Album
Unmasked
Unmasked is Kiss's eighth studio album, released on 20 May 1980. It follows Dynasty in the band's turn away from hard rock, leaning into a bright, pop-friendly sound while easing off the disco touches of its predecessor. Peter Criss plays on none of it, yet he appears in the artwork and the video for "Shandi", and he is credited all the same.
It did not match the band's earlier success. It reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200, though it still went gold, made the top five in several countries and did especially well in Oceania. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have both been harsh about it, although Stanley stood up for "Tomorrow". Lately it has found some friends, with Ultimate Classic Rock calling it an underrated power-pop gem. It's worth hearing for that catchy, melodic side of Kiss.
Unmasked: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 39:33Tracklist
- 1Is That You?G Tom Mac3:55
- 2ShandiVini Poncia and Paul Stanley3:33
- 3Talk to MeAce Frehley4:00
- 4Naked CityCastro, Kulick, Poncia, Simmons3:49
- 5What Makes the World Go ’RoundVini Poncia and Paul Stanley4:16
- 6TomorrowVini Poncia and Paul Stanley3:16
- 7Two Sides of the CoinAce Frehley3:15
- 8She’s So EuropeanVini Poncia and Gene Simmons3:30
- 9Easy as It SeemsVini Poncia and Paul Stanley3:24
- 10Torpedo GirlAce Frehley and Vini Poncia3:31
- 11You’re All That I WantVini Poncia and Gene Simmons3:04
- Produced by
- Vini Poncia
- Recorded at
- The Record Plant (New York City)
- Recorded
- January–March 1980
- Mixed by
- Jay Messina
- Mixed at
- The Record Plant
- Engineered by
- Jay Messina
- Labels
- Mercury Records, Casablanca
- Length
- 39:33
Line-up
- Anton Fig · drums (drum set)
- Paul Stanley · guitar, lead vocals, bass guitar
- Ace Frehley · electric guitar, bass guitar, lead vocals
- Tom Harper · bass guitar · guest
- Holly Knight · keyboard · guest
- Gene Simmons · electric bass guitar, lead vocals, guitar
- Vini Poncia · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Shandi” · 1 June 1980
- “Talk to Me” · 24 August 1980
- “Tomorrow” · 1 November 1980
- “Is That You?” · 1980
- “What Makes The World Go 'Round” · 1980
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1980 | 35 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1980 | 48 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1980 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1980 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1980 | 3 |
| Austrian Albums · 1980 | 3 |
| German Albums · 1980 | 4 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1980 | 11 |
| Spain (AFYVE) · 1980 | 11 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1980 | 12 |
All 14 charts
| Dutch Albums · 1980 | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1980 | 15 |
| Swedish Albums · 1980 | 17 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 1980 | 25 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1980 | Platinum |
| Canada · 1980 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Norway · 1980 | Gold |
| United States | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
68.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
814
ListenBrainz listeners
157k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
6.0k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 20 May 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 May 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 20 May 1980 | |
| US release | 20 May 1980 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Casablanca | 042280004125 | other |
| 1980 | GB | Mercury Records | other | |
| 20 May 1980 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | original | |
| 20 May 1980 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | original | |
| 1984 | XE | Casablanca Records | 3259180004125 | other |
| 25 April 1986 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 4988023000152 | other |
| 1987 | US | Casablanca Records | 042280004125 | other |
| 26 May 1993 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011336287 | other |
| 1997 | XE | Casablanca Records | 731453238923 | remaster |
| 7 October 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453238923 | other |
| 7 March 2001 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011360077 | other |
| 9 June 2005 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005390905 | other |
| 27 September 2006 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005442406 | other |
| 21 February 2007 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 731453238923 | other |
| 25 June 2008 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005518361 | other |
| 20 March 2013 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005749048 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537885268 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Records | 602537771028 | other |
| 4 February 2014 | DE | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| 31 March 2014 | XE | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537715541 | other |
| 1 April 2014 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537715541 | other |
| 3 June 2014 | DZ | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602537855650 | other |
| 27 October 2014 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602547064592 | other |
| 27 October 2014 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602547064660 | other |
| 2020 | US | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 602507391911 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |