Gene Simmons

[andruca]

I just chimed in to say 99% of musicians hating on Kiss are envious and resentful and would never admit making catchy songs is a gift too, one that very few people have in fact, despite them always depicting it as "inferior art". I think quite the oposite, there's no superior entity in music than songs. And only 1 in 100 musicians I've met know how to make proper songs that make sense.

 

[Gunga Din]

With Kiss I think you had to be there, and I wasn't there. I have no fond memories of buying KISS Alive II with money I saved up mowing lawns and avoiding the awkward advances of the neighbourhood John Wayne Gacy. I much prefer the early Alice Cooper albums; glam/horror metal with a huge Beatles influence running through it. The quality of song writing on Killers seems much richer than anything KISS came up with. Detroit Rock City seems like something a machine could have written with a few basic inputs, and because I never saw Gene spitting blood capsules while playing it I just have the music to go on.

Fair play, Kiss put on a good show, or did back in 1976 at least. However the music was just the vector for a larger audio/visual entertainment experience. Low-brow parent-upsetting Hammer Horror fare for kids with mullets.......

What's wrong with mullets??

 

[Bullitt5135]

There has been a bunch of chatter about alleged lip-synching on this tour (most notably from Eddie Trunk of all people). I have yet to see anything definitive despite a bunch of grainy YouTube videos proclaiming the smoking gun. If I had to speculate, I'd guess some of Paul's screams and yelps are augmented in order to spare his vocal chords. Big deal. I could care less either way, as I still enjoyed the spectacle. If I wanted vocal virtuosity, I'd go and see Adele (who probably uses more backing tracks than KISS).

I think it's funny that a lot of self-proclaimed KISS fans are utterly disgusted by the alleged lip-synching. Isn't it kind of like a life-long WWE fan seeing a grainy YouTube video of a blatantly missed/faked drop-kick, and declaring "That's it, I'm done! Wrastling used to be legit, but I'm not shelling out one more dollar for this garbage!"

 

[slapshot]

I give him credit. Decent writer, decent singer, decent bass player, great showman. He's been VERY successful both in music and in business. Knows how to promote himself and the band. Hard to argue with results.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I'm certainly into much more ehem, "cultured" music you will......

but will freely admit that I enjoy putting on Alive and Alive II at high volume. If you can get passed taking yourself so seriously, there is something seriously entertaining about the grandiose absurdity of it all. Love Gun wasn't meant to be the next Blowin' in the Wind.

 

[Bullitt5135]

LOL... "was he wearing his life-alert?' Dang, that must have hurt...

 

[andruca]

There has been a bunch of chatter about alleged lip-synching on this tour (most notably from Eddie Trunk of all people). I have yet to see anything definitive despite a bunch of grainy YouTube videos proclaiming the smoking gun. If I had to speculate, I'd guess some of Paul's screams and yelps are augmented in order to spare his vocal chords. Big deal. I could care less either way, as I still enjoyed the spectacle. If I wanted vocal virtuosity, I'd go and see Adele (who probably uses more backing tracks than KISS).

I think it's funny that a lot of self-proclaimed KISS fans are utterly disgusted by the alleged lip-synching. Isn't it kind of like a life-long WWE fan seeing a grainy YouTube video of a blatantly missed/faked drop-kick, and declaring "That's it, I'm done! Wrastling used to be legit, but I'm not shelling out one more dollar for this garbage!"

I went to one of their concerts last July here in Madrid and lip synching was definitely not a thing, at all, but you could clearly tell constant high register "replacement" by Eric Singer (sings all the high backing parts too). Also they chose a "clever" repertoire with WAY more Gene Simmons relevance on lead vocals than before (the only other time I've been to a Kiss concert was in the post unplugged reunion tour -'99 I guess?-). Still think they delivered GREAT, tight and solid overall, still top entertainment.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Yeah, I suspected the one of the other guys was pitching in, but I couldn't even see the drum kit from my vantage point in the "hypoxia zone" beyond the nosebleeds.

 

[Signalsdrone]

There has been a bunch of chatter about alleged lip-synching on this tour. If I had to speculate, I'd guess some of Paul's screams and yelps are augmented in order to spare his vocal chords. Big deal. I could care less either way, as I still enjoyed the spectacle.

I saw Judas Priest last year and though Rob Halford was singing for sure, his screams and high stuff was certainly "augmented" somehow. You could hear a subtle difference and also see a bit of the lip-sync in some mismatched timing. It was very short but I believe there was some electronic wizardry going on.

I am certainly not bitching about it as Halford is not a youngster anymore and his best singing days were decades ago. He can still sing way better than I could ever hope for and I was just glad to see Priest again. Paul Stanley is in the same boat I would guess.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I can take it if they add a musician or singer. I can deal with tracks for instruments that are not on stage. But if it gets to a point where they are indeed lip synching parts, THAT is when they should either drop those tunes or stop touring. I don't care if they are 18 or 80.

 

[nattiep]

I saw Judas Priest last year and though Rob Halford was singing for sure, his screams and high stuff was certainly "augmented" somehow. You could hear a subtle difference and also see a bit of the lip-sync in some mismatched timing. It was very short but I believe there was some electronic wizardry going on.

I am certainly not bitching about it as Halford is not a youngster anymore and his best singing days were decades ago. He can still sing way better than I could ever hope for and I was just glad to see Priest again. Paul Stanley is in the same boat I would guess.

I saw Priest twice last year. Some of the harmony vocals are on tape as well as some of the initial screams at the start of the show. For the most part though the man is legit.

 

[GregC]

I just chimed in to say 99% of musicians hating on Kiss are envious and resentful and would never admit making catchy songs is a gift too, one that very few people have in fact, despite them always depicting it as "inferior art". I think quite the oposite, there's no superior entity in music than songs. And only 1 in 100 musicians I've met know how to make proper songs that make sense.

What if I told you that probably 99% of the musicians who dislike Kiss still like other successful bands that make catchy songs, they just don't like Kiss for various reasons.

 

[5StringBlues]

If you're a KISS fan, the non-fans have an endless list of things like you see here. You must be huffing paint or glue, or you are a sucker.

As far as I can see, nobody said KISS fans were huffing paint or glue.


I DID,however, say that me and my brother WERE huffing paint about the same time as we started listening. This is the absolute truth and not intended as a put down of anyone's taste in music.

No offense intended. KISS made a brief appearance in our house as they were becoming popular, but my brother and I were back to Led Zeppelin and YES records shortly thereafter.

I've seen them twice, on the first tour with no makeup ( Jan. 1984) and back in 2011 at the Houston Rodeo.




Like who you want, it's not a big deal that we all have our own likes and dislikes. But let's not paint ( sorry) everyone in this thread who doesn't like KISS with the same brush over a comment I made about my experience.



I'm pretty sure it was clearcoat..............

 

[5StringBlues]

As far as I can see, nobody said KISS fans were huffing paint or glue.


I DID,however, say that me and my brother WERE huffing paint about the same time as we started listening. This is the absolute truth and not intended as a put down of anyone's taste in music.

No offense intended. KISS made a brief appearance in our house as they were becoming popular, but my brother and I were back to Led Zeppelin and YES records shortly thereafter.

I've seen them twice, on the first tour with no makeup ( Jan. 1984) and back in 2011 at the Houston Rodeo.




Like who you want, it's not a big deal that we all have our own likes and dislikes. But let's not paint ( sorry) everyone in this thread who doesn't like KISS with the same brush over a comment I made about my experience.



I'm pretty sure it was clearcoat..............

The only references to glue or paint in the whole thread besides mine were discussing glue vs. paint vs. magic marker. Which make me tend to believe that @bobyoung53 and @Alan Ace Cooper may be even stranger than I.


Carry on..........................

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I DID,however, say that me and my brother WERE huffing paint about the same time as we started listening. This is the absolute truth and not intended as a put down of anyone's taste in music.

Your statement was you were a KISS fan at the same time in your life you were huffing glue. Seems a pretty condescending opinion of KISS fans. I wasn't offended by it since it's nothing I haven't heard before, or at least comments along those lines I've heard since I was first a fan in '78. I just used it as an example.

And for all the examples of what an arrogant dick Gene can be, he still manages to pull out the "do nice for others" card from time to time.



None of this changes, nor should it, who you like and who I like.

 

[5StringBlues]

None of this changes, nor should it, who you like and who I like.

I totally agree.


My comment was meant to be humorous and a reflection of my screwed up childhood more than anything.


Again, no offense intended.