Bass tabs
Detroit Rock City as performed by KISS written by P. Stanley an B. Ezrin from the album SMASHES, THRASHES, & HITS transcribed by B. Priddle Here is a classic by one of the greatest rock bands ever. Gene Simmons plays a great riff in this song. It’s a must for any bass player!! I have presented all of the riffs in this song up front. The structure is given later on with the words, so if you want to know which riff is which, you should look at the word section first! Also, to play along with the recording, you must downtune your bass to Eb, Ab, Db, and Gb.
Intro Riff: ---------------------------------------6-6-6-6-6-6-6------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- -4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------0-5---0-7-- Repeat this doing the 4-2 thing on the second string 12 times instead of 10 times as shown above. Riff 1: p -------------------|-------6-4--------| ---------P---------|-----------6-2----| --4-2---4-2---2-4--|--4-2----------4--| ------------4------|------------------| Riff 2: ---------|---------| ---------|---------| ---------|---------| --0-5----|--0-7----| Riff 3: -----------------|--------------|------------| -----------------|--------2-----|-------2----| --4--4-2---2--4--|--4-2-4----4--|---------4--| ---------4-------|--------------|--2-4-------| Riff 4: ----6-6-6-4----| ------------6--| ---------------| ---------------| Riff 5: -----------------|----------------------|----------------------| -----------------|--------4--------4----|--------4--------2----| --6--6-4---4--6--|--6-4-6----6-------6--|--6-4-6----6-------4--| ---------6-------|-------------4-6------|-------------2-4------|
Riff 6: ------------|---------| ------------|---------| -------12\--|---------| --0-5-------|--0-7----| Riff 7: ---------|---------|---------| ---------|---------|---------| ---------|---------|----4----| --0-5----|--0-7----|--4------| Riff 8: ---6-6-6-6-6-6-6--| ------------------| ------------------| ------------------| Here are the lyrics and the structure: [Intro riff] [Riff 1 (till chorus)] I feel uptight on a Saturday night Nine o’clock and the radio’s the only light I hear my song and it pulls me through Comes on strong, tells me what I got to do I got to... CHORUS: [Riff 2] Get up Everybody’s gonna move their feet Get down Everybody’s gonna leave their seat [Riff 3] You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City CHORUS [Riff 1 (till chorus)] Getting late, I just can’t wait Ten o’clock and I know I gotta hit the road First I drink, then I smoke Start the car and I try to make the midnight show CHORUS [Riff 3 (X4) -- first, third times as is, second time, replace last bar with Riff 4, fourth exclude last bar] [Riff 5] [Riff 6] [Riff 1 (till chorus)] Moving fast doing ninety-five Hit top speed but I’m still moving much too slow I feel so good, I’m so alive I hear my song playing on the radio It goes... CHORUS [with Riff 7] GUITAR SOLO [Riff 8] [Riff 7] [Riff 3] [Riff 2] [Riff 1 (till chorus)] Twelve o’clock I gotta rock There’s a truck ahead. lights staring at my eyes Oh my God! No time to turn I got to laugh ’cause I know I’m gonna die Why? CHORUS (X2) [with Riff 7 twice] Note: the slide between the two choruses starts on the twelfth fret on the E string.
