Kilroy Was Here (album)
| Kilroy Was Here | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Styx | ||||
| Released | February 22, 1983[1][2] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 at Pumpkin Studios, Oak Lawn, Illinois | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, pop rock, rock | |||
| Length | 40:41 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Styx | |||
| Styx chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kilroy Was Here | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. The album is named after a famous World War II graffito, "Kilroy was here." It was the final album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.
The album is certified platinum by the RIAA.[3] As of 2014, it is the last album by the band to be certified platinum.
Background
"Kilroy Was Here" was conceived by lead singer Dennis DeYoung as an album and accompanying stage show, which opened with a short film of the same name. While the supporting tour was a financial disaster, the album debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 in its first week and sold over 1 million copies (though some sources say two and a half million copies) and peaked at #3 on the US charts; however, it broke the streak of multi-platinum albums for Styx, and ushered in a more keyboard-oriented, progressive-rock direction that would divide DeYoung and guitarists James Young and Tommy Shaw, ultimately leading to their acrimonious split in 1984.
The album's somewhat rock-operatic story tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)". The story's protagonist, Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (DeYoung), is a former rock star who has been imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Righteous (Young). He escapes using a disguise (according to the album's famous song "Mr. Roboto") when he becomes aware that a young musician, Jonathan Chance (Shaw), is on a mission to bring rock music back.
The album spawned two hit singles, "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End".
Despite its success and well-known hits, after the Kilroy Tour, the songs were ignored during all subsequent tours, with the exception of segments from "Mr. Roboto" and "Heavy Metal Poisoning" performed in the 'Cyclo-medley'. DeYoung did perform the songs "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End" during his solo tours.
Music video
Three of the four videos for the album - "Mr. Roboto", "Don't Let It End", and "Heavy Metal Poisoning" - were filmed at the same time and used footage from the minifilm. A fourth video, "Haven't We Been Here Before", was filmed a few months after the album was released; it did not interact with the album's story.
Track listing
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Mr. Roboto" | Dennis DeYoung | 5:28 |
| 2. | "Cold War" | Tommy Shaw | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Don't Let It End" | Dennis DeYoung | 4:56 |
| 4. | "High Time" | Dennis DeYoung | 4:33 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Heavy Metal Poisoning" | James Young | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Just Get Through This Night" | Tommy Shaw | 6:06 |
| 3. | "Double Life" | James Young | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Haven't We Been Here Before" | Tommy Shaw | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Don't Let It End" (Reprise) | Dennis DeYoung | 2:22 |
Total length: |
40:41 | ||
Personnel
- Styx
- Dennis DeYoung - keyboards, vocals as Kilroy
- Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals as Lt. Vanish
- John Panozzo - drums, vocals as Colonel Hyde
- Tommy Shaw - guitar, vocals as Jonathan Chance
- James Young - guitar, vocals as Dr. Righteous
- Additional personnel
- Dan Barber - horn
- Steve Eisen - saxophone
- Mike Halpin - horn
- Michael Mossman - horn
- Mark Ohlson - horn
- Production
- Arranged & Produced By Styx
- Engineers: Gary Loizzo, Will Rascati, Rob Kingsland
- Apprentice engineer: Jim Popko
- Mastering - Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Pop Albums | 3 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Don't Let It End" | Adult Contemporary | 13 |
| 1983 | "Don't Let It End" | Pop Singles | 6 |
| 1983 | "High Time" | Pop Singles | 48 |
| 1983 | "Mr. Roboto" | Pop Singles | 3 |
| 1983 | "Mr. Roboto" | Mainstream Rock | 3 |
References
- ↑ Robinson (Syndicated Columnist), Lisa (1983-02-04). "Rock Music". St. Petersburg Independent. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ↑ On A&M Records.com. "Feb. 22 A&M releases". http://www.facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 17 June 2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Recording Industry Association of America. "Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
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