Gene Simmons ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED Remastered by Kiss, Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED Remastered

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Gene Simmons ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED Remastered

Reader Reviews
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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