CHAPTER 28 - Dynasty
(1979)
“Dynasty” Studio Rehearsal
Sessions Notes:
Several hours of studio
rehearsal tapes circulate with the “band” working on the arrangements and
construction of songs including “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” “Sure Know
Something,” and “Dirty Livin.’”
“Dynasty” Album Notes:
Produced
by Vini Poncia. Recorded and mixed by Jay Messina at
Electric Lady and Record Plant Studios,
28.01. I Was Made For Lovin’ You
This song was the last
track recorded for the “Dynasty” album and was brought to the sessions as the band were finishing up work on the album, doing over-dubs
and other cleanups on the album, according to Gene. Paul had wanted to write a
disco song that stayed reasonably close to the basis of KISS to prove how easy
it was to do so, after being inspired by the atmosphere and vibe of the
legendary Studio 54. Paul recalled, “What I realized was that all the songs
there had the exact same amount of beats per minute. That way they could
cross-fade from one song to another without stopping.... I remember thinking
that all the songs I was hearing there were about today. They were about now.
They were about instant gratification. They were about having a great time and
not worrying about the future” (KISS Box Liners).
Gene, on the other hand,
was not particularly fond of the song. He recalled, “I’m still not crazy about
‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You.’ But that has nothing to do with it. I recognized
that early on. He [Paul] came in one day and said, ‘Look, I’ve got this disco
song, and it goes like this.’ And he started singing like the Four Seasons, one
of my favorite bands, by the way. I thought, ‘That doesn’t sound like Kiss, but
that’s precisely why we should record it’” (Rolling Stone).
Contrary to popular belief,
Gene Simmons would play the bass on the song. Initially, the song would be
titled “Tonight.” It is interesting to note that when released, as a single, it
did not even manage to go top 10 in the
In the process of writing
the song, Paul had also picked up a new songwriting buddy who would become
increasingly important during the 1980s as the band fought to stay viable
musically and compete with other bands, Desmond Child. Paul had first worked
with him while writing a song for Desmond Child & Rouge called “The Fight”
after the two had met in 1978.
28.02. 2,000 Man
This classic was written by
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and originally recorded by the Rolling Stones
for their seminal psychedelic album, “Their Satanic Majesties Request,”
released in 1967. After Ace Frehley recorded a demo of the song on his own to
bring to the “Dynasty” recording sessions in 1979, the rest of the band liked
his interpretation and arrangement so much they didn’t change much from that
demo form, which took the slightly plodding primarily acoustic psychedelic song
and transformed it into a rocker, and a signature piece for the “Spaceman.”
According to Gene, “Ace in
fact came in with a demo. He’d already worked out the arrangements so ‘2,000
Man’ was pretty much Ace’s own concept that we loved right away. Even though we
usually try to write material for albums, we don’t really go out of our way
searching for any remakes of anything. It just seemed perfect so we didn’t mind
doing it. In fact it turned out quite well I thought” (3XY Radio Interview).
Ace would play bass on the recording. Changes to the song would be minimal,
with the original first verse changing from, “Well, my name is a number / A
piece of plastic film / And I’m growin’ many flowers / In my little window sill
/ Don’t you know I’m a 2,000 man / And my kids, they just don’t understand me
at all” to, “Well, my name it is a number / It’s on a piece of plastic film /
And I’ve been growin’ funny flowers / Outside on my little window sill / But
don’t you know I’m a 2,000 man / And my kids, they just don’t understand me at
all.”
28.03. Sure Know Something
Paul Stanley plays lead
guitar and the solo on this song, which was written by him and Vini Poncia.
While the song would be a top 10 hit in
28.04. Dirty Livin’
The
only song on “Dynasty” on which Peter Criss drums, with the rest of the album
being done by session drummer Anton Fig. Anton had become a friend
of Ace Frehley and worked with him on his solo album the previous year. “Dirty
Livin’” had originally dated to 1972 and was written by Stan Penridge and Peter
while they were in their post-Chelsea band Lips. Like the transition from demo
to album recording which had affected “Hooligan,” this song would lose much of its’ funk when recorded by KISS, but would tell some of the
story of Peter’s youth. In terms of the story presented in the song there are
some striking similarities to the story told in the early KISS song “Black
Diamond,” which Peter had sung. Lyrically, this similarity is represented by
the lyric, “I make my livin’ out on the streets,” compared with “Out on the
street for a living” from “Black Diamond,” plus the allusions to “darkness.” A
couple of other lyrics in the song, “I’ve gotta get away” and “Mainline out of
28.05. Charisma
The input of Howard Marks
would spur Gene to write this piece, which was based loosely on the Wicked
Lester song “Simple Type” (Sharp, Ken – Goldmine). While Howard would be KISS’
business manager he had also received an earlier song-writing credit on Gene’s
“Living In Sin.” He had something of a musical background, writing jingles with
Sean Delaney in their Music Department company. This
jingle background gave birth to the song, according to Gene, “He jotted down a
few lines I liked. ‘What is ma? Charisma... and so on.’
I wrote the song around a few of his lines” (GeneSimmons.com).
28.06. Magic Touch
Paul would play bass on the
recording, which oddly would see release in
28.07. Hard Times
Ace, who had usually
written songs without any particular message or point of view, would write this
piece based on more seemingly autobiographical subject matter. This was similar
to the type of material that Peter usually brought to the band by singing about
the troubles of his youth. Ace played bass on the recording and has long wished
that the song had been performed by the band live.
28.08. X-Ray Eyes
One of only four songs on
which Gene would play bass on the album. The song would be transformed from the
original version’s lyrics: “Every time you tell me lies / I can see right
through your eyes / Baby, that’s no lie, that’s a fact // Sometimes you say /
You don’t want my love today / Well baby, you better shape up your act // I’ve
got X-ray eyes / I can see right through your lies / I’m tellin’ you no lies.”
28.09. Save Your Love
Ace would play bass on the
recording. “Dynasty” marked a period of personal growth where the benefits of
the solo album could be seen. In the case of Ace, he was bringing to the band
more material, similar to the early days, and making a serious contribution.
This would continue through the following album.
28.10. I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Disco Remix)
Because KISS had already
taken the step in writing a disco-tinged rock song,
Paul justified the disco
nature of the song: “I didn’t think that doing a full ahead disco beat would be
bad if it was a good song. You know some of the early Motown stuff, The Four
Tops kind of thing, those were basically the same kind
of beat. I think if the music is good it really doesn’t matter what kind it is,
I think that bad heavy metal music is as bad as bad disco. Bad music is bad
music, if it’s good that’s all that matters” (3XY).
28.11. I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Single Mix)
The
28.12. Dirty Livin’ (Disco Remix)
The disco remix of “Dirty
Livin’” would only be released in some European markets in late 1979 as the
popularity of the song superseded the A-side of the single on which the track
had originally appeared (“Sure Know Something”). The effect of the remix would
be to take the pulsating rhythm of the original recording and make it more
disco sounding, somewhat similar to the overall feel of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You.” This remixing would provide a rearrangement
of the song and would also stretch the song’s length to
28.13. Hard Times (Single Mix)
At
28.14. Sure Know Something (Single Edit)
Copies of the “Sure Know Something” single released
in some markets, notably
28.15. 2,000 Man (Single Edit)
Released as a single in the
28.16. Rumble
This track was one of
several tracks which Peter brought to the “Dynasty” recording sessions, and one
of his favorites, though it may date later to December 1979/early 1980. A
typical Peter-sounding demo, it had all the hallmarks of being a Stan Penridge
and Peter demo with its funky vibe so different from KISS’ style. According to
Stan Penridge, “‘Rumble’ was a part of the songs we cut in late 12/79 - early
1/80 at ODO Studios, with Vini Poncia producing” (JG).
Written about Peter’s
alleged gang youth with lyrics which were typically West-Side Story: “I’ve got
a gang they call the Phantom Lords / We’re the meanest suckers, you could ever
know / Well it’s Saturday night and the streets are dark / We’re heading down
to Prospect Park / Where there’s gonna be, a rumble tonight.” Unlike the other
demos he did at the time, “Dirty Livin,’” “Out Of Control,” and “There’s
Nothing Better,” this would be the only one never released. Vini Poncia would
help out Peter with the lyrics of the song. The track runs
28.17. Dirty Livin’
Running to
28.18. There’s Nothing Better
28.19. Out Of Control
For all the inconsistencies
of Peter’s contributions to the band during the “Dynasty” era, the album would
mark his greatest contribution to the band in terms of the material he had
demoed in preparation for the album. Of the four demos Peter brought to the
sessions, only “Dirty Livin’” would be used by the band. Both 28.18 & 28.19
would later be recorded for Peter’s first post-KISS solo album, “Out Of
Control.” The original demo of “Out Of Control” runs
28.20. I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Mixes)
Several additional mixes
for “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” exist, but have yet to
make it into collector’s circles. These include versions with the emphasis on
keyboards, Paul vocal effects, different 8 minute disco mixes, and complete
recordings of the song without the fade-out.
28.21. I Have Just Begun To Fight (Demo)
While this song is often
described as being an “Asylum” demo it was originally demoed in early 1979. The
original demo is far superior to the generally circulating piece in terms of
quality and runs 3.30. During 1978/9 Gene Simmons was working
with the boy-band Virgin (who were managed by Bill Aucoin), producing an album
that was never released. At the same time Gene was demoing material with
Virgin drummer Chuck Billings. Chuck, and Virgin's guitarist, Tom Moody, were
also present at the
28.22. Reputation (Demo)
A
prototype of the more common 1982 version that runs 3.04.
Unlike the later version this track has more in common with Gene’s 1970s demos
in terms of style. It is also structurally different.