Gene Simmons is Good

[roceci]

Jeezus, lighten up people. You don't have to read this stuff.

It's quite enjoyable for people who do want to read this stuff.

Calling people noobs & advocating some form of quality control on topics is both lame & arrogant. I'd recommend a shot of humour for y'all. You may even get the Kiss joke one day.

 

[lousybassplayer]

I agree completely. I just wanted to point out to those that do get all upset about this topic oneway or the other that no resolution will likely be reached. I have enjoyed evey one of these types of topics so far.

 

[Eric Perry]

I don't it's lame at all calling someone on a post laden with nothing but insults and is devoid of any real content whatsoever.

...And I have no problem being called arrogant.

 

[unclekebm]

I hear you "roceci" If Gene read any of this, he'd probably just giggle...

I'd like to have half of his 'business/marketing savvy'

 

[fourstringburn]

Most Kiss Songs written by the great Ace Frehley were recorded with Ace playing bass. If you'll notice some of those Ace songs had some downright funky bass lines. Torpedo Girl off of Unmaked is a great example of a funky Ace bass line.

Where did you hear this at? can you prove it? most songs were written by Paul and Gene, that i could prove! Ace playing bass on some Kiss songs? where did you hear this also?

 

[fourstringburn]

Terrible musician. Good businessman. Look at how long he's managed to stay well known.

If there's a good bass track on any Kiss recording, he didn't play it. But, Kiss fans aren't into musicianship so it doesn't matter.

How do you know Gene didn't play on those "good bass tracks"

I'm a kiss fan from the 70's and I am into musicianship, although I don't regard Kiss as advanced players, but sometimes I prefer simple rock as much as Jazz or Classical music. AC/DC is a good example of the same simple music that rocks and look how popular they are!

As for your musicianship comment, I am also a classically trained musician and can read advanced levels of music in both clefs, can you? If you can't read music's written language,( not tablature) your only a player, not musician.

Kiss music is just simple rock n roll and it isn't supposed to be regarded as brilliant works of art. love it, like it, hate it, that's why music is categorized for different people and for different taste.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Ace playing bass on some Kiss songs? where did you hear this also?

I know that he played bass on "Torpedo Girl", "2000 Man" and "Rocket Ride", all of them being his own compositions/arrangements (in the case of "2000 Man"). He also played bass on most of his first solo album. Unfortunately I can't recall where I read about it (with the exception of his solo album - he's credited) since I gathered that info way before my Internet days. I don't think he played bass on "Cold Gin" and don't know if he recorded the bass part for "Shock Me" (his signature tune), not to mention his other contributions to the Kiss catalog. I'd dare to say that he played bass on all of his songs included in "Dynasty" and "Unmasked" since his successful solo album (compared with the other three) raised his status in the band. I don't think he recorded bass on the albums prior to "Alive II". For "Music From The Elder", Bob Ezrin recorded the bass parts on Ace's compositions ("Dark Light" and "Escape From The Island").

 

[fourstringburn]

I know that he played bass on "Torpedo Girl", "2000 Man" and "Rocket Ride", all of them being his own compositions/arrangements (in the case of "2000 Man"). He also played bass on most of his first solo album. Unfortunately I can't recall where I read about it (with the exception of his solo album - he's credited) since I gathered that info way before my Internet days. I don't think he played bass on "Cold Gin" and don't know if he recorded the bass part for "Shock Me" (his signature tune), not to mention his other contributions to the Kiss catalog. I'd dare to say that he played bass on all of his songs included in "Dynasty" and "Unmasked" since his successful solo album (compared with the other three) raised his status in the band. I don't think he recorded bass on the albums prior to "Alive II". For "Music From The Elder", Bob Ezrin recorded the bass parts on Ace's compositions ("Dark Light" and "Escape From The Island").

Sounds like more speculation, your post reply was full of "I don't think he did"

ACE'S SOLO ALBUM DOESN'T COUNT...

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Sounds like more speculation, your post reply was full of "I don't think he did"

I know. I'm just guessing. But I'm pretty sure about "Torpedo Girl", "2000 Man" and "Rocket Ride" (assuming that my source is a reliable one. I think it was a magazine dedicated to Kiss that I bought in the late eighties).

 

[fourstringburn]

For the record, yes I am a Kiss fan from way back then. Gene's bass playing didn't inspire me to take up bass, but it was Kiss's music that really got me into a hard rock back in 1976 and that eventually led to listening to other rock bands which eventually led me to take up the bass after years of studying classical piano.

Gene Simmons never came out and said he or Kiss members were the greatest musicians in the world, only the greatest rock band. and if you consider their accomplishments, He's has a right to make an arrogant statement like that.
In my opinion there is no best, it is all what you like. there is different levels of playing, but sometimes even technical music gets boring. even the great Classical masters wrote waltzes and simple minuets.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

For the record, yes I am a Kiss fan from way back then

Me too.

 

[bassmanbigs]

I have respect for them as entertainers, they did things a little more over the top, and had a little crazier show than most bands out there. But IMO they are sloppy and the lyrics are just ridiculous, things a middle school kid would come up with. So musical I have no respect for any of them.

I know that in the music industry today you need to have a "hook" or "ploy" but they just push that over the top so that its not about the music at all anymore just plan entertainment, like your watching a movie. So Gene Simmons is "ok" at best, nobody I would watch twice. But I do give them props on making it so far with just a show.

 

[twdavis13]

Regurgitated standard major/minor (even though i doubt Gene knows the difference) basslines?

Sorry there isn't a whole lot of talent required, you can play bass for a month and be able to write things like this, it is nothing new, and wasn't when he did it either; so don't pull the originality card. McCartney had been doing it for years before Gene picked a bass up.

Actually, quite the contrary.

Gene has stated on different occasions in various interviews about songs that he either WROTE on bass, and designed the minors, majors around it on guitar, because, believe it or not, he WAS A GUITARD before he moved over to bass, and alot of his early songs were written by him on guitar. I saw a video once where he sat down with a guy who was playing a guitar, and Gene improvised a bassline, ON THE SPOT, without ANY previous knowledge of the material, as it was an impromptu jam session.

You people talk about them being straight pentatonics and "REGURITATED" major/minor chords and riffs, but what the hell do you think AC/DC is?? They're MUSICALLY more simple than KISS, and yet they get PRAISED, and Cliff Williams is free from all criticism, when Gene is about 1000x the bass player Williams is. AC/DC's solos, and music aren't any more complicated than KISS's and in some cases, less so.


Like it or not, KISS has been around for 36 years now, and from my POV, you don't get by that far without good music, especially for 13 years without any makeup, gimmicks, theatrics, or flashpots. KISS's music is just never given any attention, and in some ways, that is the band's own fault.


BTW, I find AC/DC's music bland, distasteful, unoriginal, and boring. Angus Young is that band's only remotely redeeming quality.

[/Rant]



Bump anybody?? I know I'm keeping it going, but it's wayyy too interesting.

 

[JimmyM]

Well, you had me until you had to drag AC/DC into it. AC/DC is the greatest hard rock and roll band that ever lived, Cliff Williams is an amazingly great bass player, and Malcolm Young is the true hero of that band while Angus takes the glory. But sorry...Cliff can play his ass off. People think it's easy to play AC/DC songs, but I hear all sorts of bassists rush or try to do too much when they play it. It takes training and discipline to only play the part and nothing else and play it perfectly every time. I don't know many bassists who can do that.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

It takes training and discipline to only play the part and nothing else and play it perfectly every time. I don't know many bassists who can do that.

Exactly. That's what I admire the most from AC/DC. They deserve the #1 award to the "most musically disciplined band ever".

 

[Ayliffe]

Well, you had me until you had to drag AC/DC into it. AC/DC is the greatest hard rock and roll band that ever lived, Cliff Williams is an amazingly great bass player, and Malcolm Young is the true hero of that band while Angus takes the glory. But sorry...Cliff can play his ass off. People think it's easy to play AC/DC songs, but I hear all sorts of bassists rush or try to do too much when they play it. It takes training and discipline to only play the part and nothing else and play it perfectly every time. I don't know many bassists who can do that.

Cliff Williams is most definitely NOT an amazing bass player. There's a difference between KNOWING when not to play, and just not being able to play.

JPJ knew when not to play, Geddy Lee knew when not to play, Cliff Williams just can't play.

 

[Eric Perry]

This thread has run its course eleventeen hundred times already. For all that is white, clean, neat, and holy... let it die! lol

 

[Greevus]

Kiss, AC/DC, and Bill Gates won't die. I've had the Kiss vs AC/DC argument for years with a bandmate. Both bands are great, but Kiss covered tons more ground writing and performing. AC/DC is a one trick pony, but what a trick! Both are hard rock institutions. Kiss has come full circle and AC/DC has stayed the course. Both are lessons for young players. I'm an Apple/Mac guy, but Bill Gates is a monster. He OWNS about 2/3 of the planet. This thread lives because people LOVE hard rock and it ain't ever going away. Jazz and shredding are cool, but they ain't ROCK. Face it. Love it or Love to Hate It. Gene Simmons and Angus Young are GODS. All this talk about Kiss didn't play this or that is just gossipy crap. Dick Wagener played ONE SOLO. He copped Ace's style completely. Paul played some bass, and Gene played some guitar. I played acoustic guitar on one track in one of my bands because I could play the part cleaner than the two guitarists. We didn't put it on the cover cause no one cared. So what? They still played it a thousand times live. Same with Kiss. I will agree that Gene can be one annoying Ass sometimes though.

 

[JimmyM]

Cliff Williams is most definitely NOT an amazing bass player. There's a difference between KNOWING when not to play, and just not being able to play.

JPJ knew when not to play, Geddy Lee knew when not to play, Cliff Williams just can't play.

Well you're entitled to your opinion, even if it's wrong.

 

[RCCollins]

Like it or not, KISS has been around for 36 years now, and from my POV, you don't get by that far without good music, especially for 13 years without any makeup, gimmicks, theatrics, or flashpots.

when did they forego theatrics and flashpots? oh right, never.