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Gene Simmons
- Thread starter Josh Baarlaer
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Gene Simmons looks like he has fun.
Let’s talk about your YouTube search terms you were using when you stumbled across that. This is going to be fascinating!
A few of the things I believe make a great bass player are, timing, playing with feeling, tone, and (as you repeatedly hear on TB) playing to make the band sound good. Gene is all of those things.
I think we spend a lot of time talking about a guy that hasn't been musically relevant in 35 years.
Which is what he wants.
So stop it.
Which is what he wants.
So stop it.
Indeed they did. He played on some of my favorite WR pieces.
If you like straight ahead early 70’s riff-rock, he gets it done. I liked his little lick during the verse of “Detroit Rock City”. So? I used to like them, but never climbed onboard full to their show thing. It was pretty amazing, that. Funny, when I DO GO BACK to that era/style, I’m just as likely to be listening to “The Sweet”. Still, I pop them on, every now and then.
I'm an unapologetic KISS fan, especially the early albums. IMO, Gene is a good songwriter, solid rock bass player, and great frontman.
I like the bass lines on Two Timer.
I like the bass lines on Two Timer.
Their bassist before Jaco was no slouch either. Huge fan of Alphonso too.
That would also apply to Paul McCartney but lots of people still talk about him.
Glad to see someone mention Jeff Pilson. I saw him with Foreigner last fall. Great bassist. Great performer.
Ok...I was gonna stay out of this one, but...WHY does everyone act like that bass solo from the Animalize tour is an atrocity? The man breathes fire, spits blood, flies around the arena, and clears a path with his tongue...all of which are infinitely more interesting than that solo
He certainly wasn't trying to show off his bass skills with it... same goes for Paul Stanley's solo from that concert...those "solos" are nothing more that an opportunity to show their a$$ and engage the audience in some fun. I kinda like that he incorporated Eric Carr in that bass solo actually, who by the way, was the first bit of true musical talent to grace that band. I love Ace and Peter, don't get me wrong, but once they added Eric Carr, and eventually Bruce Kulick there was really no reason for Paul or Gene to do a solo cause Eric and Bruce were gonna make them look silly 
Just rock the house, and sign the t!ts, and thats it!
We talking about Jeff Berlin again?
I like Gene Simmons' playing on the 70s KISS albums. Is he a virtuoso? No. But he is a good player who wrote catchy lines, and is an exceptional showman. I think his quote about fingerstyle players was inaccurate (see Geddy Lee, Les Claypool and 100s of other fingerstyle players), but I do get where he was coming from. I prefer to play fingerstyle but enjoy playing with a pick as well. Some songs are better suited to one or the other. I guess I didn't think his quote was anything to get worked up about, but he does come across as a dick sometimes!
That's a guy who's always busy. It pays to be able to write songs and sing, in addition to being a solid bassist.
I always loved his bass line on Goin' Blind. This showcases it nicely with just he and Paul Stanley playing.
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