Gene Simmons has no memory of John Paul Jones’s music from Led Zeppelin.
“So Ronnie Wood – not his guitar playing, which is okay – but his bass playing on both those records is superb. In my estimation, he’s a far better bass player than he is a guitar player,” the bassist initially told Bass Player about Ronnie Wood.
He added, “John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin was also terrific, but you can’t really hear what he’s playing. The tone is sort of lower, and a muffled kind of R&B bass playing. I can’t really recall in my mind anything John Paul Jones played.”
“But when you hear that Jeff Beck ‘Truth’ record, I distinctly recall the bass playing. Ronnie Wood’s approach to bass playing, and his tone, sounded like a cross between a bass and a guitar,” Simmons also said.
On the other hand, Simmons has some favorite Led Zeppelin songs. “Even before the song starts, you’ve got that machine gun riff. What the f*ck is that? Woah!” he previously said of the song ‘Communication Breakdown.’
Earlier this month, Simmons also shared his thoughts on another bassist, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. “All due respect, but that music is intended to show off how well you play – but I don’t care about that,” he told Guitar World. “The hardest thing to do is write a good simple song or riff. That’s really hard.”
The rocker continued, “There are an awful lot of amazing bass players, like Jaco Pastorius and the jazz guys. Or guys like Flea, who is really good on his instrument, but I can’t remember anything he plays – and I also do not like the sound of a bass being slapped.”
Gene thinks Led Zeppelin’s sound came from The Jeff Beck Group. In a 2023 interview, he praised Jeff Beck for being a versatile guitarist. He suggested that Beck’s music helped create Led Zeppelin’s style.
