CHAPTER 51 - The KISS
Box Set (2001)
“Box Set” Album Notes:
The KISS “Box Set” was hyped, particularly by Gene
Simmons, as going to be the “Mother of all box sets” in the years prior to its
release. KISS fans debate whether this was actually the case with the product
which was released in November 2001. The most notable exclusion from the box
were the 1977 demos Gene recorded with the then unknown Van Halen brothers, but
there were surprises too in the form of the Bell Sound Studios 1973 demos and
“Dontcha Hesitate.” Some of the odd errors in the book that accompany the box
are detailed.
51.01. Strutter (1973 Demo)
Like 51.02 this song has
been released numerous times since the 1980s, and is from the five songs KISS
demoed in March 1973. Earlier releases, also like 51.02 also have better sonic
clarity than the box set version.
51.02. Deuce (1973 Demo)
For some odd reason the
channels are swapped around from earlier releases (notably the 1992 “Unholy”
CD-Single) which also have better sonic clarity than on the box. For further
details refer to the “KISS March 1973 Demo” section.
51.03. Keep Me Waiting (Wicked Lester)
51.04. She (Wicked Lester)
51.05. Love Her All I Can (Wicked Lester)
The box set version of
“Keep Me Waiting” varies only slightly from the original album version in that
it lacks Paul’s call-outs during the chorus. One other difference which is
noticeable is during the guitar solo where the piano is higher in the mix,
versus the organ/keyboards of the original version. Otherwise, the two are
nearly identical. “She,” however, is different to both the original album
version and alternate version of the song.
However, it is closer in
sound to the original album version having some additional audio features which
differentiate it. These include cymbal hits on the opening riff, keyboards high
in the mix at the beginning of the song, and additional guitar over-dubs during
the verses. The final of the Wicked Lester recordings, included on the box,
“Love Her All I Can” is essentially the same as the original album version with
the 6 second guitar introduction tacked on the beginning. The only other
difference is the machine-gun cymbals. For further details refer to the
“Rainbow/Wicked Lester” section.
51.06. Let Me Know (Bell Sound Studios Demo)
51.07. 100,000 Years (Bell Sound Studios Demo)
51.08. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll (Bell Sound Studios Demo)
51.09. Firehouse (Bell Sound Studios Demo)
Demo recordings of “Let Me Know,” “100,000 Years,”
“Firehouse,” and “Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll” sound more like the repertoire
rehearsal recordings that they are rather than demos as such. There is an
annoying beep at
“100,000 Years” has more of the extended live format
with plenty of drum interplay. The break lyric of “I’m just about to, ooh yeah,
/ Ha” appears as a simple “whoo-yeah.” The final repetition of the verse is
preceded by Paul’s “Do you feel right?” rap, similar to how he performed the
piece live. The
At
“Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll” was still probably known as
“Baby, Let Me Go” at this time as it didn’t get its “Hotter Than Hell” title until
that album’s sessions. The version of the song recorded during these sessions
starts out with a Gene Simmons burp. Subtle lyrical and arrangement changes are
present in the song notably the lyric “Baby, rock ‘n roll” is originally “Baby
wants to roll.” At the end of the guitar solo Gene moans, “let me go baby, oh.”
Essentially, the older arrangement of this song does makes the recording
That the Bell Sound Studios recordings were
discovered abandoned and brought back to the band raises the interesting
question of how many more songs were recorded during the sessions. It is
clearly stated that the band recorded their then live repertoire to assist
producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise in selecting the material that would be
recorded for the album. To look at KISS’ set lists at the time it is entirely
logical to assume that songs like “Go Now,” “Acrobat,” “Life In The Woods,”
“Keep Me Waiting,” and “Simple Type,” may have also been recorded along with
other songs which were recorded for the album. It is a shame that even basic
work seems not to have been done on these recordings to clear up the clarity by
removing the ancient tape “hiss.”
51.10. Stop, Look To Listen (1966, Uncle Joe Demo)
It is more likely that this
song dates from 1970 than the quoted 1966. For further details refer to the
“Paul Stanley pre-KISS” section.
51.11. Leeta (1969, Gene Simmons Demo)
For details refer to the
“Gene Simmons pre-KISS” section.
51.12. Acrobat (Live at the Daisy, 1973)
For details refer to the
“KISS March 1973 Demo” section.
51.13. Doncha Hesitate (1975 Demo)
According to Paul Stanley,
“In going through some of the demos that were candidates for inclusion on the
box set, we found ourselves sometimes trying to figure out who was on the demo,
and on ‘Doncha Hesitate,’ Gene and I immediately realized that that was the
rarity of rarities, in that it was the entire band playing on a demo, which is
something we’d never done as a rule. Everybody always had their own schedules
and their own agendas” (Rolling Stone). What “Dontcha Hesitate” was, was a real
unknown gem which had never circulated or had even been mentioned providing a
surprise to many fans.
51.14. Mad Dog (1976 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Destroyer” section.
51.15. God Of Thunder (1976 Demo)
Paul Stanley has questioned
Gene’s statement that “God Of Thunder” was an exercise in Paul Stanley writing
a Gene Simmons song. The changes that were made to the original demo’s lyrics
make it clear that Gene had to help make it a Gene song. However, for the
original demo version Paul is clear: “It’s in Gene’s nature to glamorize a story
and make it more interesting than it really is. Here’s the real story: When I
wrote that song, it was about me, and the lyrics were almost identical to what
was recorded.... Although it became known as a Gene Simmons song, it certainly
wasn’t written for him or as a joke” (Guitar World). Structurally, the
differences between the two versions are noticeable. Firstly, the tempo for
Paul’s version makes the song “happier” and somewhat danceable. That would be
slowed down to a brooding plod to provide the scenery for Gene’s song. The
lyrical changes are more substantial than the single line Paul has suggested
were changed. For further details refer to the “Destroyer” section.
51.16. Bad, Bad Lovin’ #1 (1976 Demo)
Many
fans thought that they knew what they were getting when they saw this track
listed on the Box Set track-listing prior to its release. As another surprise
this song turned out to be an early version of the piece, rather than the later
version which has circulated in fan circles for some time. That later version,
and the Box Set inclusion makes it apparent that Gene had split original form
into two distinctive songs. This early prototype has elements which would be
combined with “High And Low” and other Gene demos to become “Calling Dr. Love”
for the “Rock And Roll Over” album. This early version is very patchy and not
unified, making it very much ripe for the development that it would get. The
riff is there, as are the verses, but the chorus is the separate beast.
Amusingly,
of all the track names Gene had thrown around for years prior to the release of
the “Box Set,” this demo was one of few actually mentioned for inclusion that
was included. Gene had mentioned this demo as far back as November 1994, during
a CompuServe hosted “cyberchat.”
51.17. Mr. Speed (1976 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Rock And Roll Over” section.
51.18. I Want You (Soundcheck)
This track is noted as being a “Soundcheck” recording
from August 1977. However, both it and the original mixed version for the
abandoned “Rock And Roll Party In Tokyo” album feature an identical guitar flub
right after Paul shouts “is” during the intro to the song. That same “flub,”
which sounds like a miscue on a guitar or feedback effect, is present low in
the mix of the “Alive II” song. The “Rock And Roll Party In Tokyo” and “sound
check” versions also have the same Ace guitar solo screw-up during the second
solo. This solo is cut from the “Alive II” version along with Paul’s audience
interaction rap.
What does any of this indicate? It would seem highly
plausible that “I Want You” on “Alive II” is from the Japanese show recorded
earlier in 1977 and mixed with the same audience as the rest of “Alive II.”
Furthermore, it would seem quite logical, from that point of view, that the
“sound check” version on the “Box Set” is simply the recording without the
audience over-dubs. For details refer to the “KISS Alive II” section.
51.19. Love Gun (1977 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Love Gun” section.
51.20. Love Is Blind (1977 Demo)
According to Gene, “I recorded that song on the road (possibly
51.21.
The whole “cinematic”
introduction to the song is simply cut with the song starting with the car
crash. As an edit it is not as bad as the hatchet job the 7” single version
was, but is worse than the “Double Platinum” remix. With the following track
being the live version, the transition is adjusted from what would have led
directly into the studio version of “King Of The Night Time World.”
51.22. King Of The Night Time World (Live)
This song certainly was not
recorded live in August 1977 at the LA Forum. Since this song wasn’t performed
on the “Love Gun” tour, or during the visit to Japan in early 1977, it would
seem likely that this song should be placed in the same category as “Hard Luck
Woman” and “Tomorrow And Tonight” - As being a studio “live” or soundcheck
recording with audience overdubbed.
51.23. Radioactive (1978 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Gene Simmons” section.
51.24. You’re All That I Want, You’re All That I Need (1980 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Unmasked” section.
51.25. Talk To Me (1980 Live)
Recorded live
51.26. Nowhere To Run (Remix)
Rather than coming from the
“Killers” album this track is the 1989 remix by Steve Thompson and Michael
Barbiero.
51.27. Creatures Of The Night
Remastered from the 1985
mix, rather than the original 1982 mix, unlike the final two “Creatures” songs
that come from the 1982 mix. There has been some debate concerning the source
of the other two songs, but the lowered drums in the mix is clear.
51.28. War Machine
Memories are clouded about
the genesis of this song, as noted with Gene’s liner notes. Jim Vallance has
commented that he and Bryan Adams submitted both “War Machine” and “Rock And
Roll Hell” to KISS via Michael James Jackson in July 1982. However, he was
unclear on whether the song had been started from scratch by him and Bryan. In
the case of this song Gene has an equal share as Bryan and Jim, indicating that
he made more contributions to the version KISS recorded than “Rock And Roll Hell.”
What seems likely, from the time-line, is that Gene and Bryan, who had been
writing with Eric Carr (“Don’t Leave Me Lonely”) worked on the piece with Jim
Vallance later putting his two-cents in. This seems to make sense considering
the context of Gene’s comments. The three of them never worked together in
person.
51.29. Time Traveler (1986 Demo)
Written by Paul Stanley and Desmond Child. Paul would
demo this song with Bruce Kulick and keyboard player Phil Ashley around the
same time he was working on other similar songs such as “Don’t Let Go” and
“When Two Hearts Collide.”
51.30. Ain’t That Peculiar (Eric Carr, 1989)
When one first looked at
the new KISS box set, they were probably pleased to see that there was a
previously unknown and unreleased demo from Eric Carr it the form of “Ain’t
That Peculiar.” The music from this demo eventually became “Little Caesar” on
the “Hot In The Shade” album. Unfortunately, the song, at least the lyrics were
definitely not written by Eric and were really a metalized cover of Marvin
Gaye’s song of the same title.
It would not be too
surprising that this may have been the original intention with Eric’s R&B
musical background and the sort of songs his 1970s bands were covering, let
alone the continuous rejection of his own material when presented to the band.
While some lyrics are changed, slightly (as Ace did with his demo cover of Burt
Bacharach’s “Baby, It’s You”), the rest of the song is a definite match for the
song written by William “Smokey” Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Robert Rogers, and
Warren Moore. The song reached #8 on the US singles charts in 1965.
51.31. Unholy (Edit)
This track should correctly
be identified as an “edit.” Eighteen seconds of the song are cut from the
introduction with this version simply beginning with the riff. This reduces the
track-length to 3:25. Jesse Damon, from the band Silent Rage who had been
involved in the recording of demos with Gene, would sing backing vocals on the
album recording of the song.
51.32. Domino (1991 Demo)
For details refer to the
“Revenge” section.
51.33. Got To Choose (MTV Unplugged, 1996)
The sixth song perfomed on the night of the
“Unplugged” filming/recording, this song would be tacked on to the end of the
Japanese and vinyl versions of the album. Since there was only one take of the
song, this is it. Unfortunately, running 3:31, this version chops of the end of
the performance for some inexplicable reason! For further details refer to the
“MTV Unplugged” section.
51.34. Childhood’s End (w/ coda)
The “coda” restored to the
end of this song is the instrumental that became known as “Outromental.” While
it was originally intended for the “Carnival Of Souls” album to end with the
untitled instrumental, in a manner similar to the “Rock And Roll Party” teaser
on “Destroyer,” it was left off the album for some reason. The best guess for
its omission is that it was not credited as appearing some 30 seconds following
the end of “I Walk Alone.” However, it was included on some advance copies of
the album. It adds 1:06 to the track-length, though this is some 13 seconds
shorter than the teaser version that lacks the fade-in effect. For details
refer to the “Carnival Of Souls” section.
51.35. Psycho Circus (Edit)
It’s highly improbable that
Ace and Peter performed on this song, though Paul’s lead guitar work is noted.
This song should also be correctly described as an “Edit” since it omits the
“circus” introduction of the song reducing the track-length to 4:51.
51.36. Into The Void
The only “Psycho Circus”
track on the box set correctly credited in terms of “players.”
51.37. Within (Edit)
This song should have been
described as a “Radio Edit.” For a short time, in October 1998, KISS had
planned to release “Within” as the second radio single from the “Psycho Circus”
album. As a result a limited number of CD-R acetates of the track were produced
with a 4:08 edit version of the track which cut around a minute from the track.
The plans were soon dropped in favor of releasing “You Wanted The Best.” On the
“Box Set” version of the song, the full backwards introduction is simply cut
from the song resulting in a track length of 4:28. Tommy Thayer and Kevin
Valentine should also have been credited, since Ace and Peter don’t perform on
the song.
51.38. I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of
Rock ‘N Roll
Again, the credits are
incorrect suggesting any involvement by Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Paul would
play bass on the chorus and lead guitar.
51.39. Nothing Can Keep Me From You
Chronologically, this track
should have followed “It’s My Life,” since it was recorded after the “Psycho
Circus” sessions. Regardless, and for some odd reason, the performance credits
were skipped. They should have read: Paul Stanley - Vocals; Bruce Kulick -
Bass; Steve Ferrone - Drums.
51.40. Rock And Roll All Nite (Alive IV)
With the abandonment of the
“Alive IV” project using the show recorded in
Rather than the credited
New Year’s show in