Gene Simmons praised his bandmate Paul Stanley and defended his skills.
Appearing in Guitar World’s new issue, Simmons shared his thoughts on Stanley only to call him an underrated guitarist and shared how people have been underestimating his skills. Recalling the first days of the band, the rocker touched on Stanley’s guitar sound that defined one of the classic Kiss sounds:
“When we first started the band in 1972, there was this sense that Paul and Ace would complement each other and try not to play in the same chord range. The result would be this big guitar sound with different voicings of the same chord. But clearly, a lot of that came from Paul, who is not given the respect and recognition he deserves.”
Stanley Took Place in Many Kiss Songs, But Not Only For the Rhythm Guitar Parts
Although Stanley’s main role in the band is to be the rhythm guitarist, he appeared on many songs of the band with the duty of playing other parts such as the lead guitars, the harmonies, and even the solos.
Making it clear that his bandmate has been more than just a rhythm guitarist, he continued by listing the songs he appeared in for other duties:
“Paul has never just been a rhythm player. He has also been mighty handy on lead guitar. That’s Paul doing lead guitar duties on ‘A World Without Heroes.’ That’s Paul playing the harmony on the ‘Detroit Rock City’ solo. That’s Paul at the beginning of ‘C’mon & Love Me,’ and it was Paul who came up with the chordal intro on my song ‘Deuce.’ Without those chords opening the song, it simply wouldn’t have the same impact.”
Kiss is On Their Last Tour
Kiss is retiring, and is currently on their last tour. The band will conclude their final shows in early December with a grand performance in New York City, where their rock journey began.
In January 2019, Kiss embarked on their farewell tour, ‘End Of The Road,’ but had to pause it in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the tour was set to conclude on July 17, 2021, in New York City, but it has since been extended until late 2023.
Despite their retirement, the band is looking forward to continuing the band’s legacy with new younger faces. Speaking about their retirement last week, Simmons said that the members are open to ‘pass the crown to four new, young people who are deserving.’ So, it might not be the eventual end for the Kiss after all.
