What Album Does Gene Simmons Listen to Before Every KISS Show?
In a new interview with MusicRadar about the records that changed his life, KISS’s Gene Simmons reveals the one album he always listens to before every show. The real shock? It’s not even a KISS album.
The truth is, it’s Truth by The Jeff Beck Group. Made way back in 1968 when Beck was playing Gibson Les Pauls, the Truth album took the blues in a heavier new direction and some even credit it with being a proto-”metal” album. It includes “Beck’s Bolero,” “Shapes of Things,” “You Shook Me” and more. Tom Scholz of Boston has also listed the album as his favorite ever on Gibson.com, stating, “I knew Jeff Beck’s Truth album inside out…”
“What a line-up!” Simmons enthuses to MusicRadar. “Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart on vocals, Ron Wood on bass – Ronnie’s a much better bass player than he is a guitarist.
“There’s a rumour that Jimmy Page played on some of this, too. Even before Led Zeppelin and Cream, Beck took the blues and turned up the volume. But it wasn’t just decibels; Beck was pushing the envelope in all sorts of directions. Nuanced little jazz licks that caught you off guard… sophisticated, delicate melodies.