Hot in the Shade

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hot in the Shade
Hot in the shade cover.jpg
Studio album by
Kiss
ReleasedOctober 17, 1989 (1989-10-17)
RecordedJuly–August 1989
StudioThe Fortress, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length58:39
LabelMercury
Vertigo (Europe)
ProducerGene Simmons, Paul Stanley
Kiss chronology
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
(1988) 		Hot in the Shade
(1989) 		Revenge
(1992)
Singles from Hot in the Shade
  1. "Hide Your Heart"
    Released: October 17, 1989
  2. "Forever"
    Released: January 5, 1990
  3. "Rise to It"
    Released: April 1, 1990

Hot in the Shade is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1989. It is the first Kiss full studio album since 1981's Music from "The Elder" to feature lead vocals from someone other than Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons, with drummer Eric Carr singing lead on "Little Caesar". It is also the final Kiss album to feature Carr in its entirety before his death in November 1991. Unlike its predecessor album, Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade does not heavily feature keyboards.[3]

The album features the biggest hit of their non-makeup era, the power ballad,[4] "Forever", which was written by Michael Bolton and Paul Stanley.[2] The single reached #8 on the Hot 100 in April 1990.[5]

Album information[]

Hot in the Shade contains 15 songs, the most of any Kiss studio album. The album is one of the band's longest, with a running time of nearly an hour (58:39). Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley appeared in Kiss makeup for the first time since their 1983 unmasking for the video for "Rise to It". Although the fictional scene with Simmons and Stanley in makeup was supposedly set in 1975, their costumes were historically inaccurate. Simmons's was from the Unmasked (1980) era while Stanley's was from Love Gun (1977). The album showcases a more straight ahead sound after the keyboard-centered pop metal in Crazy Nights and even flirts with speed metal in "Boomerang". "Little Caesar" was Eric Carr's first lead vocal on an original song, although he previously sang lead on a re-recorded version of "Beth" on the compilation album Smashes, Thrashes & Hits.[6]

The album was recorded during the summer of 1989 at The Fortress in Hollywood. Aiming for a more stripped down sound, Gene Simmons and Eric Carr reportedly decided to record the album there after checking out several different studios. To further give the album a more raw feel, along with being able to produce the album with a lower budget, the band elected to use the demos they recorded and polish them up via overdubs instead of re-recording the songs.[7]

Tommy Thayer, who co-wrote "Betrayed" and "The Street Giveth And The Street Taketh Away", became Kiss' permanent lead guitarist in 2002, replacing Ace Frehley as "The Spaceman". Of the 15 tracks on the album, only five were performed live. "Forever", co-written by Michael Bolton, was a pop hit and became a semi-regular part of the live setlist. "Hide Your Heart" was played in 2014 on the Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour.

The album liner notes include thanking dozen of KISS fan published magazine (fanzines) that help KISS fans connect with their favourite band and keep up to date with each member's activities. The liner notes concluded with a warning to fans about the AIDS epidemic, asking fans to use condoms to reduce the risk of catching and spreading HIV, saying "AIDS is not party" [8]

Three music videos were made for the promotion of this album. The first was "Hide Your Heart" was a concept video filmed on the rooftop of the Rosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles and directed by Marty Callner for Cream Cheese Productions. The second video, "Rise to It," was directed by Mark Rezyka for Mark Freedman Productions and shot a few days before Thanksgiving, November 1989. The final video, "Forever," was also directed by Mark Rezyka for Mark Freedman Productions and shot on December 16, 1989, in a building in downtown Los Angeles. Both videos were held to be released in January and April 1990 to MTV. Even though "Rise to It" was shot and edited before "Forever", "Forever" was released as the second music video from the album to take advantage of the radio airplay the ballad was receiving. The "Forever" music video also reached #1 on Dial MTV and reached #47 on MTVs top 100 videos for 1990. The "Rise to It" music video featured Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in their past KISS makeup and variation of costumes. A long-form video was scheduled to be filmed, which included behind the scenes footage shot during sound checks, rehearsals, and first show for the tour in Lubbock, Texas. The long-form video was rumored to be titled "KISS Exposed Part II," and directed by Mark Rezyka. A full concert was scheduled to be filmed of the Long Beach California show on September 9, 1990, but the video project was cancelled by the record label just a little more than a week before.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic2/5 stars[9]
Sputnikmusic2.5/5 stars[10]
Rolling Stone2/5 stars[11]
Vista Records3/5 stars[12]
Metal Nightfall3/5 stars[13]

Hot in the Shade was certified Gold on December 20, 1989, by the RIAA[14].

Its most successful single, "Forever", reached #8 on the Billboard charts, the band's highest charting single in the US since "Beth", 13 years earlier.[15]

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Rise to It"Paul Stanley, Bob Halligan Jr.Stanley4:08
2."Betrayed"Gene Simmons, Tommy ThayerSimmons3:38
3."Hide Your Heart"Stanley, Desmond Child, Holly KnightStanley4:25
4."Prisoner of Love"Simmons, Bruce KulickSimmons3:52
5."Read My Body"Stanley, HalliganStanley3:50
6."Love's a Slap in the Face"Simmons, Vini PonciaSimmons4:04
7."Forever"Stanley, Michael Bolton, KulickStanley3:52
8."Silver Spoon"Stanley, PonciaStanley4:38
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
9."Cadillac Dreams"Simmons, PonciaSimmons3:44
10."King of Hearts"Stanley, PonciaStanley4:26
11."The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away"Simmons, ThayerSimmons3:34
12."You Love Me to Hate You"Stanley, ChildStanley4:00
13."Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell"Simmons, PonciaSimmons3:52
14."Little Caesar"Eric Carr, Simmons, Adam MitchellCarr3:12
15."Boomerang"Simmons, KulickSimmons3:30

Personnel[]

Kiss

Additional musicians

  • Phil Ashley – keyboards on "Hide Your Heart" and "Forever"
  • Pat Regan – brass on "Cadillac Dreams"
  • Charlotte Crossley, Valerie Pinkston, Kim Edwards-Brown – backing vocals on "Silver Spoon"
  • Kevin Valentine – drums on "King of Hearts" and "You Love Me to Hate You"
  • Mitchell Kanner – album cover art director, designer
  • Tommy Thayer – electroacoustic guitar on "Betrayed" and "The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away"

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ September 2020, Dave Everley23. "Kiss: how their long-awaited reunion turned into a catastrophe". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved April 10, 2021. Their two most recent albums, 1987’s Crazy Nights and 1989’s Hot In The Shade, were pallid pop-metal affairs
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Bienstock, Richard (October 14, 2019). "Kiss' Top 10 Albums Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Best Kiss 'Hot in the Shade' Song – Readers' Poll". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (August 9, 2003). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 38.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Billboard chart history-Kiss singles". Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  6. ^ "AllMusic overview Smashes, Thrashes & Hits". Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  7. ^ "Bruce Kulick Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Hot In The Shade | KULICK.net – The Official Bruce Kulick Website". kulick.net. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  8. ^ url=https://www.kissfaq.com/discography/hits/inner2.jpg%7Caccess-date=June 27, 2021}}
  9. ^ Hot in the Shade at AllMusic
  10. ^ "KISS – Hot In The Shade (album review)". Sputnikmusic. January 31, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  11. ^ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  12. ^ "VISTA RECORDS – KISS – Hot In The Shade (1989)". Vistarecords.proboards.com. April 17, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  13. ^ "KISS : HOT IN THE SHADE (1989)" (in French). Metal.nightfall.fr. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "American album certifications – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. ^ "Singles Chart Action". The Kiss FAQ. Retrieved July 30, 2006.
  16. ^ Saulnier, Jason (March 14, 2011). "Bruce Kulick Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "Search - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  19. ^ Billboard – Google Books
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kiss – Hot in the Shade" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  21. ^ KISSのアルバム売上ランキング | ORICON STYLE
  22. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  25. ^ "Kiss | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  26. ^ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  28. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kiss – Hot in the Shade". Music Canada.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""