Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The WORST of the KISS solo albums..., October 30, 2002
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.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shows Gene's creative side, April 18, 2005
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool!!!, August 10, 2005
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.
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