Neapolitan

Simplicity or complexity of song structure isn't the same as the ability to play instruments. Just to note, I didn't bring up Kiss' simplicity, that was neardeathexperience in another thread. I added to what Soulflower said that they were a gimmicky band and said they weren't all that good playing, which Gene said himself he didn't care that they weren't.

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The Batlord

So? Musicianship is a means to an end, not an end in itself. If you can accomplish musically what you want without knowing one end of a guitar from the other then greater musicianship is like having a Harvard degree when your dream is to be an electrician. And music is an artform just like anything else, which means that it is only creatively bound by restrictions of preconceived notions. There's no reason why showmanship that doesn't have anything to do with the music itself can't factor in to an artist's worth. I'm not the biggest KISS fan, but the notion that they are less of a band just because they aren't particularly good musicians or they use visual gimmicks is nonsense. I'd certainly say that their schtick is like a poor man's Alice Cooper, but then I'm judging them on their own terms, and not by criteria that they are clearly not concerned with.

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Necromancer

The 1983 album Lick It Up by KISS featuring Vinnie Vincent on guitar had two or three decent songs.

Trollheart

"Creatures of the night" is a great album, and I grew up on "Kiss Alive" and "Kiss Alive II", as well as "Double Platinum", to say nothing of "Destroyer" and "Love gun". Hell, I even liked "Music from the Elder" a bit...

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Necromancer

Their live albums basically set the recording blueprint for most all other live rock albums after.

Ninetales

Who's had more impact, a band that's had massive success commercially or a band that influences them, but sold much less?

Neapolitan

I noted Soulflower's statement that they were a gimmicky band and added something Gene Simmon said himself. He admits that efforts went into having a band that put on a ("gimmicky") stage show, his interest lie in the entertainment aspect of it and playing the right note didn't matter to him. Even you think of their schtick as "a poor man's Alice Cooper."

I didn't say anything that people haven't said already about the band. And I'm sure other people had said worse about other bands.

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Forward To Death

I thought I already answered this, but basically having more listeners means that more people are influenced by you, whether it's in taste, taking up music as a hobby, or as a profession.

Another thing to keep in mind, and this goes back to the point I made about making more money for your record label, is that the more you produce for your company, and the more popular you become, the more likely it is that your style is going to be emulated. Your label is more likely to invest in up-and-comers who are influenced by your style.

Trollheart

Sacrilege! I'm not having that! Every second on WYWH is gold, from the opening low keyboard to the moment the final notes fade away into the distance, making you wish there was more. From start to finish, there's not an ounce of fat nor any wasted space on that album. Possibly Floyd's finest.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Frownland

♫Shine on you standard and boring chord progression♫

No thanks.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.