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Gene Simmons is a better bassist...

#23
There's no doubt in my mind that the guys in KISS are way better musicians than they are sometimes given credit for. Perhaps this is because we might resent their overwhelming financial success. It also may have something to do with the fact that Gene Simmons often behaves like an obnoxious jerk (although he has his moments of complexity and genuine humanity). He's a very good bassist and his style absolutely suits the material.
 
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#24
I'm not really a Kiss fan, nor do I have much love for Mr. Simmons, but I have never really understood why he is constantly ragged for his bass skills. It's not like he claims he's the greatest bassist in the world or anything. His lines serve Kiss fine anyway, and a lot of songs (Strutter, Deuce, Detroit Rock City) all have fun bass lines. I always see his detractors point to his "solos" as evidence, even though those aren't about the bass but about all the theatric stuff (blood, spitting fire, the lighting, etc).
 
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#25
Aceman said:
Than I thought.

I have been playing a lot of KISS tunes lately - Pre-80's stuff.

As much as I think these are simple songs (And they are) I find a lot of his lines challenging. There is a lot going on there I never really knew/appreciated. I knew he was a fan of McCartney's stylings.

Like I said - a lot more going on there than I knew. Some stuff is a bit of a workout!
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I've always thought of him as more of a front man and singer (entertainer) than virtuoso bassist. That's not at all a knock, as it's all rock and roll in the end.

His lines serve the songs well, but aren't really difficult to play. Perhaps you need to practice more if you think they're difficult.
 
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#26
WI Short Scaler said:
As he got richer he got lazier, IMO.
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"lazy" is probably a good all-around term for his playing, IMO. not a fan (by a long shot!) but i definitely understand the appeal of KISS and they're status in the rock genre, especially in their time. that said: i wouldn't put in any time trying to 'rehabilitate' his bass playing status/image. :D
 
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#27
Gorn said:
If I wanted to be a rock star and tried and failed, then maybe there'd be some jealousy there, but not for me. I think their music and their schtick suck. Everything I've seen about Gene Simmons leads me to dislike him greatly. It's not that deep.
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It's not about him being a jerk, the band being a clown show or their musical shortcomings. It's wether or not he can play. ;)
 
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#32
Aceman said:
Than I thought.

I have been playing a lot of KISS tunes lately - Pre-80's stuff.

As much as I think these are simple songs (And they are) I find a lot of his lines challenging. There is a lot going on there I never really knew/appreciated. I knew he was a fan of McCartney's stylings.

Like I said - a lot more going on there than I knew. Some stuff is a bit of a workout!
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I love their naughty, mysoginistic, double entendre laced lyrics. Christine Sixteen? Still makes me laugh. No band could get away with that these days. I love the isolated Gene bass tracks I come across. Awesome overdriven tone.
Edit- She's a dancer, a romancer. I'm a Capricorn and she's a Cancer. LOLOL
 
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#33
bobyoung53 said:
a picked P bass with flatwounds is one of the prettiest bass sounds going.
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I agree. I was predominantly a pick player for years but over the last two or so years I've concentrated on fingerstyle. Just the other week I had a small injury that forced me back to the pick for around 5 days and I was reminded how much I liked the sound of a pick with the P and flats. I can get so much tonal versatility using a pick and right hand palm muting.
 
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#34
I never cared for him or them, but I do remember just about every now in my class have a Kiss lunchbox or the Kids logo scrawled on their notebooks, so I was always aware of their impact. And actually, I did enjoy the video from a while ago of him hanging out with Carol Kaye and learning some stuff. It seemed to show a respect for the craft.
 
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#35
FerK said:
By the way, the wrong note he plays at 3:54 in the Black Diamond video, as they do that weird quasi-head banging move, made me cringe quite badly (I think he plays the root on the A, as in the studio recording, instead of dropped a half-stepped as they were playing it live).
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I noticed that too the first time I heard and it did stick out but attributed it to maybe having something to do with his moving his head up and down 3 ft every half second:laugh:.
 

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