popularity dwindled in their homeland, they embarked on a massively successful European and Australian tour, where Unmasked was a huge hit, until year's end.

KISS FAQ

Tracklist:

01. Is That You?
02. Shandi
03. Talk To Me
04. Naked City
05. What Makes The World Go 'Round
06. Tomorrow
07. Two Sides Of The Coin
08. She's So European
09. Easy As It Seems
10. Torpedo Girl
11. You're All That I Want



Produced by Vini Poncia. Engineered by Gary Russell
Recorded and Mixed by Jay Messina and Gary Russell at The Record Plant, New York City, NY, January - March 1980.

• Paul Stanley - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass on "Tomorrow"
• Gene Simmons - lead vocals, bass guitar
• Ace Frehley - lead vocals, lead guitar, bass on "Talk To Me", "Two Sides Of The Coin", & "Torpedo Girl"
• Peter Criss - drums (credit only)

additional personnel
- Anton Fig: drums on all tracks
- Vini Poncia: keyboards
- Tom Harper: bass on "Shandi"

Originally Released: May 20, 1980
These Discs Released: April 25, 1986 | September 5, 1989
Label: Casablanca / Polystar Japan | Nippon Phonogram Co. Ltd.
Catalog No.: P33C-20010 | PPD-8009