Paul Stanley (1978) Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart) - LOST 70s GEMS

Paul's solo album was the one that slowly grew on me so I would like to go into depth on this one and the numerous cuts to look out for before I get into the gem. The best track on Paul Stanley's very Kiss sounding solo record is the epic track Take Me Away (Together as One), primarily because it's misty eyed opening recalls Zeppelin's mystique and their brand of semi-acoustic, worldly ballads, ala the Rain Song. Though this album is more skin deep than that cut would suggest, with the bulk of the record made up of adolescent pop rock tunes ala..well Kiss; best exemplified by the cocky come on of Wouldn't You Like to Know Me or the laidback swagger of It's Alright where the narrator has no qualms with 'stay for the night'. 

 While the chorus to Love in Chains may be mind numbingly bombastic, the whimpering backing vocals of 'enough', in a girly response to Stanley's question of "Isn't it time?", is quite addictive a touch to an otherwise dour album cut. While those songs live on fat guitar tones wailing away and chunky power chords, Ain't Quite Right is built on a Oriental sounding blues lick based around a hammer on groove and some hi-hat action reminiscent of the opening of Cold Gin. The riff soon gets slinkier with a jazzy cocktail piano before the familiar power chord stomp enters as the hook. The lyrics deal with love that ain't quite right which makes it a little gritty, while Bob Kulick's very flamenco jazz solo is so wiry and sensual in it's thin, clean tone full of unnatural reverb. Then finally before we get to the album's gem we have, Goodbye, a strong power pop effort with a very 80s New Wave sounding opening full of slashing chords and a guitar riff based around double stops, before ending up in some solid riffing and Kiss power rhythms.


But for all the strengths of the album, I still quite enjoy the anomalous single release; an unabashedly saccharine pop ballad, a million miles from Kiss but not so far from Stanley's sultry power pop affections, that would occasionally surface in the band's catalogue. It has a wordy title, pretty much the whole chorus written out with parenthesis included which is a bit of an eye roll when that happens particularly as the add on of (Think of Me When We're Apart) is an unnecessary elaboration of Hold Me, Touch Me; we get the picture Paul!

 So this astounding track starts with some hesitant, high end finger-picking playing that creates a pensive, moonlit mood alongside a piano arpeggio. Paul's voice swoons in a slow burn romantic verse before the chorus swoops in on a bed of soothing harmonies; it's very soft and very polished around the edges as Paul sings with genuine tenderness. The choral 'ahs' are spectacular as they modulate up a key for added beauty, all before a paralysingly gorgeous guitar solo by Stanley cuts through building proceedings to a alleviating climax. The bright fuzz tone of the lead guitar is tempered by emotive string bends like the 'heartstrings' of desire being tugged at. The track glows with it's varnished production quality and the 'cascading' mix of a capoed, nylon string guitar, baby grand piano and an enormous choral backing can't help but sweep you away; hell even Kiss fans should appreciate love songs once in a while and the quality of writing and production doesn't get better than this.