Today, UMe released Creatures Of The Night 40 in celebration of the 40th anniversary of KISS’s seminal 1982 release Creatures Of The Night, an album that crushed fans’ expectations with a huge, back-to-rock sound and has become a fan favorite and cult classic. Creatures Of The Night 40 is available as a 5-CD + Blu-ray Audio Super Deluxe Edition as well as a 2-CD Deluxe, 1-LP Half-Speed Master 180gm, 1-CD Remaster, a 5-CD Super Deluxe Edition Digital Download + Streaming, 2-CD Digital Download-only version, plus a color Vinyl exclusive. All configurations are available for purchase, HERE.
Having rechanneled their efforts into consciously making a return to the hard rock that they were known for, KISS – Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Eric Carr – unleashed Creatures Of The Night in October of 1982. In addition to a harder sound, the album is also noted for its heavier, darker mood. The single “I Love It Loud” has been performed on nearly every subsequent KISS tour, while “War Machine,” the ballad “I Still Love You,” and the title song also featured heavily in their live sets for a number of years. Also of note is “Killer,” which featured the group’s first songwriting collaboration with their soon-to-be-guitarist Vinnie Vincent. Creatures Of The Night received accolades in magazines such as Kerrang! and Guitar Player – which both placed the album in their top five end of year chart for 1982 – and has attained Gold Album status (sales of 500,000+).
The ‘Creatures Of The Night 40’ Super Deluxe boasts 103 total tracks with 75 tracks being unreleased. Newly remastered on CD 1, the original album has never sounded better. CDs 2 & 3 feature 34 demos, rarities & outtakes including unreleased gems such as “Deadly Weapon (Penny Lane Demo),” “Not For The Innocent (Demo)” and “Betrayed (Outtake).” CDs 4 & 5 highlight 26 incredible, soundboard live recordings from the Creatures ‘82/’83 Tour and seven super rare tour sound effects, all recorded and archived by the Creatures Tour sound engineer Harry Witz. The Blu-ray Audio disc showcases a first-ever Atmos and 5.1 surround mix from the original album multi-tracks plus the high-resolution newly remastered 1982 stereo mix of the original album.
Additionally, the Super Deluxe box features an extensive array of bonus kollectible KISS memorabilia and ephemera, including:
80-page Hardcover Book with Extensive Liner Notes by Ken Sharp and a treasure trove of unreleased photos and imagery
Creatures Of The Night 1982 Press Kit featuring:
Creatures Band Press Bio Sheet
Creatures Tour Band New Poster 11”x17”
2 Stage Drawings
The Loudest Band In The World Poster 16”x24”
Japanese Promo Poster 16”x22.5”
Band Black & White Promo 8”x10”
Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie Color Photos 8”x10”
Creatures 40th T-shirt Iron-on Transfer Sheet
“I Love It Loud” Bumper Sticker
Australian Creatures Sticker
Marcanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro 6/18/83 Replica Ticket
Creatures Tour “Detroit” VIP Cloth Sticky Backstage Pass
4 Killers-era Trading Cards
Creatures 1982 Replica Tour Program
Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie – Chris Hoffman Illustrations 9”x12”
Gotham Rock City News Volume 2 Newspaper – Track-By-Track Interviews with Gene, Paul, Eric, Vinnie, Michael James Jackson, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Adam Mitchell and Mikel Japp
4 Glow-In-The-Dark Guitar Picks
Iron-on Patch
4 Buttons
After an astonishing 49-year career, KISS - Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer – recently wrapped their KISStoric KISS Kruise XI and are currently on their END OF THE ROAD world tour.