Wicked Lester

The New York group that recorded an unreleased album before evolving into the legendary rock band KISS.

Wicked Lester was a rock band based in New York City, originating as the group Rainbow in August 1970. By early 1971, bassist Chaim Witz (known then as Gene Klein) and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen led the ensemble through a pivotal name change to avoid confusion with another local act. Although they secured a deal with Epic Records and recorded a full album, the project collapsed in August 1972 when A&R director Don Ellis rejected the final mix. Disillusioned by this failure, Klein and Eisen rebranded as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, recruited drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, and formed Kiss by January 30, 1973.

Quick Facts

Also known as

Rainbow (1970–1971)

Origin

New York City, U.S.

Genre

Rock and roll
folk rock
pop

Years active

1970–1973

Label

Epic

Spinoffs

Kiss

Past members

Paul Stanley
Gene Simmons
Brooke Ostrander
Stephen Coronel
Joe Davidson
Tony Zarrella
Ron Leejack

Lore & Background

The roots of Wicked Lester trace back to 1964 when bassist Klein and guitarist Stephen Coronel played together in bands like The Long Island Sounds. By August 1970, they formed Rainbow with keyboardist Brooke Ostrander, adding rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen after he was recommended by Coronel. In early 1971, the group performed their first show at Richmond Community College in Staten Island, only to discover another band already used the name 'Rainbow.'

They adopted 'Wicked Lester,' a name Klein favored for its unusual quality. Their musical direction blended rock and roll with folk and pop elements, featuring original compositions alongside covers like The Hollies' 'I Wanna Shout'. In August 1971, the trio of Klein, Eisen, and Coronel recorded an acoustic demo tape containing 20 songs at Electric Lady Studios. Later that year, engineer Ron Johnsen produced further demos for Epic Records, which purchased the masters on one condition: firing Coronel.

Session musician Ron Leejack replaced him in December 1971. The recording process dragged into a haphazard year-long schedule, finishing in July 1972. When presented to Don Ellis in August 1972, he hated the album, leading manager Lew Linet to request their release from Epic the very next day.

Reader's Guide

Wicked Lester's unreleased album remains a significant curiosity for fans, with sessions bootlegged as 'The Original Wicked Lester Sessions.' Three tracks were officially released by KISS in 2001: 'Keep Me Waiting,' 'She,' and 'Love Her All I Can.' The album featured eclectic styles, including folk rock and pop, contrasting sharply with the hard rock image KISS would later adopt. Songs like 'Love Her All I Can' and 'She' reappeared on KISS's 1975 album 'Dressed to Kill,' while the chorus of 'I Wanna Shout' inspired 'Shout It Out Loud' from 1976's 'Destroyer.'

The master tapes were originally held by CBS Records, which planned a late 1976 release to capitalize on KISS's fame. However, KISS and label president Neil Bogart purchased the tapes for $137,500 to prevent the release of these softer tracks and photos of Simmons and Stanley without makeup, fearing it would damage their hard rock image. The album cover art was reused by The Laughing Dogs in 1979. Today, only three tracks are officially available, preserving a glimpse into the band's pre-fame musical identity.

Did You Know?

Peter Criss was recruited via an ad in Rolling Stone that read: "EXPD. ROCK & roll drummer looking for orig. grp. doing soft & hard music."
The only part of the original album initially released was the cover art, which was used for The Laughing Dogs' self-titled debut in 1979.