Kiss/Animalize Animalize Sessions

“ANIMALIZE” was the only work in which Mark St. John participated and became KISS’s biggest hit without makeup. A demo album that reveals the production site is now available. This work contains 5 songs and 14 takes of hidden treasures. This is a studio album that records the sessions from rehearsals in April 1984 to May 29, when the main recording was underway. This recording shocked enthusiasts around the world when it was discovered more than 10 years ago. Not only is it a hidden treasure that had not been known until then, but the sound quality is also excellent. This work includes demos for five songs, but they are not organized by song, but in roughly chronological order of recording (with some exceptions). Let’s introduce each session. May 16, 1984 Session (2 songs) “Heaven’s On Fire” “Thrills In The Night” The first thing that appears is a rough mix of two songs. “ANIMALIZE” was rehearsed in April 1984, and production began in May, so this session is still in the early stages of production. Even though it’s called a “demo,” it has quite different characteristics depending on the production stage, from the composition stage to the arrangement planning stage, a preliminary take of the actual take, and a rejected version of the actual mix. These two takes were recorded on the same day, but it’s interesting because the stages are completely different. The signature song “Heaven’s On Fire” that appears at the beginning is suddenly nearing completion. There may be a count, and some takes may be different, but the basic arrangement is solid and includes the chorus. It was probably written early on, but the level of perfection is incredible considering it was in the early stages of production. However, “Thrills In The Night” is a rough take that seems to be from the early days. The sound also feels like the riff is being strummed based on a delicious rhythm track. There is a chorus included, but it’s just to help you understand the progression of the song, and it’s basically an instrumental version without vocals. May 20, 1984 (?) Session (2 songs) “Under The Gun” “Thrills In The Night (part)” Next comes “Under The Gun” of unknown date, recorded on May 20th “Thrills In The Night”. “Under The Gun” is an instrumental version with only a few choruses like the above “Thrills In The Night”, and there is a possibility that it may have been a session on May 16th. However, the rhythm and solos have a high level of perfection, and you can fully enjoy the feeling of running like crazy. On the other hand, “Thrills In The Night” is only the solo overdub part. Rather than enjoying it as a different version, it’s the type where you can peek into the production process of trial and error parts. May 25, 1984 session (5 songs, 7 takes) “Heaven’s On Fire” “Thrills In The Night” “I’d Have Enough (Into The Fire)” “Get All You Can Take (2 takes)” “Under The Gun (partial, 2 takes)” Next comes the main session of this work. On this day, “rough mixes for two songs,” “initial demos for two songs (three takes),” and “parts for one song (two takes)” were recorded. First, there are two rough mixes: “Heaven’s On Fire” and “Thrills In The Night.” “Heaven’s On Fire” is quite complete as of May 16th, and while polishing is progressing here, the basics haven’t changed much. On the contrary, “Thrills In The Night” evolved all at once. The vocals have also been dubbed with effects, and the final version is clearly visible. Next up are “I’d Have Enough (Into The Fire)” and “Get All You Can Take,” both of which were recorded with Scat’s guide vocals, the lyrics of which have not yet been determined. However, even though the song is a guide, the performance arrangement is crisp, and the rhythm section and guitar are sharp. Although I can’t say for certain whether there is a take that is the same as the final version, it is a completeness that would not be strange even if it was. Because it is a basic instrumental, it is a take that brings out the original coolness of the song. And the parts recording is “Under The Gun”. In the final version, the song ends with Mark’s solo, but here, in addition to that solo, we are trying out a different arrangement that ends with a drum pattern. May 29, 1984 session (2 songs) “I’d Have Enough (Into The Fire) (part)” “Get All You Can Take? (part)” In the session at the end of May, more detailed parts were added. I’m recording. It seems that Mark didn’t touch the composition of “ANIMALIZE” and just covered the finished song with a guitar, but it is these parts recordings that highlight his presence. April 1984 Rehearsal (1 song) “Thrills In The Night” Up to this point, we have followed the production process in chronological order, but what is recorded at the end is a very early demo that goes back in time. This is “Thrills In The Night” which seems to be in the composition stage. However, this is not a random jam; the basic backing pattern and song structure have already been established. I can’t say for sure, but it’s a demo where the entire band seems to be remembering the basics of the songs that Paul taught them. The above is a studio treasure with 5 songs and 14 takes. The “ANIMALIZE” edition of the studio demo is interesting to listen to as a different version of a famous album or song, and is full of the real thrill of peeking into the production process. A demo album that reveals the production site of “ANIMALIZE”. This is a studio recording that records the sessions in chronological order from rehearsals in April 1984 to May 29, 1984, when the main recording progressed, and includes 5 songs: “Heaven’s On Fire”, “Thrills In The Night”, “Under The Gun”, You can enjoy early versions of “I’d Have Enough (Into The Fire)” and “Get All You Can Take” as well as recordings of solo parts. This is a studio album that is interesting to listen to as a different version of a famous song, and is full of the real thrill of peeking into the production process. Recorded & Mixed at Right Tracks Studios, New York City, NY, USA April – May 1984 (39:34) 1. Heaven’s On Fire [Rough Mix 16Th May 1984] 2. Thrills In The Night [Rough Mix 16Th May 1984] 3 . Under The Gun [Instrumental] 4. Thrills In The Night [Solo Overdub Intro 20Th May 1984] 5. Heaven’s On Fire [Rough Mix 25Th May 1984] 6. Thrills In The Night [Rough Mix 25Th May 1984] 7. I’ d Have Enough (Into The Fire) [Scat Vocals 25Th May 1984] 8. Get All You Can Take [Scat Vocals 25Th May 1984] 9. Get All You Can Take [Instrumental 25Th May 1984] 10. Under The Gun [End Solo Overdub 25Th May 1984] 11. Under The Gun [Diff. End Drum 25Th May 1984] 12. I’d Have Enough (Into The Fire) [Solo Overdub Attempt 29Th May 1984] 13. Get All You Can Take? [Solo Overdub Attempt 29Th May 1984] 14. Thrills In The Night [Rehearsal April 1984] Paul Stanley – vocals, guitar, bass Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Eric Carr – drums, percussion, backing vocals Mark St. John – lead guitar STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING