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I know most don't like Gene Simmons.

#361
THand said:
Were they appropriate fills, in key, in time, fit the tempo? Were they improvised (they arent on any record, btw)? So what would constitute a KILLER fill in that song for you? Please, please, post a clip of that song with you(or anyone else) playing better fills(extra points for doing it in costume in front of several thousand people).

i'd bet Gene can outplay and knows more about music than 90% of the posters on TB. He has never aspired to be a jazz/fusion guy & to compare him to jazz guys is no different than saying Lance Armstrong isn't a KILLER athelete because, even though he's from Texas, he never even played football...much less for the Cowboys.
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Excellent point. It's not like you would want to see or hear a flawless example of the Wooten double-thumb technique to accompany Tears are Fallin'. Instead, Gene's stream of eight-note roots and fifths is entirely fitting for that piece. He has good rhythm, produces the notes evenly. What more would you want? And the vocal harmonies on that tune are really quite good, and were recorded before pitch correction made every voice recording sound like everybody else.
 
#364
To the op, I think Gene plays a mean bass. Don't bother with the haters. Half of them probably think they can do better leads than Ace too.

You're wasting your breath...well fingers actually.

Here's a cover vid I made of a rather busy Gene Simmons bass line. Mainly because there isn't many close ups of the man himself. (Not that I consider myself as good).
Sure the guys a dick but as I can see from reading through this whole thread...so are many people. Doesn't take away the fact that the man made MILLIONS with his music. Unlike myself and probably 99.9% of TB'ers.

The early stuff rocked imo and was some of the stuff that got me interested in music as a kid back in the 70's.

100,000 Years bass line
 
#365
I've been a KISS fan since the 1970s and always liked Gene's playing. He doesn't get the respect he deserves. I like what he does on "Let Me Know". I saw KISS in Mansfield, Mass in August and bought the SimFy Live recording of the show. Paul's voice was terrible. He couldn't hit the high notes. His voice was cracking and flat most of the time. It was the only concert I have ever been to where I wanted my money back.

Here is footage from that show

 
#366


This is a great bass sound. Kiss with Music Man. I belive its played by Jimmy Haslip. There is also Music Man on the track Naked City from the Unmaskd album.


I used to be a Kiss fan..but nowdays i just cant stand them.
 
#367
Lately, Gene's bass sounds like crap. No bottom, all mids. Paul can't sing at all. I was a HUGE KISS fan in the 1970's but now I couldn't care less. My son loves them though. It says a lot when you can go to the box office the day before a show and get tickets less than 10 rows from the stage for $25 each. I did that for their Mansfield, Mass show in August. I hate to say it but KISS has become exactly what Gene said they would never be, a caricature of themselves.
 
#369
Rockmusician said:
I've been a KISS fan since the 1970s and always liked Gene's playing. He doesn't get the respect he deserves. I like what he does on "Let Me Know". I saw KISS in Mansfield, Mass in August and bought the SimFy Live recording of the show. Paul's voice was terrible. He couldn't hit the high notes. His voice was cracking and flat most of the time. It was the only concert I have ever been to where I wanted my money back.

Here is footage from that show

Click to expand...



Anyone know what kind of bass that is in the Let me Know clip? Looks like an Ovation logo on the headstock?
 
#370
I'm bound to be a bit biased, I grew up on Gene, Paul, Peter & Ace. Let's put it this way, does anyone question the talent or credibility of, say, Tony Stevens of Foghat? No. However, the line in Slow Ride is KILLER! Not overly complex, but it's not supposed to be about complexity. It's about groove. And speaking of groove, let me say "Love Theme From KISS". That has groove for miles, and coincidentally, it's got a level of complexity that a beginner wouldn't touch. What about "Goin' Blind", "Cold Gin", or even "Hard Luck Woman"? Great groove in all. Yeah, other tracks are pretty elementary, but it's about the song, not just the bassline. Again, some of Foghat's coolest songs were dirt-simple. There's my take on it. And long live The Demon!!!
 
#372
ilovenofrets said:
I'm bound to be a bit biased, I grew up on Gene, Paul, Peter & Ace. Let's put it this way, does anyone question the talent or credibility of, say, Tony Stevens of Foghat? No. However, the line in Slow Ride is KILLER! Not overly complex, but it's not supposed to be about complexity. It's about groove. And speaking of groove, let me say "Love Theme From KISS". That has groove for miles, and coincidentally, it's got a level of complexity that a beginner wouldn't touch. What about "Goin' Blind", "Cold Gin", or even "Hard Luck Woman"? Great groove in all. Yeah, other tracks are pretty elementary, but it's about the song, not just the bassline. Again, some of Foghat's coolest songs were dirt-simple. There's my take on it. And long live The Demon!!!
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I think Gene has better work than the songs you mentioned. "Cold Gin" is bery simple. I prefer "Let Me Know", "Love Gun", "Shout It Out Loud", "Detroit Rock City". None of them are very difficult to play but Gene's playing is right in the pocket and very well done

I love Foghat and will disagree with you as far as simplicity is concerned. Some of thier bass lines are pretty complex. Craig MacGregor was their best bass player. I was fortunate enough to spend several nights in the 1980s drinking and jamming with him. He is a great guy and gave me a lot of good advice. Listen to "Foghat Live". It's a great album. Craig's playing is amazing. I love "Fool For The City" and "Home In My Hand".
 
#373
lavmonga said:
Anyone know what kind of bass that is in the Let me Know clip? Looks like an Ovation logo on the headstock?
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Looks like an Aria Pro 2 Cardinal Series. A friend of mine has 1 in black.
400px-Aria_Pro_II_Cardinal_Series_CSB-300_Bass_Guitar.jpg
 
#374
GL797 said:
To the op, I think Gene plays a mean bass. Don't bother with the haters. Half of them probably think they can do better leads than Ace too.

You're wasting your breath...well fingers actually.

Here's a cover vid I made of a rather busy Gene Simmons bass line. Mainly because there isn't many close ups of the man himself. (Not that I consider myself as good).
Sure the guys a dick but as I can see from reading through this whole thread...so are many people. Doesn't take away the fact that the man made MILLIONS with his music. Unlike myself and probably 99.9% of TB'ers.

The early stuff rocked imo and was some of the stuff that got me interested in music as a kid back in the 70's.

100,000 Years bass line
Click to expand...


AWESOME COVER!!! :bassist:
 
#377
THand said:
Perspective: It was a show, which BTW, happened 4 years before you were born. I guess I should give you credit for not posting a clip of him spitting blood.
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This.



And how about the overlooled gems Love Theme From KISS and Strutter? Love Theme is BRILLIANT and is all bass. So is Strutter, really. Watch Strutter from Sydney 1980. The bass completely carries the song even without the guitars.


Pretty impressive.
 
#378
plangentmusic said:
Nope. McCartney , Jamerson, Rainy -- all greats -- never did any of that stuff.

To be honest, Kiss's music isn't particularly rhythmic or melodic. It's basic wank rock and roll. Mostly 8th notes with the bass following the guitar. A couple of tunes have a decent hook. They're a show. Little more. And they know it. Gene plays the parts. Decently. And that's it.
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Agree to that. I think KISS would be MUCH less popular if they didn't have these outfits.
 
#380
there is simply nothing special about kiss; wank rock with boring vapid lyrics. The only reason they are remembered is for their performances and costumes. Also, although Gene isn't the worst bassist in the world, he is incredibly mediocre. I could have played those fills easy.
 

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