More "God Of Melody" than "God Of Thunder" (Gene Simmons - Kiss)

Name: MrSpeed

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Product:	Gene Simmons - Kiss
Date:	10/02/02 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good songs, varied listening

Disadvantages: some songs slightly reetative

In 1978 KISS released four solo albums (one by each of the bands members).As well as being a great marketing stunt it also allowed the band to express themselves without having to stick to within the boundaries of "the KISS sound".As both Ace and Peter were getting restless within the band and making sounds to quit and pursue their own musical careers,it allowed them the freedom they wanted while also staying in the band (remember that in 1978 KISS were at their hight of popularity and for the band to fall apart then would lose them millions of dollars)
So the solo albums were released to a public ravenous for new KISS material and were packaged as conventional KISS albums.All four albums had the same cover design:a painting of the respective band members head and all four were dedicated to the other band members (with the exception of Peter Criss's album,of which I will go into on an opinion of his solo album)
As Gene was the most visually entertaining and stongest persona in the band,it was his album that most people were looking forward to the most.He co-produced it with Sean Delaney in Oxford,England and flew in a host of his celebrity friends to help him out on backing vocals and to play on the album.Amongst those involved were Cher (who was his girlfriend at the time)Helen Reddy,Bob Seger,Joe Perry and a then unknown backing singer by the name of Kate Sagal,who went on to be famous herself in the role of Peggy Bundy in the American sitcom "Married With Children".
As Gene's persona in the band was "The God Of Thunder" and the majority of his songs so far were all on the "heavier" side of Rock,everybody was expecting a loud and brash album full of screaming guitars and pounding drums.What they got was something altogether different!!

Tracks:

1)RADIOACTIVE

This lulls you into a false sense of security.The song starts just as you would expect a Gene Simmons song/album to begin,f
ull of demonic laughter and satanic sounding chants.Then suddenly the guitars kick in with a punchy riff and a rather "poppy" sounding song is begun.Naturally it is about a woman and what he would like to do with her,but it is all done in a very radio friendly way. 7/10

2)BURNING UP WITH FEVER

A gravelly voiced Gene starts the song with the demonic growl we are used to but as we get to the chorus a heavily female backing vocal kicks in with him which is again something KISS fans were not used to at the time.Unfortuanetly the chorus is repeated a few too many times to end the song and gets slightly repetative 5/10

3)SEE YOU TONITE

A song that could almost be by "The Eagles"!!A very easy listening tune with an acoustic guitar in the background.Again the lyrics are repetative but where it spoiled the end of "Burning Up With Fever" it makes this song an easy one to sing along to (and I do many times ) 8/10

4)TUNNEL OF LOVE

My 2nd favourite song on the album.Yet again Gene comes up with another way to sing about his sexual exploits! (the "Tunnel Of Love" he wants to visit being quite obvious to work out)Lyrics such as "You are the lock,I am the key" are pure Gene and have been used by a few other bands since.A good pumping bass line and some rockier guitar all make for a good song 8/10

5)TRUE CONFESSIONS

In the same style as "Burning Up With Fever".Heavy female backing on the chorus and the same repetative ending 5/10

6)LIVING IN SIN

Singing about having sex with groupies of the band at local Holiday Inn's is bound to make a good song :). The middle of the song is very different as it cuts to a distorted female voice on the end of a telephone line as she phones Gene and asks him if it's true what he can do!All accompanied to a very funky bass line. 7/10

7)ALWAYS NEAR YOU/NOWHERE TO HIDE

>My favourite track on the album.The double title of the song is appropriate as the song is split into two different styles.It starts with an acoustic guitar and a gentle melody as Gene sings about a lost love and then changes midway through as the vocals pick up and a female chorus kicks in.Again not the type of song most people associate with Gene Simmons but it shows he can more than hold his own with many styles of song.Especially impressive are the high notes he hits at the end of the song,up until now it was Paul Stanley that fans knew could do this but Gene runs him a VERY close second on this track. 9/10

8)MAN OF 1,000 FACES

This track flows seamlessly from the previous one and is a song that shows that Gene (and Paul) were both heavily influenced by the Beatles.This song would not be out of place on one of the later Beatles albums.It is no secret that Gene is a HUGE fan of Horror films and this song is a tribute to Lon Chaney who was famous for his many original make up designs in the early days of cinema. 7/10

9)MR MAKE BELIEVE

A song with a very similar feel to "See You Tonite".Acoustic guitar and an almost Folk song vibe about it. 7/10

10)SEE YOU IN YOUR DREAMS

This is a song that was originally on the KISS album "Rock 'N' Roll Over" but Gene thought that the recording of it did the song no justice and so he redid it for his solo album.I must admit to prefering this version as it has a more uptempo beat to it and the female backing vocals suit the song better than the band members did on the original recording. 7/10

11)WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

Yes this IS the same song that is on the Disney film Pinnochio!!All done with a full orchestra and no electric guitars.Gene wanted to record this as the lyrics mirrored events in his life and that it is possible to attain your dreams no matter what you have been through.To say KISS fans were shocked to hear
this song on an album by their favorite Rock and Roll hellraiser is an understatement and while Gene does a competent attempt at the song,I still find myself turning off the album at the end of track 10.

All in all this is an album that defied everybodys expectations and yet still managed to please the fans and also be good litening for non KISS fans.If you see this in a record store and expect it to be the usual KISS Rock 'n' Roll album or a heavy sounding album by a Demon faced/voiced singer,then give it a listen and you will be pleasantly suprised.

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