CHAPTER 11 - Rainbow/Wicked Lester

 

11.01. Suitor

“Suitor” exists on tape somewhere and was a song only performed live by Rainbow in 1971 prior to their name change to Wicked Lester. For obvious reasons the owner of the Rainbow recording has not let it leak into circulation. While the song was written by Paul Stanley, what it sounded like is unknown to anyone but those who played it, or heard it at one of the few Rainbow/Wicked Lester shows or the recording of the show. One would hope that the known archive recording of that single show will eventually surface with this song intact regardless of the sound quality of that recording. That recording is also known to include “Little Lady” and other Wicked Lester material such as “Keep Me Waiting.” While Paul has stated that Wicked Lester never recorded the song, it is not clear whether he was just commenting on “recorded properly” or “demoed.”

 

11.02. First Time Around

11.03. It’s A Wonder

11.04. Movin’ On

11.05. Sweet Flora

11.06. Let’s All Fly Away

Songs 11.02-11.06 are other original songs that were performed live by Rainbow/Wicked Lester in 1971 as detailed in Ken Sharp’s “KISS Behind The Mask.” Nothing is currently known about these songs, though with a title like “Sweet Flora,” the use of that name would generally point towards Gene’s affection for his mother, whose name was Flora.

 

11.07. Long Road

This was a song that was only demoed by the Wicked Lester in 1971. It was not included as part of the proper recording sessions for the aborted Wicked Lester album. Paul Stanley has admitted not writing the somewhat country-styled 4:20 ballad. As to the question of who did write it the answer remains elusive. It is more than likely that Ron Johnsen purchased it and Paul sung it with Gene prominent on backing vocals on some of the choruses. It may have been part of a batch of publishing house songs the band tried out for the prospective album. There’s also a harmonica solo on this rather corny and definitely eclectic piece! Ron Leejack did not recall being part of the sessions where this song was recorded, so it is likely that it features Stephen Coronel on guitar prior to his departure from the band.

 

“Wicked Lester” Album Notes:

The Wicked Lester album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios between November 1971 and August 1972 using any studio time that was available to the band and produced by Ron Johnsen. The track order for this section comes from the remix reel of the album, which Casablanca bought off Columbia in 1977 to prevent them from cashing in on KISS’ then popularity. Whether this was the intended running order is unclear, though songs like “Simple Type” and “She,” which segue together, were likely going to be in that order on the album, if released.

 

There are several versions of the songs that circulate: the “alternative versions,” which are the songs as they have circulated for many years; the “album version,” which appears to be the finished product complete with all the over dubs; and the “Box Set” versions, which could possibly be from the Casablanca remix version of the album, since they differ from the other two. Some have tried to describe some of the versions as “demos.” Paul Stanley is adamant: “There weren’t any Wicked Lester demos” (Firehouse #60), indicating that all of the material is simply different levels of studio recordings.

 

11.08. Sweet Ophelia

Recorded with vocals by Paul for the Wicked Lester reject “album,” this was a second song that had been recorded originally for Barry Mann’s 1971 album “Lay It All Out” (New Design) and was written by Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin. The 3:06 version of the song recorded by Wicked Lester would be pretty honest to the original but would skip one complete verse. The missing depressing verse: “My ship was late arriving / Four months overdue / Me with my friend who wears six stripes / I was wearing my dress blues / I ran up six flights of stairs / Singing a Navy song / I called her name and the neighbors cried / Ophelia had passed on.”

 

There is some irony in Peter’s pre-KISS band Chelsea also recording a song with “Ophelia” in the title, but there the similarity ends.... Reportedly, this song features Stephen Stills on additional guitar (Gooch, Suhs - KISS Alive Forever), though it is not clear whether Stephen’s work was used. There is an additional bit of irony if that is correct, since ex-Hollies member Graham Nash would form a band with him. Wicked Lester also covered a Hollies song recorded after Graham left the group.

 

11.09. Love Her All I Can

According to Paul Stanley, this song “started off with a guitar part that was influenced or stolen, depending upon how you want to look at it, from the opening guitar figure in ‘Can’t Explain’ by The Who. And, the guitar-bass figure is ripped off from ‘Open My Eyes’ by Nazz” (KISS Box Set Liners). By the time the song was originally recorded by Wicked Lester, for their twice-rejected CBS/Epic album in 1971-2, the song had been transformed from a standard rock song into a rather softer piece. The song was covered, or technically re-recorded, by KISS for their “Dressed To Kill” album in 1975, but had also been considered for recording during the band’s “Hotter Than Hell” sessions. It had also been part of their live set, having survived the transition of Gene and Paul’s band into KISS. The album version of the song runs to 2:36 and does not feature the distinctive guitar introduction but has additional guitar overdubs the alternative version lacks.

 

11.10. Keep Me Waiting

Written by Paul Stanley, this song would be one of the few original songs recorded by Wicked Lester during their studio adventure. However, the song had been written by Paul prior to his becoming involved in Rainbow/Wicked Lester and dates from around the same time as “Sunday Driver.” The album version of the track runs to 3:24.

 

11.11. Simple Type

Several versions of this Gene Simmons composition exist, though the most common version is that which at 2:42 segues into “She” for a total track running time of 5:46. Gene handles the verses while Paul sings the chorus. Refer to “Gene Simmons pre-KISS” section for further details.

 

11.12. She

While “She” would initially be recorded by Wicked Lester, the song dated back to Gene’s Bullfrog Bheer band and had been written by him and Stephen Coronel. Steve’s input was to have initially come up with the signature riff of the song which Gene then developed into a full song, possibly recycling some earlier lyrical ideas. While the song is not overly complex, Gene recalls, “I remember struggling with ‘She.’ It was in my mother’s basement. I was still going to school and I had this idea for a song. I wanted to call it ‘She Walks By Moonlight’ because I remember a line in a movie called ‘Hondo,’ an Indian movie. It was some cowboy, he went up to some big Indian chief and goes, ‘I want your daughter.’ [The chief said:] ‘You may not have my daughter.’ [The cowboy said:] ‘Why not?’ [The chief said:] ‘She walks by moonlight.’ And that’s the first line of the song. I didn’t even know what it meant, I just loved the sound of it” (KISS Machine #22).

 

Later Gene would also be persuaded to change the tone of the song from “she’s no good” to “she’s so good,” which seems odd considering Gene’s later catalog of conquests. The original Wicked Lester recording ran to 3:07. Like “Love Her All I Can,” this song would survive the transition of Wicked Lester into the KISS era and was long part of the band’s live set before finally being recorded by the band on the “Dressed To Kill” album in 1975. Like “Love Her All I Can,” it was also considered for recording on “Hotter Than Hell,” though the band was able to come up with enough material at the time to avoid the recycling at that time. By the time KISS incorporated the song into their set, the song would start to evolve somewhat musically, though Ace would borrow some structure from the Door’s “Five To One” for the guitar solo (Sharp, Ken - Goldmine). Jimmy Maelen would allegedly play conga’s on the track (Gooch, Suhs - KISS Alive Forever).

 

11.13. Too Many Mondays

When Wicked Lester recorded their “album” with Ron Johnsen, little of the material they would use was original. This song came from songwriter Barry Mann’s 1971 album “Lay It All Out” ([UK] CBS-64805; [US] New Design) and was written by him and Cynthia Weil, who together comprised a famous songwriting team. Interestingly, this album also features Carole King on piano and backing vocals (though not on the Lester-related tracks) and Alan Schwartzberg on drums. Additionally, the sound engineer on the album is one Ron Johnsen, who would later produce the Wicked Lester album, providing plenty of future connections prior to Lester or KISS coming into the picture. This song was also released as a single (3:55), with a picture sleeve (New Design 1006, US), though it did not manage to chart. The song was also released on a 1972 triple-LP, various artists compilation, “The Music People” ([UK] CBS 66315; [US] Columbia 31280). The song has also been covered by BJ Thomas (1971 - another Ron Johnsen connection) and Mary Travers (1973). While Paul Stanley would sing the song on the rejected album, a demo recording with Gene on lead vocals does exist. Regardless, Gene’s vocal harmonizing starts the song, which runs to 3:44. This song was recorded during a 15 hour session at Electric Lady on May 20, 1972.

 

11.14. (What Happens) In The Darkness

Written by the ironically named Tamy Lester Smith in 1971 with the song’s copyright being registered in January 1972, this song would be covered by Wicked Lester during their ill-fated album recording sessions. Around the same time as Wicked Lester, the song was released as a single by the gospel-R&B band “Infinity” (USA, MCA/Uni 55327), backed with “Do Your Thing Like Jesus.” That recording would be arranged and co-produced by Chester Pipkin. It is currently not known whether Tamy Smith’s connections with Infinity went any further than their recording her song rather than her being a member of that band. In fact the band’s lineup is currently unknown, and it would appear that the band never released a full album on the Uni label. Tamy would also write material recorded by the Jackson 5. The Wicked Lester version varies only slightly from the Infinity recording of the song with the female and male singers trading off vocals, much like Gene and Paul would on their version. This track runs to 3:11.

 

11.15. When The Bell Rings

With Wicked Lester’s material, and the sort of writing that Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were doing around the time, it was obvious to most that this song was not written by the band. With lyrics about social action, the song seemed to be very much dated in the Vietnam and social action era of the late-1960s/early-1970s. Written by Austin Roberts and Christopher Welch in 1970, the song was obtained by Ron Johnsen for the band to record. Gene and Paul would trade off on the verse vocals, as was the case with several Wicked Lester recordings. The track length on the finished song would be 3:25.

 

11.16. Molly

“Molly,” written by Paul Stanley, retains a somewhat disputed nature over who precisely played the banjo on the recording. Both Paul and guitarist Ronnie Leejack claim that instrumentation work as their own. Regardless, the light pop nature of the song shows Paul writing in a similar vein to Gene with his “Leeta” demonstrating his Paul McCartney roots. This tracks runs 2:31 and is sometimes referred to, on certain bootlegs, as “Some Other Guy” or “Goin’ Round The Bend.”

 

11.17. I Wanna Shout

This recording was a Wicked Lester cover version of a Hollies’ song, sung by Gene and running to 2:47 in duration. It had been originally released in November 1970 on the band’s post-Graham Nash album, “Confessions Of The Mind” ([UK] Parlophone PCS-7178). Gene has mistakenly stated that the song was an unused Hollies composition and several different incorrect titles have been attributed to it (for example: “(We Wanna) Shout It Out” and “Shout It Aloud”).

 

The song was written by Hollies members Allan Clarke and Terry Sylvester, rather than other writers to whom Gene has attributed the song. Terry had replaced Nash when he left to join a small irrelevant band with David Crosby and Stephen Stills (kidding!). The album only managed to reach #30 on the UK charts, and as the Hollies’ success declined, they would continue to release albums throughout the 1970s that were largely ignored. The concept of the piece would later provide the inspiration for KISS’ 1976 recording “Shout It Out Loud,” notably the chorus, though the two songs are completely different.

 

11.18. Sweet Ophelia (Alternate Version)

While Paul has suggested that no one has ever heard the full Wicked Lester album properly, several different versions of tracks from the album do circulate, including those that appeared on the collector’s market during the 1980s. This version differs only slightly from the original (11.08) in that the lead guitar is more muted in the mix and the backing vocals are raised. The track timing is the same as on the album version.

 

11.19. Love Her All I Can (Alternative Version)

This alternative version has the distinctive guitar introduction and runs 2:55. Additionally, the lead guitar work is different from the other version and the keyboards are more prominent in the mix.

 

11.20. Keep Me Waiting (Alternative Version)

While this alternative version is similar duration to the album version, timed at 3:23, it is structurally different with an extended introduction. Apart from the different lead guitar work, the drum patterns are more conga-like. The choruses are simple repetitions of “keep me waiting” rather than having the full refrains as on the album version.

 

11.21. Simple Type (Alternative Version)

This 2:41 version of the song is an individual piece that does not segue into “She,” though it is possible that the transition to that piece was removed by adding the fade out at the end of the song. Because of the start point for the drums at the beginning of “She,” in the transition between the two songs, this seems unlikely. The main difference between the two versions is in the clarity, which is slightly weaker on this version. Numerous “effects” are more audible in the album version whereas the alternate version sounds somewhat muted. There are more background vocals in this version, most notably during Paul’s choruses. Keyboards are more prominent, especially on the fade to the acoustic break in the middle of the song versus the descending bass line of the album version.

 

11.22. She (Alternative Version)

This version of “She” is very similar to the album version with the prominent and somewhat entertaining flutes and also runs 3:07. However, in terms of rhythm section, conga-styled drums replace the normal drums and the tambourines are missing. Vocally, the song is more of a Gene and Paul duet with the harmonies stretched out versus the crisp delivery of lines in the album version.

 

This alternative version retains the “she’s no good” line with different vocal harmonies in the background. Paul is much more prominent in the chorus, essentially being the primary voice. This change in the lyrical nature would seem to date what is described as an “alternative mix” as being an earlier recording. In fact, there seems to be a general consensus that the “alternative mixes” are earlier recording attempts with Steve Coronel on guitar, which would also explain the difference in character in the lead guitar work.

 

11.23. Too Many Mondays (Alternative Version)

This alternative version has Gene singing the lead vocal. It is some 10 seconds longer than Paul’s album version, timing in at 3:55 with acoustic guitar transitions between chorus and verse, versus lead guitar on the album version. Gene sings with more harmony sustain, in his delivery of lines rather than Paul’s crisp delivery, which helps explain the longer track length.

 

11.24. (What Happens) In The Darkness (Alternative Version)

Paul has commented that few people have heard the Wicked Lester album playing at the correct speed, the tempo of this song would seem to make this version illustrative of his point. However, at 3:16 the song is longer than the album version, though it does definitely sound speeded up due to the tempo and pitch. The introduction of the song varies from the album version, starting with the rhythm guitar pattern kicking in first. Gene still sings the break, though there are no lead overdubs on top of the piano.

 

11.25. When The Bell Rings (Alternative Version)

Clocking in at 3:13 this version would have more prominent keyboards. Additionally there would be echo effects on Paul’s refrain of “wake up” and Gene’s refrains of “getting plain to see” and “talkin’ to you and me,” which are absent on the album version. Apart from the production details, the guitars solos also differ. Unlike the album version there is no lead guitar work on the outro section, though Gene’s vocals remain nearly identical.

 

11.26. I Wanna Shout (Alternate Version)

At 3:08 this version of the song is some 20 seconds longer than the album version. While the two versions seem like different recordings, the piano is higher in the mix in this version. In the first repetition of the chorus the background vocal harmony is missing, leaving a short fade out before the second repetition begins. The 20-second difference between the two versions is made up by the inclusion of a horn solo following the second chorus of the alternative version. This is not present in the album version, which transitions directly to the third verse.

 

11.27. A Proper Son

This is not a KISS or even directly KISS-related demo. However, it is so KISS related that it is too interesting to omit from this work. This song was written by Stephen Coronel and Neal Teeman. Both of their KISS connections should be immediately obvious to diehard fans. Recorded in 1974, and published in a collection of Steve’s songs by Castle Hill Publishing in 1978, Stephen had been that “Character In Time” who was responsible for the connection of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley musically. While he would have, by 1970, played with both future KISS members in separate bands, he would be the original lead guitarist in Wicked Lester. He would leave the band (be fired) during the album recording sessions and was replaced by Ron Leejack. Neal Teeman was involved with Paul Stanley from Paul’s very earliest musical history, being the drummer in Paul’s first band, Incubus, which would later become Uncle Joe. Neal would record with Paul on the “Stop, Look To Listen” track, which was released on the KISS box set in 2001 and is detailed separately.

 

Other Coronel compositions on the Castle Hill Publishing tape included: “Deadman’s Curve” (1978), “When I Rock” (1976), “Who Was That Lady?” (1976), “Smooth Talker” (1977) by Steve and Tracey Lacey, “Frame Up” (1976), “Sweet Talking Lady” (1976), “White Lies” (1977), “Energy Man” (1976), “Hiding From Yourself” (1976), “Skyway Cruise” (1977) by Steve and Tracey Lacey, “Streets Of The City” (1976), “(She’s) Looking For Love” (1976), and “Hearts On Fire” (1977) by Steve and Daniel Fallucca (Danny Nova). The song written with Neal would be a result of Stephen’s “Lover” project, and material was even recorded at Electric Lady Studios. Neal was trying to produce Stephen’s material and get his band signed. The efforts didn’t work out.