Gene $immon$: Why I Stopped Eddie Van Halen Joining Kiss

[wolfsbane]

This story sounds true. Didn't EVH play on Michael Jackson's album and tried to get involved in other projects? Seems Gene Simmons realized that EVH playing would not fit KISS music.


BTW, I am really believing that VH was completely over until Wolfgang took control. This is Wolfie's band.

[sonrisa salvaje]

This story sounds true. Didn't EVH play on Michael Jackson's album and tried to get involved in other projects? Seems Gene Simmons realized that EVH playing would not fit KISS music.

He was also involved with Brian May's Starfleet project but there is a huge difference in doing projects and leaving the band you created to join another named band as a player. Kiss had just or was about to take off their makeup to generate some kind of interest and i don't buy for a minute that Gene wouldn't have grabbed Edward in an attempt to boost sales. I gotta call bullshit on Gene talking him out of it. Maybe Ed will be asked about this and i'm guessing he will likely have a different memory about this conversation.

[vandeleur]

i call bullshit on this ... gene simmons is all about gene simmons if he could have eeked another dollar for his coffers by trashing another band or exploiting someone in it .. he wouldnt think twice

[TJMKID]

i call bullshit on this ... gene simmons is all about gene simmons if he could have eeked another dollar for his coffers by trashing another band or exploiting someone in it .. he wouldnt think twice

There's also a theory that Simmons is a well-known teetotaler and perhaps his "lunch chat" occurred after Eddie just pounded back a dozen Schlitz malt liquors in the studio ---- Simmons probably told himself this is a fool drunk off his ass mumbling nonsense and didnt believe any of this conversation.

Then of course, Simmons being the opportunist and self-promoter he is ---- concocts a story that he told EVH to stay in his own band ---- thereby making Simmons look like a hero who saved rock 'n roll.

[mh5150]

We could have got a EVH solo album out of this. :D. Remember the 4 Kiss members doing solo albums? I have all 4 somewhere pack away in storage.

[vandeleur]

Do we want an ed solo album .. We've heard what he produced without Dave , it doesn't fill me with confidence he has much quality control ...

[loucap81]

Do we want an ed solo album .. We've heard what he produced without Dave , it doesn't fill me with confidence he has much quality control ...

"Van Halen III" was for all intents and purposes an Eddie solo album. And honestly, I think it would have been better received if it were indeed a self-titled album called "Edward Van Halen" with a cast of guest singers, or if all of those songs had been instrumentals. Still would have been a mess of an album but the negativity wouldn't have been there.

[Zing!]

"Van Halen III" was for all intents and purposes an Eddie solo album. And honestly, I think it would have been better received if it were indeed a self-titled album called "Edward Van Halen" with a cast of guest singers, or if all of those songs had been instrumentals. Still would have been a mess of an album but the negativity wouldn't have been there.

Agree 100%.

[Terry]

This story has been told by Gene quite a few times before. From what I've been able to suss out from the various incarnations of the tale, the Van Halen brothers played on some demos of Gene's songs that ended up on Love Gun and a couple on his 1978 solo record. Apparently, the solo for Christine 16 was one Ed came up with and Ace ended up just re-recording it.

I could see Ed being drunk and dissatisfied enough in 1982 to blather out to Simmons that he'd like to join KISS, based on various interviews. It's common lore that Ed wanted to leave the group in 1981.

Honestly, what Ed would have ended up doing in KISS wouldn't have been any worse than what he ended up doing with Hagar.

[IceCreamBlondie]

Chaim is the Donald Trump of Rock and Roll. Both are ugly, worship money, somehow marry beautiful women, have huge egos, and have horrible hair.

You said it in a nutshell!

[sonrisa salvaje]

Ed is used to having creative control. How do you think that would have been affected with Stanley and Simmons involved?

[DavidLeeNatra]

Ed is used to having creative control. How do you think that would have been affected with Stanley and Simmons involved?

[adena dodds]

Eww, is there a stain in between Sammy Hagars pagamas or is it just me? I'll take the guy with the allegator pants on any day of the week....I thought they say ya gotta dress for success. Hagar blew that one out the door amongst other things....EWWWWW! He's gross!

Simmons: Why I Stopped Eddie Van Halen Joining Kiss

Gene’s proud he told Eddie that quitting his own band would be a mistake – but they still recorded demos with guitarist’s brother Alex.

Gene Simmons is proud of what he told Eddie Van Halen when the guitarist begged to replace Ace Frehley in Kiss.

And although he was always convinced a line-up featuring Eddie and brother Alex wouldn’t have lasted long enough to make an album, they still recorded a demo session together.

The glam-rock demon was instrumental in making Van Halen a big-name act after seeing them as a support band and vowing to sign them after two songs. He oversaw the recording of their first demo and says he even bought singer David Lee Roth his first pair of high-heel boots.

Simmons says events unfolded in 1982 when Kiss had sacked guitarist Frehley. Van Halen appeared in the band’s studio, where they were working on new material, and played the main theme from future hit single Jump on a synth.

Speaking on Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx’s radio show, Simmons says: “I say, ‘Eddie, what’s this?’ ‘Oh, that’s the next record.’ ‘Really? I’m hearing it before guitars?’ ‘No, there’s no guitars – that’s it.’ ‘Oh, okay.’

“So I take him to lunch across the street and he actually tells me: ‘I want to join Kiss. I can’t take Roth – he’s driving me nuts. We’re not getting along. I’ve got this sound in my head that I want Van Halen to do, and Roth doesn’t want to do it, and we’re just getting to a point where he’s believing his own hype.’

“I remember feeling proud of what I said. I said: ‘Don’t do it. Stay with the band you started. There’s no role for you – you’re too big. You cast too much of a shadow to be the guitar player in Kiss.’

“And he went back and he was miserable for the next 20 or 30 years. But it would never have worked. Not even close.”

Nevertheless, a three-track recording exists featuring Simmons and the Van Halen brothers. “I’ve got Alex and Eddie on Christine Sixteen, Love For Sale and Tunnel Of Love,” says the bassist. “But it wasn’t a natural fit.”


Link

[hideyoursheep]

[B][SIZE="2"][I]



“So I take him to lunch across the street and he actually tells me: ‘I want to join Kiss. I can’t take Roth – he’s driving me nuts. We’re not getting along. I’ve got this sound in my head that I want Van Halen to do, and Roth doesn’t want to do it, and we’re just getting to a point where he’s believing his own hype.’

I believe that....the same sound Ed had "in his head", left me scratching mine when 1984 hit.

“And he went back and he was miserable for the next 20 or 30 years."

It's obvious to the entire world now that it wasn't Dave making him miserable. It was Ed.It was ALWAYS Ed. Thank God he FINALLY started being honest with himself....he's made a huge improvement just from '07 to today... HUGE.

[DavidLeeNatra]

I believe that....the same sound Ed had "in his head", left me scratching mine when 1984 hit.



It's obvious to the entire world now that it wasn't Dave making him miserable. It was Ed.It was ALWAYS Ed. Thank God he FINALLY started being honest with himself....he's made a huge improvement just from '07 to today... HUGE.

throw 2004 in the mix and you can call him "reborn"...