Under Lock and Key
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Under Lock and Key is the third studio album by American glam metal band Dokken, released on November 22, 1985, through Elektra Records.[1] The album reached No. 32 on the U.S. Billboard 200[2] and remained on that chart for 67 weeks.[3] Two singles also charted: "The Hunter" and "In My Dreams", both reaching No. 25 and 24 on BillboardTemplate:'s Mainstream Rock respectively, with "In My Dreams" at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] Under Lock and Key was certified Gold on March 4, 1986, and Platinum on April 14, 1987.[1]
Music
The album's opener "Unchain the Night" is considered by some to be among the heaviest glam metal tracks. The song contains an acoustic intro. The guitar solo was described as "catacomb-clearing" by Revolver.[5]
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.[2]
Canadian journalist Martin Popoff considers the album "too weighted towards Def Leppard's fat-and-open formula rock", resulting "a bit subdued and predictable" in comparison with its predecessor. The band's glamorous look, the media exposure and George Lynch's "attempt to define the L.A. sound in his own image" do not save Under Lock and Key from sounding "like the work of a band just fed".[6]
Track listing
All credits adapted from the original LP.
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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
| Chart (1985–86) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] | 56 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 32 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone | US | 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time[11] | 21 |
| Metal Rules | Top 50 Glam Metal Albums[12] | 11 |
Unchain the Night
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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.[13] That video debuted on BillboardTemplate:'s Top Music Video—Longform chart at No. 11 in January 1987, peaking at No. 5 that May.[14] The video collection was certified Gold in April 1987, and Platinum the following April.[1]
In 2007 the collection was re-released in DVD by Rhino Home Video through Warner Music Vision, debuting on the Billboard Comprehensive Music Videos chart at No. 27.[15]
VHS track listing
- "Into The Fire"
- "Just Got Lucky"
- "Breaking The Chains"
- "Alone Again"
- "The Hunter"
- "In My Dreams"
- "It's Not Love"
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Platinum | 100,000 |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
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- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."RIAA Searchable Database: search for Dokken". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Under Lock and Key Billboard Albums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Script error: No such module "WLink"./chart-history/ "Dokken – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Under Lock and Key Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."10 Heaviest Hair-Metal Songs of All Time". Revolver. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Martinwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."DON DOKKEN Says He 'Gave Up 75 Percent' Of Songwriting Credits In DOKKEN In Order To Appease GEORGE LYNCH - BLABBERMOUTH.NET". blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in 日本語). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Dokken - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. August 31, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."METAL RULES". November 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Unchain the Night - Dokken | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Unknown". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2023.[dead link]
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Unknown". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2023.[dead link]
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