While Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley had hoped that Wicked Lester would become a band doing mostly original material they still got stuck in the situation of playing covers versions of other artist's songs. For the Epic album these included: "Sweat Ophelia", "Too Many Mondays", and "(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud". Included here is the demo "Long Long Road" sung by Paul, just for the heck of it... There is also the probablility that "What Happens In The Darkness" and "When The Bell Rings" were purchased by Ron Johnson for the band to perform. The later of these two songs is very definately rather too political to have been written by either Gene or Paul, judging from their output and writing styles at the time. Who did write them, though, remains something of a mystery which will get sorted out in due course.

"Sweet Ophelia" (1971) - was a cover of a song written by Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin that had been originally recorded for Barry Mann's 1971 album "Lay It All Out" ([UK] CBS-64805; [US] New Design 30876). Interestingly, this album features Carol King, who had performed earlier Mann compositions, on piano and backing vocals. The drummer on the album, interestingly, is one Alan Schwartzberg who would have later KISS connections of his own. At least two singles were released from Barry's album, "When You Get Right Down To It" (New Design ZS7-1005) backed with "Don't Give Up On Me". This album has, in recent years, been re-released in Japan on CD with bonus material (Dreamsville YRCD-36) and as a special Millenium Edition vinyl edition. The Wicked Lester version stays pretty true to the original.
Barry Mann's "Sweat Ophelia"

"Too Many Mondays" (1971) - also came from Barry Mann's 1971 album "Lay It All Out" ([UK] CBS-64805; [US] New Design 30876) and was co-written with Cynthia Weil, who is actually Barry's wife and song-writing partner at the famed Brill building song-writing factory in New York. This song was also released as a single (3:55), with a picture sleeve (New Design 1006, US) though it did not 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) and Mary Travers (1973)...
Barry Mann's "Too Many Mondays"

"(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud" (1971) - was a cover version of the Hollies' song "I Wanna Shout" released in November 1970 on their post-Graham Nash album "Confessions Of The Mind" ([UK] Parlophone PCS-7178) . It was written by Alan Clarke and Terry Sylvester, who had replaced Nash when he left to join a small band with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. The album only managed to reach #30 on the UK charts as the Hollies' success declined. This album is one of the most difficult Hollies to find, and the material is usually ignored from commonly available compilations.
The Hollies's "I Wanna Shout"

"Long Long Road" (1970/1) - this was a song that was only demoed and was not included as part of the recording sessions for the aborted Wicked Lester album. Paul Stanley later recalled to Ken Sharp, "it's kind of like a country-tinged, folky ballad. I didn't write it" (Goldmine #419). As to who did write it, currently unknown.

"(What Happens) In The Darkness" (1971) - This song was allegedly written by Paul Stanley, but was actually not. It was a song obtained by Ron Johnson for the band to record. Sung by Paul. The song was released by the band Infinity on a MCA/Uni single in 1972 (UNI 55327) backed with "Do Your Thing Like Jesus", but it is not clear whether Tamy lester Smith was a part of the group or just a song-writer whose material was recorded by the group. She would also write material recorded by the Jackson 5. There is thick irony at the song-writer's middle name! The Wicked Lester version varies only slightly from the Infinity recording of the song where the female and male singers trading off, much like Gene and Paul would on their version.
Infinity's "(What Happens) In The Darkness"

"When The Bell Rings" (19??) - this was one of the songs Ron Johnsen purchased for the band to record. Who it was originally, if ever recorded at all, is currently unknown though the song seems very definitely rather too political to have been written by either Gene or Paul, judging from their output and writing styles at the time, and probably dates from the late 1960's anti-Vietnam politically charged era. According to Jeff Suhs, the song was probably written by Austin Roberts and Christopher Welch…

There's a lot to be said of both the songs that KISS have covered and the songs (usually 'Demos') that have often been attributed to KISS or KISS related members, that justify this slightly unconnected discourse, to explore both the origins of those songs, and the actual artists involved in the original recordings (as such). Some material has become a matter of urban legend in KISS fan circles. Ever heard a fellow fan say, "hey, I've got my hands on this really rare demo called 'Give It To You Easy' which was recorded by Wicked Lester". Or something similar. Did you ever wonder where the covers KISS recorded came from? Some of the detail in this article has been covered briefly in the actual album focus articles, this feature gives the opportunity to go into a bit more depth on the topic, for information that may be in interest. On the online version of this article the reader will be able to hear samples of the material discussed here.

What the author would consider to be the list of KISS covers would include: Kissin' Time, She, Love Her All I Can, Then She Kissed Me, Any Way You Want It, 2000 Man, Is That You?, Odyssey, War Machine, Rock And Roll Hell, and God Gave Rock And Roll To You II...

"Kissin' Time" (1974) - It has long been known that part of Neil Bogart's early music career was at Cameo/Parkway records, both as a recording artist, and later as vice-president. Bobby Rydell had originally recorded "Kissin' Time", a Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe composition, in 1959, on the same label Bogart would later be involved with. The song was released both as a single, backed with "You'll Never Tame Me", and peaked at #11 on the singles charts, becoming the single that introduced the 17 year old Rydell to the world. The song also saw release on his debut album, "We Got Love" (Cameo C-1006, 1959). KISS, along with Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise, and Neil Bogart had to rework the song from its' original form: "They're kissin' in Cleveland, Kansas City, too / They're wailin' in Wildwood, back at Waterloo / They're smoochin' all over, even in St. Lou / So uh-baby get ready, I'm a-kissin' you // Oh, baby 'cause summertime is kissin' time USA / So treat me right, a-don't-a make-a me fight / The Battle of New Orleans tonight // They're kissin' on beaches, sea to shining sea / Smoochin' on benches, near the Christmas tree / Lipstick on collars down in Tennessee / So a-baby, come on now, start by kissin' me // Oh, oh 'cause summertime is kissin' time USA / So press your tasty lips to mine / Sweeter than wine and feels so fine, wa-hoo!! // Mmm, 'cause summertime is kissin' time USA / So treat me right, a-don't-a make-a me fight / The Battle of New Orleans tonight // They're kissin' in drive-ins, you too, Baltimore / Rockin' at dances, land and sea and shore / Then it's off to Dee-troit, they all know the score / So, a-baby, oh baby, what are we waitin' for? / Oh, 'cause summertime is kissin' time USA (© 1959, Mann/Lowe)... Bubble-gum, gotta love it. KISS' rework of the song took 20 minutes in April 1974 and didn't reach anywhere near the original success of the song hitting only #87, though it was included on later pressings of the debut KISS album, much to the annoyance of the band. As for Bobby, he continued as a teen idol on Cameo-Parkway records until 1963, and moved into movies while continuing to record for other labels.
Bobby Rydell's "Kissin' Time"

"She" (1975) - was originally recorded by Wicked Lester, which included Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, for their twice-rejected CBS/Epic album in 1971-2. Produced by Ron Johnsen it was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The song was covered, or technically re-recorded, by KISS for their "Dressed To Kill" album in 1975. Even though KISS recorded another Wicked Lester song, "Goin' Blind" on their 1974 album "Hotter Than Hell", that song does not count as a cover because it was never recorded for the Wicked Lester album, just demoed by the band in its original form of "Little Lady".
Wicked Lester's "She"

"Love Her All I Can" (1975) - was originally recorded by Wicked Lester, which included Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, for their twice-rejected CBS/Epic album in 1971-2. Produced by Ron Johnsen it was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The song was covered, or technically re-recorded, by KISS for their "Dressed To Kill" album in 1975.
Wicked Lester's "Love Her All I Can"

"The She Kissed Me" (1977) - was originally recorded by the Brooklyn female singing group, The Crystals and released as a single, in its' original form of "Then He Kissed Me", backed with "Brother Julius", in August 1963 on Phil Spector's Phillie label (Phillies 115). It would also be released on an album, V/A - Today's Hits From Phillies Records (PHLP-4004, 1963), a compilation of Spector material including bands like Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, and the Alley Cats that year and never turned up on any contemporary Crystals' album release (pre-65 on Phillies label). The song was written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry, and helped establish Spector's "Wall Of Sound" style becoming a hit and reaching #6 on the Pop charts and #8 on the R&B charts on September 14, 1963. The Crystals were a quintet who had been put together by Benny Wells, their future manager, in the fall of 1960. The group met Spector in March 1961. Unfortunately, the song came at the tale end of the short Crystals' career as Phil then concentrated on the Ronnettes. This was the group's last of their 6 top-10 singles, but their place in history is ensured by their establishment of Spector as the power-house producer he'd become. KISS had to extensively rework the lyrics of the song for inclusion on their "Love Gun" album in 1977 to change the gender direction of the song. Interestingly, the Beach Boy's also covered the song in 1965 transforming it into "Then I Kissed Her" (Single - CL15502) for their "Summer Days (And Summer Nights)" album.
The Crystal's "Then He Kissed Me"

"Any Way You Want It" (1977) - Originally recorded by the Dave Clark Five, this cover was included on the Studio B-side of album 2 of KISS Alive II instead of the intended cover of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" which was abandoned due to his death in August 1977 (16th). The Dave Clark Five version (UK, Columbia DB-7377), released in 1964, backed with "Crying Over You" ([USA] Epic EPC-9739) managed to hit #25 on the UK charts and #14 on the US charts in November 1964. The song was first released on the "Coast To Coast" ([US] Epic LN-24128; ) album in 1965.
The Dave Clark Five's "Any Way You Want It"

"2,000 Man" (1979) - was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and originally recorded by the Rolling Stones and released on their seminal "Their Satanic Majesties Request" (Decca TXS-103[UK]/London NPS-2[US]) album on December 9, 1967. Notably, this album was the first Rolling Stones album actually produced by the band itself, and last, and had a 3D cover that parodied The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's" cover (it was done by the same artist). It included other hits such as "She's a Rainbow" (a US single from the album) and "2000 Light Years from Home". By the time 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 so much they didn't change much from that demo form.
The Rolling Stones's "2,000 Man"

"Is That You?" (1980) - Originally recorded and written by Gerard McMahon, unfortunately I have not yet been able to track down what album this originally appeared on. Gerard would later record a solo album "No Looking Back" (1982) and the song "The Look In Your Eyes" with Kid Lightning, from their 1981 album "Big Rue" (Columbia) which would be included on soundtrack for the 1982 cult film "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" as well as doing session work with the likes of Roger Daltrey (written songs appear on Daltrey's 1992 album "Rocks In The Head"). Briefly he changed his name to Gerard McMann and recorded a 1986 solo album, "Private Papers" (Atco), and since then has diversified into production and move sountrack song scoring.

"Odyssey" (1981) - while KISS recorded the song before its writer Tony Powers recorded his version, it is included in this section to provide the story of the songwriter. In the early 1960's Tony was a songwriter in the employ of hot songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Some of Tony's earliest work included co-writing "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart" with Phil Spector and Ellie Greenwich (performed by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans reaching #38 on the charts), and "We're The Banana Splits" (Decca 32391) for the novelty act The Banana Splits in 1968. During the early 60's he has several co-writing credits for hits performed by a variety of artists. He later wrote and performed the song "Don't Nobody Move, This Is A Heist?" (1984).

"Rock And Roll Hell" (1982) - it took quite a few years for fans to piece together the evidence behind this song and figure out that it was not actually an original composition for the band. What has been mostly unknown in fan circles is that "Rock And Roll Hell" is actually a cover (albeit with rewriting much akin to how the band would later handle Argent's "God Gave Rock And Roll To You II") of a Bachman Turner Overdrive song that had originally appeared on their 1979 "Rock And Roll Nights" album for which Jim Vallance had been a co-writer and producer. At the time the song was solely attributed to Jim Vallance. During the Creatures sessions the song's verses would be totally reworked by Gene Simmons and Bryan Adams to reach the format it would take on the album with only the verse retaining any similarity with the original. Note: The author was only made aware of this connection when Jeff Suhs publicized the information in early 1999...
Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Rock And Roll Hell"

"War Machine" (1982) - According to the Bryan Adams official website, "War Machine" started out as a song written by him and song-writing partner Jim Vallance which was first recorded by the band The Investigators. Since Bryan had first teamed with Vallance in 1977, the song could date anytime between then and 1982. What changes were made to the song by Gene Simmons for use on the "Creatures Of The Night" album are unclear (for now). This is another Jeff Suhs pointed out piece!

"God Gave Rock And Roll To You II" (1991) - this song was allegedly a rewrite of the original Argent version that had been released on their "In Deep" (Epic KE-32195[US]; Epic EPC-65475[UK]) album in 1973. The song was written solely by Russ Ballard and was released as a single (Epic 7-10972 [US/CAN]; Epic EPC-1243[UK]), backed with the equally gospel styled "Christmas For the Free", which went top-20 in both the UK and elsewhere. Billboard's review on 3/31/73 was positive, "highly energized move music led by Rod Argent's flowing organ work and Russ Ballard's guitar support, produce an LP of modern intensities and rich sonorities. This is four beat rock, with samplings of delightful vocal harmonies. The quartet maintains a tight discipline which has an organized effect." (Billboard). Additionally, the single itself was reviewed with Billboard's reviewer commenting, "group is back with material combining a beautiful balance of voices and instruments in a medium tempo. The story tells of what it takes to be a rock 'n' roll star as opposed to being a 9 to 5 guy" (Billboard). However, there seems to be little difference apart from the added harmonizing and very slight rearrangement. This song had already been covered by the time KISS recorded it in 1991/2. Christian rock band Petra twice recorded the song, first for their 1977 album "Come and Join Us" and then with a heavier keyboard version for their 1984 album "Beat The System". As for the KISS versions, the one appearing on the Bill And Ted's OST in 1991 differs from that appearing on the 1992 album "Revenge"...
Argent's "God Gave Rock And Roll To You"

"New York Groove" (1978) - was originally recorded by the British band (from Tottenham, London) Hello in 1975. The members of this band included Bob Bradbury (Guitar & Lead vocals), Keith Marshall (Guitar & Vocals), Jeff Allen (Drums and Vocals), and Vic Faulkner (Bass). The song was a Russ Ballard composition, which was produced by Mike Leander. "New York Groove" backed with "Little Miss Mystery" (Bell 1438-7). This song (and other Hello singles) would be a success in Germany spending 19 weeks on their charts reaching a high position of #7. The song itself was released on the album "Keeps us off the streets" (Bell Records BELLS-263) released in 1976. The song is currently available on CD.
Hello's "New York Groove"

"Into The Night" (1987) - Ace obviously had an appreciation for the songwriting ability of Russ Ballard. He first demoed this song in 1985 and would later record it on his "Frehley's Comet" album in late-1986. The song originally appeared on Russ' 1984 self-titled album (EMI America/Capitol ST-17108) as "In The Night" and was produced by Russ Ballard and John Stanley.
Russ Ballard's "In The Night"

"Calling To You" (1987) - while this, once again, is technically not a cover, but a reworking, the original version, then titled "Megaforce" appeared on the 1982 707 album "Megaforce" (Boardwalk NBI-33253)though the original song was creditted to Howarth/McClarty/Russell, though Jonathan Cain clains a cowriting credit. At the time future Frehley's Comet keyboardist/vocalist Tod Howarth was a member of this band which was on Neil Bogart's post-Casablanca label. The cover was released on Ace's "Frehley's Comet" album in 1987 The song was heavily reworked from the original version for inclusion on the album. The song had been released as single as "Megaforce", and got decent reviews, "the title track is from the movie of the same name which is getting a big push this summer. The music is forceful mainstream pop-rock" (Billboard, 7/3/82). It was Howarth's last album with the group.
707's "Megaforce"

"Hide Your Heart" (1989) - Ace also get's note for his unfortunate cover of Paul Stanley's "Hide Your Heart" which was released at the same time as KISS' version... During his solo career Ace has technically covered plenty of KISS material, but since he was in the band that's his right. He has also covered Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" live in concert, and played on the ESP version of the song released in 1998.

"Do Ya" (1989) - Also included on the "Trouble Walkin" album, this song was a cover of an Move/ELO track, written by Jeff Lynn, that was originally released as a B-side of The Move's 7" single with Ella James fronted by California Man (United Artists UA-50928) in 1972. That single would only manage a dismal #93 on the singles charts as the popularity in the band, notably in the UK, declined. The song, and the other two from the single, were also included on The Move's "Split Ends" compilation album of that year (United Artists UAS-5666) which was essentially a compilation that replaced the weakest tracks off an earlier LP, "Message From The Country" (1971), with the single's tracks. Later that year Lynn, Rick Price, and Bev Bevan formed ELO on the departure of Roy Wood from the band to explore melodic rock with classical undertones. Several years later ELO re-recorded the song and released it on a 7" single backed with "Nightrider" (Jet UA-XW939-Y) and on the album "A New World Record" (United Artists UA-LA679-G).
The Move's "Do Ya" | Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya"

"Polly Von" (1970) - is a traditional Irish folk song about love, pain, murder and betrayal. It has and recorded by the likes Frankie Armstrong, and most famously Peter, Paul and Mary on their landmark "In The Wind" album (1963) attributed to Yarrow/Stookey/Travers, though like Chelsea that credit may be for the arrangement. Differering arrangements have been coming up for decades. See the image of one from the 19th Century, which simply illustrates how old the song is...
Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Polly Von"

"Tossin' And Turnin'" (1978) - While much of Peter's material could technically be considered covers, with the fact that most of his 1978 solo album was recycled earlier material, most of it had originally been developed for his pre-KISS bands Chelsea and Lips. "Tossin' And Turnin" was an exception originally being written by Richard Adams and Malou Rene and recorded by Bobby Lewis in 1961 and released as a single backed with "Oh Yes I Love You" (Beltone 1002).
Bobby Lewis' "Tossin' & Turnin'"

"You Better Run" (1980) - Peter's first solo album, "Out Of Control", was more a matter of leftover demos rejected from the KISS Dynasty sessions of 1979. While that new album did include mostly original material, interestingly Peter did chose to cover the Young Rascals hit "You Better Run". This song had originally been included on their "Groovin'" (Atlantic 8148) album in July 1967. The album reached #5 on the US charts while the single backed with "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" (Atlantic 7-2338), which had originally been released in 1966 had reached #20 on the singles charts. While this would later be covered more successfully by Pat Benatar, Peter's version showed that he did want to rock, and the vibe of the Cavaliere and Brigati compositions, which made the Rascals/Young Rascals so popular in the beginning, came through well with his vocal style.
The Young Rascals' "You Better Run"

"As Time Goes By" (1980) - This song barely counts as a cover. Only one line from the song is simply used as an outro piece on original copies of Peter's 1980 solo album, where he can be heard quietly whispering, "You must remember this, A Kiss is still a Kiss", no doubt as a poignant reminder of his past (but then recent separation from the band)... "As Time Goes By" was written by Herman Hupfeld and sung by Dooley Wilson in the 1942 classic Humphrey Bogart film "Casablanca". Peter Criss' version is included here because many fans have not known that this since song was covered since it was omitted from the CD Reissue of "Out Of Control" released in 1997...
Peter's "As Time Goes By" | Dooley Wilson's Original "As Time Goes By"

"Some Kinda Hurricane" (1982) - was originally recorded by Russ Ballard, who also wrote the track, in 1977. In was released on a UK promo single (Epic EPC-4985). At the time it was not included on any of Russ' solo albums.

"Jealous Guy" (1982) - with the comparisons laid down between KISS and The Beatles, and the influence on the members of KISS that that band had, it is surprising that this is the only Beatles related song ever covered by a member of the band. The song was originally released on John's most successful commercial album, "Imagine" (Apple 3379), which was released in Late 1971 (the release dates vary between September and later). The song was released as a single in the US backed with "Give Peace A Chance" (Capitol CAP-44230) in 1988.
John Lennon's "Jealous Guy"

"When You Wish Upon A Star" (1978) - Gene Simmons has (so far) only released on solo album. This song was a tip of the hat to the Disney cartoons that helped him learn English soon after moving to America in 1958. Additionally, Gene's belief in the subject matter of the song, that all things are possible embody the American dream, something he has certainly attained. The song was written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline and was performed in the movie "Pinnochio" (first released in 1940) by Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket. This song has also been covered by Louis Armstrong and Linda Rondstadt.
Disney's "When You Wish Upon A Star"

Technically speaking, Gene covered his own song when he re-recorded "See You In Your Dreams" on his solo album since he was apparently not happy with the version that had appeared on the "Rock And Roll Over" album in 1976...

However, if you want to get techincal... Vinnie cops some of Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner" for the 1:29 introduction of "Let Freedom Rock" on his 1988 "All Systems Go", but that really is rather pedantic!

However, some of the material from Mark's 1999 EP (Lochness Monster Records LNMRCD-1002) was originally written with Peter Criss and Phil Naro for Peter and Mark's abandoned Tree/Keep project in the early 1990's. Kudos to him for getting that awesome material released!

"My World Is Empty Without You" (1980) - while some fans might feel that much of Blackjack's output sounded like 1960's R&B classics covered, only this one track was actually a cover. The rest of the material was written by the band. Written by the classic Motown writers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, the song has been recorded by The Supremes for their "I Hear A Symphony" album (Motown MS-643) in February 1966. The album would reach #8 on the US charts and is considered one of their finest efforts. The song was recorded soon after by Barbara McNair on her November 1966 album "Hear I Am" (Motown MS/MT-644), and also covered by Vanilla Fudge, Truly Richards, Margie Joseph, The Smith Connection, Norman Feels, and Mary McCaslin before Blackjack did their version.
The Supreme's "My World Is Empty Without You"

Covers & Tributes - Bruce Kulick has done numerous tribute projects. With Eric Singer he recorded the classic Queen track "Save Me" for the Dragon Attack tribute; From the "Forever Mod" Rod Stewart tribute he covered "Gasoline Alley" and "Maggie May" with Union bandmates John Corabi and Brent Fitz; Being a member of the Eric Singer Project has led to him covering Sweet's "Set Me Free", Humble Pie's "Four Day Creep", Edgar Winter's "Free Ride", Johnny Winter's "Still Alive & Well", Deep Purple's "Never Before", KISS' "Goin' Blind", Nazareth's "Teenage Nervous Breakdown", Band Of Gypsy's "Changes", Aerosmith's "SOS", Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady", Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", Pat Traver's "Snortin' Whiskey", and the now ironic Grandfunk Railroad "We're An American Band" plus several other artist tracks played live with ESP from its inception in March 1998... Bruce also teamed up with John Corabi on the Van Halen Tribute project to record "Hot For Teacher". Union has released a cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" on their live album "Live In The Galaxy". A cover of The Beatles "Oh Darlin" was included on the reissue of Union's debut album in 1998. Finally, Bruce is part of a studio band that cover's Ozzy's "Over The Mountain" for the Ozzy tribute project.

"Oh! Darling" (1998) - A cover, more of a rough demo tryout recording of The Beatles "Oh Darlin" was included on the Spitfire reissue of Union's debut album in 1998. Bruce had performed this song live with John Corabi as a part of ESP. The song, a McCartney sung and written composition was originally released on the "Abbey Road" album in late 1969.
The Beatles' "Oh! Darling"

"Surrender" (1998) - Union has released a cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" on their live album "Live In The Galaxy". This song was originally released on 1978's "Heaven Tonight" album.
Cheap Trick's "Surrender"

"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" (1998) - Again, from the Union "Live In The Galaxy" album, another Beatles' cover. This song was originally released on "Help" (Parlophone PMC-1255) in August 1965.
The Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

"Man In The Moon" (1998) - this song was originally released on John Corabi's pre-Motley Crue band The Scream's debut album "Let It Scream" (Hollywood 60994) released in 1991. Produced by Eddie Kramer the album got a reasonable review from Billboard, "hard rock four-piece scores low points for originality, but somehow manages to whang out some well-finished goods on debut. Well-worn influences range from Zeppelin to AC/DC and beyond, but oomph of the presentation and spark-flying axework by Bruce Bouillet save the day. Hooky "Love's Got A Hold On Me" is the clear airplay winner, while bawdy "Give It Up" and raucous "Every Inch A Woman" may also hold fire for album rockers" (Billboard, 10/5/91).

"Power To The Music" (1998) - this song was originally released on John Corabi's Motley Crue album 1994 (Elektra 61534). While Billboard's review was positive, "The Crue pulls off a rare stunt in successfully replacing a charismatic and popular singer with a lesser-known one. Front man John Corabi - formerly of the Scream - doesn't so much step into Vince Neil's shoes as stomp in wearing his own marching boots, and the band sounds as if it couldn't be happier to let him in. Songs like opener ''Power To The Music,'' dynamic first single "Hooligan's Holiday", power ballad "Misunderstood", in-your-face "Welcome To The Numb", and scorching pot anthem "Smoke The Sky" reveal a laser-sharp focus that has already registered at radio and retail" (Billboard, 4/9/94), John's tenure was short, and sales did not do as well as Billboard's review suggested, though Union do well to keep the great songs from the album alive.

For the most part, Eric Singer's covers are covered in the Bruce Kulick section of this article. However, he did play drums on "School's Out" on the Alice Cooper Tribute, Humanary Stew, and covered three KISS tracks on the "Return of The Comet" Ace Frehley Tribute. He played drums on "The Killing Of Georgie" with Gilby Clarke on the Forever Mod album and on "Shot In The Dark" on the Ozzy Osbourne Tribute.

The material that has commonly circulated in KISS fan circles, presented as "KISS Demos", which is actually not, "1980's Ladies", "Suicide", "Take It All From Me", "Rock Me Slowly", "Ring Dang Do", "Fuck You", "Give It To Me Easy", and "Thunder In My Heart".

"All For Nothing" - Unknown. No good enough sounding version of this alleged Ace Frehley 1978 Solo Album out-take has yet surfaced for it to be judged.

"Spotlights" - this demo was attributed to Peter Criss as an out-take from his 1978 solo album and the sound of the vocals and Peter's comments about the song would indicate that the song was him. However, the song was only going to be credited to Sean and Peter if used on a KISS recording, which it wasn't, turning up on Sean's "Highway" album...

"Suicide" and "Take It All From Me" - are easy to deny. Both of these songs were alleged to have been a demo that somehow involved KISS guitarist Mark St. John. However, the tracks were actually from the Canadian band Zon's 1979 album "Back Down To Earth" that had been released on Epic JE-36022. Click on cover for large scan. "Suicide" was the fifth and final track on side one of the album and was written by Brian Miller; "Take It From Me" was the second song from side 2 of the album and was written by Denton Young, Brian Miller, Howard Helm, Jim Samsom, and Kim Hunt (the whole band). The album had been produced by Don Lorusso and Dale Jacobs and was recorded at Manta Sound Studios in Toronto, Canada.
Zon's "Suicide" [785k] | "Take It All From Me" [671k] (Both Windows Media ASF Full Songs)

"Ring Dang Do" - Attributed to very early Gene Simmons, the song is really by the rockabilly Jumpin' Gene Simmons under the title "My Ring Dang Doo". It was originally released as a single backed with "Memphis Blue" on Nashville based Royal American Records RA-45 in 1971. That really should have been completely obvious, but for years the rumor continued. The song was written by Jumpin' Gene and M. A. Cantwell. This Gene Simmons is more famous for 1964 hit "Haunted House". The copy of the song which was erronously included on "Fancy Fair" was a slowed down. The real recording runs 2.42.
Jumpin' Gene Simmons' "My Ring Dang Doo" [950k] (MP3 Full Song)