When KISS announced they were making a new album with the original band members after their big Alive/Worldwide tour in 1997, fans expected the group to work together as a team. But over time, it became clear that this wasn’t the case.
Of the four original members, only Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley played on all 10 songs. Ace Frehley only played guitar on three songs and sang lead on one. Peter Criss played drums on just one track and sang lead on one. The only song where all four had lead vocals was “You Wanted the Best.”
So who played the rest of the music? Most of the lead guitar parts were done by Bruce Kulick and Tommy Thayer (who later joined the band). Kevin Valentine, a session drummer, played drums on almost every song.
In an interview with Chaoszine, Bruce Kulick talked about his role on the album and cleared up what he did. He said he started by doing demos with Paul Stanley and a songwriter named Curt Cuomo, who had worked with him in his band Union. Kulick said he co-wrote the song “Dreamin'” with Paul and mostly played bass, not guitar, on the album. Some guitar he recorded earlier with Gene Simmons for the song “Within” was used.
Kulick said he felt honored to help with the album, especially since he hadn’t been fired — he just wasn’t part of the original lineup that went on the reunion tour. He said the producer, Bruce Fairbairn, liked working with him. He was paid well and even had some of his gear rented for the sessions. He never saw Ace or Peter during the process — only Gene and Paul.
