[USA] [Clean] GENE SIMMONS: ASSHOLE

Sanctuary/Simmons Records SANCD-245 (UK, May 17, 2004)
BMG/Simmons Records BVCM-41001 (Japan, May 19, 2004)
Sanctuary/Simmons Records 06076-84670-2(USA, 6/8/2004)
Sanctuary/Simmons Records 06076-84695-2(USA, 6/8/2004 - Edited "Clean" version)
Silverline/Simmons Records 06076-84601-2 (USA, 1/11/2005 - DualDisc)
Sanctuary Midline/Simmons Records SMRCD-295 (UK, 1/3/2006)
RIAA: n/a

   01. Sweet & Dirty Love			(3:03) - Simmons
   02. Firestarter*				(3:20) - Howlett/Flint
   03. Weapons	Of Mass Destruction		(3:44) - Simmons
   04. Waiting For The Morning Light		(3:22) - Simmons/Dylan
   05. Beautiful				(4:04) - Singh/Addison
   06. Asshole					(3:19) - Tostrup
   07. Now That You're Gone			(3:20) - Simmons/R. Kulick
   08. Whatever Turns You On			(3:14) - Williams/Simmons
   09. Dog					(3:07) - Simmons/Bag
   10. Black Tongue				(4:28) - Simmons/Zappa
   11. Carnival Of Souls			(3:26) - Simmons/Van Zen
   12. If I Had A Gun				(2:59) - Bag/Simmons
   13. 1,000 Dreams				(3:19) - Simmons
   14. Everybody Knows				(3:20) - Simmons
   15. You're My Reason For Living		(4:23) - Simmons

Produced by Gene Simmons, *the Overseer. Tracks 14 & 15 were previously released on Gene's "Sex Money KISS" audio lunchbox bonus CD, and will only be included on the Japanese release. The DualDisc reissue includes 5.1 surround sound and stereo album mixes, the "Firestarter" music video, photos, lyrics, and weblinks.

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Promo CD Singles from the album...

More album details from the "KISS & Related Recordings Focus"...

 67.01. Waiting for the Morning Light (Gene Simmons, 2004)
This track was once been known as "Laughing When You Want To Cry," which Gene co-wrote with the legendary Bob Dylan. According to Gene, "Bob came up with the chords, most of them, and then I took it and wrote lyrics, melody, the rest of it.... We understood each other right away. He picked up an acoustic guitar, and we just tossed it back and forth, 'How 'bout this, how 'bout that?' And he started to strum, because he -- at least with me -- tended to talk and strum guitar at the same time. And as soon as I heard the first three or four chords, I went, 'Wait, wait, what's that? Do that again.' So I went and started to write a lyric around that" (Billboard.com).

67.02. Black Tongue (Gene Simmons, 2004)
A track based on an unused Frank Zappa riff and vocal which Gene originally wanted Frank's sons Dweezil and Ahmet to appear on. Regardless of whether the track is developed Gene would be the first licensee for Frank material from Extraordinary Teamwork which manages the licensing of Frank's unreleased music. By the terms of the license Zappa will have to be given a co-writing credit on the song. According to Gene, "it's very dark, very sort of King Crimson, 'In the Court of the Crimson King'-kind of sound, with 7/8 time" (Billboard.com). While Dweezil would play guitar on the recording, both Gail and Ahmet would appear on backing vocals.

67.03. Dog (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Written by Gene Simmons and arranged by Bag, who just happens to be signed to Simmons Records. Gene has commented, "'Dog' was mostly written by Bag. It was recorded in bag's living room. Bag played all of the instruments. He's also singing harmonies on the song. Bag also sings the Warren Zevon sounding 'Werewolves Of London' vocal part. I wanted to make the song longer and remembered the Sam The Sham and The Pharoahs song, 'Little Red Riding Hood.' That's where I came up with the howling part in the beginning. In that song it struck me as the wolf talking to the little girl, it was very sexual. So I did that spoken word interlude, 'what a big tongue you got, the better to eat you with, my dear.' I was chuckling most of the way through" (Gene Simmons PR).

67.04. Asshole (Gene Simmons, 2004)
This is a song by the Norwegian band Shirley's Temple, written by guitarist/vocalist Frank Tostrup, which Gene purchased for use on his solo. The song was originally released as the title-track of the band's September 2002 EP on Capitol/EMI and would also become the title of Gene's album. The band were inspired by KISS and have recorded a cover of "God Of Thunder" for a Norwegian KISS tribute due in 2004 while the rest of their future seems undecided. Gene would make minor lyrical changes to the song changing "But you got a personality / Just like a bucket of pee" in the first verse to "But you've got a personality (yeah) / Just like a bucket full of pee." In the chorus "Dumb as a sheep... Asshole" would be changed to: "You look like a sheep (ba-baah)... Asshole." The second verse would be changed from "You've really got no shame / You disrespect my name / Does lying make you feel alright? / Then tell me, how do you sleep at night?" to "You know you've got no shame / And you've got such a stupid name / And one day you'll finally shut your trap / 'Cause you are the cream of the crap." Additionally, a third verse would be omitted completely: "Your humor value reaks / I'll bet your self-esteem is weak / One day you'll get it in your life / 'Cause you're the cream of the crop." Shirley's Temple provide the backing music for Gene's recording, so it is possible that he simply recorded his vocals over an instrumental track.

67.05. Carnival Of Souls (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Originally written by Scott Van Zen and Gene, this song dated from the post-Revenge era, and may have been an offshoot of an earlier demo, "Island Of Lost Souls." Gene would play a demo of this song during his "Speaking In Tongues" tour of Australia and re-record for the album. According to Gene, "I ripped off the heavy instrumental part from the band, Love and their song, '7 & 7.' The melody is reminiscent. 'Carnival Of Souls' is a commentary on this crazy world that we live in. The chorus is sung by myself, my son, Nick, his friend Chris Parrish and his father, Steve. That song was recorded by myself on bass, Ritchie Kotzen on guitar and a drum machine" (GeneSimmons PR).

67.06. If I Had A Gun (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Written by Gene Simmons and Bag, who just happens to be signed to Simmons Records. According to Gene, "Bag, who's the first new artist on Simmons Records, wrote that. I reshaped the song a bit and also added the bridge. I was struck by the poignancy of 'look at me with my makeup messed, I'm so ugly, I've never been kissed.’ We all feel that way, sometimes" (GeneSimmons PR).

67.07. Weapons (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Both Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick would participate in the recording of this track. It is likely that this song also dates from at least 1997 with Gene's "Weapons (Of Mass Destruction)" having made it onto at least one prospective song list for the recording of "Psycho Circus." According to Gene, "'Weapons' was written and recorded before we went off to Iraq. After President Bush started talking about weapons of mass destruction over and over again it became the cliché. I always thought the phrase 'weapons of mass destruction' had that vulgar display of power sound to it. Lyrically I took the unholy point of view which is hell is what you make it and this notion that we think we're just here poking sharp sticks at each other, maybe there's a grand jester who's playing on the cosmic chess board" (Gene Simmons PR).

67.08. Whatever Turns You On (Gene Simmons, 2004)
A song from another band that submitted a demo to Simmons Records, this recording features Gene's partner Shannon Tweed and her mother on backing vocals. According to Gene, "When I first told people on my web site, GENESIMMONS.COM to send in demos, I received close to 5,000 demos. 'Whatever Turns You On' came to me as one of those demos. It didn't have that title. I contacted Dave Williams, the lead singer of the band who wrote it. I called him, told him I was interested in the track, and changed it around a little, changed the title, it was my chorus idea and I rewrote some of the lyrics. The musical track is Dave and his band. Singing background is Miss Shannon Tweed, and her mother, Louise and a friend of theirs" (GeneSimmons PR).

67.09. Sweet & Dirty Love (Gene Simmons, 2004)
"Sweet & Dirty Love" is the "Sweet & Dirty" which dated from "Psycho Circus" (and before): "Sweet & Dirty" was the result of Gene recycling an older demo, in this case, the core riff and some lyrics from the 1976 demo "Jelly Roll," for use on a then current song. Gene has kept part of the first verse but changed the perspective: "Well alright... / As I'm walkin' around the Watts St. corner / I turned to see her comin' my way... (Lookin' so good) / You look up, I see your eyes are burning / They're burning right through my head (so good) // If I'm built for speed, /You're built for love... / Too much of a good thing, / Honey's, much too good / Sweet and dirty love..." Both Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick would participate in the recording of this track.

67.10. Beautiful (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Written by Nina Singh and Mark Addison from the band "Kitty Gordon" from Austin, Texas. This song was originally released as "Somebody Beautiful" on the band's 1999 debut EP "Seven." It was also included on the band's full album "Weather." The original lyrics: "Hey, put on your fake eyelashes / wax away the old mustache / six foot four in six inch heels / a cupid tattoo behind your ear/ you're an ingenue in the full length mirror/ tight black dress and all the right moves from your long blonde tresses to your sequined shoes / you're somebody beautiful look at yourself / somebody beautiful somebody else / downtown on Saturday night they happen to catch you in the light / you'd like to dance but they want you to fight / they could never understand what it's like / to reach the age of twenty three knowing what you are you aren't supposed to be / so you spent your money on silicone honey / made up your mind for the very first time that you're / somebody beautiful look at yourself / somebody beautiful somebody else / like a hollywood legend or a rock 'n roll star / what you're not is what you are / standing naked in the mirror's embrace you say this is my body, this is my face / somebody beautiful look at yourself / you're somebody beautiful you're somebody else." According to Gene, "this was one of those story songs, the lyrics killed me. It had this kind of pan-sexual, 'Lola' (The Kinks) flavor to it, and also a kind of pathos. He's a poor guy, who's six foot four in his six-inch heels, a cupid tattoo behind his ear, 'spends all his money on silicone honey,' those lyrics are just classic" (GeneSimmons PR).

67.11. Now That You're Gone (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Originally written in 1977 by Gene and Bob Kulick. Part's of the song would be updated while Gene was recording the song, "The song's bridge came to Gene when he was working on overdubs in the studio. His father had passed away two years earlier, and the lyrics deal with his feelings towards his father's passing" (KISS Kollector). According to Gene, "Singing on that song is my daughter, Sophie and two of her friends from school. I wanted kids to be singing on the chorus, it's kinda like Pink Floyd did on The Wall album. I played bass on it. Jeff Diehl, a guy from Indiana, did the rest. He sent me a tape of what Garth Brooks or the Beatles would sound like doing KISS songs. I heard this, loved it, asked if he wanted to try a track. By phone I told him how I wanted it to sound. Think of it as I'm Houston and there's a lot of satellites orbiting and I had to keep track of all of them. This record was put together in a very bizarre way with a lot of different people, and tracks being cut in a lot of different places with different musicians" (Gene Simmons PR).

67.12. I Dream A Thousand Dreams (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Written by Gene, originally with a more country flavor, for Shania Twain or the Dixie Chicks. According to Gene, "I demoed it and sent off a version to Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. The original version was much more of a country song. I gave Bag the ideas I wanted on the song and he translated it musically. Bag did all the keyboard stuff and we brought in a pedal steel guitar player" (Gene Simmons PR).

67.13. Firestarter (Gene Simmons, 2004)
Yes, Gene covers the somewhat classic (for those of us who are European) Prodigy track. Dave Navarro, guitarist for Jane's Addiction, plays some lead on the recording, which would be the last track recorded for the album, and the first to be released as a single. The track is also the only song on the album prodced by Overseer. This song was originally released in March 1996, from the Prodigy's third album (written by Liam Howlett), and was a major European-wide #1. There are some similarities, in style and structure (not content) between the song and some versions of "Carnival Of Souls." This song was written by Liam Howlett and Keith Flint. According to Liam, "With 'Firestarter,' me and Keith wrote the lyrics together. I'd done the track and played it to him, and he said he'd really like to get some lyrics on it. I was quite surprised, because he's never done it before" (SoundsOnSound, 9/96). According to Gene, "The idea for me to cover 'Firestarter' came from my partner at Sanctuary, Merck (Mercuriadas). It was an interesting notion. 'Firestarter' really has more to do with me, about whom I am and what I mean. Nothing more than it's a chance to do something different and I'm all about that" (GeneSimmons PR).

67.14. Asshole (Radio Edit, 2004)
Simply the song with the "Ass" in "Asshole" beeped out...

67.15. Asshole (Sheep Edit, 2004)
Simply the song with the "Ass" in "Asshole" bleeped out with additional sheep sounds... Both edits were issued on the early radio single for the song which includes the album track.

67.16. Looking Out The Window (Gene Simmons, 2003)
The title of a track mentioned early on (June '03) for inclusion on Gene's solo album. It's not clear whether this song was discarded or simply re-titled.

67.17. You're My Reason For Living (Gene Simmon, 2003)
(As KARRF #49.17 and #36.28) An unused track dating from the "Revenge" era, this song would finally be released in demo format as part of Gene's audio CD lunch-box for "Sex Money KISS" in 2003. According to Jesse Damon, the song demo was "recorded sometime between 1991-93. Around 10 years ago. I absolutely thought it was a smash hit, not our demo, I mean the song itself, the chorus 'You're My Reason For Livin,' say's it all" (JG). Whatever the case the song is stylistically similar to material Gene would later record, notably "Journey Of 1,000 Years" for the "Psycho Circus" album and can be seen as being a latter-day "Great Expectations." Running to 4:23 this very atmospheric piece is keyboard laden before becoming acoustic with Silent Rage serving as Gene's backing band. While the piece does become a full blown electric piece it includes some great lyric lines: "Can't feel the pain / And that's a start / But the first time I saw your face / Was the last time I saw my heart."

67.18. Everybody Knows (Gene Simmons, 2003)
Previously noted as 36.29. this track, along with 67.17, was originally released on a bonus CD in the lunch box version of the audio book for Gene's book "Sex Money KISS." Both of these songs would be included on the Japanese version of Gene's 2004 solo album as bonus tracks. This probably dates to the same period as 67.17.