KISS going micro???

[lomo]

So mush gushy Kiss love here. I gotta provide a counterpoint:

I remember being an adolescent, looking at the makeup and thinking to myself..............really?????



Carry on

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

so, kiss fans:
from "kiss" thru "unmasked": fave bass line?
me: almost human

edit: maybe a tie w/ sure know something

When you said Unmasked I immediately thought of "Naked City". That's a dominating line

 

[MC1970]

Why people refers to Gene's line when talking about Kiss records while we all know that most of them where played/recorded by Bob Babbit?

It's something I don't really get...... Sorry!

M.

 

[f.c.geil]

No, the early ones were written and played by Ace Frehely. Later ones were performed by Gene. I've never heard that Bob Babbitt had anything to do with the bass lines at all. Doesn't mean he didn't, just that I've never heard it, was not aware of it, don't really believe it.

 

[MC1970]

Bob Babbit wrote it in an open letter to Gene published on an old issue of Bass Player magazine as a reply to Gene being unpolite to women saying that they could never play bass properly.
Bob wrote something like that Gene was the last person on Earth to state such things since he needed other bassists to record basslines on Kiss's records because of his lack of skills; saying also that he could prove it and that he was waiting for any contest to his words.

That's how I remember the story went; of course two major factors come in..... Memory (it could not have been entirely this way) and Language (I'm Italian, so please forgive my bad english, I hope you got the picture anyway).

M.

 

[f.c.geil]

Okay, so Gene had other people playing for him (Bruce Kulick and Ace) on some tracks, but not even Bob claimed that he was that player.

 

[MC1970]

He claimed it on the pages of Bass Player magazine, if you consider it to be "not enough".... then I'm ok!!! ;-)

 

[Melonthief]

Quick Internet search shows no connection between Babbitt and Simmons other than ^ that post.

 

[Melonthief]

How many albums do you see Rudy Sarzo on vs all of the bands he has toured with?

 

[lomo]

Okay, so Gene had other people playing for him (Bruce Kulick and Ace) on some tracks, but not even Bob claimed that he was that player.

I think the point is that the ratio of flash to substance was/is pretty high. However, as the kids say today, "meh". There was no pretense to virtuosity. It was all about rock'n'roll, the fun and the show. I don't care much who played on the studio tracks. The guy's a marketing genius with some talent and Kiss delivered the entertainment goods to a large audience. Not my thing but certainly not a bad thing. Whatever floats yer boat and all that

 

[Bass_Pounder]

Even if it did happen, Gene is a good student then because he sure plays those lines live, while running around in 7" heels.

 

[Meddle]

...AND when I met John Entwistle I thought he used WAAAY too much cologne.

Come on, he dressed like this;

I would be upset if he didn't smell like a gallon of cologne.

 

[MC1970]

Melonthief, internet is not the Oracle; I was referring to a well known source (Bass Player magazine) which I think we all know.... I remember that it was a late 90's - early 00's issue; I'm not sure that I still own that copy (I'll look for it).
There must be someone else here on TB that remembers the "argument"; as I find it I'll scan and post it....

 

[MC1970]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=275342&d=1341028188

Melonthief, October 1996 issue of Bass Player Magazine.....

OK????

 

[MC1970]

I did't remember well about The album, it was not a Kiss album but Gene's solo.... but other than this.....

 

[Bass_Pounder]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=275342&d=1341028188

Melonthief, October 1996 issue of Bass Player Magazine.....

OK????

And this proves what ?

Nowhere does Babbit say that HE ghosted for Gene, only that he was asked.

Also does not prove anything about others ghosting for Gene other then there "were rumours" that ghost musicians were used on the records.

 

[David Jayne]

C'mon! That is a fully legit contraction.

'Em'r' would have been more grammatically appropriate.

 

[Melonthief]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=275342&d=1341028188

Melonthief, October 1996 issue of Bass Player Magazine.....

OK????

Yeah not to belabor a point, rumors abound about every famous person. And the solo albums made no bones about guest players. In the same way that you seem eager to rain on Gene's parade now, with no personal or first hand knowledge, I'm sure there were plenty of guys back in the day with sour grapes. Babbitt was a great bassist but also a "professional" wrestler, and by definition prone to wild, incindiary smack down rhetoric.

 

[f.c.geil]

Yup, that BPM article pretty much states that Bob did NOT play bass for Gene, and never states categorically that anyone else ever did, although Gene says that Ace and Bruce did on a few tracks.

 

[MC1970]

It proves that while BB turned the offer down, someone else probably did not.... The fact that a bassist asks to another bassist to ghost on his solo album is nothing short of a "swindle"!!!!!
If I knew that "Portrait of Tracy" was played by i.e. Mark Egan instead of by Jaco; I could never keep considering Jaco the way I do.

If you find the presence of an uncredited ghost bass player on a bass player's solo album legit and polite towards you and other fans, then buy it.
Ah, and while listening to it don't forget to pretend that it's the credited one playing, otherwise it can't go full circle......