Joe X Dube

REVIEW: Gene Simmons – The Vault – Disk 10 (2018)

Previous Reading: 

Record Store Tales #600:  The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
Disk 4 Review
Disk 5 Review
Disk 6 Review
Disk 7 Review
Disk 8 Review
Disk 9 Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 136-150 in the Vault box set.  This time we foray into genres far and wide, from disco to reggae.

GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 10 (2018 Rhino)

“Take It Like a Man #2” originated with a riff written on bass, and then intended for Psycho-Circus.  Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer play on this demo.  It was intended that Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene each take a line, and Gene does his little imitations of the members where he wanted them to sing.  This song may have had been better than “You Wanted the Best” which had the same idea.  It’s heavier and sounds pretty good in this demo form.  Though it came later, it has a Creatures vibe.  3.5/5

“Take It Like a Man #1” is the original bass lick from which the song was later written.  This is included to show how Gene would “hear” a full song in his head when coming up with the riff on bass.  It also demonstrates he’s a better bassist than he gets credit for.  This unfinished idea is just that: unfinished.  Yet you can hear he was onto something, as demonstrated by “#2”.  2.5/5

“Have Mercy, Baby” is a Simmon / Kulick composition with Bruce playing guitar.  This is a fully-fleshed out demo, at first recorded to four-track and then upgraded to 24-track for overdubs.  It sounds like a Crazy Nights or Hot in the Shade era tune.  That said, it wouldn’t have been album worthy.  Though Bruce Kulick always offers intelligent and tasteful solo work, the song itself only has one or two solid hooks.  2.5/5

Gene gushes over Eric Carr as a human being in the liner notes.  “We Won’t Take It Anymore” is a song that originated in the same session as “My Babe”, next on the box set.  Written by Gene and Eric, this is a hard rocker with a cool chorus.  It really is a shame that Eric wasn’t nurtured as a songwriter in Kiss the way he could have been.  This has a strong “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” kind of vibe, and the chorus really would have worked well with Kiss.  3.5/5

“My Babe” is completely different!  This fast, almost pop-punk!  It almost throws back to Dressed to Kill-era Kiss, with that kind of simplicity and basic rock and roll arrangement.  What it is, is a hybrid of many things and all of them sound good to me.  It’s understandable why Kiss didn’t want to do this kind of song in the Carr era, but they really should have.  3.5/5

“Eat Your Heart Out” is not the same song that was later used on Monster (though the chorus really is similar).  This is a late 70s demo of an idea that originated with “Rotten to the Core”.  It’s a tangled web since so many ideas appear in multiple forms on this box set.  This is a menacing little rock song that would have worked on any Kiss album from that period, but probably just wasn’t good enough.  There are some cool melodies on the pre-chorus especially.  3/5  

“Nine Lives” is a cool late-80s idea with Bruce Kulick on guitar.  Again, not quite good enough to replace one of the album songs, but there is promise here too.  It has a slow, slinky vibe.  Kulick shows of some cool whammy work, followed by two-handed tapping.  His technique seems to date it to Crazy Nights.  3/5

Back to the 70s, “Howling for Your Love” has Katey Sagal and the girls on backing vocals.  It’s very similar to “Bad Bad Lovin'”, also known as “Dr. Love”, and the tangled web of songs becomes even more so.  It’s pretty good and, once again, had Kiss made more albums, this would have been on one of them.  3/5

“I Ain’t Coming Back” is the song that “Never Gonna Leave You” from Disk 7 became.  This is a four track demo with a dancey beat, but it’s no better than the other version.  One of the poorer tracks on this set, with a chorus that should have never hit the recycle bin.  Just trash it.  1/5

The riff to…ahem…“Granny Takes A Trip” sounds similar to “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.  The title here was taken from a store in New York that sold platform boots.  It’s very metal, but not very good.  It’s very alterna-grunge.  Probably intended for Carnival.  Very noisy.  Not worth exploring further.  1/5

Former Journey and Vinnie Vincent Invasion singer Robert Fleichmann co-wrote “Piece of the Rock” (not the King Kobra/Kick Axe song).  This has a dark 80s vibe but sounds unfinished.  There’s a compelling guitar part with good verses and a decent chorus, but the bridge that connects them should be excised.  The song just needed something else to go in that section, and it would be pretty good.  2.5/5

Gene says “Rock It” was inspired by Fine Young Cannibals.  I also hear Love and Rockets.  Judging by the vocal track, this sounds like it was recorded much later.  It’s not bad.  There’s something cool going on here, especially with those 80s drum programs.  3/5

“Sticky Goo” is a cool reggae-based idea.  It also has a “New York Groove” vibe.  It could be finished into something cool.  Cool, but different.  There’s no denying that some of these songs would simply not work with Kiss and would have to go on solo albums.  But, then again, they did do “Torpedo Girl”, so who’s to say what’s ultimately outside the Kiss wheelhouse?  Gene is sure to lay down crunchy rhythm guitars here to ground it in rock.  Still hearing lots of “New York Groove” though.  3/5

“Love Came To Me” is Gene’s answer to “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, but it also re-uses certain melodies from “Love Is Blind”.  (This is not mentioned in the book, but I’m telling you with my ears.)  Gene concedes that he doesn’t know as much about dance music as Paul Stanley, but this isn’t a bad stab at the genre.  It’s not as fast and infectious, but the bassline is a lot of fun, as is the beat.  You could dance to it.  3/5

“Roar of the Greasepaint” is the original idea that later became “Journey of 1,000 Years” on Psycho-Circus.  He later added chords from the earlier “You’re My Reason for Living 4 Track” (Disk 4) to create the final version.  That version is superior for many reasons, including the heavy orchestration and progressive vibes.  “Roar of the Greasepaint” has a cooler title though.  It really ties into the Kiss image and should have been left as-is.  This was the closing song on Psycho-Circus, and would have been the closing song on this 150 song box set…if Gene didn’t include an 11th bonus disc!  3.5/5

Average score by song:   2.76/5 stars

 

Disk 10 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)

1. Take It Like a Man #2 (2:38) Simmons
2. Take It Like a Man #1 (2:44) Simmons
3. Have Mercy, Baby (4:04) Simmons / Kulick
4. We Won’t Take It Anymore (3:03) Simmons / Carr
5. My Babe (1:51) Simmons / Carr
6. Eat Your Heart Out (2:22) Simmons
7. Nine Lives (3:33) Simmons / Sigerson
8. Howling for Your Love (2:47) Simmons
9. I Ain’t Coming Back (3:02) Simmons
10. Granny Takes a Trip (1:55) Simmons
11. Piece of the Rock (3:48) Simmons / Fleischman
12. Rock It (2:23) Simmons
13. Sticky Goo (3:05) Simmons
14. Love Came to Me (3:25) Simmons
15. Roar of the Greasepaint (3:07) Simmons

REVIEW: Gene Simmons – The Vault – Disk 9 (2018)

Previous Reading: 

Record Store Tales #600:  The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
Disk 4 Review
Disk 5 Review
Disk 6 Review
Disk 7 Review
Disk 8 Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back, creatures of the night.  For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 121-135 in the Vault box set.

GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 9 (2018 Rhino)

Gene wrote “It’s Gonna Be Alright” with Mikel Japp, who was a Paul Stanley co-writer.  This was written for Creatures, and this 4:29 version appears on that box set.  Japp came up with the opening lick while the rest came from Gene.  It’s a good song, though too upbeat and pop for Creatures.  The drum machine is just a placeholder, but even with the drum machine, it’s a good song already.  The guitar part is catchy and Kiss-like.  It would have fit into that Kiss Killers sound.  3.5/5

“It’s Gonna Be Alright #2” was re-done with Bruce Kulick in the mid-80s.  This is more fleshed out, with solos and harder-edged guitars.  The drum program is more sophisticated and it’s more suitable for an album like Asylum.  A real shame that songs like this were not chosen in favour of weaker compositions.  Some songs might not have fit the direction of the album, but perhaps the direction of the album was at fault.  4/5

“Everybody Knows #1” is performed with Tommy Thayer, who plays a very similar acoustic guitar part inspired by “Rock Bottom” from Dressed to Kill.  The electric guitars kick in, along with a massive chorus.  This would date back to the Hot in the Shade era and absolutely should have been on that album.  The answering vocals are killer and it makes you wonder what Paul Stanley could have done with those backing vocals.    According to Wikipedia, the Japanese version of Asshole contained “Everybody Knows” as a bonus track, but it is unknown which one.  4/5

“Everybody Knows #2” is a very different version.  This one is more 90s and alterna-rock.  It could have worked on an album like Carnival of Souls or Psycho-Circus.  While it is still a good song, the previous one is superior, though that might just be a matter of taste.  The chorus is intact but a lot of the hooks I liked are not.  3.5/5

A very special demo is ahead.  “You’re All That I Want” was of course the closing song on Kiss Unmasked.  Gene says this is the only demo he has with Paul Stanley assisting.  Therefore this is the Starchild’s only appearance in this box set, and perhaps therefore the only “true” Kiss demo.  It’s like a shock to the system to finally hear Paul singing, nine discs in.  This demo doesn’t have the pep of the final version, but they were going for something harder edged.  The acoustic guitars are very crisp and unlike anything on the Unmasked album.  This demo just proves that Gene and Paul are better together than apart.  4/5

“Kids With Painted Faces” is the third version of “I Am Yours”, here re-written with new lyrics including one about playing air guitar to Ace.  The Beatles influence still comes through.  This is the song Gene compared to “All the Young Dudes” due to its anthemic guitar melody.  One lyric is pretty poignant:  “There is no Kiss without you.”  True, Gene.  True.  3.5/5 

“I Wanna Rule the World” is another variation of the “Now That You’re Gone” / “Mirage” idea.  It sounds as if the Beatles moved to Seattle in 1992.  It’s quite intriguing.  There was a certain simplicity that was happening with melody in the 1990s, and this demo shares that quality.  It is not bad, but the rough and distorted recording does it no favours.  It is important to remember that “demo” means “demonstration”.  You would literally record an idea to relay or demonstrate the idea to another person, either for them to perform it themselves, or see if they are interested in it.  3/5

“Rule the World #2” is a completely different idea with a similar title.  In the liner notes, Gene explains he does this to make box sets harder for reviewers to write about (kidding!).  This is a very grungey, alternative song with droning guitars and a distinctly 90s sound.  This is one of the songs Gene wrote with Scott Van Zen.  It’s pretty good, and if Kiss had just made more albums instead of drying up creatively after the reunion, this might have come out on one of them.  3/5

“Damn, I’m Good” starts with Gene coming up with the CCR-inspired chord ideas on acoustic.  It then fades into a funky electric demo with Eric Singer.  Gene notes that he re-used some of the lyrics in this song in multiple other songs in the box set, including opener “Are You Ready”.  Now, you don’t often associate Gene Simmons with funky rock, but “Damn, I’m Good” cooks.  Kiss could not have done a song this funky without Ace Frehley, which is to say, though it is only mildly funky, it would benefit from the guy who wrote “Torpedo Girl”.  In short:  this is a different song and it may turn off some listeners.  I think it’s great.  4.5/5

An instrumental version of “Dial L For Love” appeared on Eric Carr’s posthumous Unfinished Business album.  Now here is a full version with drums, lyrics and Gene Simmons singing.  Bruce Kulick also appears, and Adam Mitchell helped finish.  It has a cool 80s riff with the harmonics that were currently in vogue.  Had it been included, Gene says it would have been on Animalize or Asylum, but I think his memory is a bit faulty.  This sounds more like Crazy Nights era.  It should have had Eric Carr singing.  The chorus sounds up his alley.  3.5/5

“Just Like the Movies #1” is the only song Gene wrote with singer / songwriter Stephen Bishop.  This might be a good thing.  It’s hard to hear what Gene was going for.  It sounds like something circa Unmasked, with complex pre-recorded drums and a dancey sound.  In fact some of it did end up in “She’s So European” if you listen carefully.  You won’t read that in the liner notes.   Gene liked the title as a chorus idea:  “Just like the movies, I feel like Romeo.”  The idea seems like it has something usable, but this recording wouldn’t have been it.  2/5

“I Know Who You Are” ended up on Gene’s first solo album as “Living In Sin”.  This early demo features Joe X. Dube of Starz on drums.  Though this version still features prominent piano beats, it’s more rock n’ roll, and Kiss-like, than his solo counterpart.  You can almost hear where Gene would want Ace to lay down a fat solo.  Gene says all this is based on an old song idea called “Drive Me Wild”.  3.5/5

“Sweet Temptation”, or part of it anyway, was used in “Only You” on The Elder.  It becomes the “I can’t believe this is true, why do I listen to you?” part.  The rest was discarded.  Which is fine.  The chorus is not memorable.  It’s fascinating how these songs come to be.  Of course, as we have discussed, perhaps the older demo of “Only You” is better than the final, but here’s the missing element that was needed to created the Elder version.  2/5

“Are You Always This Hot” is a late-80s shredder song featuring Bruce Kulick and co-written by Adam Mitchell.  The solo is all whammy and tricks, and the tempo is that uptempo plod that Gene was good at on albums like Animalize.  “Are You Always This Hot” is a song title we’ve seen printed in magazines and books for years, but I always thought with a title like that, it was a Paul song.  Nope!  All Gene.  2.5/5

“Fourever” goes back to the same sessions as “Bad Bad Lovin'” aka “Dr. Love”, so you know how old it is, though this version sounds newer.  It features prominent sax, and was inspired by the Dave Clark Five.  It’s basically Gene singing about himself and Kiss, but it’s certainly not the first time.  It’s pretty good, mostly because of the saxophone and cool shouted backing vocals.  It could have worked with Kiss, who did eventually incorporate sax into some of their music.  3.5/5

Average score by song:   3.3/5 stars

 

Disk 9 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)

1. It’s Gonna Be Alright (4:30) Simmons / Japp
2. It’s Gonna Be Alright #2 (3:15) Simmons / Japp
3. Everybody Knows #1 (3:55) Simmons
4. Everybody Knows #2 (3:45) Simmons
5. You’re All That I Want (4:06) Simmons
6. Kids With Painted Faces (3:15) Leader / Simmons
7. I Wanna Rule the World (5:01) Simmons
8. Rule the World #2 (4:08) Simmons / Van Zen
9. Damn, I’m Good (3:29) Simmons
10. Dial L for Love (3:42) Simmons / Mitchell / Carr
11. Just Like the Movies #1 (2:45) Simmons / Bishop
12. I Know Who You Are (3:28) Simmons
13. Sweet Temptation (2:48) Simmons
14. Are You Always This Hot (3:01) Simmons / Mitchell
15. Fourever (3:05) Simmons