In a recent interview with Chaoszine, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick discussed the band’s 1987 album “Crazy Nights” and Gene Simmons’ apprehension about its direction.
Kulick noted that Simmons was uncertain about the album’s polished, keyboard-heavy sound, which was a departure from the band’s usual style. “It was interesting to get [producer] Ron Nevison involved, who was very successful then, with hits from big bands,” Kulick said. “Paul [Stanley] was very excited to work with him, Gene maybe not as much.”
Prior to “Crazy Nights,” Nevison had contributed to Heart’s mid-’80s resurgence with hits like “What About Love” and “These Dreams.” Although “Crazy Nights” continued Kiss’ commercial success in the ’80s, it did not achieve the mainstream breakthrough they desired. Some longtime fans criticized the band for following trends, similar to their disco phase in the late ’70s and a later shift to grunge in the ’90s.
“Ron had a vision for the album,” Kulick continued. “Even though there were elements people argued with, like keyboards or samples on the snare drum, he always wanted the lead guitar up front, which was important to me. I think he did a good job, though I remember watching Gene be so nervous about it.”
Simmons’ concerns about the album’s direction highlighted another issue—the split focus between the band and his other ventures, including a record label and acting career. Consequently, Simmons sang on only four of the 11 tracks on “Crazy Nights,” which were more guitar-oriented than the rest.
In his memoir “Face the Music,” Stanley recounted confronting Simmons about the unequal workload. “This isn’t okay anymore. I’m done with this. You can’t expect to be my partner if you’re not going to hold up your end,” Stanley told him.
A few days later, Simmons, acknowledging the imbalance, offered to buy Stanley a Jaguar as a thank you for shouldering extra responsibilities. “It was a nice move on his part,” Stanley recalled. “But I had my eye on a Porsche. When we shot the video for ‘Reason to Live,’ the storyline involved a beautiful woman blowing up a car. It was a black Porsche 928, and I drove it home from the video shoot, compliments of Gene.”