It's finally time for another installment of the Kiss Thought Vault! This time, hold onto your "Firehouse" hats, as I attempt to validate the life of "Dirty Livin'." For me, it stands as a piece of Kiss music without parallel. But before I explain why, here's a ....
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Remember, the Live Kiss Thought Vault isn't just about knowing the oddest bit of trivia, it's really about fostering a free and open exchange of ideas among Kiss fans - all in good fun. You don't need a crystal ball, sugar! Thanks for all the positive feedback about my latest Vault venture. If you can't make it to the Expo, I will be sure to have a full report right here on KISS ASYLUM!
Here's the link to Trunk's online world (check out his playlist, he's hardcore, all right!): http://www.fmtalk1027.com. Click on "Saturday Night Rocks."
Here's a (you guessed it) link to Bootcamp's Web home: http://www.bootcamp-band.com Ken Gullic (singer/frontman guy, Animalize supporter) will be at the Expo with copies of his band's As You Were album, signed by Bruce Kulick! Trust me, it will make sense if you surf to his site now!
Here's another link, to the dark, deadly world of Countess Vladimira: www.vladimira.com. The Countess will be at the NJ Expo, oiling her traps....
(Now back to our regularly scheduled Vault, already in progress!)
Getting "Dirty..." through wholesome living
When I went to the gym recently (not exactly an enjoyable activity), I chose Dynasty as my sweating soundtrack. I hadn't listened to it a long, long time. Incidentally, when I chose a Kiss disc for the gym, I hope I that it's not going to be the day where some hacker will accidentally tap into my Discman, and broadcast my music over the place's speakers. Could you imagine the horror of songs like "Some Kind of Hurricane," "Read My Body" or "My Way" blasting through a gym? Weights would be dropping everywhere, people would running off the treadmills... Then, the announcement would come: "Uh, attention members: Would the person listening to the tacky inspirational songs turn it down?" I would feel more like Richard, rather than Gene, Simmons.
Anyway, while I indulged in a bit of cardiovascular torture, it wasn't the four millionth listening of the filler-of-fillers "X-Ray Eyes," the unique "Save You Love" or drama of "Magic Touch" that made me made act like a hamster in a wheel (or think up this Thought Vault), it was... "Dirty Livin' - It got to me!"
It never did before; I mean, I've always liked Dynasty's fourth number, but never really "got into it" like I have "Rocket Ride," "Two Timer" or "Get All You Can Take." But now, although it does not contain Peter Criss' best vocal performance (go, "Baby Driver") and it's not too Kiss-like, I think "Dirty Livin'" deserves credit as simply being a great song, the second-best experiment in "Kissco" and the swan song of both Peter and original Kiss. What's also crazy is that for what is basically an obscure Cat track, the complete history of "Dirty Livin'" is well documented; from Kitty/Penridge demo collaboration and Dynasty form to 12-inch mutation and acoustic shocker, it's all audible. In the immortal words of Ace Frehley on the '79 Tomorrow show (yes, I have been on a major Dynasty era kick as of late), "I find that fascinating!" Scroll on, flaming youth....
"DL," BD (before Dynasty)
The demo of "Dirty Livin'" is part of a batch of four compositions that the Cat had supposedly put together for possible inclusion on Dynasty. The rest of the lot were the American Graffiti -esque "Rumble," "Out of Control" and an early try at the fun "There's Nothing Better." While "Rumble" never went farther, "Out.." and "There's Nothing..." of course did, and a great aside is that Peter had the fortune of using three out of these four songs on official albums. That's a demo-to-album ratio that rivals Gene and Paul! Given the hectic and nerve-wracking 1978, it's hard to say when exactly Peter and Penridge, et. al. recorded this material, but one thing is for certain: All four songs were recorded at the same sessions, as they all sport the same production (super '70s) and actually are very similar in tempo (actually the "Hooligan" demo [from '76?] is similar as well.) The "Dirty..." demo is simple, an elemental edition of what the song would eventually become. More traditional (read as: unremarkable) old-school than Stonsey dance rock, it is the skeleton outline from which Dynasty producer (Mad) Vincent Poncia helped to write a standout track. In other words, judging from this first version (and Peter's 1995 live redux!), it's not abundantly clear that Kiss' resident gun collector and Stan "where's my 'Hooligan' money?" Penridge intended to make "Dirty Livin'" danceable, save for '50s sock-hop parties. There is however, a bass and drums intro, which is an anomaly for a Peter tune. Aspects of the "Dirty..." demo that carried over to the album version are the lyrics (all three verses stayed the same) the general arrangement and the signature guitar lead riff (it's at the start of the song on Dynasty: "dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah...." ). That's an impressive amount of parts for a Peter song to retain after going through the Kiss ringer.
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Sometime during late/'78 early 1979 "Dirty Livin'" was designated as the next token Peter song. In retrospect, it was definitely the right move ("Rumble" definitely deserved wide berth), as the song was the most adaptable (for Kiss) out of the bunch. Around 1993, Dynasty rehearsal tapes hit the collector's market. Decidedly low-fi, this multi-hour chunk of audio is worth sitting through numerous times. There's a wealth of information to be had, and a ton of inferences made about the inner musical workings of Kiss, circa 1979. On the tapes, Gene, Paul, Peter, and Vini (no, not Vinnie!) work on "Dirty Livin'" extensively. Poncia leads the proceedings as though his initials designated his rank in the Kiss organization, singing lead at points and giving instructions. At one point he tells Peter to "play it straight." This quote was in reference to the "I can't wait any longer" part: On the "Dirty..." demo, Jenilees' father was playing a fill akin to some of his parts that punctuate the ends of Gene's vocal lines in "Christine Sixteen" ("she see me through to the end..."). Apparently Poncia was already on the disco tip, and didn't want anything in the song that would knock dancers off their heels.
Gray matter is formed
With Poncia's guidance (at the cost of a profitable writing credit), "Dirty Livin'" was eventually developed one of three Dynasty numbers that in my opinion best exemplify the "Kissco" sound, complementing the lesson-learned quasi-dance of "Sure Know Something,' and following the trail to the dance floor blazed by "I Was Made for Loving You."
As for the rest of the album's songs, while they're decidedly different from the established typical Kiss sound (lighter, kind of Love Gun: The Next Generation), they're simply along for the ride as far as representing the new Kiss sonic colors are concerned. Certainly no one would say that "Hard Times" is disco, etc. "Charisma" comes closest, sporting a tight production. Hey, don't you often wonder what this Gene/Howard Marks (how did that happen? Gene: "Hmm, I think I'll write with one of our business personnel...") co-authored camp would have sounded like live?
Where "IWMFLY" is clean (= "I am a fly"?), "Dirty Livin'" is... dirty. Naturally, the songs "story" (more on this later) and Peter's voice lent themselves to a more gritty production. Hence, there's more substance to "Dirty Livin'" than "I Was Made For Loving You," in some ways making it more enjoyable.
There's a lot more to note about "Dirty... " on Dynasty, so I'll do it list style:
1) It appears fourth in Dynasty's track listing. Fourth? That's pretty good for a Peter song. He's batted cleanup once before, on Dressed to Kill (with Ace's "Getaway") and was close on Rock and Roll Over, but let's face it: In terms of old-school track listings, Peter was pretty much a second side guy. And, before a Gene song? Man, it pays to bring in your solo album producer....
2) The whole 22-second intro (pre-vocals) would have been the perfect theme for a '70s crime fighting drama! Why didn't this happen? I mean, the band's label was Casablanca Records and Filmworks.... You'll remember that ol' Petey (isn't there something sad about that description?) has long been a fan of gangsters and cops-and-robbers type of televisual fare. In fact, in the first Music Life Special (in a strange parallel of the '70s comics, this one from 1977 is considering to be superior to the next, published the following year) he cited the short-lived "Baretta" series as being one his favorite shows. Maybe right now, you're saying "yeah, that's possible, but I would need to see more of Peter's acting ability to know he could be the lead; Could he vocally make the cut?" Of course, this aspect of his acting is hard to judge in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park, for his voice was overdubbed by the Plasticman (the worst superhero ever) guy. But have no fear, all the tough-guy, rule-breaking hard-line cop dialog you need is found on the Houston '77 video!
Here's the setup: Peter is our hero, and "Frankie" is his lovable sidekick. The two are sneaking up on the bad guys in 1978 New York City. It's dirty; there are Styrofoam McDonald's boxes everywhere. Cars are made out of real metals, etc. It's dark, but the Cat prefers to solely rely on his special feline vision. Put on the beginning of "Dirty Livin'" (which really is quite the loud start) grab a buddy and recite this dialog:
Action!
Music: dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....
Peter: "Frankie! Frankie! I don't want a spotlight. The light's too fucking bright!"
Frankie: Mumble, mumble, mumble.
dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....
PC: Frankie! Get it off! It's too fuckin' bright!
Frankie: Mumble, mumble, mumble....
dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....
C'mon -- with "Dirty Livin'" as its theme, Peter as the lead and a script like this, you would say that a crime show called "The Cat: Stalker of Crime" wouldn't have been a hit? It wouldn't of at least clobbered "Battle of the Network Stars" in the ratings?
3) Peter's vocal performance (which by no means his best, is serviceable, and heck, Peter) strikes me as being Jagger-like in its staccato phasing. Even the subject matter is in line with a bulk of the material found on 1978's Sticky Fingers. Here's a little theory I have: When Kiss decided to sound a little more slick and danceable (read as: sissy), they took a look around to see who else in rock was pulling it off. The Stones were copping some of the feel of late '70s dance-floor filers in songs like "Miss You," and although their biggest (scariest?) disco-like moments wouldn't occur until post -Dynasty, it may have been that Kiss saw the Stones as sort of a model for their slight directional shift. Okay, the fact that by '78 Casablanca was the biggest disco label in the world may have had something to do with it, too....
4) The background vocals are well done. I have always felt that Kiss are without peer in the background business ("I hear a heavy metal Four Tops" - Paul Stanley, Dynasty rehearsal tapes). Comprised of Gene, Paul and presumably Vini Ponica, they don't just come in during the choruses, they soar into on through, falsetto style. More vocal observation: The "it's getting to me" line (sung by multiple Pauls) at 3:27 is cool. On the '70s studio albums (and slightly beyond), Stanley actively put little lead parts of his own into everyone else's songs, and it made for great cheerleading - and maybe great reading (hint).
dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....
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Production alert: Listen carefully to the earliest feedback spot (precisely at 1:30). It appears that Poncia did some editing, accelerating the feedback development process to fit the breaks! You can also catch the first supplemental percussion instrument (a shaker) at the tail end of the part. Another odd production moment occurs at the end of the solo section. Ace concludes with his standard bunch of notes (about five?) and pulls the last one. In a song that showcases Frehley's feedback technique more than any other studio outing (including Alive II - ha ha), Poncia abruptly pulls the plug on the lead at 2:17. What's even weirder is that some feedback (without any notes played before it!) returns just three seconds later, at 2:20. Either Vini was really picking this song apart during its mixing, or he was doing it on the fly; this insanity has to be the product of one extreme or the other.
6) The bass playing is perfect for making "Dirty Livin'" sound both "Kissco" and "urban jungle." That's the best way I can describe the sound the four string and the aforementioned opening lead riff (again, that's "dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah." In addition to the guitar and keyboard, this part is also faintly sung by someone -- I believe it was Vini Poncia!) create. I've always considered "DL" to have a little Latin influence, by way of Spanish Harlem. For years I have been torn about who exactly 1) arrived at and 2) performed these parts. They're in line with Gene's style, but he was really lazy during Dynasty. Is Vini Poncia a bass player? Then again, I believe he took part in the "DL" rehearsals, so... I'm still confused. Is Simmons did perform bass duties on "Dirty Liven'," it ranks as one of his most rhythmic outings ever. As a bassist, the Demon is very white bread, and about as subtle as Godzilla. Still, he sometimes surprises me and plays his parts smooth as silk. Here, he's solid, and breaks up a dominant one-note pulse with quick, memorable fills. Hey, did you ever notice how fluid moneybags is on "Into the Void" live? Check out the European Psycho Sued-us live disc for proof. The song overall is an unmitigated mess, but somehow, in spite of locking in with no one, Gene plays like he's sitting on a stool, and a member of P-Funk.
7) What about Paul? I haven't mentioned him much (except for that diversion), but Paul's rhythm guitar playing is front and center, filling the sonic midsection, between Gene's bass and Ace's creative feedback stylings.
8) Advanced puzzle department: Did Peter actually provide the drum track? Me thinks so. The style is in line with Peter's capabilities, and those tom fills are classic Criss. Like Gene, pre-production tapes prove that he at least intended to play his own parts on everything, but we know how that turned out! So, I'm not sure. But, if he played anything on Dynasty, it's this song - and most assuredly not "X-Ray Eyes." The shakers (I think I mentioned these somewhere) are accompanied by other "let's through it in" percussive standbys: bongos and a tambourine! The former are not easy to hear, but they're all over the track. The latter is used all over the place, occurring early on the "four." Later, it also accents the end of the main "jungle riff" ("dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah"). There's another exotic bongo-type drum, whose name I can't recall. Whatever it is, it's sound is clear as a bell (hey, that's another instrument!) for two hits late in the game, beginning at 3:01.
9) This song is Detroit, reference city, approaching the greatness of Peter's previous "hot like an oven" recycling ("Mainline" to "You Matter to Me")! Speaking of Hotter Than Hell, consider "Mainline out of China, is due in tonight." Hmm - What exactly was this People's Choice winner trying to say? Is that where obscure Kiss songs disappear to? China? What's next? On the Kiss box set (retail price $3,000, I'm sure), there'll be an alternate lyrics version of the green one's Dynasty dancer, featuring the line: "'Love Theme from Kiss' from China, is due in tonight"? But before that third verse occurrence (Third verse? In a Kiss song? It must have been only because three is the Cat's number), Peter paraphrases one "his" early Kiss songs, "Black Diamond" with the line "I make my livin' out on the streets -- dirty livin'." "Black Diamond" starts with "Out on the streets for a livin', picture's only begun!" If you really think about it (and I have), "Dirty Liven'" suffices as retelling of the "Black Diamond" tale, albeit from the first person perspective instead of the third; Whereas in "Black Diamond," Peter sang about a black hooker, in "Dirty Livin'" he is one! Wait, before you click the heck out of here, here's another piece of evidence that these two songs tell the same story: in "BD" Peter sings "darkness will fall on the city," (is "darkness" a reference to the black woman?) and in "Dirty Liven'" he sings, "waiting for the darkness to blind the heat." Of course, all of this is vis-a-vis my cop show idea, but maybe I can save it: the word "heat" may be a veiled allusion to law enforcement!
(Another) Thought Vault Sidenote: How funny is it that what essentially is Kiss' biggest special effects song live is a tale about a black hooker? Where is she now? Does she know that drums rise in her honor?
Wait! There's more! Don't forget about the "I gotta get away" parts after the choruses! They recall "Getaway," another "Peter song" (he sang it, Ace wrote it). And about "Getaway," it's not spelled correctly. Judging by the way the way Peter uses it, the title should have been two words, as in "Get Away."
Peter may have injecting a little personal feeling into "Dirty Livin'" with the above phrase, as by 1978 he wanted out of the band. As a ridiculous aside, was the line "I can hear the jukebox, pounding out loud" included as a hint that Out of Control would feature such a music machine on its cover?
dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....
Other things and some quick points
By the time is almost over, "Dirty Livin'" is a dense piece of music, with the bass and drum syncopation pushing the arrangement forward while the rhythm guitar serves as sonic glue, sticking to Peter's lead vocal, holding together this bottom end with the higher register background and Ace's high-flying heroics. A lot of work went into this song. Personally, it's astounding that for a 1979 album a Peter song managed to become such a collective band effort - and it wasn't a U.S. single, or least attempted live! Today, it may not be in the same league "Deuce," but what "Dirty Livin':" has going for it that other obscure songs do not is that if my calculations are correct, it marks the last time that all four original members worked together on one song. Even if Peter wasn't behind the kit, he was behind the mike.
Scary fact: Criss, Frehley, Simmons and Stanley would not work together in this fashion until 1998's "Into the Void." An even frightening fact is that they never will again.... Here's how I would envision Kiss 1979 performing "Dirty Liven'" live: It would have been be sped up. The background would have been tough. Just like he changed himself from a "black sheep" in to simply a "sheep" (hilarious!) and proclaimed it by way of a bloodcurdling (by the way, in his 1977 vocal prime, don't you think Petey would have been great as the singer for an all-Brian Johnson era AC/DC cover band? I could just hear Mr. Criss nailing "Let me Put My Love Into You" with aplomb... ) scream, the drummer would changed some of the words. Maybe "Mamma, sister, brother, are lyin' up tight" would have been altered to "Gene, Paul and Ace are lyin' up tight."
"...Livin'" longer
In Germany and Mexico (and Italy, too?), "Dirty Livin'" made it to the dubious "Maxi 12-Inch" status, which sounds like the name of a joint venture between John Holmes and Tampax.
One has to wonder if this achieved any type of success, chart or turntable spin wise, for little or no documentation is available on this strange release.
Like "I Was Made for Loving You," the extended version of which was released all over Earth and Pluto, the elongated "Dirty Livin'" approaches clocks in around six minutes. Here are some of my observations about this mutation:
1) It's audio Silly Putty, stretched out in the beginning, and at the end. The intro is very "Shake Your Groove Thing." It builds from drums and bass, with the rhythm guitar coming in before the first verse. It's cool, but a little feedback would have been great.
2) Some of the same tricks used on the dance mix of "I Was Made...." were put into effect here. The background vocals are louder, and there's a strange effect put on them (think Xanadu). There's also the "oily wheel" effect following the drums.
3) Overall, what's fantastic about this version of "Dirty Livin'" is that you get to hear what happened after the Dynasty version fades out! Oh, if we only got to hear the source tapes of all of Kiss' song in this manner! There are more vocals (Peter sings little parts, and the "it's gettin' to me" are repeated more). There are more variations in the bass track, which is basically the same style, but different notes on the fills. By 5:20 the four string is once again on its own, save for the drums and the annoying "oily wheel" sound.
On the guitar front, the longer ending allows us to hear even more of Ace's guitar work. He plays more notes, and right before the bass solo he revisits one of his "Fractured Mirror" sections! Bizarre! 4) The keyboards are more prominent in this mixes, especially during the verses.
Dirty live-in'
In spite of probably last being heard in German discos before the Berlin Wall crumbled, "Dirty Livin'" would still would not die! In 1995 "Blondie" (well, he was then) revisited the song in concert, on the famed "Bad Boys" tour. The arrangement and lyrics were altered, and the song was performed acoustically. It worked! The performance I heard features one of Peter's roadies on drums (Eddie Canon?), while Peter was up front, perched on a stool, banging that silly wooden box. His vocals are strong, and the band performs well. I wonder if Gene and Paul ever heard this version of "Dirty Livin'." If they did, and it somehow was before Unplugged, they're foolish for not working into the reunion segment!
All of this Dynasty-related talk has me wondering.
What if....
...Kiss had gone to Japan on the Dynasty tour? Would Peter have aimed to "make all the women," as he would have had the gray album's tour gone to Holland?
...There were more merchandise with the Dynasty costumes (dolls!)?
...There was a third Marvel comic? Was any preliminary artwork drawn.
Here's a great question, one that will hopefully yield a definite, irrefutable rejoinder: can anyone confirm the actual existence of the Bally pinball machine poster, as advertised in the Dynasty Kiss Army insert?
dah-nah-nah, dah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, naa-ah....