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The credibility of Gene Simmons.

#42
JimmyM said:
Hoo boy, now you're trying to take down Cliff! I have heard bassists with 100x the chops Cliff has absolutely suck playing AC/DC songs.
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Haha, yeah there are many "chops" oriented bass players who couldn't play a straight 1/8 note root line to save their lives. I have, unfortunately (IMO), been stuck playing his lines in cover bands for many years. Not my favorite part of the evening. I do feel like if Cliff and Gene were busier, their parts would not be as effective. If I want to hear hard driving bass lines, Kiss and AC/DC would be the best choices. If I want to hear bass playing that inspires me to play bass, I look elsewhere.
 
#51
mouthmw said:
I'm currently listening to their debut just to check out Gene's style since he's so "love to hate". Damn, "Love Theme From Kiss" is one hella cool groove! So is most the album. Solid, groovin' and in the pocket.
But I really dig the Love Theme groove!
He definitely knows what he's doing.
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Check out the verision of that song on there last box set. If I remember correctly the name might be different though for the song. Also interesting to hear God Of Thunder being sung by Paul as the original intent of the song.
 
#52
bassguitarthund said:
Check out the verision of that song on there last box set. If I remember correctly the name might be different though for the song. Also interesting to hear God Of Thunder being sung by Paul as the original intent of the song.
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Yes it's called Acrobat. It was never released as a song, but usually used to close the shows in the early days. Ace wrote The first half, which is "Love Theme" and then the second half breaks into a fast paced jam, that Gene wrote. This is also the song that... Uhm.. "inspiered" Paul to write the Detroit rock city riff. :D
 
#53
First, thanks again Jimmy for being the voice of reason around here :D Anybody that thinks KISS was just for show needs to put on a blindfold and listen to Dressed To Kill. Pure simple rock songwriting genius, without a single weak or filler track on the record. It's right up there with Toys In The Attic for classic 70's rock.


JAUQO III-X said:
<snip>
They don't know what inspired you to play the bass lines that you feel are appropriate for the songs that you created or helped create.

<snip>

One of the problems some musician have is that they love to be arm chair bassist.
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Great point Jauqo. The thing most younger players don't understand about Gene's playing is that it's all based on 50's rock and blues lines. Take your basic arpeggios and walking phrases, and add "updated for the 70's" rock licks. Inexperienced players just listen to notes. They need to play 100's of gigs in cover bands, and *stick to the format* on each song before they develop an understanding of how those lines drive the band.
 
#56
crozier247 said:
Does anyone else get a feeling from listening to AC/DC or watching any of their live stuff that Cliff Williams really is sorta a...not giving 100% player? His bass lines are very simple and I understand sometimes simplicity is key especially with certain bands and bass players but doesn't it seem like Cliff Williams should just contribute more? I am not in any way hating on him but his bass lines are often quite simple and I have been told that some of the bass lines and recordings were contributed to by other players. I see Cliff Williams as one hell of a business man and one hell of a show man, I mean talk about stage presence but it seems like bass know-how takes a back seat. Anyone agree?
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What's your point?
 
#58
VitalSigns said:
Yes it's called Acrobat. It was never released as a song, but usually used to close the shows in the early days. Ace wrote The first half, which is "Love Theme" and then the second half breaks into a fast paced jam, that Gene wrote. This is also the song that... Uhm.. "inspiered" Paul to write the Detroit rock city riff. :D
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That's right, Acrobat!! Thanks :) Could not remember the name for the life of me. One of my fav KISS jams.
 
#59
Gene may not be the best rock bassist of all time, true enough. However, he is the best bass player for KISS. How many threads are there on TB about how hard it is to sing while playing bass? The haters should consider that his bass lines are simple for many reasons, such as 1) he is singing, too; 2) that was the nature of the beast when they came out ('74), and they are staying true to their art form for their fans; 3) he is dancing and jumping all over the place, flying on wires, spitting blood and breathing fire all while playing; and 4) it wouldn't be KISS with John Entwhistle bass licks, KISS is about heavy metal - and it's called "heavy" metal largely because the bass lines are heavy. No, Gene isn't the best rock bassist of all time. He is, however, a great bass player, a phenomenal showman, and a consummate businessman.
 
#60
This thread is one reason I love TB: It helps me find new music and revisit old stuff that has slipped my memory. I would like to thank some of the folks who mentioned Kiss songs with good bass lines.

My band's last drummer was a Kiss fanatic so I had to learn a lot of their material, which led me to appreciate Gene's contributions. Since he quit, we left only Strutter and Black Diamond on our set list, and I still enjoy both playing of them (I also sing Black Diamond, which took some work at first). I'd forgotten how cool the bass part is on Ladies Room; this week I plan on asking my band if they'd be willing to play it.
 

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