The Kiss bassist, singer and songwriter Gene Simmons was a crucial part of the American Hard Rock, being the only member of the band, alongside Paul Stanley, who was part of the band until the end. The group was formed in New York City back in 1974 and retired in 2024 after five decades on the road. So he had the chance to see many incredible bands appearing over the years, seeing the evolution of Rock music up-close.
Besides being known for his musical talent, Simmons is also remembered for being quite sincere and telling what he really thinks about other groups. He talked about many bands during his career and one of them was the British Hard Rock group Def Leppard.
What is Gene Simmons’ opinion on Def Leppard
When Def Leppard released their debut album “On Through the Night” in 1980, Kiss already was one of the biggest bands in the world. Simmons always paid attention to new bands in the Rock and Roll scene and really likes Leppard. He even chose their groundbreaking album “Hysteria” as one of his favorites of all time. He said that in an interview with The Quietus in 2015.
“Say what you will, nobody is trying to show off here, it’s just solid songwriting. The great thing about almost every song on that record is that you can pick up an acoustic guitar and just play it and sing along. Joe singing the melody, he doesn’t sing the highest. His voice doesn’t rip up the most, it just sticks to the melody. It’s great rock sensibility. The melodies aren’t too bluesy, it’s just a really solid record. Ten million other people must have thought so too because they bought it.”
“But the interesting thing for me about that record is how honest it sounds, yet how unlike rock bands it was recorded. We took Def Leppard out with us and they told us the story of how their producer Mutt Lange would get them in the studio and the record was totally fabrication, by that I mean they would put down the drum track, then the computers would move the drum track so it really felt in time. Then he would ask Phil or someone to play one note – so instead of chords they’d be doing one note at a time.”
Gene Simmons continued:
“Then the chords would come from different tracks so you could control it, one note at a time. That record took two years. I’ve never heard of anybody doing that before or since. You can argue that it makes it sound different or better. But then there are great punk bands that go and bang things out in a day. There are no rules! Led Zeppelin I was recorded in 18 hours. The Beatles’ first two records were done in 24 hours. But you can’t argue with Mutt Lange’s success,” Gene Simmons said.
Released in 1987, “Hysteria” is the band’s fourth studio album and the first since Rick Allen’s accident. The group waited for the drummer, who tragically lost his arm in a car accident, to relearn how to play the drums in a different way so they could record again and get back on the road.
It also is the last album to feature the band’s original guitarist Steve Clark. He tragically passed away in 1991 at the age of 30. The record has multiple hits like “Women”, “Rocket”, “Animal”, “Love Bites”, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, “Armageddon It” and “Hysteria”.
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott had the chance to make Kiss’ show introduction “You Wanted the best…”
The members of both bands are good friends and Def Leppard toured with Kiss as their opening act in 2014. The New York band was celebrating their 40th anniversary at the time. They allowed Joe Elliott to be the voice of their famous introduction: “You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world… Kiss!”
During that tour, Leppard’s guitarist Phil Collen joined Kiss on stage partially dressed as the band to perform the classic “Deuce”.