Background
"Kilroy Was Here" was conceived by lead singer Dennis DeYoung as an album and accompanying stage show, which opened with a short film of the same name. While the supporting tour was a financial disaster, the album sold over 2 million copies and peaked at #3 in the US.
The album's somewhat rock-operatic story tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)". The story's protagonist, Kilroy, is a former rock star who has been imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Righteous. He escapes using a disguise (according to the album's famous song "Mr. Roboto") when he becomes aware that a young musician, Jonathan Chance, is on a mission to bring rock music back.
The album spawned two hit singles, "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End".
Despite its success and well known hits, after the replacement of singer Dennis DeYoung in 1999 the current lineup of the band essentially disowned the album and quickly phased its songs out of their live sets. The band has not performed anything from this album in over a decade, however DeYoung still performs songs from it during his solo tours.
Read more about this topic: Kilroy Was Here (album)
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