I'll take rock and roll trivia for $200, Alex...

[gweimer]

Yes, using Google would be cheating.  Does that mean you already did?   

At any rate, Dave W knew the answer, and Uwe just dropped the two names we were looking for.

[uwe]

I did not google the anwer though I tried after I had named Paul Stanley (to no avail). Gene Simmons just came to me because of the make up connotation and because he is such a sixties muic buff - you can even tell in his bass playing how much of an old fashioned rock'n'roll player he still is.

That said, Stanley and Simmons hollering together on Kiss albums has its (wearisome after a while) charm, but on other people's records? I think I'd prefer Flo & Eddie or whichever part of the Beach Boys would at that point be on speaking terms and be able to stand each other's presence in the studio. Messrs Frey, Henley and Schmidt make mighty fine background singers too. And of course the remaining Bros Gibb.

[Dave W]

Normally I wouldn't know any Kiss or Tommy James trivia but in this case I found out by accident. I challenged a claim that Tommy James had 23 gold records and outsold the Beatles for a time. I didn't believe it and I still don't. No matter what his website and other sites claim ("Tommy has had 23 gold singles, 9 gold and platinum albums, and has sold over 100 million records worldwide"), Hanky Panky is his only RIAA-certified gold record. Nothing against Tommy James, but he doesn't even have 23 chart singles, much less gold records. Anyway, while looking up Tommy James, I accidentally came across the Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley information.

Also found out that Roulette Records, who Tommy recorded for, was notorious in the industry for its owner's antics and his alleged connection with the Genovese family. In an industry as dishonest as the record business, you have to be really bad to stand out.

[angrymatt]

No I didn't, but I thought about it.