KISS Goes Country on 50-Year-Old Unreleased Demo “Mistake”

Formed in New York City in 1973, shock rock outfit KISS gained a following with their elaborate stage makeup and onstage pyrotechnics. Currently, both fans and members of KISS are mourning the loss of founding guitarist Ace Frehley, who died earlier this month at age 74. While taking time to remember Frehley, the band recently dropped an expanded box set edition of their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. This latest version includes two brand-new, previously unreleased tracks. And one of those songs, “Mistake,” sees the band wading neck deep into country territory.

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Paul Stanley Wrote This KISS Track in the ’70s

With its rockabilly twang, the Paul Stanley-penned “Mistake” sounds wildly different from most of the KISS catalog. In January, the band revealed via their Facebook page that they had recorded four demo tracks at Larrabee Sounds Studios in Los Angeles 50 years earlier.

Two of those tracks, “Anything For My Baby” and “Rock And Roll All Nite” made the cut for Dressed to Kill. While “Mistake” and Gene Simmons’ song “Burning Up With Fever” were initially left out, fans can now hear them on the 50th anniversary box set.

The demo version of “Burning Up With Fever” also appeared on the recent expanded box set for 1976’s Destroyer. Simmons went on to officially release the song on his 1978 self-titled solo debut.

Fans have been calling for an official release of “Mistake” for years now, particularly Stanley performed the song in November 2015 during one of the band’s famous KISS Kruises. “Great f–ing song !!!!! It has been on youtube forever as a demo. Come on KISS finish this song and put it on an official album !!!” insisted one YouTube user.

[RELATED: Ace Frehley Laid to Rest in Bronx as Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss Attend Private Memorial]

Ace Frehley’s Death Is Under Investigation

Nearly one week after founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died at age 74, New Jersey officials are ordering further examination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s death.

According to a report published Oct. 22 by TMZ, the Morris County Medical Examiner’s office is conducting a toxicology screening along with an external body examination in Frehley’s case. While the office did not perform an autopsy, a representative says they will finalize the “New York Groove” singer’s cause of death in the next few weeks once the toxicology report is available.

 Frehley died Oct. 16, 2025, in Morristown, New Jersey, following reports of hospitalization for a brain bleed apparently caused by a fall at his studio in September.

Featured image by Fin Costello/Redferns