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Pre-Chelsea History
The history of the core of Chelsea: Mike Brand & Peter Shepley...
Originally published in 2002, updated in 4/07...

Chelsea, it would seem, were formed in 1969, following the demise of another band, The Van Goghs. The Van Goghs had primarily been a cover band playing the club/college scene of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The band included Peter Shepley and Bill Gannon on vocals, Greg Morrison on guitar, Steve Fales on bass, Randy Smith on drums, and Roy Nelson on rhythm guitar. While the Van Goghs had been active in the period 1965-9, Peter would only join the band as an additional vocalist in the Spring of 1968 when Bill was suffering from some vocal issues: While these would later be resolved, Peter simply came in to supplement the band's sound. The band would record one track in New York City with Peter, "Bubble Gum Tree," which was not written by the band and was similar to the sort of adventure experienced by Paul Caravello's Cellarmen, who would record music for publishers. Indeed, the Van Goghs didn't hear the track for the first time until they reached the studio!


The Others: DeStout, Shepley, Patalano, Johnson, Brand...


Prior to joining the Van Goghs, Peter Shepley had been in a band called "The Others" while a student at the University of Rhode Island. One of the most popular bands in the area at the time, the band was comprised of Peter, Mike Brand, John Costa on bass, Mike Patalano on drums, and Jim DeStout on guitar. Jim's father acted as the band's unofficial press agent. The band released three singles and opened up for acts including The Loving Spoonful and the Byrds. However, John Costa departed the band in late 1965, following the recording of the band's first single, and was replaced by Bob Johnson. Johnson would be the only member of the band not studying at the University of Rhode Island; he was a student at nearby Brown University.


01.34. I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye (The Others, 1965)
This song is not as obscure as it might seem. It was covered by members of the punk band The Damned on their one-off Naz Nomad and The Nightmares "Give Daddy The Knife, Cindy" project in 1984.

01.35. Until I Heard It From You (The Others, 1965)
The first "The Others" single (RCA Victor 47-8669) that was released in September 1965. While "I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye" was written by Peter Shepley and Mike Brand, "Until I Heard It From You" was a cover of an Otis, Northern, and Briggs composition. These tracks had had their copyright registered on December 10 (USCO: RE-631-978) and August 27, 1965 (USCO: RE-632-015), respectively. This material is very different from the folk the band would also perform, with "I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye," being a guitar driven 1960s pop/rock track that runs 2:07.

01.36. I Got A Feeling (The Others, 1965)
Written by John Costa and Mike Patalano, this song was recorded for the RCA Sessions in June 1965, but was never used.


01.37. Lonely Street (The Others, 1965)
01.38. I Remember The First Time I Saw You (The Others, 1965)
The second single (RCA Victor 47-8776) released in December 1965. Peter Shepley and Mike Brand wrote "Lonely Street", while John Costa wrote the B-side. "Lonely Street" was recorded at RCA Studios in November 1965, while the B-side was a left-over from the June sessions. John Costa left the group following he first session, so it is likely that his replacement, Bob Johnson, played bass on the A-side.


01.39. My Friend The Wizard (The Others, 1967)
01.40. Morning (The Others, 1967)
The final "The Others" single (Jubilee 45-5550) released in April 1967. "My Friend The Wizard" was originally titled "Off To See The Wizard" and was written by Peter Shepley and Mike Brand, as was the B-side, "Morning." Copyright registrations appear for "Off To See The Wizard" (USCO: RE-671-914 - September 26, 1966) and "Morning" (USCO: RE-671-915 - September 26, 1966). These songs were recorded in November 1966.

A description of these recordings seems rather different to the sort of material with which the two would later be involved. According to Vernon Joynson, in his book "Fuzz Acid & Flowers," the material "couples smooth harmonies with upbeat dance rhythms, and is backed by a harmonious folk-rocker. Their second, 'The First Time I Saw You' is a pleasant pop rock song, coupled with a chiming pop-ballad. Their final effort, 'My Friend The Wizard,' features a more psychedelic sound and the uncompiled 'Morning' is a dreamy harmony ballad. The consistently high quality of their garage-pop output, blending Beatles and Byrds influences with mellow harmonies, surely indicates there's more to be heard." The material recorded by The Others could also be described quite differently by someone not from that particular musical era: And you thought Chelsea was "different"?

Regardless, this early core partnership of Mike Brand and Peter Shepley would provide the basis for Chelsea as they formed in 1969. With the addition of Michael Benvenga, who had been in the popular Brooklyn band The Wall, Peter Criscuola and Chris Aridas completed the band's lineup. Peter "Cris," of course, had been in bands such as Nautilus and Sounds Of Soul/Brotherhood immediately prior to joining Chelsea. Concerning his entry into Chelsea, Peter has commented, "I put an ad in the Village Voice and found the other guys who called me and asked me to be their drummer" (Kerrang #226). Presumably, they auditioned him first.

One other item that is interesting, in contrast to statements Gene Simmons has made, is that Peter had already shortened his name from Criscuola. In his autobiography, "KISS and Make-Up" (Three Rivers Press, 2001), Gene states, "his name was Peter Criscuola, and we shortened it to Peter Criss" (p.68). Sadly, this is incorrect. Peter had been credited on the Chelsea album's rear cover as "Peter Cris" in 1970, so had shortened his surname long before Gene Simmons came into his life. Additionally, a "KISS" press release, dating to around April 1973, states: "KISS consisting of: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Cris has been able to do in 4 months what it's taken other years to achieve. They demand, and receive total audience surrender." That the spelling of "Cris" in this press release could be a typo is possible, but one needs to consider who wrote the band's early press: Gene. Fred Kirby, writing a review in an August 1973 edition of Variety Magazine would use the spelling "Peter Criss." What's in a name?

The history of Chelsea has been discussed extensively in the KISS Album Focus, though after signing a two-record deal with MCA/Decca Records in 1970, the band would only release their debut album. Because of the call dates of the record it is easy to date the release of the album in 1971. But that is not the end of the story of the members of Chelsea.

01.41. Death Rattle and Roll (Session)
During 1972/3, allegedly, Peter Shepley and Mike Brand recorded an album for Dick James Music (DJM). The completed album would hit a stonewall after costing some $100,000 to produce, but eventually Shepley/Brand signed with Paramount Records through Louis Ragusa, who had moved from DJM to Paramount. According to one source, "He believed in something, maybe just the fact that he had invested so much in the project. He made the main promotion guy listen and he liked it." Unfortunately, before the album could be released, Paramount closed its record division.

What were the recordings? Apparently, Brand/Shepley had transformed their sound from folk to a more mainstream rock. The album, titled "Death Rattle and Roll" remains unreleased, if it even exists at all. It was allegedly recorded at the Record Plant, Bell Sound, and Electric Lady Studios in New York City. More importantly to the story of KISS, Peter Criss returned to the fold with his prior band-mates and "played on a number of tracks." Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would also allegedly do session work on tracks on the record dating this to the period between Peter hooking up with them and the transition into KISS. This means that there are possibly other recordings, apart from "Lyn Christopher," on which the three appeared prior to KISS. No song titles are currently known. Note: Like "Molimo," take this information with a pinch of salt since it has yet to be confirmed by Gene, Peter, or Paul.

One thing that is clear is that Shepley/Brand obtained another recording-related credit following their history with Chelsea, one which did get released.


01.42. Whatever Happened To Superman? (Captain Freak & The Lunacycle Band)
01.43. I Wouldn't Pull Your Toe (Captain Freak & The Lunacycle Band)
"Leon Russell meets Captain Beefheart" produced by... Mike Brand and Peter Shepley along with Howard Boggess and March! Track 01.42 was written by Robert Lewis, Frank Lipsius, and Steven Sugar; Track 01.43 by Howard Boggess. The continuation in the attempt to figure out what happened to Brand/Shepley post-Chelsea. This single on Phil-L.A. of Soul 366 dates from 1974. Certainly not pertinent to KISS, but an interesting tangent for the author. How Shepley and Brand became involved, or the extent of their involvement, remains a mystery at this point.


What is odd that there is a second version of this single with a new A-side and different recording of song on the B-side.

01.44. 20th Generation Sad (Captain Freak & The Lunacycle Band)
01.45. Whatever Happened To Superman? (Captain Freak & The Lunacycle Band)
Released on Jamie Records 1397. Produced by Jon Dorn and Howard Boggess. Engineered by Joe Fein. One dating suggests this was released around 1971 and "20th Generation Sad" had been recorded by Howard Boggess himself as the B-side on Jamie Records 1396. 01.44 was written by Howard Boggess and Mickey Lee Lane. The B-side is essentially the same song as on the other version, only with horn (sounds like a tuba!)/piano accompanyment and no additional backing vocals. As a result, it is not clear which came first, though this second single lacks any mention of Shepley and Brand.


Click on image to play Howard Boggess sample...


And the point of all of this... Howard Boggess = Same Vocalist as on "Captain Freak & The Lunacycle" recordings. Now, a big WTF on Brand/Shepley's tie-in to this mess!