No member of KISS would pretend to be a rock music expert. For Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, it was always about crafting the music that the audience wanted to hear, whether that meant making shout-along choruses on hits like ‘Rock and Roll All Nite‘ or dipping their toes into disco territory on ‘I Was Made For Lovin You‘. However, when the band first formed, its first original under the KISS moniker was inspired by vintage rock & roll sounds
Prior to founding their shock-rock ensemble, Stanley and Simmons were in a band called Wicked Lester, who played the same boring rock and roll that most bands had grown tired with. Instead of continuing with the record deal they had at the time, the songwriting partnership opted to cut things short and create something new for the public.
Every group member had to have a particular shock factor about them, inspired by comic books and various spectacles, with Stanley taking on the role of ‘Starchild‘ and Simmons becoming ‘The Demon‘, influenced by works such as Phantom of the Opera and Dracula. However, when it came to songwriting, the topics had not altered.
Despite the fact that Simmons had previously been working on a song called ‘Stanley The Parrot,’ Stanley grabbed the crux of it and converted it into the song ‘Strutter,’ recalling: “We started trying to recast it in the vein of The Rolling Stones.” And then the words occurred to me.” The song, which has the makings of a Keith Richards-style shuffle, fits comfortably in the Stones-esque mould, as if Mick Jagger is talking about a lady who doesn’t give him the time of day.
The song was only half the battle; the rest of the band needed to be put together. Simmons came discovered an ad for a drummer willing to do anything to make it in Rolling Stone, which turned out to be Peter Criss. Despite the song’s power, Criss’ performance on the drums shifts everything into high gear with a tom-tom-heavy beat.
When the band was looking for a guitarist, a misfit child showed up to the audition wearing two different shoes on both foot. Ace Frehley became the band’s go-to guitarist after muscling his way into the rehearsal room, exhibiting the same cocky swagger as most guitar slingers before him, finally being cast as ‘The Spaceman’.
Although KISS would carve out their own brand of rock & roll after its inception, The Stones’ impact would remain for a while. Almost every tune on their debut album features Keith Richards’ typical chord voicings, including the now-famous suspended sound that Richards would later use in his different open tunings.
During their disco years, Frehley would end up performing ‘2000 Man‘ from the group’s psychedelic album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, which perfectly complemented his spaced-out image. The Rolling Stones had enough rock and roll in their ranks to last for decades, but KISS found their voice when they converted their swagger into a rock and roll circus.
