Wicked Lester

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Wicked Lester, c. 1972. left to right: Ron Leejack, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Brooke Ostrander, and Tony Zarrella.

Wicked Lester was a New York-based rock and roll group. The group was formed (as Rainbow) in 1970, and its most notable early members were bassist Gene Klein (later Gene Simmons) and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen (later Paul Stanley). In 1971 the band changed their name to Wicked Lester, and in the fall of that year they recorded an album for Epic Records, which was never released.

Wicked Lester's music featured elements of rock and roll, folk rock, and pop. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that the group lacked a unifying musical vision, began forming a second version of Wicked Lester in late 1972. This second Wicked Lester, with an emphasis on more straightforward rock and roll, as well as on theatrics, became KISS in early 1973.^[1][2]

[edit] History

[edit] Rainbow

The origin of Wicked Lester traces to 1970, when bassist Gene Klein and keyboardist Brooke Ostrander recruited lead guitarist Stephen Coronel, a childhood friend and former bandmate of Klein's, to join their new band. This group took the name Rainbow shortly thereafter. Coronel recommended rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen, who had actually been rejected by the group after a previous audition. Shortly after Eisen joined, Ostrander recruited drummer Joe Davidson, and the first Rainbow lineup was completed. Davidson's stay did not last long, and he was soon replaced by Tony Zarrella.^[1][2][3]

In the spring of 1971, Rainbow played its first and only show, which consisted of two sets performed at Richmond Community College in Staten Island. After the show, the group discovered that there was already another band called Rainbow. They decided to drop the name, and quickly settled on Wicked Lester. While the decision to change the group's name came partly out of a desire to avoid any potential legal issues, it also reflected Klein and Eisen's desire to start playing more original compositions.^[1]

[edit] Wicked Lester

During their brief existence, Wicked Lester performed in public twice. The first show took place at the Rivoli Theatre in South Fallsburg, New York in April 1971. The second, during the summer of 1971, was at an Atlantic City, New Jersey hotel hosting a B'nai B'rith Youth Organization event. Not long after that show, the band suffered a major setback when they had all of their musical gear stolen.^[1]

After a chance meeting with Electric Lady Studios engineer Ron Johnsen, Wicked Lester was given the opportunity to record some demos in the fall of 1971. Johnsen, who produced the demo tape, shopped it to a few labels, with no success. Eventually the tape was screened by Epic Records, who purchased the masters and agreed to fund the recording of a full album. One of the conditions, however, was the firing of Stephen Coronel.^[1][4]

Coronel was replaced by session musician Ron Leejack, and the group continued their efforts to finish the album. Some songs were completely re-recorded to accommodate Leejack's different playing style. The entire recording process, which adhered to a haphazard schedule, took nearly a year to complete.^[4] When the completed album was presented to Don Ellis, Epic's A&R director, he stated that he hated the album and was not going to release it. The next day, Wicked Lester manager Lew Linet requested and received the group's release from Epic Records.^[1]

It was at this time that Klein and Eisen (now using the stage names Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) decided that one of the reasons for Wicked Lester's lack of success was their lack of a singular image and musical vision. They made the decision to start a new version of the group, and began auditioning for a drummer in the fall of 1972. Soon after, Tony Zarrella left the original group. Ostrander, feeling that the band was going nowhere, quit.^[1]

Whereas Wicked Lester's original sound was rooted in varied musical styles (folk and pop, for instance), when Simmons and Stanley decided to recruit new members, they also made the decision to focus on a more aggressive and simple style of rock and roll. The first new member added to Wicked Lester was drummer Peter Criss, who had placed an ad in Rolling Stone. The new Wicked Lester, without a recording contract, began a strict and regular regimen of rehearsals.^[1]

In November 1972, the group arranged a showcase with Don Ellis, the Epic Records executive who earlier had rejected Wicked Lester's album. While one Epic executive, Tom Werman, was impressed by the power and theatrics of this new incarnation of Wicked Lester, Ellis once again turned them down. As Ellis was leaving, Peter Criss's brother (who was drunk) vomited on his foot.^[4]

In early December, Paul Stanley placed an ad in The Village Voice stating, "LEAD GUITARIST WANTED with Flash and Ability. Album Out Shortly. No time wasters please," rather than the historically incorrect "with Flash and Balls." The ad ran for two issues (December 7, 1972 and December 14, 1972) and the band had to run several sessions of auditions. One early audition was by the strange Paul "Ace" Frehley who showed up wearing different colored shoes. Frehley was asked back for a second audition and was a member of the band by Christmas 1972. Within a few weeks, the group had changed its name to KISS and played their first concert on January 30, 1973.^[1]

[edit] The unreleased album

The proper recording sessions for Wicked Lester's album, which began in November 1971 at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, took place during multiple sessions and were finished in July 1972. The album was a mixture of original material and covers, showcasing the group's eclectic style.^[4][2] Three of the songs recorded for the Wicked Lester album would later resurface as KISS songs, with varying degrees of similarity:

• "We Wanna Shout It Out Loud" – A cover version of a song that was originally recorded by The Hollies in 1970. The chorus would serve as the inspiration for "Shout It Out Loud" from 1976's Destroyer, although the two songs are completely different in every other respect.
• "Love Her All I Can" – Written by Paul Stanley, this would resurface on 1975's Dressed to Kill. Both versions feature similar arrangements.
• "She" – Written by Gene Simmons and Steve Coronel prior to the formation of Wicked Lester, this was also re-recorded for the Dressed to Kill album. The melody and arrangement in the two versions are nearly identical, although the original had congas and a flute that the KISS version did not.

The only part of Wicked Lester's album to actually be released, initially, was the cover art, which was used for The Laughing Dogs' debut album in 1979.^[1] CBS Records, who owned the rights to the album, remixed it and planned to release it in late 1976 to capitalize on KISS's commercial popularity. KISS and Neil Bogart, the president of Casablanca Records (KISS's label), purchased the album from CBS for $137,500 and never released it. Eventually, KISS bought Bogart's share outright.^[2][4] Three songs from the album ("Keep Me Waiting," "She," and "Love Her All I Can"), however, were released in 2001 as part of KISS's five-disc box set.

[edit] Band members

The 2nd Wicked Lester as a trio, December 1972; (l to r) Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons

Throughout the summer and fall of 1972, there were two versions of Wicked Lester in existence. Ron Leejack, who was hired to help complete the group's album, only made one public performance with Wicked Lester (at a showcase for Epic Records). The "new" Wicked Lester began as the duo of Simmons and Stanley, and became a trio with the addition of Peter Criss.^[2][3]

• Stephen Coronel – lead guitar (1971–1972)
• Peter Criss – drums, vocals (1972–1973)
• Ron Leejack – lead guitar (1972)
• Brooke Ostrander – keyboards, flute (1971–1972)
• Gene Simmons – bass guitar, vocals
• Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Tony Zarrella – drums (1970–1972)

[edit] Audio sample

[edit] Notes and references