Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

Imagine being a fly on the wall at Bell Sound Studios in 1973 while KISS were recording their debut album. Imagine listening to playbacks of takes for songs such as “Strutter,” “Deuce,” “100,000 Years,” “Nothin’ To Lose,” and “Black Diamond.” Imagine the decibels of raw, primal KISS power reverberating throughout the studio.

Now, imagine being a musician and having an opportunity to get in on the fun and literally play on the album.

Grammy-nominated musician Bruce Stephen Foster enjoyed the latter privilege. A “hot-shot young piano player” at the time, Foster has the distinction of being the first outside musician to play on a KISS studio album. Co-producer Richie Wise felt a musical element was missing in Gene Simmons’ ode to back-door lovin’, “Nothin’ To Lose,” and he knew just the guy to call. Enter Foster, who ended up contributing a complementary old-time rock and roll-flavored piano track, adding the perfect layer to what would become KISS’ debut single. The part did come with a price, however.

“I wound up with my fingers bleeding,” jokes Foster.

Foster would be properly acknowledged for his work in the album’s credits, perhaps due to KISS being a new entity at that point. Interestingly, this particular credit stands as an anomaly in the KISS catalog given the several ghost musicians who would appear on later works.

KissFAQ caught up with Foster to ask him about his recollections of the “Nothin’ To Lose” session and working with KISS. The New Jersey-based musician also shared some fun stories and briefed us on his longstanding career in the music industry, which continues to this day. But before we get to the interview, read below a personal introduction from Foster:

It always amazes me how time is such a relative entity. Listening a moment ago to “Nothin’ To Lose'” felt like a fresh memory…not one from way over 30 years ago! I remember honing my piano part down to the measures of music that would make it count artistically. A creative pool of talent gathered in the studio that day helped me massage it into
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