Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag, "Kilroy was here." It was the last 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 spawned two hit singles, the synth-pop "Mr. Roboto" which later became one of their signature songs, and the power ballad "Don't Let It End." Both of them were major hits in 1983, peaking at No. 3 and No. 6 respectively, on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The album is certified platinum by the RIAA. It is the most recent studio album by the band to be certified platinum. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the album #50 on their list of the 50 Greatest Concept Albums of All Time.

Background

The band created the album Kilroy Was Here partly to mockingly respond to 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 backmasking be labeled as such by the manufacturer. Cited in the legislation were albums by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and Styx themselves. Translated from the Latin, these words mean "[he] has favored our undertakings, a new order of the ages." 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 in which a fascist and theocratic government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)" have outlawed rock music. The story's protagonist, Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (the initials of which spell out "ROCK", played by DeYoung), is a former rock star who has been imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Everett Righteous (Young).

Despite the album's financial and chart success, after the Kilroy tour, the songs were not performed live by Styx (which 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, as a cover of the Protomen's cover of the song. DeYoung does perform the songs "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End" regularly during his solo tours. The James Young Group performed "Heavy Metal Poisoning" and "Double Life" as well on their tour in 1993.

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

Personnel

Styx

  • Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards, accordion
  • James "JY" Young – vocals, guitars, vocoder
  • Tommy Shaw – vocals, guitars, shamisen, vocoder
  • Chuck Panozzo – bass
  • John Panozzo – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Steve Eisen – saxophone
  • Dan Barber – horn
  • Mike Halpin – horn
  • Michael Mossman – trumpet
  • Mark Ohlsen – horn

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

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

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! scope="col" | Chart (1983)

! scope="col" | Peak<br> position

|-

! scope="row" | Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| 45

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|-

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Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col" | Chart (1983)

! scope="col" | Position

|-

|-

! scope="row" | German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

| 35

|-

! scope="row" | US Billboard 200

| 24

|}

Certifications and sales

References

  • Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983) album review by Mike DeGagne, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
  • Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983) album releases & credits at Discogs.com