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1983: the end of an era for KISS.
The successes of "Alive!" (I and II) and "Destroyer" seem light years away, and recent works like "Music from the elder" and "Creatures of the night," although artistically valid, turned out to be commercial disasters. At that point, Kiss (who were evidently under pressure like Galeazzi's toilet seat) attempted to solve the situation with a drastic and surprising decision: to abandon their iconic makeup and present themselves to the public with a new sound, that of hair metal, which would be very popular during the '80s, with Kiss as its precursors.
"Lick it up" is thus presented as the album of rebirth, at least from a purely commercial point of view; in reality, the album is not exactly a masterpiece, despite the opener "Exciter" suggesting otherwise: a dark guitar intro creates a sense of anticipation until the drums explode and the Starchild enters, proving (once again) to have a great vocal range, singing at very high tones; the refrains are excellent, and Vincent's solo is good, although once again there is a feeling that he's playing with chains on his wrists, unable to fully express himself. The second track "Not for the innocent" is a good mid-tempo sung by the demon but is already a step back compared to "Exciter"; "Lick it up" will become a hit, consistently featured in live performances, but it's a mediocre song; "Young and wasted" is a strong hard rock track but then makes way for the bland filler "gimme more"; "all hell's breaking loose" continues in the vein of "Lick it up" but at least is a bit more varied and boasts catchy refrains that stick in your head from the first listening. Halfway through the album comes a noteworthy song, "A million to one", a semi-ballad with a rather powerful sound that leads to a beautiful Vincent solo; an excellent performance by the starry one, always at ease with ballads. In my opinion, this is the highest point of the album and its "unofficial" end: the album, indeed, continues with "Fits like a glove", literally and musically obscene (I skipped it in 1 second and 1/2, I think it’s a record); "Dance all over your face" is a very negligible song, while the modest "And on the 8th day" is tasked with closing the album.
Ultimately an unsuccessful album, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth as it fails to even remotely reach the qualitative peaks of previous releases, qualities sacrificed in the attempt, yet successful, to appeal to a new audience capable of embracing the sound that would accompany Kiss throughout the '80s and into the early '90s, until the nostalgia effect would bring the historic original lineup together once again to bring "Psycho Circus" to life; but that is definitely another story...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Exciter (04:11)
Oh, deep in the night I am waiting, sent from above, power of love in my hand
And I know what you want, I know what you need and I know what you feel
Lose all your fears and live out your dreams
I'm the one who's gonna make it real
Passion and fire, lust and desire, exciter
Pleasure and pain, this is my name, exciter
Oh, heaven is yours for the taking, power of love, sent from above in your hand
And I'll give you more than ever before, so take all you need
When you open your arms, open your eyes, I'm the one who's gonna make you see
Passion and fire, lust and desire, exciter
Pleasure and pain, whisper my name, exciter
Surrender to me and I'll guarantee, you'll pray that the night never ends
Come play the game, this is my name, exciter
And I'll show you a world where you've never been, it's time that you knew
There's no time for waiting, it's time to begin, I'm the one's gonna take you
03 Lick It Up (03:56)
Don't wanna wait 'til you know me better
Let's just be glad for the time together
Life's such a treat and it's time you taste it
There ain't a reason on earth to waste it
It ain't a crime to be good to yourself
Lick it up, lick it up, it's only right now
Lick it up, lick it up, ooh yeah
Lick it up, lick it up, come on, come on
Lick it up, lick it up
Don't need to wait for an invitation
You gotta live like you're on vacation
There's something sweet you can't buy with money - lick it up, lick it up
It's all you need, so believe me honey
It ain't a crime to be good to yourelf
Lick it up, lick it up, it's only right now
Lick it up, lick it up, ooh yeah
Lick it up, lick it up, come on, come on
Lick it up, lick it up
Come on - it's only right now (it's only right now)
Ooh yeah (ooh yeah) ooh yeah (ooh yeah), yeah yeah
Lick it up, lick it up, it's only right now
Lick it up, lick it up, yeah yeah yeah
Lick it up, lick it up, come on, come on
Lick it up, lick it up
04 Young and Wasted (04:05)
Like a fly to a spider, you're under the spell
It's the game and the liar, for those who toll the bell
You're more than just a name, you fight for the right
Like a moth to a flame, you see the bait you bite
You're restless and wild and walkin' the line
You're not just another pretty face
Need an answer fast and you're runnin' out of time
And the night goes on for days
Young and wasted - ooh yeah, ooh yeah - young and wasted
You been branded by the iron, you been cut by the knife
There's a monkey on your back runnin' up and down your spine
Up and down your spine
You hunger for the fire and run with the pack
But you know damn well there ain't no turnin' back
Ain't no turnin' back, no no
You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't
You laugh in the face of the fates
Fallen angels spread their wings, so you cross the gates of hate
Young and wasted - I can almost taste it, I can almost taste it
Young and wasted - ooh yeah, ooh yeah, ooh yeah
You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't
You laugh in the face of the fates
Fallen angels spread their wings, so let the heaven say
Young and wasted, young and wasted
Young and wasted - I can almost taste it, I can almost taste it
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
Young and wasted
05 Gimme More (03:44)
Live wire on the loose, white fire gotta move
Hot blood, need your love, hard as rock, can't get enough
Wanna feel you deep inside, pumpin' through my veins, fill you to the core
Let me take you thru the night, heaven knows no pain, open up the door
Gimme more, ooh gimme more, baby gimme more, ooh
Like a dog to a bone, make you sweat, make you moan
Love is sweet, so insane, come on lick my candy cane
Passion in the third degree, burning in my brain, slave to love's desire
Livin', lovin', feel the heat, never to be tamed, born to play with fire
Gimme more, ooh gimme more, baby gimme more, ooh, yeah yeah
Ah, listen - touch my body, take it slow, c'mon make my juices flow
Feelin' good, any price, ooh nothin' I won't sacrifice
Got a thirst for playin' rough, I can't get my fill, never keepin' score
C'mon baby, let me in, gonna break your will, open up the door
Gimme more, ooh gimme more, baby gimme more, ooh, I want you
C'mon and gimme, gimme more, gimme, gimme more, gimme, gimme, ooh
08 Fits Like a Glove (04:04)
Ain't a cardinal sin, baby lemme in, girl I'm gonna treat you right
Well goodness sakes, my snake's alive and it's ready to bite
Hornet's nest, lay me down to rest, ooh I wanna shed my skin
I got the urge to merge, you're cold as ice, baby won't you lemme in
Night scenes, wet dreams, enough to make you drool
And fire, fire, fire for the fuel
Don't like to dress, talk too good, but I found my queen
Not too clean, know what I like, if you know what I mean
Baby, baby, guess you win the prize
Maybe, baby, where the sun never shines
This must be love, fits like a glove
Well it must be love, it must be love - fits like a glove - fits like a glove
Feel the heat, driver's seat, my blessing is my curse
Think I'm gonna burst, a gonna burst, a gonna burst
Night scenes, wet dreams, enough to make you drool
And fire, fire, fire for the fuel
Ooh baby, babe - fits like a glove
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah - fits like a glove - fits like a glove
Cause when I go through her, it's just like a hot knife through butter, ooh yeah
Baby, baby, guess you win the prize
Maybe, baby, where the sun never shines
Fits like a glove - well it must be love, it must be love - fits like a glove
Fits like a glove - well it must be love, it must be love
Fits like a glove
09 Dance All Over Your Face (04:16)
Baby, I know it's a jungle out there
Well if you can play it cool, I can play it debonair
You were warm, but there was an inner ice
And baby, it was like a rollin' dice
Well I told you once, I told you twice
Hey listen babe, there's trouble in paradise
Well I found a lipstick stain of your kiss
Well you can sink your teeth into this, bitch, so
I'm gonna dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance all over your face
I'm gonna dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance all over your face
Hey baby, can you pass this quiz
Well, just put your money where your mouth is
You're as sharp as a slap from a lover's hand
Hey baby, baby, baby, this is all I can stand
You played your hand, and now you lose, well listen bitch, I've got news
Yes, I saw you with another man and you put me in disgrace, so
I'm gonna dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance all over your face
I'm gonna dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance all
Dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance all over your face
No cheap perfume can change my mind, no satin and lace
Yes, I'm gonna dance all over your face
No thigh high boots, forbidden fruits, no satin and lace
Yes, I'm gonna dance, dance all over your face, I'm gonna dance
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Other reviews
By the alexander
The album is absolutely a must-have for fans of the Hair Metal genre, it surely won’t disappoint.
Masks no longer exist, but a typical Glam Metal makeup style of the era does, along with great music that never changes and has always characterized the great Kiss style that will never die.
By ELECTRIC EYE
Lick It Up is one of the bands that has marked the history of rock and continues to do so today with their raw yet melodic and pleasantly catchy sound.
An album not to be missed for fans of this great band, which has always entertained many people with their spectacular tracks and electrifying concerts.
