Under Lock and Key is the third studio album by American glam metal band Dokken, released on November 22, 1985, through Elektra Records. The album reached No. 32 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remained on that chart for 67 weeks. Two singles also charted: "The Hunter" and "In My Dreams", both reaching No. 25 and 24 on Billboards Mainstream Rock respectively, with "In My Dreams" at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under Lock and Key was certified Gold on March 4, 1986, and Platinum on April 14, 1987.

Critical reception

The album received mostly positive reviews. Eduardo Rivadavia in his review for AllMusic calls Under Lock and Key "quite possibly Dokken's most 'complete' album, with a little something for every type of fan", like "fist-pumping headbangers", extraordinary "bittersweet mid-paced rockers" ("Unchain the Night" and "The Hunter") and "saccharine ballads". Rivadavia recommends the album as the best introduction to new listeners of Dokken, but notes that heavy metal purists would likely prefer the band's 1984 album Tooth and Nail.

Personnel

All credits adapted from the original LP.

Dokken

  • Don Dokken – lead vocals
  • George Lynch – guitars
  • Jeff Pilson – bass, background vocals
  • Mick Brown – drums, background vocals

Additional musicians

  • Chris Currell – Synclavier programming

Production

  • Neil Kernon, Michael Wagener – producers, engineers, mixing
  • Mark Wilczak – assistant engineer and mixing
  • Cliff Bonell, Michael Lardie – assistant engineers
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk, New York

Charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

! Chart (1985–86)

! Peak<br>position

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

|align="center"|56

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|align="center"|32

|}

Certifications

Accolades

{|class="wikitable"

|-

! Publication

! Country

! Accolade

! Rank

|-

|Rolling Stone

|rowspan="2"|US

|50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time

|align="center"|21

|-

|Metal Rules

|Top 50 Glam Metal Albums

|align="center"|11

|-

|}

Unchain the Night

The music videos produced for the singles from the three Dokken albums were featured on a longform videocassette release, Unchain the Night, by Elektra/Asylum Records through Elektra Entertainment. That video debuted on Billboards Top Music Video—Longform chart at No. 11 in January 1987, peaking at No. 5 that May. The video collection was certified Gold in April 1987, and Platinum the following April.

VHS track listing

  1. "Into The Fire"
  2. "Just Got Lucky"
  3. "Breaking The Chains"
  4. "Alone Again"
  5. "The Hunter"
  6. "In My Dreams"
  7. "It's Not Love"

Certifications

See also

  • List of glam metal albums and songs

References