Simmons was keen to explain why he thinks many people don't notice how influential and extraordinary the former Beatles member's bass playing is.
Explaining his style Gene Simmons compared his playing to that of Paul McCartney: "I think the approach was much more than a string quartet, where there are melodies, the violin and the cello.
The bass also plays melodies, while the others play their own melodies. McCartney was the king of it all. "
In the interview Simmons went on to say, “To begin with, he didn't approach bass like a bassist. He understood what chords were and if you understand chords and melody, then your approach to bass is definitely different. Because, I don't know, it's like having an X-ray vision. In fact, McCartney is really underrated. If you like "Taxman" and if you liked his solo, that's McCartney. He's a killer. "
Rick Rubinthe studio wizard, who is credited with helping to popularise hip-hop with his work on records by the Beastie Boys, Geto Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J,teamed up with the Beatles legend says is the best of all bass players.
"You just think of him as Beatle Paul, yet in my opinion, he is the best of all bass players, he's number 1."
The producer was amazed that the 80-year-old music icon has the "simplest" approach to writing mega-hits.
He said: "What blew my mind was when he sat at the piano and he started showing me how to write a song.
"He was saying, 'See, you could it like this', and what he was showing me was the simplest thing, but then he starts moving his fingers around slightly, and all of a sudden it evolves into 'Hey Jude' or 'Let It Be'.
"He's using this technique that any child could do, then it morphs into one of the greatest songs of all time!"
Simmons' admiration for the Beatles is long-standing, in all these years the 73-year-old American rocker has said many times that the Beatles were an indispensable point of reference for them. Especially because they wanted Kiss, like the Beatles, to have all the members who could sing. In an interview granted this year to Metal Hammer, speaking of the Liverpool quartet he made it clear: "Our point of reference was the Beatles, we were in full delirium. We thought of ourselves as the Beatles on steroids". (Excerpt from Rockol)
'I may be 80 but I feel 25!' - The former Beatle feels so fine that he has no plans to stop recording, playing live or writing new tunes
