CHAPTER 19 - Rock And
Roll Over (1976)
“Rock And Roll Over” Album
Notes:
Produced by Eddie Kramer.
Recorded live-in-the-studio at Star Theatre,
19.01. I Want You
Paul Stanley played lead
guitar on the first half of the solo and acoustic guitar throughout the song.
Sean Delaney has also claimed to have had a hand in writing this song with
Paul, though it would only be credited to Paul. At the time the album was
released Paul was keen to state in interviews that there was no one on the
album outside of the band members, making clear that it was totally a band
effort.
19.02. Take Me
After introducing the
original “KISS Girl” on the previous album in the form of “Beth,” “Take Me”
introduces us to Lucille. “Take Me” was written by Paul Stanley and Sean
Delaney. According to Sean the situation wasn’t really one of co-writing: “So I
think the first song that I actually wrote was ‘Take Me.’ What was really funny
was I had actually written the song already, and Paul wanted some help writing
a song. So I threw this one at him and Paul actually thinks that he co-wrote
the song. He didn’t, the song had been written long before Paul” (Steve
Stierwalt, Jr.).
While Gene has suggested
that this song started off with him stealing the title of a Three Stooges
episode, no such episode exists, though there is the classic “Calling Dr.
Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard” line. While Gene liked the rhyme in the line
“they call me Dr. Love / I’ve got the cure you’re thinking of,” it would take
the amalgamation of several developing demos to create the piece. The verses
for the song would come primarily from Gene’s late 1975 / early 1976 “Bad Bad
Lovin’” demo, while part of another demo, “High And Low” (a latter form of this
demo), would also be used.
This second demo would
include the verse “And even though I’m full of sin / In the end you’ll let me
in / You’ll let me through, there’s nothing you can do / You need my pleasure,
don’t you know it’s true” with that last line being changed to “You need my
lovin,’ don’t you know it’s true” for the new song. By the time the song was
recorded by KISS, Gene and Paul would sing the background vocals in falsetto.
19.04. Ladies Room
Gene Simmons would play
some guitar on this song. Gene recycled parts of the “I Don’t Want No Romance”
demo in the form of parts of the verse both musically and lyrically. Almost
Gene’s version of “Do You Love Me?” Refer to the entry for “I Don’t Want Your
Romance.”
19.05. Baby Driver
Written by Stan Penridge
and Peter Criss, “Baby Driver” was another song that dated to Peter’s pre-KISS
history. Essentially a revved-up electric pulsing version of a song Lips had
recorded in 1972, the song was about Lip’s bassist Michael Benvenga’s Alpha
Romeo sports car and the grudge he held against Stan and Peter. How much of a
writing contribution Peter actually made to the song is not clear, though the
transformation from the original version to KISS recording did not leave Peter
totally happy.
19.06. Love ‘Em And Leave ‘Em
This song was yet another
prime example of Gene’s recycling, with parts of the lyrics originally being
part of the “Drive Me Wild” song, which in turn became “Rock And Roll All Nite”
in 1975. By writing another automobile, related demo, “Rock And Rolls Royce,”
Gene would have the core of this song. The first verse of that earlier version
went, “My limousine is awaiting / And I see you comin’ my way (hey) / I’m
sitting by the window / And you ask me which hotel I stay in / Well make a
reservation / Between the hours of ten and two / Well, if you’ve got an opening
(I’ll remember) / I’ve got a stiff proposition for you.” This is very nearly
identical to the first verse of “Love ‘Em And Leave ‘Em,” with some minor
modifications and have additions. The second verse would stay pretty similar.
Where “Rock And Rolls Royce” had no chorus, Gene solved the problem with the
simple repetition of the title.
19.07. Mr. Speed
The subject matter of “Mr.
Speed” is very simple, according to Paul: It’s “about being able to pick up
women really quickly.... It’s about being so fast, having all the lines, having
the know-how to pick somebody up without wasting a lot of time and seeing those
pick-ups reach their logical conclusion” (Box Set liners). As would be the case
with other Paul demos this song would not change between the demo and the
version KISS would record. Co-written with Sean Delaney, the song is another
subtle piece of sexual innuendo, which was popular with acts in the mid-1970s
who couldn’t get away with blatant sexuality.
19.08. See You In Your Dreams
Gene Simmons played some
rhythm guitar on this song. For further details, refer to entry 19.18 for
details on the transition from demo to KISS recording.
19.09. Hard Luck Woman
It would seem to be a bit
unfair to describe “Hard Luck Woman” as a clone, but the truth of the matter is
that the song is. Rod Stewart had had a hit with “Maggie May” in 1971, and Paul
Stanley, as a fan of his, thought that he could write something with a similar
style and feel. Throughout his career Paul would sometimes challenge himself to
write material in a style similar to another artist or genre of music either
that he had been influenced by or simply liked. The resulting “Hard Luck Woman”
was, for a while, going to be offered to Rod to record himself, but the band
soon turned to their resident raspy-voiced Catman for vocals. According to
Paul, “We wanted something similar to ‘Beth,’ so we let Peter sing ‘Hard Luck’
too. He had a real raspy voice, and when people heard it on the radio, they thought
it was Rod Stewart” (Guitar World, 8/92).
However, the song simply
wasn’t just given to Peter to sing out of kindness. The move would be more
calculated. Paul recalled, “Now, at the time, I was a big fan of Rod Stewart
and I wanted to write a song like ‘You Wear It Well’ or ‘Maggie May’ so I could
give it to Rod – so I wrote ‘Hard Luck Woman.’ I played it for Gene, and he
basically felt that, since we needed a follow-up to ‘Beth,’ there was no way we
could give a song like that away. And Peter was the ideal person to sing it
because he had that naturally raspy, Rod Stewart-ish voice” (KISStory).
Paul would play the
acoustic guitar, a Guild twelve-string, on the recording. Part of the logic for
using the song as a single was the success that the band had had with “Beth”
gaining better airplay than the anthem-styled “rock” singles they would usually
release. The single would reach #15 on the US singles charts in December 1976,
which, while not repeating the mega-success of “Beth,” still kept the band highly
visible in a radio-friendly manner with material very different to their live
assault artillery.
19.10. Makin’ Love
Written by Paul Stanley and
Sean Delaney.
19.11. Calling Dr. Love (Radio Single Mix)
The radio single mix reduces the length of the song
by 20 seconds to 3:02. The reduction is a result of the shortening of the
introduction to the song and starting the fade-out earlier. Instead of
beginning with a single riff followed by the riff combined with Peter’s
cowbell, the song begins with a single measure of the riff/cowbell, followed by
Peter’s drum roll, prior to Gene singing. This edit work cuts 15 seconds off
the introduction of the song.
The second repetition of the chorus, following the
guitar solo, is also deleted. Quite a strong echo effect has been added to the
song, noticeably on the introduction and vocals. This version is similar, but
not quite the same, as the “Smashes, Thrashes & Hits” remix. The album
version of the song ends on “Yeah, they call me (Dr. Love) / They call me Dr.
Love (calling Dr. Love) / I’ve got the cure you’re thinkin’ of (calling Dr.
Love) / Love, love, love, (Dr. Love) / Love, love, love, love, (calling Dr.
Love) love Dr. Love / (Calling Dr. Love) / I’ve got the cure you’re thinkin’
(Dr. Love) / I’ve got the cure you’re thinkin’ (calling Dr. Love) / Oh-aw, I’ve
got the cure you’re thinkin’ of (calling Dr. Love) / They call me Dr. Love (Dr.
Love) / They call me Dr. Love (calling Dr. Love) / I’ve got the cure.” Reducing
the time, the single edit starts the fade-out earlier cutting the final six
lines of the song.
19.12. Queen For A Day
If there is a holy grail in
recorded KISStory, then perhaps this song demo, incomplete or not, is it. Gene
Simmons was working on this song to be Ace Frehley’s lead vocal debut with the
band in 1976. He never completed the lyrics, and while the band did record the
song, no vocal track was cut for it. While it had been intended for inclusion
on “Rock And Roll Over,” there are rumors that a version of the song was tried
out during the “Destroyer” sessions with Bob Ezrin, but this has never been
substantiated. It is even odd that Gene was writing material for Ace, when Ace
had proven more than capable of bringing quality material to KISS recording
sessions in the first place.
Regardless, the song
intended to be a vehicle to debut Ace Frehley on lead vocals, but apparently
his confidence level was still not yet enough to take the center stage in a
vocal capacity. Unfortunately, the uncompleted song remains under lock and key
and it is impossible to find out at what stage the song was at. According to
Dale Sherman’s “Black Diamond” book, the song was included on the list of
masters to be sent to England for remix for the “Double Platinum” album in
early 1978. That in itself may not indicate anything, because Gene would later
record in Britain for his solo album and possibly may have considered finishing
the track himself. In late 2001 there would be brief rumors that Ace had
completed the track for inclusion on the KISS box set, though with everything
KISS, this was more hopeful than factual....
19.13. I Don’t Want Your Romance (Demo)
Stylistically, this song is
right in the same vein as “Burning Up With Fever,” “Howling For Your Love,”
“Bad Bad Lovin,’” “High And Low,” and “Man Of 1,000 Faces.” All of these songs
were recorded around the same time and feature strong female backing vocals.
While technically demos, with several of these songs being transformed into
other songs, “I Don’t Want Your Romance” sounds very much like an incomplete
development piece. In essence, compared to the other songs mentioned it doesn’t
feel like a completed concept either lyrically or musically. Parts of this
song’s music, notably in the first verse, would become “Ladies Room” during the
“Rock And Roll Over” sessions, as would the lyrics though “Uh, you say you like
to dance / And I think I’ll take a chance / But I don’t want your romance”
would be changed to “You say you like to dance / Mmm, I think I’ll take a
chance / Ooh, baby, maybe it’s time for romance.” The demo runs 2:23.
19.14. Howling For Your Love (Demo)
A rather strange Gene demo
that runs 2:18. The “the hour’s getting late” lyric and music would be used
later in “Plaster Caster,” but much of the odd lyrics to this song remain
un-recycled. This is something of a shame considering the great introduction,
“Don’t know how else I can say it / Don’t know if you’d think it’s strange / I
don’t know how to ask you politely / But let me put it this way....,” though
the chorus does get a bit tedious, even with the great female backing vocals.
Compared with the previous song, this one sounds much less developed and rough,
right down to the simplistic drums. As mentioned earlier, this song was
recorded at the same time as “Rotten To The Core,” “True Confessions,” and “Man
Of 1,000 Faces.”
19.15. Jelly Roll (Version #1)
This 1:51 demo song by Gene
Simmons really has no connections, since it is so different from the sort of
material he usually worked out. None of the lyrics from the piece, or the music
for that matter, would be recycled for use on other songs: “I saw her walkin’
around the Watts St. corner / You turned to see her comin’ your way.... /
(Lookin’ so good) / She looks up, she sees your eyes are burning / They’re
burning right through your head.... / (You’re on fire).” Gene has suggested
that this piece was the first version of a song which would later become
“Rotten To The Core,” which in turn would become “Sweet And Dirty.” Yet,
musically, the song is very different than either of those songs, sharing no
common components lyrically or structurally. The song has been recorded in the
years since 1975/6 with a different style and lyrics.
19.16. Rotten To The Core (Version #1)
Gene has claimed that he
wrote this song about Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols around the same time he
wrote “Man Of 1000 Faces,” “True Confessions,” and “Howling For Your Love.” In
1998, while Gene was working on material for the “Psycho Circus” album, Gene
recycled parts of the song’s main riff in a new composition, “Sweet And Dirty,”
one of the other songs the band would record for possible inclusion on the
reunion album. It is very likely that Gene was at least aware of the Sex
Pistols in 1976, following the band’s visit to England and Europe in May.
Unfortunately, the song certainly shows that he had little concept about what
John Lydon, Glen Matlock, Steve Jones, and Paul Cook, and for that matter the
whole punk movement, was about. Regardless, Gene has long liked the title
“Rotten To The Core” – and has used the line in other lyrics. This 3:28 demo,
recorded at some point after the European Tour of 1976, has yet to fully
surface as a KISS recording, even with its great lyrics: “Let me introduce you
to pleasure / I will seduce you, my treasure / I know you’ll ask me for more /
You wanna know what’s in store.”
19.17. Penny Arcade
“Penny Arcade” was a demo
Gene recorded at The Record Plant. It eventually became “Radioactive,” which
would be fully realized and recorded on Gene’s 1978 solo album. According to
Gene inspired by the nickelodeons of the early 1900s and the possibility of
receiving a prize or a surprise (Sharp, Ken - Goldmine).
19.18. See You In Your Dreams Tonight (Demo)
Like many other Gene demos,
this would be recorded with the “Group With No Name” female backing-vocalists
(Sharp, Ken – Goldmine). While that band was signed to Casablanca and would
release an album, “Moon Over Brooklyn,” in 1976, it is more noted for its
members: Katey Sagal, Franny Eisenberg, Carolyn Ray, Jimmy Lott, and Alan
Miles. Katey would go on to date Gene (also singing on his 1978 solo album) for
a while, and was a member of Bette Midler’s “Staggering Harlettes” before
finding fame in the television series “Married With Children.” The copyright of
the song would be registered with this full title in September 1976. However,
by the time “Rock And Roll Over” had been released the title had been shortened
to its more familiar form.
In a 2:10 format the song
would essentially share the same arrangement as the version KISS would record,
but it had some lyrical differences, most noticeably, on the first verse: “The
party’s over, you’re in the corner / You’re all alone for the night / You pick
up the phone, you want to go home / Well dry your eyes, it’s alright / Because
baby, I’ll.... [Chorus].” The chorus would be totally sung by the girls, though
on the second chorus and chorus repetitions Gene would also sing.
19.19. Mongoloid Man (Demo)
Written by Gene with Joe
Perry of Aerosmith, and recorded as a demo with Joe and Michael Des Barres.
This apparently heavy riff-laden track (appropriate since Joe always liked his
B.C. Rich “Bitch”) has been described as being a dance version of “War Machine”
(Sharp, Ken - Goldmine). Gene has described some of the lyrics for the song,
that were later recycled for use in “Spit,” on the “Revenge” album: “I’ve got
no manners and I’m not too clean / But I know what you like, if you know what I
mean / I don’t like to dress / Don’t talk too good / ‘Cause I’m a mongoloid
man, it’s understood // He’s a mongoloid man / I do what I can / Mongoloid, a
mongoloid / Mongoloid man” (Firehouse #68).
Television broadcast notes:
Tracks 19.20-19.22 were
broadcast on the Paul Lynde Halloween Special on
19.20.
19.21. Beth
19.22. King Of The Night Time World
According to documentation the band rehearsed at
ABC’s rehearsal hall #5 on
GENE SIMMONS’ PRODUCED
VAN HALEN DEMOS (1976)
Memories seem to be very
poor when discussing the demos produced by Gene Simmons for Van Halen in late
1976. Gene has variably stated that there were 12 or 15 demos, some of which
would later be used on the band’s debut album. Fortunately, 10 perfect sound
quality demos from those sessions do circulate. These include: “Baby, Don’t
Leave Me Alone,” “Big Trouble,” “House Of Pain,” “Let’s Get Rockin,’” “On
Fire,” “Put Out the Lights,” “Runnin’ With The Devil,” “Somebody Get Me a
Doctor,” “She’s the Woman,” and “Woman In Love.” Some tracks were recorded at
the Village Recorder Studios in