Customer Reviews

Gene Simmons

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This underrated classic has drawn heavy criticism from so-called "fans" because it refuses to bend to one musical style.To say that Gene didn't take his solo project seriously is stupid; it gave him a chance to show a hitherto unseen musical side. Many of the tracks were old ones that wouldn't have suited the heavy metal stomp of Kiss.This is the my favourite of the solo albums.Ace's reveals a talent to be reckoned with; Paul's is good,but predictable; and Peter's . . .let's just say he tried,and leave it at that. Give GENE SIMMONS a listen again . . .you might be happily surprised.

RADIOACTIVE - A chilling laugh starts off the show in fine style. After an intro of puesdo-operatics, the real song emerges; a piano-led rocker with great harmony vocals. Love the 'bubbling' sound effects!

BURNING UP WITH FEVER - We kick off this little tune of with a couple of 'rushed' acoustic guitar(and a comment of "Lovely" from Gene!). What follows is a number in the syle of ALIVE II's 'Larger Than Life', guitar funk complete with female backup on the chorus and Donna Summer's vocals near the end of the track.

SEE YOU TONITE - Mr Simmons has always expressed an admiration for the Beatles, and when he couldn't get Paul MacCartney to contribute to this album, he got not only a soundalike,but a lookalike to take his place! Two members of the hit Broadway show
Beatlemania contribute backup vocals on a few of the tracks. This soft number was brought out for Kiss' MTV UNPLUGGED show to great effect!

TUNNEL OF LOVE - Could have been a castoff from either 'Rock'n'Roll Over' or 'Love Gun'. Good crunchy guitar riffs and female backup on the chorus.

TRUE CONFESSIONS - I don't know how Gene got Helen Reddy for backup vocals on this song; it's a nice touch. Clever lyrics too:"I'm not your social security, I'm not your star opportunity".

LIVING IN SIN - The lustful demon we all know and love. He really gets into the role so well with this one. Cher contributes a cameo as an excited fan in the song's middle (Gene would reciprocate with a cameo on one of Cher's tunes). Love the grunting noises simmons utters in the songs fade out . . .LOL!

ALWAYS NEAR YOU/NOWHERE TO HIDE - Soft rock complete with choir and orchestra. This track somehow leaves me cold. I guess the lyrics seem a bit 'too simple'.

MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES - A tribute to one Simmon's cinematic heroes, Lon Chaney Sr; this was written by the 'Dressed To Kill'

sessions, but somehow didn't fit in with the 'Kiss'image. The lyrics could be used as a metaphor in describing the personality of Gene Simmons himself.

MR MAKE BELIEVE - The original 'monster of rock' showing his tender side,complete with backup vocals by his 'Beatlemania' buddies. Probably my favourite GENE SIMMONS track.

SEE YOU IN YOUR DREAMS - I don't understand why Gene wanted to remake this song (only recorded two years before on 'Rock'n'Roll Over).The only difference is an extra verse. The original is much simpler and better sounding. Another Simmons RARO tune 'Love 'Em And Leave 'Em',was also re-recorded, but not released.

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR - Gene copped a lot of flak for covering this, his favourite Disney song. He claims the lyrics ring true in real life. Not as bad as it could have been; which is a good summing up for the entire solo album.

In 1978, at the height of KISS's popularity, rather than release a new studio album, all four members simultaneously released a solo album. Although critics have often called this nothing more than a gimmick, there is no denying the quality of these recordings. All four albums are well written and crafted. All four members of KISS really put their heart and soul into this project and made a solo album that really reflects their personality. KISS was like a stew, made up of four separate ingredients. The KISS solo albums of 1978 really let you see each member and what it is exactly they brought into KISS.

The Gene Simmons album is probably the most musically surprising and diverse of the four. By looking at the album cover, of Gene with the demon makeup, with blood dripping down the mouth, you might expect to hear a no-holds-bar heavy metal album. But if that what you are looking for, you'd be better off listening to the Ace Frehley album. The Gene Simmons album is really a grab-bag of styles and makes for a very interesting listen. Despite the eclectic nature of the album, everything works and it's a great collection of songs, except for the unwise inclusion of "When you wish Upon a Star."

This album is surprisingly mid-paced. The rockers on this album, "Radioactive," "Burning Up With Fever," "Tunnel of Love," "True Confessions" "Living In Sin," are all somewhat tepid, but still interesting. There is also a surprising amount of a Beatles influence on the Gene Simmons album. "See You Tonight," "Always Near You/Nowhere to Hide," "Man of 1,000 Faces," and "Mr. Make Believe" sees Simmons either playing homage to the Beatles (like in See You Tonight) or at least has an element of the Fab Four. "See You in Your Dreams" is really the album's only fast-and-heavy rocker. The female backup singers in that song are a nice touch. My only real complaint is the album closes with "When You Wish Upon a Star." It's a pretty corny song to begin with and doesn't really fit the mood or vibe of the album. But despite its inclusion, it doesn't end the album on a sour note.

All, in all, this is a good, solid collection of songs and shows the creative/Beatles side of Simmons.

I think that this album should have never been released. A little better than Criss' solo album, which is not saying much, Radioactive and See You Tonight are average at best while the rest is BAD!

ACE FREHLEY is the best, a hard-rocking classic. PAUL STANLEY comes in second, with a great mix of rockers and ballads, with interesting and professional compositions. PETER CRISS is the underdog, with a bluesy-type album that, while more than a bit dated, is still heartfelt and true from the seemingly most down-to-Earth member of KISS. Then there's GENE SIMMONS...

Lazy, lazy, lazy. Wanna know how all of these lumbering songs are composed? Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, then beat the song title into the ground by repeating it over and over, ad infinitum. You've got a dumb, quasi-scary opener ("Radioactive"); Gene seemingly bragging about how he's sleeping with Cher and you're not ("Living in Sin"); a weak cover of a lesser KISS tune ("See You in Your Dreams"); and a downright silly version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" (supposedly heartfelt, but I don't buy it--how can you take seriously a guy whose apparent dream is to photograph every women he's ever slept with?).

It seems like the rest of KISS took the opportunity back in '78 to truly make a distinct solo album--as always, Gene was only in it for the money. Completists will undoubtedly have to get this, but if you only want the ESSENTIAL solo albums, stick with ACE and PAUL. Stick it to Gene for once.

This album just plain stinks! It is the product of a pompous, egotistical megalomaniac. Oh, and look at the all-star cast: Cher, Helen Reddy, Liza Minelli, just to name a few. This album reeks of blantant shameless commercialism. "See You in Your Dreams" is a great song off of the "Rock-n-Roll Over" album. It was remade on this album and absolutely ruined. To make matters worse, it then fades into "When You Wish Upon a Star." "Tunnel of Love" and "Livin' in Sin" are examples of Gene's overwhelming obsession with sex and with his narcisistic self. The only cut that has any alleged redeeming qualities is "Radioactive." This song translated very well into the Dynasty Tour's live set. Still, that doesn't change the fact that this album is just plain lousy. It's only value is as a collector's item. Any sane person would be embarassed to be caught listening to it.

I heard Gene thought his solo album was the best of the four. Oh really? Only the song "See You in Your Dreams" saves this effort from sinking to a one star rating. After listening to all 4 solo albums (on vinyl) again after 25 years, it is way "too" easy to see why Kiss went downhill after Ace's departure. Paul's effort is solid, but only a shade above ordinary hard rock. And bless Peter for trying. This? You'll maybe listen to it once all the way thru; that's if you don't keel over laughing during the final track. The sound samples here are all you need to convince you.

GENE SIMMONS(1978). Gene Simmons' first solo album.

By the time it was 1978,Gene Simmons had already become one of the most famous men in America. Simmons,along with his fellow bandmates Paul Stanley,Ace Frehley,or Peter Criss had all made KISS the #1 most popular band in America(according to what several Gallup Polls said)--the only problem was that Ace Frehley and Peter Criss had started befriending drugs and alcohol,and after several problems in the band,on September 18,1978,Gene Simmons,Paul Stanley,Ace Frehley,and Peter Criss all released their self-titled solo records,which they had released to take some time off from each other to do their own material. How did The Demon's solo record turn out? Read on for my review of this:

This album,while it wasn't anywhere close to being Paul Stanley's solo album or Ace Frehley's solo album,was still really good. Gene Simmons had certainly developed an ego around the time when he had began writing material for this record and when he had started recording it,and it does kind of show here...but in this instance,that is a good thing. When Gene Simmons was recording this album,he brought in several people like Cher(his girlfriend at the time),Joe Perry,Donna Summer,etc. to help him out with this album,and all of the people who worked on this album with Gene all did a great job at helping make this a good record--they gave more substance to it. The opening track here is RADIOACTIVE,which is a really strong,catchy,and impressive way to open an album--Gene's vocals on this track and Joe Perry's guitar work here both sound really good,and the song,which is about a girl who is maybe a little bit crazy,is just hillarious,fun,and funny from top to bottom--it's a shame that this song was never a hit. Here we also have SEE YOU TONIGHT,a ballad that is very reminiscient of the 1960's(and as mentioned above,this does sound like it was influenced by both The Beatles and the songwriting collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney)and is really pretty--I'd have to rank this song as the best ballad that Gene Simmons did solo),TUNNEL OF LOVE is very psycho and egotistical--but it is still funny and still very good). And among other tracks on this record,the other two best songs on here(right after RADIOACTIVE)are LIVING IN SIN(this track is totally hillarious--the lyrics and the dialogue on this song are both crazy but still really good)and MAN OF 1000 FACES,which Simmons wrote as a tribute to his favorite actor,the late silent horror actor Lon Chaney(RIP). I myself am a Chaney fan,and anyone with a passing knowledge of Lon Chaney knows that this song does a great job about singing the life of Chaney and the reputation(onstage,not offstage)Chaney gained when he was famous(Lon Chaney was one of the biggest film stars of the 1910's,1920's,and 1930(which was the year he died)but while he still gets a lot of respect and recognition in Hollywood today,most people don't have a clue who he is these days). This album closes with Gene Simmons re-recording the classic song WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR,one of the songs that inspired him when he was a little boy to be famous--it's not a great cover version of that great song,but it's still not bad--you may roll your eyes a little bit while listening to it,and it sort of drops and drags at times,but definitely give it a chance. The rest of the album,while it is not a work of art,is still really good--with this CD, you can kind of tell that Gene Simmons kind of took his ego and his childhood influences,wrote songs off of them,and then put them both together for his solo album--and in this instance,that is a good thing.

Overall,a good solo record. Some people have bashed this album before--but really,this isn't a bad album. It shows the creative side of Gene Simmons,and we all know that a musician putting his creative side into his own album can be a good thing--this album is solid(if I could,I would give it 4.5 stars and,as a letter grade,I would give this album an A minus)and it is a must have for all KISS/Gene Simmons fans.

P.S. Check out my "So You'd Like To...take a walk in the mind of Gene Simmons" guide.

I have no idea what Gene was attempting to pull off with this album, so for all I know it wasn't an attempt, he was successful. But I hope for his sake it was more like a failed experiment. Kinda like a mix of chemicals sitting on a Bunsen Burner and exploding into a fireball of badness. I hate to focus on negatives in my reviews, but I feel it's necessary to steer the unwitting clear of this one. I think that it's fairly obvious just by reading the (breif) liner notes what can be expected. We see that an orchestra is credited, and then the appearances by Donna Summer, Helen Reddy (!?!?!!), and Cher. Yeah, overproduction, overextension, and ultimately overblown. I'm sure Gene had a big role in "Music from the Elder," too. There is an interesting parallel here. Not that I could do any better, but really, we expected much more from you, Gene.

I have my second roommate at NMSU, Deon Arteaga, to thank for pushing me more into KISS's music, and Gene Simmons' solo album was one of the selections he had (among others). I was expecting something that went beyond the boundaries of KISS's c-ck rock, say what he would actually do to Christine Sixteen, but no, the Demon displayed a conventional but eclectic mix of music as well as many guest stars. Among the backing vocalists is Katey Segal, later of Married With Children fame, and producer Sean Delaney.

"Radioactive" is the most KISS-like song, easily fitting on either the debut album or Love Gun, but it's got too much of that early 70's (read classic rock) sound. Radioactive is definitely one way to describe a real hot woman, but beware that radiation! Bob Seger and Aerosmith's Joe Perry help out.

"Burning Up With Fever" starts with a nice guitar played in a kind of Oriental style, before going into rock mode. One of the backing vocalist here is Donna Summer, also a Casablanca Records alumnus like KISS back then.

"See You Tonite" is one of a few songs with a Beatles influence, say a mid-tempo version of their Help! period, maybe even pre-Hard Day's Night era and it's a mid-tempo number with symphonic arrangements, courtesy of members of the NY and LA Philharmonics.

Per the innuendo "Tunnel of Love" means what it says, especially with the "you are the lock I am the key" line, meaning that the demon hasn't lost his satyr-like aspects. Joe Perry contributes here.

"True Confessions" has a slowed down 60's-type soul/pop with a melange of backing vocalists, Helen "I Am Woman" Reddy, the Azusa Citrus College Choir (my favourite part of the song), and a piano boogie.

"Living In Sin" shows the tried and true demon KISS fans know. Bob Seger and Cher guest here. The soul piano and backing vocalists again make this a quick soulful number that could easily fit on Peter Criss's album, except that the electric guitar adds a rock dimension not too present on the Criss one, and Peter wouldn't have a woman going into fast-talking hysteria and then gasping in ecstasy while talking to him on the phone.

"Man of 1,000 Faces" is an ode to the James Cagney movie about silent movie star Lon Chaney, whose myriad disguises gave him that monicker. The symphonic arrangements are present here.

Probably my favourite mellow song is "Mr. Make Believe" as it too has a Beatles influence, Rubber Soul era, maybe earlier, but with Phil Spector's symphonic wall of sound.

Of the KISS members, Gene's the only one to reprise a KISS song, and he takes Rock And Roll Over's "See You In Your Dreams" with the backing section of female singers making a difference.

That segues into a cover of the schmaltzy Walt Disney standard "When You Wish Upon A Star", the last song I'd expect him to cover.

The number of soft songs is amazing for the demon, whose human side comes out, and it's those I like more. And the more rocking numbers fit more into conventional 70's rock than the glam metal familiar to KISS, so proving that he could do more than sing about his conquests or rock and roll, displayed his creativity and diverse influences. For that reason, Gene Simmons' solo album ties for second with Ace's.

Gene Simmons never stopped criticizing the solo-effort of his collegue Peter Criss. But where Criss really tried to make a 'solo' album, not a great one but a good one, Simmons never came any further than hiring a couple of famous names, without even considering taking time to write a decent tune. This resulted in one of the worst Kiss albums ever. It contains a couple of decent songs, but most of the songs are rock-musical based tunes that are just not good enough. Wanna buy one of the solo-albums? Don't go for this one...