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 [3]
Length 40:41
Label A&M
Producer Styx
Styx chronology
Paradise Theatre
(1981)Paradise Theatre1981		 Kilroy Was Here
(1983)		 Caught in the Act
(1984)Caught in the Act1984
Singles from Kilroy Was Here
  1. "Mr. Roboto"
    Released: February 11, 1983
  2. "Don't Let It End"
    Released: 1983
  3. "High Time"
    Released: 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [4]
Rolling Stone [5]

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.[6] As of 2018, it is the last studio album by the band to be certified platinum.

Background

The band created the album Kilroy Was Here partly as a mocking response to fundamentalist Christian groups and other anti-rock-music activists who had previously influenced the Arkansas State Senate to pass a bill requiring that all records containing backward masking be labeled as such by the manufacturer. Cited in the legislation were albums by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and Styx. ELO made a similar response with their own 1983 album Secret Messages.

"Heavy Metal Poisoning", the fifth track on the album, begins with the backmasked Latin words "annuit cœptis, novus ordo seclorum".[7] Translated from the Latin, these words mean "[he/she/it] has favored our undertakings,[8] a new order of the ages".[9][10] These are the two mottoes from the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse side of the United States one-dollar bill.

The album's somewhat rock-operatic story tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist and theocratic 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" which were both major hits in 1983, peaking at #3 and #6 respectively.

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. According to the episode of "Behind The Music" featuring Styx, the early part of the supporting tour was a financial disaster, due to the fact that Styx had booked small, theater-sized venues for a more intimate experience, later tour dates saw the group performing in large arenas to sold out crowds. The album debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 in its first week and sold over 1 million copies (although some sources say 2.5 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, theatrical direction. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, James Young talked about the creative differences in the band, and what led to their breakup: "Dennis really wanted to do these soft, intimate love ballads, and that was against the grain for me and Tommy Shaw, so our differences got magnified, because Dennis was insisting on going outside the boundaries we lived with. He's an assertive and strongly opinionated guy."[11]

Despite the album's financial and chart success, after the Kilroy tour, the songs were not performed live by the band Styx (who fired DeYoung in 1999) in subsequent tours (with the exception of segments from "Mr. Roboto" and "Heavy Metal Poisoning" performed in the "Cyclo-medley"), until "Mr. Roboto" reappeared in full (in their encore) on May 30, 2018.[12] DeYoung does perform the songs "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End" regularly 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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mr. Roboto"Dennis DeYoung5:28
2."Cold War"Tommy Shaw4:27
3."Don't Let It End"Dennis DeYoung4:56
4."High Time"Dennis DeYoung4:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heavy Metal Poisoning"James Young4:57
2."Just Get Through This Night"Tommy Shaw6:06
3."Double Life"James Young3:46
4."Haven't We Been Here Before"Tommy Shaw4:06
5."Don't Let It End" (Reprise)Dennis DeYoung2:22
Total length:40:41

Personnel

Styx

Additional personnel

Production

  • Arranged & produced by Styx
  • Engineers: Gary Loizzo, Will Rascati, Rob Kingsland
  • Apprentice engineer: Jim Popko
  • Mastering by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

Year Chart Position
1983 Pop Albums 3

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1983 "Don't Let It End" Adult Contemporary 13
Pop Singles 6
"High Time" 48
"Mr. Roboto" Pop Singles 3
Mainstream Rock 3

References

  1. ↑ Robinson (Syndicated Columnist), Lisa (1983-02-04). "Rock Music". St. Petersburg Independent. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  2. ↑ On A&M Records.com. "Feb. 22, 2012 A&M releases: Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)". http://www.facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 17 June 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ http://ultimateclassicrock.com/styx-kilroy-was-here/
  4. ↑ AllMusic album review by Mike DeGagne: Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)
  5. ↑ "Kilroy Was Here".
  6. ↑ Recording Industry Association of America. "Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Holden, Stephen (1983-03-27). "Serious issues underlie a new album from Styx". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  8. ↑ MacArthur, John D. (2016). "Annuit Coeptis - Origin and Meaning of the Motto Above the Eye of Providence on the Great Seal". Latin Mottoes. GreatSeal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  9. ↑ MacArthur, John D. (2016). "Novus Ordo Seclorum - Origin and Meaning of the Motto on the Foundation of the Unfinished Pyramid on the Great Seal". Latin Mottoes. GreatSeal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  10. ↑ "The Great Seal of the United States," U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C., July 2003, p. 5. PDF of official brochure.
  11. ↑ "Styx interview".
  12. ↑ "Styx Concert Setlist at FivePoint Amphitheatre".
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