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Gene Simmons Appreciation Thread for Sunday (with Poll)
- Thread starter Son of Wobble
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- #genesimmons #kiss
I've been a KISS fan since '78 and I cringe every time I see them mentioned on here, knowing there will be more postering of "Gene sucks", "KISS sucks", whatever.
That being said, there was more positive comments on here about songs and playing than I would have expected which was good to see. His personality notwithstanding, he was great in his role in KISS and he and Paul as a team were very successful at pushing the band with hard work over many years.
I firmly believe every artist who put himself out there and worked hard to be successful, even if you hate their musical output.
That being said, there was more positive comments on here about songs and playing than I would have expected which was good to see. His personality notwithstanding, he was great in his role in KISS and he and Paul as a team were very successful at pushing the band with hard work over many years.
I firmly believe every artist who put himself out there and worked hard to be successful, even if you hate their musical output.
I think too many people can't separate his personality from his playing from the whole Kiss dressing up/make up shtick. Yea, he's a Richard Cranium, but as far as his playing goes, he's no better or worse than a ton of other rock bass players I've heard on albums. He doesn't sit there banging on the root note, nor does he over play. I think there is more than a little jealousy in all the whining.
Ahhh, Kiss. In an era of true guitar gods who put on spectacular shows (think Blackmore, Beck, Howe), they made pop music and put on over-the-top ‘circus’ shows. They pretended to be guitar gods.
They caught a lot of flak for that.
But the reality is while they were not guitar gods, they were competent enough to do what they did. And a KISS show was fun! As for Simmons, you certainly can’t knock his playing; while certainly not Chris Squire or Jaco, Simmons played exactly what his band’s songs needed.
I was at that show - Cobo Arena, Detroit....what a great senior year in HS it was!!
And pressed on discarded X-Rays, distributed through an underground network who would only sell copies to people who passed an obscure pop quiz, to prove they aren't part of a KGB sting.
Yes, you could tell they had been together for years. I played with a certain guitarist on and off for decades and I even bend my notes like he does on bass.
I've had exactly the same experience. Until the singer/guitarist/composer who kept hiring me for decades had to cancel some shows, and then voila, now they work with other musicians. And what do I say to them now? Good luck getting the bends to sound right!
heh heh
Alan Ace Cooper
Supporting Member
- Jan 6, 2004
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- Endorsing artist: Devon Basses, DR Strings, EMG pickups, Bag End Cabs
Gene!!! Easily one of my Bass Playing and Performing heroes. Kiss Alive II was life changing and therefore it gets a spot on the wall in my music room. A lot of people try to rag on Simmons' bass playing, but he was very Paul McCartney-esque in style and Paul is no slouch. AND... lets give credit that he's playing this stuff, while singing lead 50 % of the time, while wearing a weighted upper costume, with boots that were probably 10lbs each, constantly moving about, and with all kinds of lighting truss moving and pyrotechnics blasting all around him.
My favorite bass lines: Detroit Rock City (Alive II), Dr. Love (Alive II), Love Gun (Alive II) and Rock N Roll All Night (Alive I).
My favorite bass lines: Detroit Rock City (Alive II), Dr. Love (Alive II), Love Gun (Alive II) and Rock N Roll All Night (Alive I).
He wanted me to do some session stuff with him recently but unfortunately I'm still out of the country.
Similar situation here! Weird. Must be a bass player thing.
One of my late 70's bands used to use something or other like that on the stage and blow it off at certain times, one the those certain times was when I was standing right over it one night, the light man said it was an accident but he couldn't stop laughing while he said it so I suspected it wasn't. It wasn't powerful enough that it could hurt me but it did make me jump.
I used to buy Hit Parader when I was a kid and read something about his new band called The Grateful Dead, I thought they were going to be this heavy rock band, imagine my surprise hearing them play country music the first time I heard them, I thought, what the heck is this crap?
I have grown to really like them over the intervening years though.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I am not a fan of KISS music and I am not a fan of Gene's bass playing, but he is an interesting person and I like listening to him in interviews. And I don't like the makeup and costumes.
I'd say he's a great showman and has written some great pop/rock hits. I don't begrudge him his success.
I also don't think he's a talentless hack on bass. His public playing hasn't made me think he's a technical virtuoso (couldn't tell you what he's done outside of Kiss or what he might play at home for fun) but, at least on the earlier albums that I'm more familiar with (maybe up to Love Gun), I'd say he played some nicely melodic lines. And I'll give him credit for playing pretty tightly while singing and while hopping around in shoes that would make most of us break an ankle in 5 minutes.
I've also seen plenty of interviews that make me think he's basically an ass. But on the other hand, I played with a drummer who's been the main FOH guy on multiple Kiss tours. He always said that Gene and Paul might be demanding about making sure the shows go perfectly, but they do it in a professional way rather than a diva way. He also said that Kiss treats their crew very well and with respect. Maybe there's a public Gene and a private Gene?
I also don't think he's a talentless hack on bass. His public playing hasn't made me think he's a technical virtuoso (couldn't tell you what he's done outside of Kiss or what he might play at home for fun) but, at least on the earlier albums that I'm more familiar with (maybe up to Love Gun), I'd say he played some nicely melodic lines. And I'll give him credit for playing pretty tightly while singing and while hopping around in shoes that would make most of us break an ankle in 5 minutes.
I've also seen plenty of interviews that make me think he's basically an ass. But on the other hand, I played with a drummer who's been the main FOH guy on multiple Kiss tours. He always said that Gene and Paul might be demanding about making sure the shows go perfectly, but they do it in a professional way rather than a diva way. He also said that Kiss treats their crew very well and with respect. Maybe there's a public Gene and a private Gene?
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I love this album and some of the tasty licks layed down..Bassist was Neil Jason, very well done. My faves are:
Tunnel of Love
True Confession
Burnin up with fever
Radioactive
Used to be a huge KISS fan in the 70s and early 80s. Before the internet, Gene (and the rest of the band) were more mysterious as the only way to get info was from music mags like Hit Parader, Creem, and Rolling Stone. I can appreciate his bass playing, especially in the early years. He was pretty good - especially taking into account the heavy, bulky costume. A lot of people wold love to have the chance to give society the middle finger and live their lives their way - Gene's living his life his way. Gotta give him props for that.
