I can vividly remember spazzing out so hard during the first reunion show I saw, specifically while that solo was going on, just being so happy that I got to see the original four play that song in the makeup!
My favorite Ace moment is either Dark Light or Rip It Out. Love both tracks & have listened to them tons, but I still always stop whatever I'm doing so I can hear the classic spoken asides: "The malevolent order" or "I hope you suffah" Oh yeah, and I love Into The Void. I wish the entire reunion album had sounded like this track!
Ooohhhh, lets see: The solo in Makin Love The Tom Snyder Interview The 78 Solo Album Writing Parastite That smoking flute on That Metal Show, that was cool
This is definitely an unusual appearance from '78 - New Year's Eve, and the Ace decides to pop into a radio station for 15 minutes....with one of his dogs! It's sped up a little too fast, but worth checking out:
Favorite Ace solo on a studio album is either 'Love Her All I Can' or 'Firehouse'. Best Ace song... I'd say 'Rip it Out'. For live stuff the mighty Alive! of course, anything on it, and also anything from the 1/26/76 Cobo show. That might be the best show he ever played. He's so on it's crazy.
And this is probably my favorite Ace picture. I just love that he's drinking Mateus. You can hardly get more '70s.
As I think I mentioned earlier if not for a string of really, really bad life events I'd have done it. It's just financially I can't justify $2,000 while dealing with all the crap going on.
"going to contain"? I thought this was already out for sale. I could've sworn that someone on KISSFAQ had gotten one a month or two ago. Or someone they knew had one. I guess that person(s) kicking themselves for buying it so early.
Oh man, I forgot about the solo in Makin Love. I always picture Jimmy Page playing his dragon telecaster when I hear that solo. The phrasing is fantastic.
No, they get to see the packaging and meet with Gene but they aren't getting shipped until 2018 for these early meet and greets.
WICKED LESTER Wicked Lester (Epic, 1972) The Wicked Lester album which features future KISS members Gene Simmons (then Gene Klein) and Paul Stanley (then Stanley Eisen) was recorded at the newly built Electric Ladyland Studios in Greenwich Village, New York. The recording was done when studio time was available so it took multiple sessions to get the album finished. It was produced by engineer, Ron Johnsen, who then took the record around to several labels to gauge if there was any interest in releasing it. Ultimately, Epic Records decided to purchase the masters and fund the recording of a true studio album. Their condition was that the band fire guitarist, Stephen Coronel, and replace him with a better player. Session musician, Ron Leejack, was hired and the band started to record the album (some of the material was changed from its original format to suit Leejack’s style). The other musicians that appear on the album are drummer, Tony Zarrella, and keyboardist Brooke Ostrander. Wicked Lester, as most KISS fans know, actually contains two future KISS songs in “Love Her All I Can” and “She” both of which are featured on 1975’s Dressed to Kill. “Love Her All I Can” is pretty similar to the Wicked Lester version whereas “She” is drastically different than the plodding, stomper that KISS fans know and love. Incorporating congas and flute for the version, “She” sounds more like a hippy/dippy Jethro Tull song than anything remotely related to KISS. That being said, the Wicked Lester version is actually pretty good. Both Paul and Gene sing in unison as they do on the KISS version, but the vibe is totally different. A cover of The Hollies “We Want to Shout It Out Loud” is included on the album as well (which served as inspiration for Destroyer’s “Shout It Out Loud” but there’s no similarity between the songs besides the title). The rest of the album is an assortment of covers and originals written by Simmons and Stanley. The album took about a year to complete due to various reasons, but when it finally was done it was presented to Epic’s A&R director, Don Ellis, was stated he hated the record and would not release it. Wicked Lester was dropped from Epic the next day. CBS, ultimately, wound up owing the rights to the record and decided to release it in 1976 on the wave of KISS’s break out as a popular outfit. Neil Bogart of Casablanca decided that would be a bad move for the band for several reasons (one namely being that it featured pictures of Stanley and Simmons without make up and the music so different than what KISS was doing). Bogart wound up paying CBS 137,000 for the rights to the recordings and shelved them. Interestingly, the cover art of Wicked Lester was used for the band The Laughing Dogs in 1979 who were on Columbia Records (owned by CBS). The Original Wicked Lester Sessions was released in later years and Stanley and Simmons decided to include the songs “She”, “Keep Me Waiting” (reportedly an inspiration for Revenge’s “Unholy”), and “Love Her All I Can” for the KISS compilation The Box Set which was released in 2001. Final note: Wicked Lester, as a band, only performed twice live. The band’s equipment was stolen shortly after the second performance which, obviously, put a halt on things. It was soon after this incident, however, that the band was approached by Johnsen to record the demos for the album. Here's "Keep Me Waiting" from the album:
Starting with the cover, it really kind of does resemble Gene as a youth at that age! And would we really feel that bad if we found out the dog bit him during the photo shoot?!?
Okay, so that's it for me for this thread. That said, if someone like @bartels76, @Curveboy, @Musicman1998 or whomever wants to continue to posting demos for the songs I didn't cover, please do. I'll check back in from time to time and add something if I feel it's pertinent. But for now, good bye. Enjoyed it, fellas. Now, there's another great American hard rock band with two notable brothers originally from Holland that need my attention. Almost a full year for this bad boy. Not too bad, guys!
"you need to give yourself a round of applause lets go!" @GodShifter thanks for guiding one of the most successful threats on the SHF.
Bad Bad Lovin' Let's call out for doctah love! I'm so glad they decided to stick a different chorus for Dr. Love, because this original chorus isn't that great. Since I've heard Dr. Love so much in my life, it's impossible to hear this and not think it just sounds wrong by going into a different chorus. Still, it shows to the arranging skills that the guys can say, no, let's swap out that chorus and then make a new song. This is an interesting curiosity, but not essential listening. Glad it exists.
The first time I heard his '78 solo album. Since the Tom Snyder awesomeness was already mentioned, I'll go with the video clip introducing Eric Carr. "Look, it's rock and roll!"
I think...as a kid...back on December 14th, 1977 at Madison Square Garden...Ace during his lead leaves a guitar on stage and comes back with another one strapped on...and he points to the first guitar sitting there and it blows up...it was like a superhero come to life. Blew my mind.
God Of Thunder (demo) Thank the gods of thunder that Paul gave this to Gene. Still a good song in Paul's hands... but... it's not the otherworldly masterpiece of shtick, plodding, thumping horror that is the Demon's tour de force.
