“Paul has never just been a rhythm player”: Gene Simmons says Paul Stanley doesn’t get the “respect and recognition he deserves”
“He has also been mighty handy on lead guitar.”
Image: Juan Pablo Pino / Getty
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons believes that the band’s frontman, Paul Stanley, doesn’t get enough “respect and recognition.” The band are soon due to wrap up their End Of The Road run of shows, and will no longer be touring from then on.
Kiss’ final concert, taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York on 2 December, is due to be streamed as a pay-per-view event.
In an interview for the new print edition of Guitar Player, Simmons had nothing but praise for bandmate Stanley and his guitar skills ahead of the tour finale, saying that he’s “never just been a rhythm player.”
“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,” begins Simmons.
“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,” he states.
“Deuce without Paul’s opening chords is more one-dimensional. Paul’s musical background stretches from ‘60s and ‘70s English bands, especially Zeppelin, to the Byrds. But clearly, his lead guitar playing owes a lot to Jimmy Page and Page’s approach to the construction of a solo. Paul’s vibrato, when he bends a note, is overlooked for some reason. But any good guitar player will tell you his vibrato is as sweet as honey.”
You can view the remaining End Of The Road live dates via the official Kiss website.