Gene Simmons: The '78 Solo Album

Kiss: Gene Simmons

I've never made it a secret about how I feel about Gene Simmons' '78 solo album. I've spent most of my life just not enjoying it. This time around, however, I found myself enjoying more of it than I was expecting to. I still find it to be my least favorite of the four solo albums, but I was picking out some really great moments, and tunes that I just kind of ignored previously. Of course, "Radioactive" is still a great tune (I've always thought that), but I find that I really enjoyed "Burning Up With Fever" (there are some great bass licks here). 

"See You Tonite" was always a great tune as well, but I found more to enjoy this time. It's a very melodic tune that sounded great during the unplugged performance, and it sounds great here as well. "Tunnel of Love" is a very Kiss sounding tune, with some great guitar work, as well as a pretty damned good bass/vocal performance. If it weren't for the chorus, I'd really enjoy this one. "Always Near You / Nowhere To Hide" is a decent tune (at least the first part), with bits that sound like they could have been used later during the "Elder" sessions. "Man of 1,000 Faces" is a classic tune, and one I've always loved. It's very symphonic, and what I wish more of the album had been.  

"Mr. Make Believe" is a decent tune, which could have been a fantastic Kiss song, with Peter Criss taking over the lead vocals. That's not to say it's not good with Gene singing, but I feel it could have been huge for Peter. "See You In Your Dreams" is a great tune, and was even better on the "Rock And Roll Over" album. I'm still not sure why it was even on this album. There are some additions that really don't add anything to the track, but it's still a fun tune. 

Perhaps it's because I'm getting older that I'm finding a new appreciation for parts of this album, even if I still find it grossly over-produced. This album could have been great if Gene had just pulled back the ego a bit, and just wrote an album of good songs. To be honest, I'm surprised that I find myself enjoying more of it. Who knows, in a few years I may like the entire disc (except that last track, which I won't name because... I have nothing nice to say).