Nothing in music is 100% original, the inspiration always comes from somewhere and sometimes it’s quite similar to the original source. One of the most interesting examples of that is a guitar solo by The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger which was later on copied by Kiss’ Ace Frehley, who later on inspired Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready to also record a similar version of that solo.
This story was told by the Kiss co-founder, bassist and singer Gene Simmons in an interview with Billy Corgan (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
The Doors guitar solo that was “copied” by Kiss and Pearl Jam
According to Simmons, Ace Frehley liked Robby Krieger’s guitar solo in “Five To One” so much that he simply copied note for note that solo and played in Kiss‘ “She”. Decades later, Mike McCready did a really similar guitar solo in Pearl Jam‘s hit “Alive”, later on telling Simmons that.
“I remember Mike McCready was telling me that when he first started Pearl Jam, when he first started (playing) guitars and everything that he’d listened to Ace, and in particular, (sings the opening line of the guitar solo to Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’) was one of the first solos he learned from a (Kiss) song called ‘She.'”
“I said, ‘Mike, I don’t know how to tell you this, but that’s a note-for-note guitar solo from the Doors (‘Five to One’). Ace liked it so much, he just reproduced it. He goes, ‘No!'”
“So, my point is, it’s always very appreciative when somebody says, ‘Loved your stuff.’ Everybody’s got bits and pieces of stuff. Listen to Zeppelin songs, you’ll hear lots of blues, very recognizable, blues songs,” Gene Simmons said.
“Five To One” was released by The Doors on their third studio album in 1968. The Kiss song “She” was part of their third studio record “Dressed to Kill” in 1975. The Pearl Jam hit “Alive” would be released more than 15 years later, on their debut album “Ten” (1991).
