Gene Simmons Promises Massive Box Set With 150 Unreleased Songs
Kiss fans may or may not ever get another studio album of new material from the band, but it looks like they'll have a chance to hear a lot of songs that have stayed hidden in Gene Simmons' personal vaults.
Simmons spilled the beans during a recent interview with the Canton Repository, admitting that at this point in the band's career, it's hard to make time for — or even see the point of — making a new record.
"We're so busy touring around the world," said Simmons. "It's just tough to find the time to sit down for six months and do nothing but a record. I'm not inclined to go out there and work your ass off making something you're proud of and then to have everybody steal it and download it and file share it. That's not for me."
Asked whether he still derives satisfaction from writing and releasing new music, Simmons demurred, changing the subject to that big ol' box in the pipeline. "I can tell you I'm working on a box set that is gonna put together 150 songs that have never been released," he continued. "That news is gonna be released soon."
He's been floating the idea of such a solo box set for years now, using tentative titles such as Alter Ego, Monster (which Kiss went on to take for the title of their most recent album in 2012) and 100. "I've always written 'outside' stuff," he explained in response to a fan question on his official website back in 2009. "But Kiss is Kiss. And that means the outside stuff winds up on solo albums, or I keep it in the drawer. This year, I plan on releasing Alter Ego, a box set of unreleased songs ... about 150 of 'em. You'll hear more 'outside' stuff."
Simmons, who told the paper he's "still a geek," lined up the chat to discuss his previously reported series of Comic Con engagements this year — which, as he explained, offers him a rare opportunity to play out as a solo artist.
"Outside of Kiss, I've never done a solo tour. I never did anything like that," said Simmons. "When Wizard World and I agreed to do five events together, the idea of jumping up onstage and gulping it on for an hour or so came up. And I got a great bunch of guys, real rocking guys who are gonna get up with me, and we'll play all the hits and have ourselves a good old time."
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