Today in Rock History
June 15, 1982
KISS released their second compilation album, Killers, exclusively outside the United States. The album featured four new tracks—“I’m a Legend Tonight,” “Down on Your Knees,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Partners in Crime”—recorded at the request of Phonogram Records in response to the commercial failure of 1981’s Music from “The Elder”. These new songs marked a return to KISS’s hard rock roots. The album achieved moderate success internationally, reaching No. 6 in Norway and charting in several other countries. Despite being pictured on the album’s cover, lead guitarist Ace Frehley did not participate in the production of Killers. He had largely withdrawn from active involvement with the band by late 1981. Bob Kulick, who had previously substituted for Frehley on a handful of studio tracks, was brought in to play lead guitar on the new tracks. In 2014, a limited edition pink vinyl reissue of Killers was released as part of KISS’s “KISSteria” box set. This edition featured a half-speed master and included two additional bonus tracks, “Escape from the Island” and “Shandi,” which were not part of the original 1982 release.