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I know most don't like Gene Simmons.
- Thread starter Noseferatu
- Start date
No.
I've read every post in this thread, and so far mine is the only one that has any musical content whatsoever.
You know: NOTES that he played, and pointing out a nice contrary motion line and even showing you how and why that line works the way it does.
Care to step up to the plate?
I mean c'mon: we're supposed to be talking about the music that the man plays. So let's talk about the music.
Anyone want to analyze the line to "Going Blind" and point out anything about it? From a very brief listen, it sounds like once more he is using the major scale heavily, but emphasizing the 6th mode natural minor. Anyone care to give a deeper listen? I mean c'mon - we've got all these Kiss fans in here - surely SOMEONE has to know how to play some of Simmons' lines, and analyze them.
The only KISS line I know is Strutter, and I've already pointed out one cool aspect of that line: I can do more if you'd like....I'm disappointed: you guys are supposed to be musicians - this comes off more like a bunch of people posting on some rock fan blog or something.
His music speaks for itself, I think every one is familiar with his work. That idea however was derailed about 8 pages ago. I'm responding to the posts that claim he is on a level with Lee, Ox, JPJ etc. Sooner or later someone is going to say he's as good as Lemmy and that's when the **** will really hit the fan.
I'm sorry dude but that's weak.
We're supposed to be musicians: that means we're supposed to be able to understand the hows and the whys of music. Or at least be able to point out something that is of musical interest: no need for theory if you have the ears to support yourself.
Why does the bassline for "Crazy Train" work against the A5 chord in the verses? What scale does Bob Daisley use. Do you know?
I suspect ole Gene knows more about how to construct valid music than many of you cats that are slamming him: we on the one hand will laud Daisley's work on "Crazy Train", but Gene had a very similar approach in his lines years earlier, and he gets ridiculed.
Why is that?
because he wears makeup and presents himself as a larger than life a-hole. simple as that.
Relax, man. I've admitted Gene is a fair player. I am simply sayin that comparing him to Ox is not very realistic. That is all. As far as pointing out musical interest, I like most every Kiss song before the 80's. And I know Bob Daisley has nothing to do with that.
If I can find the time to do it, I'm going to seriously listen to KISS some more and try to figure out if I'm missing something. I'll be doing so not so much because of what I've read here, but elsewhere. The people who are convincing are those such as JimmyM who obviously possess a great deal of expertise and should be taken seriously. But much of what I've read hasn't been very convincing, especially in the past few pages. Insulting people because they may not be fans of KISS and Gene Simmons is really not a very good way to win converts.
Why? Ox is just a rock bass player like Gene. Same job, except Gene did manage to step away from the drum kit. Let's see how well Ox can play while singing lead vocals, and running around in platform shoes...oops, we can't because the genius OD'd. God, that SO been done to death and such a cliche!
Why? Ox is just a rock bass player like Gene. Same job, except Gene did manage to step away from the drum kit. Let's see how well Ox can play while singing lead vocals, and running around in platform shoes...oops, we can't because the genius OD'd. God, that SO been done to death and such a cliche!
That would be the same as comparing C.C. Deville to Jeff Beck. Although CC did play with 6 foot hair.
lowtide
Commercial User
DEFINITELY ~ !
One of the greatest SIMPLE songs of all time, guaranteed to make the guys chase after all the dancing babes on the floor is STRUTTER. Every time that tune is played is cements the fact that keeping it simple is not so stupid an idea.
I watched the clips.. the bass fills were good...sounds like I throw in, not sure who I stole them from...
Not to Simmons bash...do we really know he is playing them? He isn't on screen during the fills..they could be playing to tracks for all I know.
As to musical vailditiy... I play stuff when my band is jamming..sometimes it works, I keep it, sometimes I don't and I learn not play it agin in that song. I have a basic understanding of theory but it doesn't take a genius to do a fill in a Kiss song.
Not to Simmons bash...do we really know he is playing them? He isn't on screen during the fills..they could be playing to tracks for all I know.
As to musical vailditiy... I play stuff when my band is jamming..sometimes it works, I keep it, sometimes I don't and I learn not play it agin in that song. I have a basic understanding of theory but it doesn't take a genius to do a fill in a Kiss song.
Yes. We know he is playing them because he does all of the time. That was a live webcast.
Besides, using everyone else's logic here, if Gene didnt care about the quality of the music, what would he gain from having pre-recorded fills play during a certain part of a song??
Besides, I saw him do alot of great fills and play the great bassline Detroit Rock City in person back in July.
So yes, Gene is more than capable of playing such fills.
And I agree with wade_b, in every Gene Simmons thread everyone always seems to be able to sit with no problem and judge his basslines based on either his personality of how difficult they sound. They don't actually take the time to musically analyze his material and in the same breath have the nerve to say "I'm a better musician than Gene because I could play that" okay. Cool. Could you WRITE Strutter, 100,000 Years, Goin Blind, Nothin To Lose, Love Theme From KISS, Ladies Room, Rock and Roll All Nite, Room Service, Ladoes Room, Detroit Rock City, King Of The Nighttime World, or Sure Know Something?
Yes. We know he is playing them because he does all of the time. That was a live webcast.
Besides, using everyone else's logic here, if Gene didnt care about the quality of the music, what would he gain from having pre-recorded fills play during a certain part of a song??
Besides, I saw him do alot of great fills and play the great bassline Detroit Rock City in person back in July.
So yes, Gene is more than capable of playing such fills.
And I agree with wade_b, in every Gene Simmons thread everyone always seems to be able to sit with no problem and judge his basslines based on either his personality of how difficult they sound. They don't actually take the time to musically analyze his material and in the same breath have the nerve to say "I'm a better musician than Gene because I could play that" okay. Cool. Could you WRITE Strutter, 100,000 Years, Goin Blind, Nothin To Lose, Love Theme From KISS, Ladies Room, Rock and Roll All Nite, Room Service, Ladoes Room, Detroit Rock City, King Of The Nighttime World, or Sure Know Something?
Now this is very relevant. I agree there is a big difference between being able to play something and being able to write something in the first place. Why this is so hard for some people to understand, I really don't know.
Completely off the OP's original post....but I am gonna sum up this thread up right now.....Mods...prepare to close the thread.....
Question - What other bass players play bass and spits up blood all over himself/herself simultaneously?
Answer - None. NONE I TELL YOU! None.
That alone cements Gene's musicianship and his legacy.
End of story.
<End transmission. Close thread>
Question - What other bass players play bass and spits up blood all over himself/herself simultaneously?
Answer - None. NONE I TELL YOU! None.
That alone cements Gene's musicianship and his legacy.
End of story.
<End transmission. Close thread>
That would be the same as comparing C.C. Deville to Jeff Beck. Although CC did play with 6 foot hair.
I like and respect Jeff, but I would rather listen to and/or buy a ticket to see Poison.
There comes a point where technical proficiancy becomes stale and almost mathematical.
The whole point of making music, IMO, is to be able to make something that people can relate to and enjoy. A good song plus a good show gets my money everytime, over say a Wooten show. I can take my whole family to a Kiss concert and everyone would have a blast and talk about it for days. Take'em to see Wooten, and while I'm sure he would amaze and impress me, everyone else would be looking at their watches and trying to decide if they want a pizza or a burger when we finally get out of there.
Yes. We know he is playing them because he does all of the time. That was a live webcast.
Besides, using everyone else's logic here, if Gene didnt care about the quality of the music, what would he gain from having pre-recorded fills play during a certain part of a song??
Besides, I saw him do alot of great fills and play the great bassline Detroit Rock City in person back in July.
So yes, Gene is more than capable of playing such fills.
And I agree with wade_b, in every Gene Simmons thread everyone always seems to be able to sit with no problem and judge his basslines based on either his personality of how difficult they sound. They don't actually take the time to musically analyze his material and in the same breath have the nerve to say "I'm a better musician than Gene because I could play that" okay. Cool. Could you WRITE Strutter, 100,000 Years, Goin Blind, Nothin To Lose, Love Theme From KISS, Ladies Room, Rock and Roll All Nite, Room Service, Ladoes Room, Detroit Rock City, King Of The Nighttime World, or Sure Know Something?
This^
Yes Gene really plays live, I have seen him do so more times than I can count, and to suggest otherwise is just trollish stupidity.
The first bass line he did not play on the record was the song LOVE GUN on the album of the same name, and that was just Paul Stanley because he wrote it. All the old classic lines were written and performed by Gene.
I, too, like wade_b's approach to actually studying his lines. Don't think line x,y,z works? Why not? I do know that Gene mainly took the chord tone approach to lines to accompany to guitar parts. Peter Criss was not consistant enough to "lock-in" with and he didn't even try to until the Kiss-co years when producers told him he had to and Anton Fig was covering the drums.
slight disagreement here. peter is a very good meat and potatoes drummer, and gene loves to completely ignore what the drummer is doing sometimes. so if there was any difficulty "locking in" (an imho pointless concept because i hear so many examples of bass and drums not playing lockstep with each other that sound amazing, especially on old kiss songs), it was gene's doing. but it was gene's and paul's band and they're not going anywhere so the blame got heaped on peter.
