jr.

I thought about this today. I am a huge KISS fan, though I have no delusions that they were great songwriters or great musicians. They were ok, and at times, pretty good. But only to a real KISS fan. Anyone on the outside only saw the flash and no substance view. Which is fair enough. They were a lot of flash, more than ayone else ever dared to do. But they had a lot of songs that were pretty good that no one ever heard unless they bought KISS albums.

Anyway, I was thinking about it today, and AC/DC was playing, and I thought...how different are these two bands, really? So, I started comparing them to see what the similarities and differences are.

They both play pretty basic, major chord rock songs. They both had a gimmick. Of course, KISS was far and away more over the top than Angus' school boy get up.

So, here is my assessment of the two:

Lead Guitar: Clearly, Angus Young has it all over Ace Frehley.

Rhythm Guitar: I couldn't really come to a conclusion on this one. I would have to give the nod to Pual Stanley over Malcom Young, simply because Paul Stanley plays some lead guitar here and there. What that has to do with rhythm guitar, I don't know.

Bass: Gene Simmons over Cliff Williams, easily. Whether you like the guy or not, if you listen to KISS, you will hear, Gene's bass has a roaming, melodic kind of funk to it, while Cliff's bassline rarely strays far from the bass note of the chord being played.

Drums: Peter Criss, while average at best, does get some interesting things going every once in a while, while Phil Rudd, like Cliff Williams, doesn't stray at all. I don't recall so much as a drum roll from Phil Rudd. Edge to Criss.

Vocals: Gene grunts and growls his way through most of his songs, Brian Johnson is kind of screechy, and I always thought he sang from his throat, not down in his daiphram. Paul Stanley easily has the best voice of the three, but Ace Frehley, when he sings, is so awful, he detracts points. I don't really have a clear decision here.

Songwriting: Hmmm...neither are great, but I give the edge to AC/DC, simply because they can write about things other than woman. LOL.

So, I guess, overall, individually, KISS has the edge, but as a band, I'd say AC/DC is taken more seriously.

Any thoughts?

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