Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons is the most varied and theatrical of the four solo albums KISS released simultaneously in 1978. From hard rock to pop, orchestrated ballads and playful miniatures, the range of styles is unusually wide, and with a long list of guest musicians it foregrounds a showman’s side that reaches beyond the frame of KISS itself. Known above all for his “Demon” image, Gene Simmons here reveals, again and again, an affection for pop songs and standard-like material. Weight and lightness, seriousness and humor coexist, so the record is best enjoyed for the breadth of one artist’s toolkit rather than for unity. Instead of measuring it only by the same yardstick as KISS’s signature songs, it rewards enjoying the free range a solo album allows. Reflecting Gene Simmons’ personal musical tastes and ambition behind the band’s larger show, it is a particularly strong-charactered entry among the four.