Peter Frampton has confirmed that KISS borrowed his equipment while recording overdubs for their iconic live album ‘Alive!’. This revelation comes from a report by Guitar Player.
The revelation sheds light on the recording process behind KISS’s breakthrough live album. The album required additional studio work to perfect the performances captured during their energetic stage shows.
“We were mixing Frampton Comes Alive, and KISS were next door doing the same thing for ‘Alive!’,” Frampton said. “But they kept on coming to us and asking if we got guitars, amps or basses, as they were doing some fixing on their live record.”
The guitarist explained how the borrowing arrangement worked between the two recording sessions.
“They just kept on coming in and borrowing all sorts of different stuff,” he continued. “So my equipment is on that album — but not me!”
The story corroborates earlier statements from ‘Alive!’ producer and engineer Eddie Kramer. Kramer described the challenges of capturing KISS’s theatrical performances and the subsequent need for studio overdubs at Electric Lady Studios.
Kramer said about the album, “Bombs going off, Gene spitting fire, rockets from Ace’s guitar. And imagine leaping about the stage in those super-high-heeled boots!. It’s no wonder things got a little bit out of whack. KISS was a new band, and the effort they put out in those shows was monumental, so we did a bunch of guitar and vocal overdubs at Electric Lady Studios.”
This equipment sharing between two legendary artists highlights the collaborative nature of the recording industry during the mid-1970s. Both albums were being produced simultaneously at the same facility.
The timing of these recording sessions was particularly significant. Both albums would go on to become career-defining releases. Ultimate Classic Rock reported that ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ was recorded during live performances in 1975 and became one of the best-selling live albums of all time. Meanwhile, KISS was working to capture the raw energy of their theatrical stage performances for what would become their breakthrough commercial success.
The technical challenges faced during KISS’s live recordings were substantial, given the band’s elaborate stage show. Guitars Exchange noted that the band’s performances featured pyrotechnics, elaborate costumes, and high-energy movements that often interfered with the quality of live recordings. This necessitated the studio overdubs that required borrowing Frampton’s equipment.
Frampton’s approach to his own live album stood in stark contrast to KISS’s more polished post-production process. Ultimate Classic Rock revealed that Frampton deliberately preserved the imperfections in his live recordings to maintain authenticity.
“If I wanted to have my voice be perfect and in tune, I would have re-sung the whole album. But I didn’t. Because it wouldn’t be live. And there are some really bad notes that I sing,” Frampton explained. This highlights the philosophical difference between the two projects.
The borrowing arrangement between the artists demonstrates how the recording industry operated during this era. Musicians freely shared resources to achieve their artistic goals. Both albums would ultimately achieve massive commercial success. ‘Alive!’ helped to establish KISS as arena rock superstars while ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ became a cultural phenomenon that dominated the charts for months.
