Released to coincide with KISS' 20th anniversary, 1994's Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved was an all-star tribute album featuring a very of-the-era lineup spanning heavy-metal acts like Anthrax and Extreme and Nineties alternative hit-makers such as Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Gin Blossoms. There were also a few big-name collabs: Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder teamed to cover "Deuce," while Garth Brooks joined KISS themselves for a country-fried rendition of "Hard Luck Woman."
But without question, Kiss My Ass' marquee moment came from a one-off supergroup called Shandi's Addiction (presumably named after KISS' 1980 hit "Shandi"), which featured the absurdly badass lineup of Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk, Faith No More bassist Billy Gould and, on lead vocals, the one and only Maynard James Keenan, of Tool. The short-lived conglomerate turned their considerable talents to 1977 single "Calling Dr. Love," written and sung by KISS demon Gene Simmons, injecting it with some of Rage's funk-metal electricity and plenty of Keenan's soulful wailing. The singer goes way back with Morello and Wilk and, at one point, may have even been considered as the frontman for what would become Rage Against the Machine. Consider this a taste of what might have been.
For more Keenan, see him discuss KISS and other formative influences on our "Fan First" podcast below.
