God, do I love box sets! I love to spend an occasional Sunday afternoon with a cold drink (iced tea is my preference!) and just cruise through a three or four CD box set. Every now and then when I do this a frequent thought that comes to my head is, "gee, I wish I was listening to a Kiss box set right now!"
The idea for a Kiss box set has seen the light of day for nearly ten years now. Polygram Records wanted Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to put one together during the late 1980's, but the two pushed the idea back, most likely thinking it would be in the way of other projects they were more concerned about at the time. Only in the past three or four years have Gene and Paul seriously started thinking more about it, and have been teasing the ever so die-hard Kiss fans about what they call "The Monster of All Box Sets." Paul has even stated that the proposed Kiss box set would be the size of a piece of luggage.
Now because of other projects Kiss is now heavily involved in (the new studio record with Ace and Peter, a new tour, a movie, a cartoon show, etc.), this Kiss box set will most likely not be seen in public until the turn of the century. But....what it will it be like? What exactly will be on it? Well, Gene claims that it will not be a comprehensive Kiss "greatest hits" package. You won't see "Detroit Rock City" in its regular form in this set. From hearing countless descriptions, I personally see the box set being somewhat similar to the phenomenal Beatles "Anthology" series of 1995 and 1996.
Do expect all the Kiss classics in raw demo form, plus tons of unreleased recordings, live tracks and whatever other surprises Kiss has in their vaults! Now, for years, lots of these demos have seen the light of day in "bootleg" form, but in terrible quality. Kiss certainly knows that this stuff is out there. I can almost bank on a good majority of it being on the box set, but of course it will be presented in top notch form, as Paul and Gene have taken a lot of the material into the studio to do some mixing (hopefully they won't add "new" vocals to classic unreleased tracks, like they did last year on the "You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best" album!). But, Paul and Gene have stated that there is quite a lot of material that no one has heard in any form yet and will be on the box set.
So, what I'm getting at is this. I've done some extensive research and I put together what I feel would be a very satisfying Kiss box set for any fan, old or new. I did my research in numerous accounts, including the Kisstory book, Goldmine magazine articles, and certain books that have recently been released. Now, keep in mind that a lot of what I've included is just speculation. I'm not even sure if a lot of this exists. What I've also realized is that there is no way that what will be 25 years and 30 albums just could NOT be summed up in only four discs. I personally feel that a Kiss box set of unreleased material will be covered in five or six discs. So, now,here is an estimated look at a possible SIX DISC Kiss box set:
| Disc 1 | Disc 2 |
|---|---|
| 1. Never Loving, Never Living (Paul, Post War Baby Boom, 1967) | 1. Deuce (demo, 1973) |
| 2. Leeta (Gene, Bullfrog Bheer, 1969) | 2. Cold Gin (demo, 1973) |
| 3. Chimney Sweeps (Gene, 1969) | 3. Strutter (demo, 1973) |
| 4. Peter, Chelsea track, 1970 | 4. Watchin' You (demo, 1973) |
| 5. second Peter, Chelsea track, 1970 | 5. Black Diamond (demo, 1973) |
| 6. Beck (original "Beth," 1971) | 6. Acrobat (unreleased version, 1973) |
| 7. Ace, Millemo track, 1972 | 7. Watchin' You (unreleased version, 1973) |
| 8. second Ace, Milliemo track, 1972 | 8. Black Moon June (demo, 1974) |
| 9. Sweet Opheila (Wicked Lester, 1972) | 9. Much Too Soon (demo, 1974) |
| 10. Too Many Mondays (Wicked Lester, 1972) | 10. Strange Ways (unreleased drum solo version, 1974) |
| 11. When the Bell Rings (Wicked Lester, 1972) | 11. Hotter Than Hell (alternate "Alive" version, 1975) |
| 12. Molly (Wicked Lester, 1972) | 12. Firehouse (alternate "Alive" version, 1975) |
| 13. Long Road (Wicked Lester, 1972) | 13. Rock and Roll All Nite (alternate "Alive" version, 1975) |
| 14. Stanley the Parrot (demo, 1972) | 14. Ladies in Waiting (unreleased live version, 1976) |
| 15. Love Her All I Can (live, the Daisy, 1973) | 15. God of Thunder (demo, 1976) |
| 16. She (live, the Daisy, 1973) | 16. None of Your Business (unreleased, 1976) |
| 17. Simple Type (live, the Daisy, 1973) | 17. Great Expectations (alternate version, 1976) |
| 18. Keep Me Waiting (live, the Daisy, 1973) | 18. Beth (unreleased acoustic version, 1976) |
| 19. Life in the Woods (Iive, the Daisy, 1973) | |
| 20. Baby Let Me Go (live, the Daisy, 1973) |
| Disc 3 | Disc 4 |
|---|---|
| 1. Detroit Rock City (demo, 1976) | 1. Sure Know Something (demo, 1979) |
| 2. Do You Love Me (live, Anaheim, CA, 1976) | 2. I Was Made for Lovin' You (extended remix version, 1979) |
| 3. Mr. Speed (demo, 1976) | 3. Dirty Livin' (extended remix version, 1979) |
| 4. Hard Luck Woman (demo, 1976) | 4. Tomorrow (demo, 1980) |
| 5. Queen for a Day (unreleased, 1976) | 5. New York Groove (live, Sydney, 1980) |
| 6. I Stole Your Love (demo, 1977) | 6. Is That You (live, Sydney, 1980) |
| 7. Love Gun (demo, 1977) | 7. Deadly Weapons (demo, 1981) |
| 8. Hooligan (demo, 1977) | 8. Feel Like Heaven (demo, 1981) |
| 9. Christine Sixteen (demo, w/Eddie & Alex Van Halen, 1977) | 9. Don't Run (demo, 1981) |
| 10. Got Love for Sale (demo, w/Eddie & Alex Van Halen, 1977) | 10. I'm a Legend Tonight (unreleased in the U.S., 1982) |
| 11. Hooligan (unreleased live version, 1977) | 11. Down on Your Knees (unreleased in the U.S., 1982) |
| 12. Love is Blind (demo, 1978) | 12. Partners in Crime (unreleased in the U.S., 1982) |
| 13. Mongoloid Man (demo, w/Joe Perry, 1978) | 13. Nowhere to Run (unreleased in the U.S., 1982) |
| 14. Fourever (demo, 1978) | 14. It's My Life (unreleased, 1982) |
| 15. Bad Bad Lovin' (demo, 1978) | 15. Back on the Streets (unreleased, 1982) |
| 16. alternate Ace solo outtake, 1978 | 16. Legends Never Die (unreleased, w/new vocal, 1982) |
| 17. Rumble (demo, 1979) | 17. I Love it Loud (live, Rio de Janerio, 1983) |
| 18. Love Bite (demo, 1979) | |
| Disc 5 | Disc 6 |
|---|---|
| 1. Lick it Up (demo, 1983) | 1. Rise to it (unreleased live, 1990) **(Kiss did do some live recording on the "Hot in the Shade" tour!) |
| 2. Young and Wasted (unreleased live, w/Eric Carr vocal, 1984) | 2. Fits Like a Glove (unreleased live, 1990) |
| 3. Heaven's on Fire (unreleased live, 1984) | 3. Do You Wanna Touch Me Now (unreleased, 1992) |
| 4. I've Just Begun to Fight (demo, 1985) | 4. Parasite (unreleased live, 1992) |
| 5. We Won't Take it Anymore (demo, 1985) | 5. War Machine (unreleased live, 1992) |
| 6. Hide Your Heart (demo, 1987) | 6. Love Gun (unreleased live, 1992) |
| 7. Sword and Stone (demo, 1987) | 7. Carnival of Souls (demo, 1993) |
| 8. When Two Hearts Collide (demo, 1987) | 8. I Can't Forgive What I Can't Forget (demo, 1993) |
| 9. Don't Let Go (demo, 1987) | 9. Dead in Your Tracks (demo, 1993) |
| 10. The Best Man for You (demo, 1987) | 10. Got to Choose (unreleased unplugged, 1995) |
| 11. Time Traveller (demo, 1987) | 11. Hard Luck Woman (unreleased, unplugged, 1995) |
| 12. Dial L for Love (demo, 1987) | 12. Calling Dr. Love (unreleased, live, 1996) **(I figured some reunion tour stuff may be on the box!) |
| 13. Are You Always This Hot (unreleased, 1987) | 13. 100,000 Years (unreleased live, 1996) |
| 14. Let's Put the X in Sex (remix, 1988) | 14. demo, 1997 |
| 15. unreleased Rockheads, Eric & Bruce track, 1989 | 15. demo, 1997 |
| 16. second unreleased Rockheads, Eric & Bruce track, 1989 | 16. demo, 1997 |
| 17. Somebody's Waiting (demo, 1989) | 17. Shout it Out Loud (live, 1998) |
| 18. Forever (remix, 1989) | 18. new or unreleased track, (...) |
As for the "goodies" Kiss always promise us, I speculate there to be a couple of videos with the package. What I'D like to see is a three tape 5 hour documentary of the band, from 1973 to whatever year the set comes out. Kiss has been doing some filming at certain functions and tours for the last 5 years now. That must mean something. That would be awesome to see, and a great inclusion in the box set. I'd also like to see Gene, Paul and Ace guitar picks, Peter drumsticks, a book and perhaps a Kiss logo sticker or something like that included.
Well, this has been one fan's view of what Kiss should do when it comes to packaging up their box. This would be a great summary of a great career. I would love it if Gene or Paul would come across this essay and see what their fans really want.
I do wish to hear everyone's thoughts on what I put together. Please feel free to drop me some e-mail and let me know what you think, what you disagree or agree with me about. I thank you all for taking the time to read this.