Album
The Crimson Idol
The Crimson Idol is the fifth studio album by W.A.S.P., released in June 1992. It is a rock opera that follows the rise and fall of a fictional rock star named Jonathan Steel. Blackie Lawless, the band's vocalist and rhythm guitarist, first planned it as a solo record before deciding to put it out under the W.A.S.P. name.
It was the band's first album since their temporary breakup in 1990, and the last they made for Capitol Records. It reached the top 40 in five countries. A remastered edition followed in 1998 with a bonus disc of B-sides and live material from 1992. In 2018 the story was revisited with ReIdolized, a re-recording issued alongside a DVD of the film that was originally meant to accompany the album. For anyone who likes their metal with a narrative thread, this is the one to hear.
The Crimson Idol: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 57:51Tracklist
- 1The Titanic OvertureBlackie Lawless3:31
- 2The Invisible BoyBlackie Lawless5:13
- 3Arena of PleasureBlackie Lawless4:59
- 4Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)Blackie Lawless7:48
- 5The Gypsy Meets the BoyBlackie Lawless4:16
- 6Doctor RockterBlackie Lawless3:52
- 7I Am OneBlackie Lawless5:25
- 8The IdolBlackie Lawless8:40
- 9Hold On to My HeartBlackie Lawless4:23
- 10The Great Misconceptions of MeBlackie Lawless9:44
- Produced by
- Blackie Lawless
- Recorded at
- Fort Apache Recording Studio, Hollywood, California
- Mixed by
- Mikey Davis
- Engineered by
- Mikey Davis
- Labels
- Parlophone, Capitol
- Length
- 57:51
Line-up
- Doug Aldrich · guitar · guest
Singles
- “Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)” · March 1992
- “The Idol” · May 1992
- “I Am One” · October 1992
- “Hold On to My Heart” · 1992 (EU)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1992 | 21 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1992 | 11 |
| Swiss Albums · 1992 | 24 |
| Austrian Albums · 1992 | 30 |
| Swedish Albums · 1992 | 31 |
| German Albums · 1992 | 35 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
56.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
53k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
5.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
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Golgotha
2015
Reidolized: The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date musicbrainz 1992-06-27 vs wikidata 1992-06-08
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 27 June 1992 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | June 1992 | |
| Wikidata | 8 June 1992 | |
| US release | 1992 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1992 | earliest UK or European date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | XE | Parlophone | 0077779944316 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Parlophone | 0077779944323 | other |
| 1992 | CA | Capitol Records | 077779944323 | other |
| 1992 | US | Capitol Records | 077779944323 | other |
| 27 June 1992 | JP | EMI | 4988006659384 | original |
| 24 May 1993 | GB | — | other | |
| 1998 | — | Original Masters | 636551570022 | other |
| 1998 | XE | Snapper Music | 636551622929 | other |
| 1998 | GB | Sanctuary Records | 636551414524 | other |
| 28 March 1998 | JP | Victor | 4988002367559 | other |
| 27 May 2015 | XE | Snapper Music | 636551704724 | other |
| — | — | Snapper Music | 0803680292259 | other |
| — | — | — | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1441x1441, upscaled to 1500 (x1.04)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1441×1441 | upscaled: minor: best source 1441x1441, upscaled to 1500 (x1.04) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |