The KISS RE-REVIEW SERIES Part 41: Eric Carr solo #1.
It’s back and picking up right where we left off: the death of Eric Carr. The previous chapter of this series was posted November 8 2017, with the intention to talk about Eric Carr’s demos next, before moving on to his replacement. When Eric died of cancer in 1991, he left behind several tapes of unreleased material that have since been issued on CD. Likewise, the Kiss Re-Review Series was derailed by Mrs. LeBrain’s cancer diagnosis, but will carry on now that she is well. Thank you for your patience!
ERIC CARR – Rockology (2000 EMI)
The late 
drummer Eric Carr was frustrated towards the end. He was writing good material, but it was always being rejected by Paul and Gene. In the press, Eric would tow the company line and explain that everybody else had such good songs, that there was no room for his. In his heart, he was hurt and felt shunned.
Eric Carr wasn’t just a drummer. He could sing lead, and he could write. Kiss’ single “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” was an Eric idea. He co-wrote “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” with Bryan Adams. Although his writing credits on Kiss albums were sparse, he had plenty of material in the can. 2000’s Rockology is a series of those demos, some in a near-finished state and some left incomplete. Much of this material was intended for a cartoon Eric was working on called The Rockheads. 10 years later, Bruce Kulick finished recording some guitar parts and mixed it for release. He also wrote liner notes explaining the origins and Eric’s intentions for each track.
Eric didn’t have a particularly commercial voice, falling somewhere south of a Gene Simmons growl. There’s no reason why Gene couldn’t have sung “Eyes of Love” from 1989, which has more balls than a lot of Hot in the Shade. This demo has Eric on drums and bass, and Bruce Kulick on guitar with a solo overdubbed in 1999. It doesn’t sound like a finished Kiss song, but it could have been tightened up to become one. Same with the ballad “Everybody’s Waiting”. It sounds custom written for Paul Stanley. But it was 1989, and nothing was going to displace “Forever” from the album, nor should it have.
Many of the demos have no words. “Heavy Metal Baby” features Eric scatting out a loose melody. This heavy and chunky riff would have been perfect for the later Revenge album, had Eric lived. In a strange twist, several of the best songs are instrumentals. The hidden gem on this CD is the unfinished “Just Can’t Wait”. It could have given Journey and Bon Jovi a run for their money. Eric, Bruce and Adam Mitchell wrote it for Crazy Nights, and you can almost hear a killer chorus just waiting to leap out at you. This potential hit could have been the best song on Crazy Nights, had it been finished.
“Mad Dog” has nothing to do with the Anvil song of the same name. The chorus is there but the verses are a work in progress. This hard rocker from 1987 was probably too heavy for what Kiss were doing, though it would have added some much needed groove. “You Make Me Crazy” is in a similar state of completion and boasts a tap-tastic solo by Bruce. Apparently this demo was originally called “Van Halen” and you can hear why. Two versions of a song called “Nightmare” exist, including a really rough one without drums. This incomplete song could have really been something special. It has a dramatic feel and different moods, and was probably too sophisticated for Kiss, though any number of 80s rock bands would have been lucky to have such good material.
The last batch of tracks show off the Rockheads material. Whether Eric’s cartoon idea ever would have happened or not, the advent of bobble-heads and Pops would have made marketing easy. The songs are virtually complete though the drums are programmed. “Too Cool For School” is a little cartoony, which is the point, right? For keyboard ballads, “Tiara” showed promise. It’s not the equal of “Reason to Live” but it demonstrates a side to Eric unheard before. Next, Bruce says that they always wanted Bryan Adams to cover “Do You Feel It”. It would have fit Adams like a nice jean jacket. Not that Adams really needed the help, it would have been awesome on Waking Up the Neighbors. The set closes with “Nasty Boys”, nothing exceptional. It sounds like a song called “Nasty Boys” would sound…or anything by 80s Kiss really.
Before you spend your hard-earned dollars, remember that these songs are definitely unfinished. They are as polished as possible given some of their rough (cassette) origins. Eric’s talent still shines, but you have to be a fan. Especially a fan of 80s Kiss. They will find it to be a crucial companion piece to their collections.
Long live the Fox!
Today’s rating:
3/5 stars
Original mikeladano.com review: 2014/04/24
mikeladano.com 
I did own this at one point but couldn’t get much use out of it. Got rid of it but I feel that might have been a bit hasty… I just felt like it was something I was never going to listen to again.
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You might listen to one or two songs again, but rarely the whole thing. The next one is even worse…even though it has some completed versions of tunes on it…
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Is that the one that’s got loads of interviews and stuff? Didn’t even bother with that.
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It’s called Unfinished Business. It has a few minor interview clips, more unreleased demos, a few covers, and one or two gems. Stay tuned. I will be honest about it.
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Aye, that’s the one. I can picture the cover… Fox makeup pic isn’t it?
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You got it. In cardboard digipack. Look for it later this week.
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Glad you’ve picked up this series again, because KISS and because Jen is well!
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LeBrain is back and he told you so!
Meat may not be back though. Timing is bad. He’s preparing for Sausagefest so don’t count on Meat’s Slice.
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Welcome back Kiss Re-Reviews. It has been well worth the wait. Great piece. I never did buy this one mainly because of the reasons you site about a lot being unfinished. I should at least get it to have in the Kiss collection.
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Find it cheap and add it! People are spending $2000 for Gene’s demos. May as well spend a couple on Eric’s. Might be a better listen overall!
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How much is the Vault 2 going to cost.
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Your kidneys (both).
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Hurrah! I may not be into Kiss, but it’s good to see this review pop up! A return to the series after a mid-season break. Magic. And really pleased that Jen is well! A double hurrah!!
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I finally feel like I’m able to commit to writing about my favourite band again. These reviews take a little more time and focus than the average. There’s no two ways about it — some just require a little extra love from me.
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Understandable. I like to spend a wee bit more time writing about my favourite artists, too… hence why it’s taken an age to really get through my Lanegan, Cash, and Stone Temple Pilots records.
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Welcome back to the series, and for all the right reasons! Fuck cancer!
This really sounds like it’s for the fans. Like you! Shame the egos of Gene and Paul had to wreck so much. That band could have been huge (haha).
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It’s true, their egos have probably caused some lost opportunities. Gene would argue that their egos opened more doors than they closed.
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Of course he would!
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By 1983, KISS had truly become Paul and Gene’s band, probably more Paul’s than Gene’s. I always thought there was more to Eric than what we were allowed to see. Thanks for bringing this one forth.
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Eric should have been singing a song on every album like Peter Criss used to be able to do. It didn’t seem fair.
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I agree, he should have been given more vocal duties.
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Thinking about it, if Eric had a song like “Beth,” they would have let him sing more but that doesn’t change the unfairness of it all.
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Some exemplary rock trousers going on there too!
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Neat you own this but I don’t think i would seek this one out.
That Ritz 88 show is as far as I’m concerned a great representation of Carr’s singing and drumming…
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Late to the party on this one. Shame on Gene and Paul for rejecting Eric’s songs like that. I’m really enjoying this album, even if it’s mostly demos. Thanks Bruce for adding to this in such a great way.
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There are definitely some songs here that could have been KISS hits if Gene and Paul didn’t want all the publishing money.
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