Van Halen's Gene Simmons demo #2

[Hardrock69]

Not only that, Chaim has MANY sources of income, so it would not hurt him in the least to release this stuff.

Kev is not wrong. Ed and Alex played on some demos before they were signed to WB.

This means they were SESSION musicians.

Session musicians do not get writer's credit unless they actually wrote some lyrics and melodies for those lyrics.

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
I don't think Ace Frehley could play an EVH solo on his best fucking day.

but the studio-guitar-player who recorded all the "ace" stuff on the albums could

[FORD]

Kev is correct as far as what the KISSTORY book says.

And before anybody asks, I won it from a radio station. I wouldn't have paid $150 for a Kiss Koffin, let alone a book.

And at the time the book was originally written, Gene did have every intention of releasing the demo in the KISS boxset. For whatever reasons, Gene lost a sale when that didn't turn out to be the case. I'm a casual KISS fan - only own Alive I & II, Double Platinum, and the Unplugged "reunion" album, and wouldn't go out of my way to buy anything that's not the original lineup. But I would have made an exception for the KISS box if it had contained these demos. Unfortunately, between Eddie & Chaim himself, we may never get to hear them. Even more unfortunately is that the same combination of greed and egos might restrict some of the best material available from turning up in the eventual Van HALEN box set (i.e. the Zero demos, produced by one Chaim Witz)

[UGS]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
I don't think Ace Frehley could play an EVH solo on his best fucking day.

I was about to say that, word for word almost. Not in his fucking LIFE could Ace keep match Ed's work, even if Ed already laid it out for him to copy.

[FORD]

Originally posted by UGS
I was about to say that, word for word almost. Not in his fucking LIFE could Ace keep match Ed's work, even if Ed already laid it out for him to copy.

Could Ace play "Eruption" or "I'm The One", probably not. But in this case, there's always the possibility that Gene told Eddie to keep the solo simple, because it was going to be on a Kiss album, and Ace would have to learn it.

[ELVIS]

Hmmm...

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
but the studio-guitar-player who recorded all the "ace" stuff on the albums could

Slightly unrelated trivia question for the KISS diehards....

...What songs/album does Rick Derringer play guitar on?

Thats the real question to be answered.

[Boston_Kev]

Side 4 of ALIVE II except for "Rocket Ride"

[FORD]

They had to bring in a session guitarist to do a three chord Dave Clark Five cover??

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by FORD
They had to bring in a session guitarist to do a three chord Dave Clark Five cover??

"The studio tracks on Alive II, forget it-it's Bob Kulick and Rick Derringer. We were slaving away and Ace never even showed up except for his song 'Rocket Ride.' And as early as Destroyer, Peter couldn't or wouldn't play some stuff, so there were ghost kicks flown in."

-Gene Simmons

[VHKissAerosmith]

Slightly unrelated trivia question for the KISS diehards....

...What songs/album does Rick Derringer play guitar on?

Thats the real question to be answered.

ACTUALLY, Bob Kulick (Bruce's brother) was the one filling in for Ace. Derringer is NOT on the "Alive II" studio tracks. Bob said Derrill admit it--notice his bio doesn't list the album. The ONLY KISS tune Derringer ever played on was "Exciter" on the "Lick it Up" album. Gene and Paul didn't like what Vinnie Vincent played, and had Derringer cut a new solo. Vinnie never knew until he heard the album--much like Ace discovering Dick Wagner did the solo on "Sweet Pain" years earlier.