KISSFAQ's Audio Archives: Sessions & Acetates (2004)
Originally written for KISS Magazine, this article was cut and recycled.

In Issue 2 of this magazine (“Got Money” by Ken Sharp), Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley discussed some of the session work that they had done prior to KISS. Notably, those sessions helped finance KISS’ first demo recording session in March 1973. Their reminiscences covered mainly the Lyn Christopher, Tommy James, and Mr. Gee Whiz sessions, though Gene at least had possibly done session work for Chris Cooper as early as January 1972 (as noted in his calendar). However, there is more to be said about their, and other members of the band, pre-KISS recording histories. In these articles we’ll explore some of the pre-KISS recording history of Gene and Paul, Peter Criss, Eric Carr, and Vinnie Vincent.

We’ll start with a bit more information about the Lyn Christopher sessions. The Lyn Christopher album was a Ron Johnsen produced affair. Gene and Paul weren’t the only members from other Ron Johnsen produced bands who were recruited into assisting in the recording of the album. Members of Bloontz, with whom KISS would play a Ron Johnsen organized library benefit show, in May 1973, would provide a majority of the instrumentation on the album. The most interesting aspect of Bloontz’s involvement in the recording of the album is that lead vocalist Andy Chapman had been good friends with one Robbie Leff – the co-writer (with Patti Dahlstrom) of “Weddin’,” one of the songs Gene and Paul sang backing-vocals on. Patti was the artist who had originally recorded and released the song in 1972. It is perhaps ironic that session drummer extraordinaire Alan Schwartzberg played drums on the recording of this song. He’d have plenty to do with KISS later on. The other song Gene and Paul participated on, “Celebrate,” was originally a single song, written by Alan Gordon and Garry Bonner in 1968, called “Celebrity Ball.” It was split into two segments to fit on the record, and thus ended up as the last song on side A and the first song on side B. Three Dog Night had had a hit with the song in 1970 when it reached #15 on the singles charts. The recording of this song is more notable in that Gene and Paul would apparently meet Peter Criscuola, for the first time, the day they were recording this song at Electric Lady Studios. According to Peter’s brother, both he and Peter were drafted into the recording session, by producer Ron Johnsen, to provide some background clapping on the track (Gooch, Suhs – KISS Alive Forever).

During 1972 Gene and Paul would do some backing vocal work on “Celebration,” a single that was released by Tommy James. Gene and Paul recalled, “At that point we were doing studio sessions, doing singing on other people’s records and doing commercials. Lyn Christopher and Tommy James, the ‘Hanky Panky’ guy. There was one Tommy James record we sang on, it was ‘Jubilation’ that came after ‘Sweet Cherry Wine’ and all his hits over here” (KISS Uncovered). The song bears a striking similarity to the song Gene and Paul sang acapella in the “KISS Exposed” video, when they’re chanting “celebration, celebration.” It’s easy to see how this song could be confused by having a title similar to the song that they recorded with Lyn Christopher around the same time. Regardless of the seeming confusion on their part, the two did do a session with Tommy, and Tommy proudly confirms the fact that they appear on backing vocals on the recording on his official website. Tommy released the single, backed with “The Last One to Know,” in October 1972. The single was hardly a major success, as it would only manage to reach #95 on the Billboard charts. It would reach a slightly better #75 (11/11/72) on the Cashbox charts during a short 4-week stay. The single has most notably been included on Tommy’s 1989 Rhino compilation “The Solo Years: 1970-81.” This compilation included all 16 of Tommy’s solo singles, including those that had been originally released solely as 7” singles. Tommy is better known for other hits, with his band the Shondels, such as “Mony Mony,” “Crimson & Clover,” and “I Think We’re Alone Now,” which have all been successfully covered by other artists.

Peter’s pre-KISS recording history goes straight back into the psychedelic 1960s, a result of his age and the long road he had walked prior to finding fame. Peter had spent most of the 1960s playing in numerous bands, though it appears that few of these band’s made it into the studio. Following his stint as a member of Joey Greco & The In-Crowd, Peter joined a bar band, The Barracudas. It had long been rumored that this band released a single, and with the November 2004 Lydia Criss auction, it could finally be confirmed that the band did. Recorded in late 1966, The Barracudas would release “Affection” backed with “It’s Been So Long” in January 1967 on MFT records. Both songs were written by the band’s lead guitarist, Carlos Cancel, and were arranged by Ted Eddy, and produced by Marty Craft. “Affection” was a mix of surf-style music and the 1960s garage band sound similar to ? And the Mysterions’ “96 Tears.” Conversely, “It’s Been So Long” was more reminiscent of the early 1960s male-crooner songs. This song also bears a strong similarity in style to the material future Casablanca Records founder, Neil Bogart, was recording! The band would issue a second single, “Chicken” backed with “No Use” (Delite 502) in late 1967 or early 1968. As was the case with the first single, the songs were written by Carlos and also produced by Marty Craft. Peter’s involvement in this single is unclear, as it is likely that he had already moved on to another band by the time it was issued. It should be noted that it was not uncommon for bands to record several songs and release them separately, sometimes with a year or more between releases. “Chicken” is similar to the famed gimmick songs of the early 1960s, such as “Peppermint Twist,” but also adds a somewhat psychedelic keyboard twist. If Peter were involved in the recording of this song, he’d be well versed in the style of song due to his experience playing with Joey Dee. Of the four Barracudas songs, “No Use” is in some ways the most interesting, for the striking chord patterns that are very similar to the style of Gene Simmons’ somewhat infamous “Stanley The Parrot.”

During 1967 Peter would leave the Barracudas and join another band, Sounds of Soul. This band performed a mix of R&B with a touch of psychedelia. While a member of this band, Peter would find a couple of musicians with whom he’d have several bands until he joined Chelsea: guitarist Joe Lucenti, horns player Tom Ventimiglia, and keyboard player Joe “Pepi” Gennarelli. The band would be completed with bassist Angelo Opper. The band would remain active until the spring of 1968, though during this time the band managed to record several demos at Gotham Records in New York. It should be noted that the recordings that Sounds Of Soul did were covers of songs that were had been hits prior to 1967, the date that is assumed for the recordings. The songs are also probably very representative of the material the band was performing at venues such as Caesars Pad or Villa Capri. “Since I Fell For You” had been written by Buddy Johnson, but was a hit for Lenny Welch in 1963 when it reached #4 on the charts. “My Girl” really needs no introduction, though it is somewhat ironic that Ace Frehley’s post-KISS band, Frehley’s Comet, would also later cover this song – it wouldn’t make it past demo stage either. The song had been a #1 hit for the Temptations in 1965. “Respect,” which sounds like it may have been sung by Peter, had been made famous by the arrangement that Aretha Franklin took to #1 in 1967. However the song had been written by Otis Redding. He only managed a minor hit with the song in 1965 when it reached #35 on the singles charts. Aretha’s version has the distinct “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” section, unlike Otis’ original. Sounds of Soul covered the original arrangement.

By early 1968 Peter was playing in another band, The Brotherhood. It is currently not known whether the band’s lineup included any other members from Sounds Of Soul, or whether the band had simply changed their name. By the end of the year the band had either changed its name to The Vintage, or Peter had reconnected with Joey and Pepi from the Sounds Of Soul. In January 1969 The Vintage won their section at a talent/variety show, “New Groove ‘69,” held at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn. They performed an original, “The Gypsy.” As a result the band were awarded a recording session at Associated Recording Studios which resulted in the recording of “What Is A Man.” Written by Joey Lucenti, the song is a mix of folk and pop, with subject matter similar to “Polly Von” which Chelsea later covered. In addition to Peter, Joe, and Pepi, the band’s lineup was completed with bassist John Balsamo. The Vintage would play shows as late as October 1969 (The Headline Club), but by the end of the year Peter had moved on. At the time of his wedding to Lydia DiLeonardo, on January 30, 1970, Peter would jam with guitarist Kevin Reese and bassist Peter Shandis. The three would be in a band called Nautilus until mid 1970.

In August 1970 Peter placed an ad in Rolling Stone magazine that resulted in his recruitment as the drummer/percussionist in an “acid rock” band called Chelsea. It is this band that is best known of Peter’s pre-KISS bands. Chelsea was guided by the musical vision of its core songwriters Mike Brand and Peter Shepley, who had been in bands together as early as 1965 (The Others) while the two were at university. Soon after the band came together they managed to secure a two-record deal on Decca Records, distributed via MCA. When the first album was released in 1971 it did so poorly that guitarist Chris Aridas quit. Had there been a single released in support of the Chelsea album then “Hard Rock Music” probably would have been selected to promote the album. In addition to appearing on the album it would be the sole track from the band appearing on the MCA “Sound Conspiracy” album. This sampler even saw release in Australia (Decca COP/S 4524) with a slightly altered cover, though nothing could help sell product that just didn’t stand out. The back cover sampler details a brief bio on the band, which states: “Lewis Merenstein, who produces Van Morrison, Bill Rose, and Turley Richards, among others, produced this first album by the New York based group. The LP was recorded in part at the late Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios. Backing the group on the album is John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground and now out on his own.”

The replacement guitarist for Chris Aridas would be one Stan Penridge, and for a short while Chelsea soldiered on, recording further demo material, with and without Peter and it is possible that some of the demos that circulate, attributed to Chelsea, were recorded without Peter. Stan brought a new creativity to both the acoustic and electric factions within Chelsea, but while he would be able to work with both Peter/Mike pairs, his contributions would not save the band. Lips. Some of the demos that circulate, attributed to the final lineup of Chelsea, include “Run Mr. Greene,” “Darling With The Stars Above,” and “You Make Me Feel.” “Run Mr. Greene” is the most relaxed and fun recording by the band, compared with the seriousness of the “Chelsea” album. While this track is a complete song, though it too may be an arrangement of an older piece and thus a non-original composition. Even the assumed title of the piece can be questioned, though the subject matter is fun with the first verse going: “Well now, I’ve been (I’ve been) sitting here / Planning my escape / My wife’s (my wife) comin’ with a file in a cake (yeah) / And I’ve been (I’ve been) very thorough / I won’t make no mistake / Well I’ve even got my Eldorado parked outside the gate.” The song tells the story of a prison escape and the escapee’s attempts to avoid recapture. “Darling With The Stars Above” is more of a jam session with a tape recorder running in the background, capturing the band warts ‘n all. Heavy on the harmonizing and bass, it is very difficult to clearly make out any of the lyrics on currently circulating copies of the song. However, the recording does start with the playful announcement, “Let’s do the oldie, but goodie,” suggesting that the song may have been a cover, or at least a song written some time previous to the period in which it was recorded. The song does have a very 1950s feel which is almost doo-wop in style. “You Make Me Feel” is also more of a jam piece, though the song is generally dark and moody with verses that go: “You, you make me feel / Make it like you want me to.... / Cry” and “You, you make me feel / Make it like you want me to.... / Die.”

Lips was born the night Chelsea died, when the trio performed at the Yellow Front Saloon in Fort Lee, NJ, when Shepley and Brand were late. While the material they would develop was similar to the material Chelsea had done, several later KISS songs were born in this period. When he saw that the band was going nowhere, Michael Benvenga, quit going on to do session work. The band would do one demo recording with session guitarist John Amato assisting. Without doubt, the most important song created in this period was “Beck.” When the song was revamped in 1976, as “Beth,” it would become one of KISS’ biggest hits. Originally written by Stan Penridge with some contributions from Peter, the song was almost a transcription of Chelsea guitarist Mike Brand’s phone conversations with his wife Becky who was continuously calling up and nagging when the band was rehearsing. According to Stan Penridge, “Beck was written, almost word for word, from Mike Brand’s responses to his wife’s constant calls that interrupted our rehearsals. It got to the point where I wrote down his remarks over a period of 3 or 4 days in what I called my ‘wizard book.’ It was merely a small notebook I carried to jot down silly sayings, sketch in, anything - to save ideas. If you look at the lyrics and view them as a hen-pecked hubby’s remarks to his nagging wife, you’ll see what I mean. Just pause after every sentence and pretend there’s a bitch at the other end of the line. You’ll catch it – I’m sure. Absolutely not responsible at all.” To kill one long-standing KISS-related legend: Lips never performed “Beck” for future Casablanca President Neil Bogart. According to Stan Penridge, “We never performed at Kama Sutra for Neil. That’s one of Peter’s stories. Bob Reno, VP at Kama Sutra, is the guy I contacted and the person we auditioned for. He’s the guy that paid for both 5-song sessions. He also gave me the masters after Neil passed on Lips later that month. Actually, ‘Beck’ is one of the only songs we didn’t perform for Bob Reno – or record during either session. At that point it was still a ‘joke song’ – or a novelty tune.”

Another later KISS song was “Baby Driver” which was recorded in February 1972 during Lips’ RCA recording sessions. According to Stan, “the session date was 2/22/72,” though this seems a bit out of date with the band already being on their last legs at that point. Benvenga was soon to depart the band to do session work (with the likes of John Lennon). Regardless, the song was inspired by Michael Benvenga’s car. According to Stan, “I wrote about Mike Benvenga and his Alpha Romeo Spider and the grudge he held against Pete and I” (JG). “Dirty Livin’,” which would be used on KISS’ 1979 “Dynasty” album, also dated from these sessions. The original demo recordings of these songs emphasize the changes the songs underwent to make it onto KISS albums. Only one song from the February 1972 sessions appears to have not made it into circulation: “You’re My Woman.” The final of the five songs recorded at that time was ““Don’t You Let Me Down” which would be recycled by Peter for his 1978 solo album.

“Don’t You Let Me Down” was originally recorded by Stan Penridge at a folk writer’s workshop. There would be little change between this demo version and the 1978 recording lyrically. Other pre-KISS songs would also be used by Peter in 1978: “Hooked On Rock And Roll,” “I’m Gonna Love You,” and “That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes” were all demoed by Peter and Stan during a session probably paid for by Kama Sutra records. While it is not know when precisely these demos were recorded, they were recorded as a group at Bell Sound Studios. “Hooked On Rock And Roll” was substantially different lyrically to the 1978 recording, though the essential substance of the song would not change: “Well now the boy could play like no one you’d ever saw (yeah) / Played in a band that practiced all day long / He told his mama that schoolin’s gotta go / I’ve seen cases like this before / Your boy’s been vaccinated with a Victrolla needle / He’s hooked on rock and roll / Oh yeah, yeah, right // Well now mama asked the doctor, what is there something I can do? / Doc said, ‘No you can’t cure his soul / Once it’s infected with the blues’ / Well now most I found you’ve traveled ‘round and your boy’s cut from that mold / He’s been vaccinated with a Victrolla needle / He’s hooked on rock and roll / Oh yeah, yeah, right.” Having minor lyrical and arrangement changes in 1978, “I’m Gonna Love You” would see the second verse being changed from “And I’m gonna love you / Rain or come shine / Saying that you need me / Around you all the night / ‘Cause I really love you and it’s true / I’m gonna love you / Rain or come shine (love you).” On Peter’s recording a new second verse would be written and parts of the original second verse would be used as the final verse. Finally, “That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes” would remain mostly unchanged by the 1978 transformation. Peter did not use one final song from this period in 1978: “Don’t Let The Blues Surround You.” This song is sometimes referred to, by parts of its lyrics as, “Love Love Love.”

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