The Days of Lore

KISS WEEK KICKS OFF!

Monday, November 16th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve pretty much lived, breathed and slept KISS since I was about 5 … which is, no doubt, both impressive and extremely sad. While my devotion to the band has waned over the past decade, I think it’s safe to say that once you join the KISS Army, there’s really no getting out. I love ‘em … err … I leave ‘em … I mean …

Today TDoL kicks off KISS WEEK … because, well, why not? The band is riding a wave of critical acclaim (?!) with its new record, Sonic Boom. Still selling out shows. Finally nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their 10th year of eligibility. Besides, like it or not, the b(r)and has influenced three generations of music—some of it good, some not so good—while becoming the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of Ringling Bros. meets Disneyland. Fun … and sometimes nauseating.

But if you can get past the KISS tampons and the KISS Kaskets and KISS M&Ms and KISS wine, KISS lunchboxes, KISS belt buckles, KISS Kondoms, pinball machines, KISS this and KISS that, you’ll find the music—loud, dumb, primal rock ‘n’ roll music. And when Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley aren’t spewing their agendized drivel (which isn’t often) you can sometimes catch them talking about the great bands they grew up listening to—The Seeds, The Pretty Things, The Beatles, The Move, Stax/Volt records. That’s what appeals to me anyway.

So, let’s go back to the beginning, shall we? Before the merchandising empire. Before the prepubescent fans. Before the pyro. Before Gene started taking up photography. Beginning on Jan. 30, 1973 KISS performed a series of shows at New York’s Popcorn Club, located on Queens Boulevard, which would soon be renamed Coventry. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss had just joined. And they had changed their name from Wicked Lester to KISS, which Paul Stanley took from the New York Dolls song “Looking For a Kiss.”

The first shows were sparsely attended, the makeup and costumes crude (Paul was still donning the short-lived “bandit” makeup), and the band was still unsigned. But KISS’ performances at those sleazy, roach-infested clubs were ferocious and brazen—not much different from the ones they’d give only two years later for sold-out crowds at majestic rock ‘n’ roll shrines like Cobo Hall and Madison Square Garden.

These old performances make me wish time travel was possible. I can’t imagine what this must have looked like to people in 1973. This performance from the Popcorn Club on Dec. 22 of that year was the band’s very first caught on film—a single-angle shot from behind a modest crowd. Paul and Ace look like they’re wearing jeans under them thar boots, Peter Criss is spry behind the drum kit, there’s no giant KISS logo … hell, there’s not even a stage—only four hungry young kids from New York and a couple of dancing queens up in front (one of whom is Criss’ then-wife Lydia). What a difference a few years would make.

In memory of Mark Louis Arnone, Feb. 24, 1973 - Oct. 21, 2009

Tags: Ace Frehley, Coventry, Gene Simmons, KISS, KISS WEEK, New York Dolls, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Popcorn Club, Sonic Boom

KISS WEEK!

Friday, November 13th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

Monday, Nov. 16 will kick off KISS WEEK at TDoL—five days dedicated to that one band that wears makeup and parties every day and stomps puppies before concerts. Fret not. Even if you’re like me, and hate KISS and everything they stand for, I promise it will be as fun as drinking Two Buck Chuck from a Destroyer-era Gene Simmons codpiece … which I’m doing right now … in a pair of 7-inch boots … and nothing else.

Please come back.

Tags: codpiece, Gene Simmons, KISS, KISS WEEK

Black Friday: Jonah rocks

Friday, September 25th, 2009 | musiX | 1 Comment

You thought (hoped) Black Friday was dead and gone. HA! It just moved underground for a few weeks.

I found this at MetalSucks (which is where I get a lot of my weird and random metal goodies that don’t involve me writing about Slayer or KISS or Mastodon).

There’s this 4-year-old kid named Jonah who can smack the skins better than a lot of the drummers he’s imitating (I’m talking to you, Lars). The li’l guy apparently chooses all the songs he plays and even has his own Web site, fittingly titled Jonah Rocks. Jonah can be seen playing along to bands that have some of the best drummers of all time (Peart?! Moon?!), as well as a few metal masterpieces from Metallica and System Of a Down. Impressive. Makes me want a kid or two … wait, did I just say that out loud? Ahem … here are a few of my favorites:

Metallica - “Harvester of Sorrow”

System of a Down - “Chop Suey”

The Who - “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

KISS - “Rock and Roll All Nite”

Van Halen - “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”

Tags: Jonah Rocks, KISS, Metallica, System Of a Down, The Who, Van Halen

Black Friday: Ace is back and he feels the need to tell you so … again

Friday, July 3rd, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

Back in 1987 Ace Frehley exclaimed—in third person—”Ace is back and he told you so” in the song “Rock Soldiers” from his post-KISS debut Frehley’s Comet. Now he’s not-so-subtly telling fans again in the new promo video for his forthcoming record Anomoly, which finally has a release date set for Sept. 15.

The promo clip is about as cutting edge as his Web site. That’s OK. You see, Ace is from outer space … maybe he’s been flung through so many wormholes that he actually ended up in the year 1995. I do like the clip’s accurate depiction of the typical KISS/former-KISS-member fan as a dumpy, mulleted schlub who’s been counting the days for this momentous event. It is, after all, the Space Ace’s first solo outing in some 20 years.

Who woulda thought it would actually happen? Who cares? Well, about 5,000 dudes who look like the guy in the video. And maybe me. Couldn’t be worse than the new KISS album being recorded by Gene, Paul and those two dopes pretending to be Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

Tags: Ace Frehley, Anomaly, Frehley's Comet, KISS

Black Friday: Reading between the lines

Friday, June 19th, 2009 | musiX | 3 Comments

Historically in metal, a band’s image is as (if not more) important as the music itself. From the band’s name, to its garb, right down to the logo. Alice Cooper and KISS were better-known for what they looked like than the music they made (more true with the latter). When metal ruled in the late ’70s and the ’80s, it was all about image … until it regressed to absurdity before finally getting smothered by the always-fashionable flannel shirt.

The Me Decade is when the metal logo was truly birthed—a single, defining brand that could be easily seen and recognized on records, posters and, most importantly, T-shirts. Bands like Motörhead and Judas Priest went with classically ornate logos, while the aforementioned KISS chose a simple, very memorable signature lighting-bolt “SS” (turned into backwards “ZZ” when the band toured Germany). It carried over into the ’80s when it was all about the logo—Metallica, Exodus, Slayer, RATT, Anthrax, Dio, Def Leppard, AC/DC—all of which could be found scrawled on notebooks and in bathroom stalls, or crudely written or carved on school desktops … or so I’ve heard.

The tradition carries on today. In metal if you don’t have a tough/menacing logo, you might as well be playing Showtunes. Especially in black metal. In fact, in the world of black metal a band’s logo might be the first, and sometimes only, identifying element. It doesn’t even have to be legible for chrissakes, as bands are seemingly trying to one-up each other in keeping their names a mystery to the world.

So. For this Black Friday, I’ve scoured the bottomless pit of the Interwebs to find the most unruly, tangled, illegible band logos possible. It is your duty to try to decipher them. I’ll post one new logo per day (not including Saturday and Sunday) through Thursday, June 25. Shoot your answers to me at mark@thedaysoflore.com. The person who guesses the most band names correctly out of five will win a classic metal album of my choosing. Yes, this means all five people who both listen to metal and read TDoL have a chance to win a disc. It will, of course, be an incredible metal masterpiece.

Deadline is midnight (PDT), Thursday, June 25, and the winner will be announced next Black Friday. It will take a keen eye. It might also help in some cases to be fluent in Finnish.

Ridiculously unreadable band logo No. 1: This band comes from—you guessed it—Finland. They enjoy long walks in the snow, and their lyrics are as unintelligible as their logo.

Tags: AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Anthrax, Black Friday, Def Leppard, Exodus, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, KISS, metal band logos, Metallica, Motörhead, RATT, Slayer

Wicked Lester: The peck before the big KISS

Friday, April 17th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

KISS fans are a peculiar bunch—willing to shell out hundreds of thousands of their hard-earned dollars to see the band play in makeup 30 years on, or to get their grubby little paws on ultra-rare bootlegs or a still-sweaty Gene Simmons cod-piece. Kooky, I tell you.

Any KISS fan can also tell you that there was life before the makeup and cod-pieces. Gene Klein (born Chaim Witz, who would later become Gene Simmons) and keyboardist Brooke Ostrander formed a band called Rainbow in New York in 1970. The pair soon recruited a couple of guitarists in Stephen Coronel and Stanley Eisen (who would later become Paul Stanley), and drummer Tony Zarrella. Rainbow played mostly covers and would perform only one gig at Richmond Community College in Staten Island.

By 1971 the band had changed its name to Wicked Lester and began writing more original material. Wicked Lester went into the studio later that year (after performing only two shows). In the process Coronel was given the boot, and session guitarist Ron Leejack was brought in to record the leads. The record—made up of mostly originals as well as a few covers—took a year to record. When brought to prospective label Epic Records, the album was turned away and would never be released.

The Wicked Lester record has, of course, circulated in bootleg form for years with varying quality. Two tracks—“Lover Her All I Can” and “She”—which would resurface on KISS’ Dressed To Kill album in 1975, appeared on a KISS box set a few years ago. The Wicked Lester songs aren’t horrible, just unfocused, with flutes and horns fluttering and squawking over folky, slightly funky, psychedelic rock. My favorites are the Simmons-penned “Simple Type” with vocals from both future KISSers and the cover of Infinity’s “(What Happens) In the Darkness,” a rollicking Ike and Tina-inspired burner punctuated by Stanley’s sassy (and underrated) rock vox. And “Molly” reminds me of something you’d hear on The Electric Company (some of Morgan Freeman’s best work). It also boasts this gem of a lyric: “Molly, my pal, you’re my gal … ”

You know the rest of the story. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (second and third from left respectively in the photo) recruited Peter Criscuola (later the Catman Criss) and Paul Frehley (Space Ace) and conquered the world 10 times over. So … when’s the Wicked Lester reunion?

“She” - Wicked Lester

“Simple Type” - Wicked Lester

“(What Happens) In The Darkness” - Wicked Lester

“Molly” - Wicked Lester

Tags: Ace Frehley, Chaim Witz, Gene Simmons, KISS, Paul Frehley, Paul Stanley, Peter Criscuola, Peter Criss, Rainbow, Stanley Eisen, Wicked Lester

Black Friday: A picture is worth a thousand metal lyrics

Friday, March 13th, 2009 | musiX | 3 Comments

Metal can be summed up in one simple sentence: Dungeons and Dragons meets smut mag meets horror flick meets Marvel Comics. Of course, the music touched on most of these manly topics, but it was the album covers that drew pubescent boys into the seedy underbelly of heavy metal. And back when records ruled, you could get lost staring at the cover image.

It’s a topic that’s no doubt been endlessly written about. Since it’s Black Friday here at The Days of Lore as well as Friday the 13th, I’ve decided to make my own list of worthy heavy metal album covers. Click the covers to see a larger image, at your own risk, of course.

Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera (1992) According to metal lore, it took some 30 takes to capture this photo of Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo socking a fan in the face. The volunteer was apparently paid $10 per punch. Well. One fan’s stupidity led to one of the best metal album covers ever … and a far cry from Pantera’s early years. I’m very happy to say I’ve only been on the receiving end of a Phil Anselmo hug.

Kill ‘Em All - Metallica (1983) The stark and eerie image is still one of my favorites. The cover of Metallica’s debut leaves a lot to the imagination, unlike the original concept for the original title, Metal Up Your Ass, which had this cover. About as subtle as … well, a large dagger up your ass. The idea for the Kill ‘Em All cover came from late bassist Cliff Burton—sort of sums up the fact that when he died, so did a lot of Metallica’s coolness.

Destroyer - KISS (1976) It would be silly not to include a KISS album. The band was ready-made for the visual aspect of metal. The Destroyer cover was painted by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, who studied under another well-known fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. Kelly also did covers for Conan the Barbarian comics as well as album covers for Manowar, Rainbow and later on Coheed and Cambria. He also painted KISS’ Love Gun album cover. Yes, with this cover the members of KISS remain forever young, even as they continue to tour as old farts in makeup and Spandex.

The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden (1982) I remember seeing a poster of this and staring as long as I could without people thinking I was weird. I was 10. It scared me. And I wanted to own it. Derek Riggs created the famous Eddie mascot, who has appeared in one form or another on every Maiden album. The Number of the Beast was the band’s third album and first with vocalist Bruce Dickinson. The recording process was filled with bizarre occurrences, including a car accident involving producer Martin Birch and a “religious nutter.” Total damage to his car: £666.66.

Anthology - Manowar (1997) Umm … it’s Manowar. My guess is that the members didn’t have a lot of money for clothing at this juncture in their career. No? They were really proud of their workout routines? Wait, I got it. According to Norse mythology, real Vikings used baby oil.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1973) This is a bit creepy. Consider it came out in 1973, and it’s fucking frightening. Artist Drew Struzan, a Portland, Ore. native, also did album covers for some other noteworthy satanic musicians including the Beach Boys, Liberace and Glenn Miller. He’s also done hundreds of movie posters, and became a favorite of Spielberg and Lucas as he created the images for E.T., Back to the Future and all of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. Wholesome family entertainment, just like Satan and Black Sabbath.

The Wretched Spawn - Cannibal Corpse (2004) I worked at a record store when Cannibal Corpse got its start with savory albums like Tomb of the Mutilated and Eaten Back to Life. I remember thinking they were pretty ridiculous. Well, those crazy kids really outdid themselves with The Wretched Spawn—little demonic things crawling out of other things all in the name of good ol’-fashioned heavy metal shock value. Comic book artist Vince Locke water-colored the cover, and actually had his tattoo-artist bro ink another CC album cover called Butchered at Birth on to his skin. Cannibal Corpse: Bringing families closer.

Lovehunter - Whitesnake (1979) Really? So ridiculous that it’s actually great. So great, in fact, that I’m going to have my non-tattoo artist brother ink this on to my face.

Overkill - Motörhead (1979) Just a classic. Joe Petagno created Snaggletooth B. Motörhead, the fanged menace that appeared on all but two of the band’s 19 albums. Petagno said he researched a number of skull types and ended up with some sort of gorilla-wolf-dog combination with over-sized boar horns. It’s as metal as Lemmy … and Lemmy is pretty fucking metal.

Betty - Helmet (1994) I’ve always loved the contrast between the sludgy riffs contained within and the squeaky-clean cover. It looks like a scene from a Leave It to Beaver episode. The cover was no doubt the ’90s’ answer to the excesses of ’70s and ’80s metal. Yes, it’s unlikely we will ever see another album cover dipicting a naked woman writhing in ecstasy atop a giant demonic serpent again. And that’s just sad.

Tags: Betty, Black Sabbath, Cannibal Corpse, Derek Riggs, Destroyer, Drew Struzan, Helmet, Iron Maiden, Joe Petagno, Ken Kelly, Kill 'Em All, KISS, Manowar, Metallica, Motörhead, Overkill, Pantera, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, The Number of the Beast, The Wretched Spawn, Vince Locke, Vulgar Display of Power