Kiss Band Member Power Rankings

Only 10 people have ever known what it’s like to be a member of Kiss, and only two have held that role throughout the band’s five decade-plus history.

When ranking the influence of each member on the band’s career, it’s important to note that we’re not judging talent; you have to assume that anybody who reached this level had plenty of that to spare. Equally important are chemistry and timing, and as they say in How I Met Your Mother, “Timing is a bitch.”

You will not be surprised to find Kiss mainstays Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons at the very top of this list, which takes into account length of service as well as contributions to the band’s 20 studio albums, with a particular emphasis on songwriting credits.

10. Mark St. John
(1984: Animalize album)

Kiss’ lead guitarist spot became a revolving door in the early ’80s, with founding member Ace Frehley departing in 1982 and his replacement Vinnie Vincent getting fired just two years later. It quickly became clear to Paul Stanley that their next recruit, Mark St. John wouldn’t last even that long. “The guy could never play the same thing twice, because he was just puking notes,” Stanley told Guitar World. “There was no structure to it.” Mitch Weissman and St. John’s soon-to-be replacement Bruce Kulick were brought in for additional unaccredited guitar work on 1984’s Animalize. When St. John developed a (possibly stress-related) arthritis condition, Kulick was brought in for the band’s next tour. St. John eventually joined the band for a few shows, but it was clear to both sides that this was not a match. “The situation was a East meets West type of thing,” St. John later told Kiss Asylum. “We didn’t hate each other, but they solved things ‘their way or hit the highway.'”

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Ace Frehley with Trixter November 16th in Iowa

For Immediate Release:
ACE FREHLEY CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT

WHO: ACE FREHLEY with Special Guest TRIXTER

WHEN: Saturday, November 16, 2024 – 7:30PM CT

WHERE: Val-Air Ballroom | West Des Moines, IA

You wanted the Best? You got the Best! For the first time in 13 years, Ace Frehley is coming back to Des Moines. Don’t miss seeing this Rock N Roll Hall of Famer and original lead guitarist for KISS at the Val Air Ballroom. He’ll be performing KISS classics & solo hits that you know and love. ACE is celebrating over 50 years of touring and bringing TRIXTER along for this Rocket Ride.
On Sale: Friday, October 25 – 10AM CT
Tickets available online at: AXS.COM
Get ready to Rock N Roll All Nite with ACE FREHLEY & TRIXTER on Saturday, November 16 at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines.
Steve Hedrick
Carr Productions, Inc.
(c) 402-405-2124

“Carol Kaye taught me real hard, telling me, ‘No, no, you’re playing the notes but you’re not playing the feel’”: Gene Simmons names 6 bass players who shaped his sound

From his earliest days, Gene Simmons intended to keep it simple when it comes to bass playing. “I’ve always been a pragmatist,” he says. “Pragmatism rules.

“When I was a kid I noticed that everybody wanted to be a guitar player, and I did initially learn to play a few chords. But I picked up bass because there were fewer bass players, and it increased my chances of being in a band – which is what I really wanted.”

KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK More reviews of the rock tragedy

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park is a 1978 TV film about a rock band made up of superheroes who battle an evil inventor with plans for destruction at a California amusement park.

The movie was directed by Gordon Hessler (The Oblong BoxCry of the BansheeScream and Scream Again) from a screenplay by Jan Michael Sherman and Don Buday. Also known as KISS in the Attack of the Phantoms

The film was aired by NBC at the height of the band’s popularity in the United States. However, poor acting and a semi-comedic script caused it to be regarded poorly even by most KISS fans. Despite or perhaps because of this, it has attained a degree of kitschy cult status. The film is hated by the band members themselves for the buffoonish way it made them appear. For years after its airing, no one who worked for the group was permitted to mention the film in their presence.

Filming for KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park began in May 1978, and it was produced by Hanna-Barbera (better known as the animation studio behind Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Most of the movie was filmed at Magic Mountain in California, with additional filming taking place in the Hollywood Hills. Much of the production was rushed, and the script underwent numerous rewrites. All four members of KISS were given crash courses on acting.

Before completing the script, screenwriters Jan Michael Sherman and Don Buday spent time with each KISS member, to get a feel for how they each acted and spoke. Ace Frehley, known for his eccentric behaviour, said little to the pair but “Ack!” As a result, Frehley was not originally given any lines, except to interject “Ack!” at various points. In the first draft of the script, Frehley was described as “monosyllabic and super-friendly. Communicating largely through gestures and sounds, Ace might be best described as an other-galactic Harpo Marx. Upon learning of his lack of dialogue, Frehley threatened to leave the project — soon after, lines were written for him.

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Bruce Kulick Explains How He Approached Ace Frehley’s Solos in Kiss, Reveals What Makes Ace So Special

As Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley remained in the band throughout all of the lineup changes, we’ve seen some great guitarists and drummers pass through Kiss, taking the positions originally occupied by Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. As far as six-string heroes of Kisstory go, Bruce Kulick is a name that the band’s fans hold in high regard. Remaining in the lineup for over a decade, Kulick recorded five studio albums.

Recently, we spoke to Kulick, discussing his time in the band and how he handled his guitar duties. Among other things, we touched upon his interpretations of guitar solos originally written and recorded by Ace Frehley, with Bruce explaining how important it was for him to pay respect to the original member.

Were you ever told to replicate Ace’s solos when performing the older songs in Kiss?

“That’s the amazing thing about Kiss. The catalog is so huge and varied. And I certainly didn’t have to play Ace’s riffs notes for note, but I was always super respectful of what I felt was his signature riffs.”

“So Tommy [Thayer], who did such a tremendous job of imitating Ace’s eras 1975 or something, that was his kind of… I think he was asked to do that. And he’s in the outfit, and he’s that character, so it made sense.”

“But the beauty of my years of Kiss was I was never requested to imitate Ace. Though there were some songs when I really did try to cop a lot of the licks, like a ‘Firehouse‘ or something, I just thought, ‘He had the perfect riff. So let me just play them as best as I can.'”

“But there are certain things that Ace does I could never do. He just had a certain approach on certain notes and his picking technique that were very different from me. And maybe that’s why he is still a rock icon. I don’t know.”

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The One Real-Life Heavy Metal Song They Couldn’t Use on Peacock’s Satanic Panic Thriller Hysteria!

Peacock’s new Satanic Panic series Hysteria! tells the story of a small town gripped by fears that Satanists are running amuck doing evil deeds all seemingly stemming from a few kids’ love of heavy metal music. Speaking at last weekend’s 2024 New York Comic Con, the co-creator and executive producer of the show explained how important the soundtrack is and revealed the one song they couldn’t use.

Hysteria! is currently streaming all eight episodes on Peacock, and anyone who has seen the first episode will know just how important metal is, not just to the characters, but to taking viewers back to the 1980s when bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath captured the imagination of teens and scared the hell out of adults. Despite the show skewering the time period’s Satanic Panic and the irrational fear that gripped several communities throughout the world, co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Matthew Scott Kane said one very unexpected band was really not on board with the message and refused to license any of its music upon request for the pilot.

“You saw the scene earlier, Dylan and Judith are at their locker and they’re having a sweet exchange,” he told the crowd at NYCC after a screening of the pilot. “We thought it’d be great to play KISS’s ‘Beth’ over that scene, but apparently the Knights in Satan’s Service have a very strict policy about who they’re loaning their songs to and they found our Satanic comedy to be a little too immoral for their tastes.”

He added: “So we do not have any KISS songs in this series, but we do have a couple of good KISS jokes in this series.”

Fortunately, despite not having any KISS songs in the show, Hysteria! still finds its sound through the music as well as a cover here and there by the functional band, Dethkrunch. While KISS’s “Beth” was rejected, Kane noted that he’s pleased with the impact the music they were able to get has on the show, and promises some pretty sweet tunes for those who catch all eight episodes.

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Ace Frehley Sunburst Epiphone Guitar at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

On Sale!

Signed by Ace Frehley in January 2022 at a private signing in Jersey City, NJ.  Signed in black Sharpie pen.  Includes our Certificate of Authenticity. See photos of Ace signing this actual guitar.

L@@K!! ACE FREHLEY SIGNATURE EPIPHONE HC BURST LES PAUL W/ HARD CASE NICE SHAPE!. 1997

This is a 1997 Epiphone Les Paul Ace Frehley signature model. This guitar comes with an Epiphone branded hard case. It is an overall excellent condition with a few scratches on the back and very minor dings otherwise. The biggest ding is on the back along the binding which actually chipped off a small piece of the finish. That is shown in the pictures. Other than that, this guitar is has obviously been cared for. There is very little playing wear and the guitar comes with a fresh set up ready to rock and roll all night and party everyday, as they say

This model is long discontinued and is a sought-after piece in the market. They rarely come up for sale in this nice condition, so scoop it up while you can.

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Authentic Gene Simmons Demon Costume at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Last one!

The KISS costumes had a long evolution and this band’s signature look comes to a peak with their Rock the Nation tour in 2004. This officially licensed Gene Simmons Costume is an excellent collector piece and represents their look on the 2004 tour. Gene Simmons, also known as “The Demon” transforms into a dark cynical character during his performances and you can get his look with our costume. This costume is made of quality material and has very elaborate detail. The base of this outfit starts with the bodysuit. The stretch material of this bodysuit is comprised of 83% nylon and 17% spandex and has pleather and large metal silver stud detail. Step into this stretch bodysuit that has a deep v cut in the chest, black elastic stirrups attached to the ankles fit around your feet, and there is a conveniently located zipper for when nature calls. The sides of the legs have a large triangular openings trimmed with black leather and large silver studs that is also repeated in the inner thighs. The elaborate vest has attached wings and fits over your head while you slip your arms through the comfortable elastic on the underside of the wings. The top of the arms and the shoulders are lined with silver realistic spikes made of soft shiny fabric topping off the bat shaped wings with inner and outer stud detail. The front cod piece with stud detail is attached to the vest with plastic fasteners and to the back cod piece with Velcro and silver rings. This cod piece is adjustable in the length and width. This great outfit also includes the choker with silver square faceted studs. and the black stretch fingerless gloves with shiny silver fabric spikes at the top of the knuckles. Six additional silver metal studs are also included. Check out our KISS accessories such as the Rock the Nation Boots and the Gene Simmons Demon KISS Makeup to complete your rock star makeover. If you are a true KISS fan you will be satisfied with this quality costume.

 

Size Chest Torso Jumpsuit Length
Standard 42″ 28″ 55″
*Note: Measurements are of the actual item.

 

Includes:  Vest with attached wings  Bodysuit  Studded choker  Gloves with spikes  Studded front and back cod pieces

Order now at kissarmywarehouse.com!

Gene Simmons Wants to Insult Flea All Nite and Hate Bass-Slapping Every Day

There’s a lot you can say about Gene Simmons, an admittedly ageist lone wolf — but don’t even think of colloquially referring to the retired KISS bassist as a “bass-slapper,” or a fan of Flea‘s work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In a new interview with Guitar World, Simmons discussed the philosophy behind his approach to his instrument. “I don’t consider myself — and was never really interested in being — a bass virtuoso,” he explained, stating the obvious. “I don’t like show-offs in music. I’m much more attracted to things that are memorable. It’s part of the joy of music for me.”

Maybe it’s not technically showing off to make a career out of performing in platform boots through a jungle of pyro, but KISS seemingly got the memorable part down. (We may have to wait until the five-part documentary on their final tour to know for sure, though.)

Simmons went on to speak to how jazz musicians aren’t celebrated by the world, but are admired by their fellow musicians; that’s the kind of thing he’s going for, somewhere deep beneath the makeup and tongue-waggling.

“There are an awful lot of amazing bass players, like Jaco Pastorius and the jazz guys,” he mused. “Or guys like Flea, who is really good on his instrument, but I can’t remember anything he plays — and I also do not like the sound of a bass being slapped.”

Famously distinctive bass player Gene Simmons has spoken, everyone! RHCP’s catalogue, on the other hand, speaks — and slaps — for itself.

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