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Gene Simmons is a better bassist...

#121
I've been a KISS fan since '78 and started as a drummer because of Peter Criss.

The "KISS sucks" state of mind that so many hang onto is as hilarious now as it was back in my teen years. They chose a direction and worked at it until they became successful.

Lots of players, bass and otherwise, that are more technically skilled than any of the KISS members. But it wasn't about that, KISS was about escapism and having fun. Still is. Nothing wrong with that IMO.

But at some point as you mature I think you should be able to just look at a successful band you don't like and at least respect what they did and all the work that it took them to get to that level of success. I'm no fan of Garth Brooks or Prince but that doesn't mean I don't think they are talented. Just not the style of music I enjoy. Whatever.

We were supposed to be on the road to see them today, in Milwaukee, but it was postponed because of the virus chaos. So the 10th row tix are sitting at home in an envelope and will stay there until the rescheduled date of 9/5/21. It'll be a long wait for my 26th KISS show.
 
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#122
jbhaugh said:
I have never met or heard about anyone who claims to be a KISS fan who didn't get into the band at an impressionable age. Whether for the theatrics, the rock'n'roll attitude, or the music, I've never met a grown person who said to me, "yeah, never really got KISS as a kid but I sat down with [insert album title] and now I love them". Like '80s hair metal, I think KISS is something you really had to be at the right age and in the culture of the time to be into. I dunno, maybe there are Gen Z KISS fans out there.
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I think there is a lot of truth to that, they have a comic book/super hero/sex vibe that definitely appeals to school age and teen age. But I think it applies to that younger demographic from all eras from the 70's forward. As a guitar and bass teacher, I had many young Millennial and Gen X'er students request we learn KISS songs. Probably because they heard their parents singing and playing KISS music in the home and car.
 
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#125
bobyoung53 said:
This video made me realize that he and the whole band were actually a very good live band with good vocals and good musicianship: Besides the fact that looking at piles of SVT's and Marshall's is always a pretty sight:laugh:. Incidentally Peter Criss took lessons from the New York Doll's drummer Jerry Nolan who was very good and I think this video shows that Peter could play and actually sing great. I am not a huge Kiss fan by the way although my appreciation of them has grown greatly in my old age but let's give them their due.


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Why was Gene wearing lace doilies on his knees?
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#128
WI Short Scaler said:
His work on the first studio albums was definitely McCartney influenced, and his best.

As he got richer he got lazier, IMO.
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Just goes to show, You never really know until you gotta figure it out.
I joined a cover/bar band that played a couple of kiss songs. I was kind of surprised 1 was very easy, the other more interesting and kind of cool. I took the time to figure it out, rather than just get through it, get the gist & move on. I constantly got pulled aside & told how good it sounded. Lesson learned don't take anyones playing for granted,no matter how silly you think they are! Learn something from everything.
 
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#130
The first time I saw KISS was on ABC's "In Concert", I was around 12-13 at the time and I really liked them a lot, it made me want to play the bass even more - I started shortly after that. KISS came to Seattle on May 25th 1975 and played at the Paramount Theater, a 3000 seat venue, another fave band of mine, Rush opened the show, it was a great night to be a teenager, neither Geddy or Gene disappointed I had waited in line all day and had seats about 8 rows back - my ears rang for days! Both of bassists I saw that night spurred me on as a newbie player, I've always loved the Gibson basses Gene played and my first "good" bass was a Rick 4001 that I bought in '76 as I'd come to be quite the fanboy of Geddy.
 
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#131
WI Short Scaler said:
I've been a KISS fan since '78 and started as a drummer because of Peter Criss.

The "KISS sucks" state of mind that so many hang onto is as hilarious now as it was back in my teen years. They chose a direction and worked at it until they became successful.

Lots of players, bass and otherwise, that are more technically skilled than any of the KISS members. But it wasn't about that, KISS was about escapism and having fun. Still is. Nothing wrong with that IMO.

But at some point as you mature I think you should be able to just look at a successful band you don't like and at least respect what they did and all the work that it took them to get to that level of success. I'm no fan of Garth Brooks or Prince but that doesn't mean I don't think they are talented. Just not the style of music I enjoy. Whatever.

We were supposed to be on the road to see them today, in Milwaukee, but it was postponed because of the virus chaos. So the 10th row tix are sitting at home in an envelope and will stay there until the rescheduled date of 9/5/21. It'll be a long wait for my 26th KISS show.
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sorry, but I dont see how you got from that ^ to "Gene Simmons is a better bassist..." better than whom?
 
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#140
Bob Babbitt on Gene Simmons
"GENE SIMMONS........BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE DID AN INTERVIEW ON HIM AND IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST PIECES OF TRASH I EVER READ.........FOR HIM IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL SYNDROME AND HIS SPOILED RICH KID ATTITUDE READ THRU THE COMMENTS HE WAS MAKING ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS,
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HE SAID I DID AGREE WITH HIM BUT WHEN HE MENTIONED THAT THE MOTOWN BASS SOUND WAS NOTHING BUT A MUDDY NON- DESCRIBABLE SOUND WITH NO DEFINITION........AND THAT PLAYING WITH A PICK WHERE EVERY NOTE WAS CLEAR AS A BELL WAS HIS ANSWER TO HIS BASS SOUND....
WELL....I GOT PISSED OFF!!!!!!!!! I RESPONDED TO HIS ARTICLE AND BASS PLAYER GLADLY PRINTED MY RESPONSE..................I TOLD HIM THAT MOST BASS PLAYERS WHO PLAY WITH A PICK ARE FRUSTRATED GUITAR PLAYERS.........( BY THE WAY CAROL KAYE BUSTED ME ON THAT) AND THAT THE MOTOWN BASS SOUND WOULD PUNCH AND HIT YOU RIGHT IN THE FACE ............THAT AS FAR AS THE KISS GROUP WAS CONCERNED THAT I KNEW FROM THE RUMORS IN NEW YORK AMONG THE MUSICIANS AND SOUND ENGINEERS THAT GHOST MUSICIANS WERE BEING USED ON THEIR RECORDS...
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT KNOW WHAT A GHOST MUSICIAN IS...........
A MUSICIAN WHO IS BROUGHT IN TO RECORD AND IS NOT GIVEN CREDIT, INSTEAD THE GROUP MEMBER GETS THE CREDIT.........ALSO THAT WHEN YOU GENE DID YOUR SOLO ALBUM I WAS CALLED TO PLAY ON IT AND FORTUNATELY I WAS BUSY WITH ANOTHER ARTIST AND COULD NOT DO YOUR ALBUM..
AND THEN I CONCLUDED BY SAYING THAT I HAD NOT BEEN WRESTLING IN YEARS BUT IF I RAN INTO YOU I WOULD GIVE YOU A PILE DRIVER................
BASS PLAYER REACTIONS TO MY RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY STOOD UP AND CLAPPED WHEN THEY SAW ME AND CHEERED ON THE PHONE OR ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE!!"
 
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