KISS bassist Gene Simmons put The Beatles at the top of music’s ranks for the past two centuries. “The Beatles are above and beyond anything that anybody’s seen in music over, oh, 200 years? Easily. Not since the Renaissance,” said Simmons in a recent interview. He talked about their musical skill and complex chord work as well.
The final “yeah” in “She Loves You” used a major-sixth blend chord progression, a choice their producer, George Martin, initially doubted as too bold for rock.
While bands like The Rolling Stones often took many seconds to reach their chorus, The Beatles struck fast. Their songs grabbed listeners right from the start with catchy hooks.
McCartney stood out to Simmons as both bassist and writer. “McCartney, especially, by far is the most successful songwriter in all of recorded history,” he said. More than 1,000 artists have covered “Yesterday” alone, and Gene says the Beatles’ songs are perfect. He pointed out that the band often used the first words of songs in their titles to enhance their memorability.
From their start in a struggling port city, they shot to fame. “They only existed for seven years, and they came from a place that was a pool filled with liver — Liverpool — where nothing ever happened. High unemployment rate, no experience, no resume, no nothing!” Simmons said.
Simmons ranked the White Album among his life-changing records, and Abbey Road got his highest marks. He called the record a masterpiece made while the group split and still kept its unity.
