Listen to Unreleased Kiss Demo ‘Rock ’n’ Rolls Royce’
Check out a demo of an unused Kiss song, “Rock ’n’ Rolls Royce,” which Gene Simmons prepared ahead of recording Destroyer.
It’s one of a number of rare tracks included in an upcoming extended anniversary version of the 1976 LP, due on Friday. The set also contains other alternate mixes and outtakes, an unreleased live recording from the same year, and a remastered edition of the original release. “Rock ’n’ Rolls Royce” can be heard below.
Simmons says Kiss knew they had to deliver something special with their fourth studio outing, following the success of 1975’s Alive! “Needless to say, it was a difficult record to make,” he said during a Q&A session on the recent Kiss Kruise. “The three previous ones, we banged out in two or three weeks apiece, and they sound that way. And Destroyer took longer.
“It's a very important record for us, and it showed the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Simmons added. “It showed all of it. The story of Destroyer is the story of a band that struggled within itself to keep their act together.”
His relationship with Paul Stanley was still strengthening, while those with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss began to strain – particularly as a result of producer Bob Ezrin’s influence.
“Ace and Peter had real problems with Bob Ezrin,” Simmons said. “Ace literally didn't show up for some of the sessions. I was on the phone with Ace, ‘Hey, you gotta come down and do 'Sweet Pain,' the solo – we’re ready for you.’ And it breaks my heart again to say so, but Ace literally said, ‘I can't, I got a card game.’ And Peter did not get along with Bob Ezrin because Ezrin would tell us, ‘That doesn't sound good; you're not in time.’”
Simmons said his “heart breaks every time I have to bring this up, but for accuracy, the truth hurts. … Unfortunately, Ace and Peter started to succumb to bad behavior. And not just when they were high or drunk, but not showing up at rehearsals, complaining about everything – just all sorts of bad stuff. And that doesn't diminish the fact that they were equally as important to Paul and myself in forming the band.”
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