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PHIL LINDEN SKULLF*CKED ME
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Join Date: Jun 2007
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My Mood:  SL Join Date: 2/26/2005 | The History of Kiss
Kiss traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock and roll band led by co-founders Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel on August 25, 1949) and Paul Stanley (born Stanley Harvey Eisen in Queens, New York City on January 20, 1952). Wicked Lester, with their eclectic mixture of musical styles, never achieved any success. They recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that a new musical direction was needed, abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972 and began forming a new group.[3][4][5]
In late 1972, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley came across an ad in Rolling Stone placed by Peter Criss, a veteran drummer from the New York club scene, who was previously in bands called "Lips" and "Chelsea". Criss (born George Peter John Criscuola on December 20, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York City) auditioned for and joined the new version of Wicked Lester. The trio focused on a much harder style of rock than Wicked Lester played. Inspired by the theatrics of the New York Dolls, they also began experimenting with their image by wearing makeup and various outfits.[6] In November 1972, the trio played a showcase for Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, in an effort to secure a record deal. Although the performance went well, Ellis hated the group's image and music. On top of that, as he was leaving, he was vomited on by Criss's brother.[7][8]
In January 1973, the group added lead guitarist Paul "Ace" Frehley (born April 27, 1951 in the Bronx, New York City). According to the book Kiss & Tell by Ace Frehley's former best-friends, Gordon G.G. Gebert and Bob McAdams (who accompanied Ace Frehley to the audition) the eccentric Frehley impressed the group with his first audition, although he showed up wearing two different sneakers (one red and one orange) and began warming up on his guitar while another guitarist (Bob Kulick) was being auditioned by the band. A few weeks after Frehley joined, the Wicked Lester name was dropped and the band became Kiss.
The Kiss logoStanley came up with the name; as he, Simmons, and Criss were driving around New York City. Criss mentioned that he was in a band called Lips, so Stanley said what about KISS (Reminised by Simmons on the KISS video Exposed). Frehley created the now-iconic logo (making the "SS" look like lightning bolts)in his bedroom on his desk with a felt tipped pen.[9] The runic letters happened to look similar to the insignia of the Nazi SS, or Waffen-SS, a symbol that is now illegal to display in Germany. Therefore, in Germany, after 1979, all of the band's album covers and merchandise used a modified version of the logo, in which the "SS" looks like a backwards "ZZ." The band's name has been rumored to have many hidden meanings, among them an acronym for Knights In Satan's Service or acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid.[10] None of these rumors have any basis in fact, and the band has consistently denied them.
The first Kiss performance was on January 30, 1973, for an audience of three at the Popcorn Club (renamed Coventry shortly afterward) in Queens. In March of that year, the band recorded a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer. Former TV director Bill Aucoin, who had seen the group at a handful of showcase concerts in the summer of 1973, offered to become the band’s manager in mid-October. Kiss agreed, with the condition that Aucoin get them signed to a recording contract within two weeks. On November 1, 1973, Kiss became the first act signed to former teen pop singer and Buddha Records executive Neil Bogart's new label, Emerald City Records (which was shortly afterward renamed Casablanca Records).[11]
The band entered Bell Sound Studios in New York City on October 10, 1973 to begin recording their first album. On December 31 the band had their official industry premier at the Academy of Music in New York City, opening for Blue Öyster Cult. It was at this concert that Simmons accidentally set his hair (which was coated in hairspray) ablaze for the first of many times while performing his inaugural firebreathing stunt.[12] |