Lick It Up

Lore & Background

Recorded over two months immediately following the conclusion of the Creatures of the Night Tour in June, "Lick It Up" solidified Vinnie Vincent's status as the official lead guitarist. Although he had contributed as a session player on six tracks for "Creatures of the Night," this release saw him credited with all lead guitar work and appearing on the cover art for the first time, replacing Ace Frehley who was absent from both recording and the album's visual presentation. The opening track, co-written by Vincent, notably features a guest guitar solo from Vinnie Vincent. Two singles, "Lick It Up" and "All Hell's Breakin' Loose," were released with tongue-in-cheek videos set in desolate, post-apocalyptic locations featuring scantily clad women.

Reader's Guide

Listeners should note that "Lick It Up" achieved gold certification on December 22, 1983, becoming the first Kiss album certified since 1980's "Unmasked," and reached platinum status by selling over a million units in the US by December 1990. The title track has become a live staple, performed over 1,500 times as of December 2022, ranking among the group's top ten most played songs. While Paul Stanley later admitted in "KISSology 2" that the album sold better than its predecessor solely because of the unmasked reveal—stating people were "listening with their eyes rather than their ears"—the music itself was recognized critically. Kerrang! ranked it No. 3 on its year-end list for best hard rock albums of 1983, and Guitar World's readers voted it the No. 10 guitar album of that same year in a 2011 poll.

Did You Know?

• The video for "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.
• "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" is one of several songs in Kiss history where all four current members share songwriting credits, though it is not as rare as once thought.