Paul Stanley, “Just Found My Original 1/4 Inch Reel To Reel Wicked Lester Demo Tape” – KISS – Listen – “She”
Paul Stanley: “Just found my original 1/4 inch reel to reel Wicked Lester demo tape of all our songs. 1971 and look at the last names of the songwriters!”
Wicked Lester, who later transitioned into the band Kiss, recorded an album for Epic Records in 1971, which was never officially released. The group featured Gene Klein (born Chaim Witz) and Stanley Eisen, who later adopted the stage names, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
Simmons and Stanley, feeling that Wicked Lester lacked a unifying musical vision, began forming a new band in late 1972. Adopting a more straightforward, harder rock sound and an emphasis on stage theatrics, they became the band Kiss in early 1973.
Kiss officially released three tracks from the Wicked Lester sessions on their 2001 cd archive set, The Box Set. Listen to the songs below.
