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Wow

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2017 12:50 am
by doublev2
Love the creatures drum sound. I wonder why they didn't keep that drum sound for lick it up. A good question for michael james jackson


Re: Wow

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:25 pm
by Genebaby
Is the Creatures drum sound only on this song? As Gene produce the album, not MJM.

Though I prefer the sound of LIU overall, it's just more balanced.

Re: Wow

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:17 pm
by wolfgang161272
When I'm hearing this old songs, it's just Eric is playing drums and Vinnie is on guitar - just another singer, hehe...
love also the drum sound on it!
Wolf

Re: Wow

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:18 am
by shramiac
According to Wiki (yeah I know!) this IS the KISS version of the song, only with Gene's vocals removed and replaced by Wendy. To be honest, this would explain the drum tone sounding like CoTN though.

The Wiki article also says that Vinnie only played on "Ain't None Of Your Business" on the album? Hmm...okay?????

Another note is that there was a guy called Micki Free who played on the album too!

Finally, the main guitarist on the album, Michael Ray, is said to have played in the studio on CoTN! Obviously none of it made it to the album.

Follow the links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOW_(Wend ... ams_album)


CoTN for me tone wise over LIU. LIU is a tad too mid range for my liking, not as dynamic as CoTN. Still a good album though...well derrrr! :P

Re: Wow

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:57 pm
by ankh
Michael ray also auditioned for the band twice, in different occasions,and paul seemd to like his playng, but ray had a contract with Rod Swenson, so nothing came out of it.
If i'm correct, Vinnie wrote that song, Michael handled all the leads except on "Bump and Grind" and "it's my life".
Still prefer Wendy's "Thief in the night" to the Kiss version,especialy vocal wise.

Wendy was one of a kind.I miss her.

Re: Wow

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 5:04 pm
by ankh
Michael Ray began playing the guitar at the age of 11, after seeing Jimi Hendrix performing in a Woodstock documentary film. He immediately began hounding his parents to buy him a Fender Stratocaster guitar, and when they relented and got it for him, Michael began teaching himself to play the guitar… by ear. Although he ultimately did, in fact, take lessons, he never played what was written, and always changed the notes to satisfy his own creative vision. He first met Gene Simmons of the highly successful rock band, KISS in a club called My Father's Place in Roslyn, Long Island. Simmons was scouting the New York area, looking for a replacement for Ace Frehley, and got word on the street that there was a guy performing there that he should check out. That guy was Michael Ray.

The band performed "hard and loud", and as soon as the set was over, Simmons invited Michael to the V.I.P. section where he and Eric Carr were sitting. Michael gave Simmons his phone number. Soon after he received a call from Gene, inviting him to the Record Plant Studios in New York where KISS had been recording the Creatures of the Night album. This was a test to see how Michael Ray's lead guitar sounded with KISS on multi-track. This would be the first of two major KISS auditions for Michael. After the departure of Vinnie Vincent, the second audition would later be held at Rocket Rehearsal studios in New York, where Michael performed 3 songs from the “Lick It Up” album (“Exciter”, “Gimme More” and “Fits Like A Glove”) – LIVE with KISS. Michael was soon asked by Simmons to start submitting original song ideas to him. Although Michael did not get the contract with KISS, he was in fact quietly being groomed by Gene Simmons himself for other projects that he planned to produce in the future. One of those projects was Wendy O. Williams of the internationally known band, The Plasmatics. Michael Ray signed a 5-year contract as lead guitarist for Wendy’s new solo act (the W.O.W. band). Soon after that he was preparing for his first international tour, which would take him all over the East and West coast in the U.S. and Europe. Michael Ray performed on the Tonight Show starring Joan Rivers in Studio City, CA. Michael wrote songs on the Plasmatics 9th Anniversary album that was released on Profile Records. It was considered to be the biggest selling Plasmatics album to date.

Michael Ray also wrote songs on Wendy's second solo album, the Kommander of Kaos, which was released in 2002 on Powerage Records. It included an added live track of a song written by Gene Simmons, Eric Car, and Vinnie Vincent. After Mark St. John became ill, Michael Ray was asked by Paul Stanley to record tracks on the Animalize album at Right Track Studios in New York but Michael was not available to do so due to previous commitments with Wendy O. Williams in the UK. Simmons was not in New York at the time to comment on the matter.

In the 90's Michael's career was managed by Galaxy Entertainment CEO, Gabe Vigorito who was executive producer and manager of the world renowned band, Kool and the Gang. In 2009 Michael founded his own indie record label - POWERSURGE RECORDS, INC. with his own money and with the help of a private investment firm called MEDIA STAR ENTERTAINMENT. The record company and its website are still under development and they are scheduled for publication sometime in 2010
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/ ... zBHmmfz.99

Re: Wow

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:39 am
by doublev2
Yeah vic, this will have had michael james jackson input I am sure. Mjj and rhe creatures engineer worked with eric on that drum sound. They tried hundreds of microphones, rooms , reverbs and mic positions. They finally used the telefunken mic to get the biggest sound possible.
To me the creatures drum sound is the only drum sound you can tell its creatures without any other instrument playing. The most unique and bombastic sound. I would have loved to hear the same sound on lick it up personally. Kiss may have thought the drums were too much and not radio friendly

Re: Wow

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:41 am
by doublev2
I love wendy's voice. Like female alice cooper.
Ankh I can not find thief in the night online.

Supposedly they recorded back on the streets and thrills in the night.. would love to hear the creatures sound on those tunes.

Re: Wow

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:59 am
by ankh


record production changed according to times and also trends.

there was a debate about the LIU drum sound was sampled from Quiet riot's "mental health"

Re: Wow

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:10 am
by doublev2
Can not hear that in the USA. I have this sample https://www.soundhound.com/?t=100778454327024519

Sounds like creatures drumming. Way better than crazy nights version and would have made creatures even better. A shame they don't re release creatures with these extra songs and killers tunes.

Re: Wow

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:42 pm
by Genebaby
So many "what if's" with KISS' career in the 80's....

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:44 am
by doublev2
I guess legends never die is more in the elder style than they would have liked for a clean break. I guess they were going to choose one between I still love you, legends never die, back on the streets and thrills in the night two power ballads would have been too much on a record trying to be heavy metal.

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:44 am
by doublev2
Thief in the night would have worked. I would have had it over saint and sinner personally

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:40 am
by ankh
originally, "LND" was called "when a legend dies"and,if i'm not mistaken, was intended for "the elder".

Saint'n sinner is an ok song lifted by the cool drum Groove.

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:59 am
by doublev2
Yeah I like saint and sinner but if I had to trade with thief in the night I would.

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:03 am
by doublev2
I wonder if michael ray auditioned with lick it up songs before euro or us tour. I have heard people say kiss were looking for guitarists before the euro tour but for sure before the us tour.
He said he was asked back for animalize so I was wandering if the audition was before the liu tour ended.

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:25 am
by ankh
Michael described the Whole story on his website in the past, full of details, but it is nowhere to be found now, it seems.

At the time, according to Enfer magazine, Kiss asked to kevin carlson, Mick mars and jack starr, but they were turned down.

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:39 pm
by doublev2
Mick Mars in kiss would have been amazing

Re: Wow

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:06 pm
by shramiac
doublev2 wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:39 pm Mick Mars in kiss would have been amazing


He's the one they call Doctor Love! :P :P :P