The bassist and singer Gene Simmons helped to form Kiss in 1973 and since then they became one of the most successful bands of all time with an estimated amount of more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
So during the last five decades he had the opportunity to see the evolution of Rock and Roll music up-close. The sub-genre was renewed almost every decade and back in the 80s there was a band that impressed Simmons and he even said that one of their songs could be compared to the famous Rolling Stones track “Satisfaction”.
The 80s song Gene Simmons compared to Stones “Satisfaction”
Kiss released their debut album in 1974 and released most of their classic albums still during that decade. In the 80s, the group started to change with the absence of the two original members, the drummer Peter Criss and the guitarist Ace Frehley. Led by Simmons and Paul Stanley, the group even decided to remove the make-up and adopt a Glam Rock look.
During that decade Rock and Roll was changing fast and many times the look was more important than the music for some groups. But there was a band that appeared in 1987 that impressed Simmons.
In an interview with The Quietus in 2015, he listed some of his favorite albums of all time. One of them was “Appetite For Destruction” released by Guns N’ Roses in 1987. In that interview the musician compared the opening track “Welcome To The Jungle” with the famous Rolling Stones’ track “Satisfaction”.
“‘Welcome To The Jungle’ is an undeniable song in the same way that ‘Satisfaction’ has that great riff with the lyrics on top of it. Great lyrics, great imagery. As soon as you heard that high-pitched voice that harkened back to a Robert Plant-ish approach to singing, which hadn’t been heard in quite a while. Well, it still works today.”
He continued:
“That’s got to be coming up to 30 years old. But you put that on today if it was a brand new band, I would say, ‘Who’s that?’ That intro is almost symphonic. It just defined the band. You hear that song, and then the rest of the album follows through. ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ is head, hands and feet above the other material.”
“Bands have a few songs that just stand up, you know? If you think Thin Lizzy, you think ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’. You think the Stones, you think ‘Satisfaction’. You think Led Zeppelin, you think ‘Stairway To Heaven’. There are just certain songs that, either because of the melody or lyric or the sound of the song, intrinsically say, ‘This is what that is’. The only band who doesn’t have that thing, just because they have so many goddamn good songs, is The Beatles,” Gene Simmons said.
For Simmons is Axl’s fault that they are not bigger than they are
Gene Simmons kept Kiss going alongside his bandmate Paul Stanley for more than five decades. That happened mainly because of their focus and dedication, something that Axl didn’t have so much according to Simmons. In an interview with Music News Web back in 2011, he said that although there were other motives, it’s ultimately Axl’s fault.
(Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) “You get to sleep in the bed that you make. It’s simple, if you are lucky enough to be accepted on stage by the audience. If you are lucky enough to write a song. If you’re lucky enough to have charisma on stage, that’s the beginning.”
He continued:
“Then you’ve got to be able to deliver night, after night, after night. Not everybody is designed to run a marathon. Because to be a rock star for decades means you’re running a marathon. Guns N’ Roses could have been the biggest band in the world. The reason they’re not is because of Axl Rose. I mean, the drugs, the heroin, the alcohol and all that. But ultimately it falls on Axl’s shoulder,” Gene Simmons said.
Although the Kiss bassist and singer said those things about Axl, he is a fan of the musician. He even praised him when he helped AC/DC to complete their Rock or Bust tour after Brian Johnson had to temporarily retire from the band due to hearing issues.