Kiss / Complete Wicked Lester Sessions 1971 / 1972 / 3CD / ZODIAC Electric Lady Studios, Greenwich Village, New York City 1971-1972
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“WICKED LESTER” is the predecessor band of KISS formed by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. The complete studio recording is the highest quality and permanent preservation decision!
The two formed a band in 1970. It was originally called RAINBOW, but changed its name to “WICKED LESTER” because there was another band with the same name (not Ritchie Blackmore’s RAINBOW). A band whose main activity is the studio rather than live performances. As a result, they proceeded to form KISS. This work is a 3-disc set that includes the complete recording of the remaining studio recordings in addition to the phantom debut album. The demos that have been known so far have also been updated to the highest quality by the masters of the parties unearthed through their own routes, and the world’s first studio albums are also permanently preserved.
This work is roughly divided into four sections. The recording order may be slightly different from the chronological order, but here we will give priority to ease of understanding and introduce along the history.
– DISC 1 first half: the earliest November 1971 session (14 takes)
The first to appear is the oldest existing studio record. It is a studio demo recorded on “November 18, 1971”. The members at that time were Paul & Jean, Tony Zarella on drums, Brooke Ostrander on keyboards, and Ron Leejack on lead guitar.
It’s the first stage, so it’s a tough demo… or so I thought, but this is a ridiculously high degree of perfection. It is neither a composition stage nor a practice stage, and the detailed instrument arrangements are completed, and the performance itself is professional. The sound is also top-notch, and it wouldn’t be strange if it was officially released as it is.
The content is soft rock with more pop than KISS and a thick chorus, half original and half cover. Paul’s three songs “Love Her All I Can”, “Molly” and “Keep Me Waiting”, and Gene’s two songs “She (co-written with Coronel)” and “Simple Type”. Of these, “Love Her All I Can” and “She” are the original song versions of the numbers recorded in “DRESSED TO KILL” after being re-arranged.
Covers include Barry Mann’s ‘Too Many Mondays’ and ‘Sweet Ophelia’, Tami Lester Smith’s ‘What Happens In The Darkness’, British band THE HOLLIES’ ‘(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud’, and Austin Roberts. A lineup called “When the Bell Rings”. “(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud” can be said to be the original story of “Shout It Out Loud”.
– DISC 3: Spring 1972 session (10 takes)
WICKED LESTER was able to contract with a major EPIC label as a result of the above 1971 session. However, the condition was that Steve Coronel would be fired. Coronel, who likes hairstyles such as curly and afro, and wears glasses, has a bad appearance. After all, Ron Leejack joined instead of Coronel and started recording with the aim of making his debut.
The first session was held in the spring of 1972. It is 10 takes contained in DISC 3 of this work. Why is this session independent of DISC 3, despite being second chronologically? The reason is that this session is the world’s first public sound source that has not been known until now. Other sessions are also upgrade masters that are different from the conventional edition, but you can listen to only the first appearance sound source as one studio album. Of course, this session is also super quality.
In addition, a new repertoire composed by Paul from this session, “Long, Long Road” will also appear.
– DISC 1 second half / DISC 2 first half: August 1972 session (20 takes)
However, the EPIC label did not like the above “Spring 1972 session” and decided to redo it. A further session will take place in August 1972. As with the “1972 Spring Session”, these sessions were not recorded all at once. At that time, Paul and Jean were working as session musicians (mainly backing singers) at ELECTRIC LADY studios, and were recording little by little using the time when no one was in the studio. Therefore, the exact recording date is ambiguous. 10 songs and 20 takes were left in this section.
● DISC 2 second half: Final reel of the phantom album (11 takes)
Based on the above “August 1972 session”, the phantom debut album is finally completed. As mentioned above, this album will eventually be shelved, but the final “EPIC / A & R reel” is recorded here. This was sleeping in the storage of the EPIC label. An excavation release was planned in 1977 when KISS broke, but management who tried to protect the band image bought all rights for $ 138,000. She didn’t see the light of day until 2001’s THE BOX SET with three songs, ‘Keep Me Waiting’, ‘She’ and ‘Love Her All I Can’.
As mentioned above, it is a treasure collection of all 11 songs and 55 takes. Several titles have been circulated so far, but this work is a “complete collection” that includes all of them with the masters of the highest quality updates and even the first appearance session. No records other than this work have been found, and no master over this work has been discovered. It is exactly “all of WICKED LESTER”. The ultimate 3-disc set that is the most important in our official sound board collection. Please keep it at hand forever with a press CD that does not lose its shine forever.
The complete studio recordings of KISS’s predecessor band WICKED LESTER. The quality of the leaked master of the original route is an official-class sound that has been updated to the highest peak ever, and the previously unknown “Spring 1972 Session (DISC 3)” has also been newly discovered. It is the ultimate press CD 3-disc set that permanently preserves “All of WICKED LESTER”.
その内容はKISSよりもポップでコーラスも厚いソフト・ロックで、オリジナルとカバーが半々。ポール作が3曲「Love Her All I Can」「Molly」「Keep Me Waiting」で、ジーン作が2曲「She(コロネルとの共作)」「Simple Type」。このうち「Love Her All I Can」と「She」はリ・アレンジを経て『DRESSED TO KILL』に収録されるナンバーの原曲バージョンです。
カバーはバリー・マンの「Too Many Mondays」「Sweet Ophelia」、タミ・レスター・スミスの「What Happens In The Darkness」、英国バンドTHE HOLLIESの「(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud」、オースティン・ロバーツの「When the Bell Rings」というラインナップ。「(We Want To) Shout It Out Loud」は「Shout It Out Loud」の元ネタとも言えます。
上記「1972年8月セッション」を元に、遂に幻のデビューアルバムが完成します。前述のように、このアルバムも結局はお蔵入りしてしまうのですが、ここでは最終の「EPIC/A&Rリール」を収録しています。これはEPICレーベルの保管庫に眠っていたもの。KISSがブレイクした1977年に発掘リリースも計画されたのですが、バンド・イメージを守ろうとしたマネジメントが138,000ドルで全権利を買収。2001年の『THE BOX SET』に3曲「Keep Me Waiting」「She」「Love Her All I Can」が収録されるまで、日の目を見る事はありませんでした。
Disc 1 (73:41) Electric Lady Studios 18th November 1971
1. Too Many Mondays 2. Love Her All I Can 3. Sweet Ophelia 4. Molly 5. Keep Me Waiting 6. She 7. What Happens In The Darkness 8. (We Want To) Shout It Out Loud 9. When the Bell Rings 10. Simple Type 11. She (take 2) 12. Molly (take 2) 13. (We Want To) Shout It Out Loud (take 2) 14. Too Many Mondays (take 2)
Electric Lady Studios August 1972 Sessions 1
15. Keep Me Waiting 16. Love Her All I Can 17. Molly 18. She 19. Simple Type 20. Sweet Ophelia 21. Too Many Mondays 22. When The Bell Rings 23. Molly (take 2) 24. Too Many Mondays (take 2)
Disc:2 (64:50) Electric Lady Studios August 1972 Sessions 2
1. We Want To Shout It Out Loud 2. Keep Me Waiting 3. Love Her All I Can 4. Molly 5. She 6. Simple Type 7. Sweet Ophelia 8. Too Many Mondays 9. What Happens In The Darkness 10. When The Bell Rings
Final Album Reel 1972
11. Keep me waiting 12. Molly 13. Sweet Ophelia 14. Simple Type 15. Too Many Mondays 16. Love Her All I Can 17. When The Bell Rings 18. She 19. What Happens In The Darkness 20. We Want To Shout It Out Loud 21. Long, Long Road
Disc 3 (32:23)★完全初登場 Electric Lady Studios Spring 1972 Sessions
1. Keep Me Waiting 2. Long, Long Road 3. Love Her All I Can 4. She 5. Simple Type 6. Sweet Ophelia 7. (We Want To) Shout It Out Loud 8. What Happens In The Darkness 9. When The Bell Rings 10. Simple Type (Take 2)
Paul Stanley – vocals, guitar Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Steve Coronel – lead guitar (1971) Ron Leejack – lead guitar, banjo (1972) Brooke Ostrander – piano, horns Tony Zarrella – drums, percussion