Kiss is one of those bands that there are hundreds upon hundreds of bootlegs. Each time I go to Repo Records for Record Store Day, I always seem to find bootlegs. It has been Kiss and Van Halen almost every time. This time it was more Kiss. I discovered three bootlegs at Repo Records and since I didn’t have two of them, I bought both. First up was ‘The Rock ‘N Roots of Kiss’ which we covered last week. This time around it is ‘Choppers ‘N Chicks’ from 2016 which is a Rock And Roll Tour Rehearsal from Camp Curtis Guild Armory in Reading, Massachusetts on November 15, 1976. A very famous bootleg that has been going around for years.

An interesting note of fact, that during the rehearsal, the band was filmed lip-syncing three songs that would be used on the Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Those songs were “Hard Luck Woman”, “I Want You” and “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em”. I believe this is an audience style recording from a tape deck and not a soundboard recording. There were several songs they rehearsed that I don’t believe were played very often on this tour, so it is cool to still have those. “Hard Luck Woman” is one of those songs.

The package we get here is pretty basic. The album jacket is almost rubbery in texture and sadly, I didn’t notice there is a blowout at the top. I can’t take it back and exchange for another one as there isn’t one. The record sleeve is nice and solid with better quality than the jacket. The picture on the front is Gene on his Chopper and on the back is a full band picture with a Chick. The sleeve has another Gene on his chopper picture and then the reverse has the track listing with individual photos of the band, each on their own bike. The vinyl is a splatter that is a rather dull reddish, brownish, orangish color. Not that pretty. The label is white and blank. But how does the music sound?

SIDE 1:

The album opens with a fade in as the band is doing “Detroit Rock City”. It picks up right as Paul starts singing the lyrics. It all sounds a little hollow due to the type of recording, but you can hearing everything fairly well. Vocals are good as no one has blown their voice yet as this is only rehearsals. They aren’t half-assing anything as Peter sounds on point, and Ace’s solo is full on like you’d expect.

They then count in “Take Me” and totally rock out. With “Let Me Go, Rock And Roll”, Gene lets out a howl and they are off to the races. The guitars on here are flashy and fast. Gene is as menacing as ever and sounds great. A fun track for sure. There is a pause and then we get more Gene with “Ladies Room”. Nothing fancy. The song is played as you’d expect. Short and Sweet and killer.

Then they go into “Firehouse”. Due to the recording, it sounds a little flat and muddied. But they are hitting every note and though Paul might not be giving it his all, Gene is for his parts. The sound, though, bothers me a little even though I was still singing along.

There is a weird cut and fade in as the band is already in the middle of “Hard Luck Woman”. Too bad we don’t get the whole thing. Peter sounds great and the tempo is a little faster. Guitars are softer and it is a gentler Kiss. Another strange cut and we are already at the chorus of “Do You Love Me”. Missed a whole verse or two there as we are towards the end of the song here. Really sucks as I love this song.

Side 2 is supposed to kick off with “Cold Gin”…but nope. It is here at the end of Side 1. Paul screams out Cold Gin, then Ace starts on the opening riff and the band explodes in to action. Finally a full rocking Kiss. Gene attacks the lyrics, Peter is slamming on the guitar and Ace is doing what Ace does best. His solo is pure fire.

SIDE 2:

Side 2 is actually kicked off with “Makin’ Love” and not “Cold Gin”. Again, another bad cut and we are already in the middle of the song. This type of thing really pisses me off. I’m greedy, give me the whole song. Gene is up next with his eerie, creepy bass solo…if you want to call it that. It is the thumps that keep building until he spits the blood. A few notes, a gong and then it is “God of Thunder”. Sound is horrible here, I can barely hear Gene, the music is too loud. They are playing as they should, no fault of theirs, just the quality is bad. At least we get a full song.

Peter’s turn for a solo. He pounds away at a 100 mph, but again the sound quality is really bad. You can tell he is killing it though. At this time in the band, he was still holding his own. He was a great drummer in the day. He hits the gong and it is back to “God of Thunder” to wrap it all up. Then there is some talking and Paul says we are going to “Rock And Roll All Nite” and that is what they play. This song has been played a million times and I’ve written about it a million and one so nothing new to add. The only thing I’ll say is they sound like they are having fun during the rehearsal with this one.

The final two tracks kick off with “Deuce”. Before the song kicks in they are goofing off a little which is cool to hear. Gene is a beast on this one..okay, he sound like one because he is tough to hear at times. Sometimes I can’t really tell what he is saying because Paul’s guitar is so damn loud. Ugh!

Lastly, we get “Black Diamond” which I always say is a personal favorite to hear live…and still is. The solo is awesome and Gene’s scream during it is great, but that is it. Peter is giving some orders and some talking going on as the guitar is slowly playing. The guitars get loud for a second and I’m not sure what they are playing before Paul sings his part and then the band comes roaring in and the song takes off like a rocket. The songs goes like you’d expect and the really nail it.

There you have it. The sound quality of this recording leaves a lot to desire. I hate that songs are only partial on occasion, really destroys the flow and vibe. The fact this is a rehearsal, I think is really cool and I happy to have it, but the quality of the overall spund does ruin things for me. This is probably skippable for a casual fan. I wonder if I have a better version of this somewhere in the bootlegs I haven’t reviewed, I hope so. My Overall Score is a 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars. Only good because it is a famous bootleg for the band as I’ve heard about the Armory recordings many times.

The Kiss Bootleg Series:

1. Kiss – ‘Accept No Imitations’ (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ASYLUM TOUR)
2. Kiss – Look Wot You Dun to Me (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (CRAZY NIGHTS TOUR)
3. Kiss – The Summer of Satan: The Devils Ride Out! (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DESTROYER TOUR)
4. Kiss – Return to Capital Center (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DYNASTY TOUR)
5. Kiss – With Fire & Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (HOTTER THAN HELL TOUR)
6. Kiss – Northhampton PA March 19th, 1975 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (DRESSED TO KILL TOUR)
7. Kiss – The Hottest Show On Earth (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE HOTTEST SHOW ON EARTH TOUR 2010)
8. Kiss – All the Way to the Ball Room (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (Australian Tour 1995)
9. Kiss – Kiss of Thunder (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (The Rising Sun Tour 2006)
10. Kiss – Agora Ballroom 1974: The Cleveland Broadcast plus Bonus Cuts (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (THE KISS TOUR)
11. Kiss – Hotter Than Hell: Radio Broadcast 1976 (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ROCK & ROLL OVER TOUR)
12. Kiss – The Tickler (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (LICK IT UP TOUR 1983)
13. Kiss – Barbarize (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – North American Tour)
14. Kiss – They Only Come Out At Night (Bootleg Series) – Album Review (ANIMALIZE WORLD TOUR 1984 – EUROPEAN TOUR)
15. Wicked Lester and the Progeny Demo Sessions (Bootleg)
16. Kiss – Black Diamond: Lafayette Music Room, Memphis, TN April 18th, 1974 – FM Broadcast
17. Kiss – End of the Road: In Allentown 2020 (PPL Center, Allentown, PA, 4th February 2020) (End of the Road Tour) – Blu-Ray
18. Kiss – ‘Monster Tour: Simpsonville 2013’ (Charter Amphitheatre at Heritage Park, Simpsonville, C – 13th August 2013) – Blu-Ray
19. Wicked Lester – The Original Wicked Lester Sessions (Bootleg)
20. Kiss – The Ritz on Fire (August 12, 1988, The Ritz, New York City. A radio broadcast – Crazy Nights Tour)
21. Kiss – Kiss My Axe 1978: Live from the Los Angeles Forum in California, August 25, 1977 (Love Gun Tour)
22. Kiss – Gods of Thunder: The Legendary Concert Broadcast – Sao Paulo, August 27, 1994′
23. Kiss – Black Diamond: Lafayette Music Room, Memphis, TN April 18th, 1974 – FM Broadcast (Alternate Cover)
24. Kiss -Alive! in Amityville: June 1973 – (2021)
25. Kiss – Set the World On Fire: Live (10 CD Box Set – Radio Broadcasts 1974-1994)
26. Kiss – Diamonds in the Dust (2022)
27. Kiss – Wicked Lester (John Humphrey Collection)
28. Kiss – Unplugged (John Humphrey Collection)
29. Kiss – Kabuki Beasts: Kyoto 1977 (John Humphrey Collection)
30. Kiss – Live in Australia 1980 (John Humphrey Collection)
31. Kiss – Electric Magic: Live East Lansing, MI October 21, 1974 (John Humphrey Collection)
32. Kiss – Detroit 1984: Cobo Hall, Dec. 12, 1984 (John Humphrey Collection)
33. Kiss – Snake Attack Budokan: Last Show Japan Tour 1977 (John Humphrey Collection)
34. Kiss – Live in Maryland 1977 (John Humphrey Collection)
35. Kiss – Feel Like Heaven (John Humphrey Collection)
36. Kiss – Madison Square Garden 1977 (John Humphrey Collection)
37. Kiss – The Lost Alive II Album (John Humphrey Collection)
38. Kiss – Live Vol. 1 : Detroit, Michigan April 7, 1974 (John Humphrey Collection)
39. Kiss – Boxx (Vol. 1): Live in USA 1975/’85 (John Humphrey Collection)
40. Kiss – Boxx (Vol. 2): Live in Europe 1984 (John Humphrey Collection)
41. Kiss – Kiss and Ace Demos (John Humphrey Collection)
42. Kiss – The Rock ‘N Roots of Kiss (2025)
43. Kiss – Choppers ‘N Chicks (Camp Curtis Guild Armory 11/15/1976 RARO Tour Rehearsal)