The Year Of KISS: Peter Criss (1978)

“Vaccinated with a Victrola needle….”

In a daring attempt to bring a little bit of sanity back into the world of KISS, Paul, Gene, Peter, and Ace went their separate ways to write, record, and release four solo albums, one for each member of the group. All four of the albums, released on September 18, 1978, shipped platinum and featured iconic images of each band member on the cover. The Ace Frehley album is considered by many to be the best of the four releases. On the other end of the spectrum, and a bit unfairly in my opinion, is the Peter Criss solo album. The album was blasted by critics of the day and fans alike but time has proven to help the overall opinion of the band with many folks to a certain degree.

The album isn’t that bad. In fact, it features a pretty solid mix of soft ballads, boogie woogie, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. I could easily hear artists such as Glenn Campbell, Kenny Rogers, John Lennon, and Lionel Richie tackle many of these tracks and take them to the top of the charts. Therein lies the problem with the album, however. KISS fans in 1978 probably didn’t listen to guys like Campbell, Rogers, Lennon, or Richie. They were expecting snare-smashing rock with screechy vocals and perhaps a rasp-tinged ballad or two along the lines of Beth or Hard Luck Woman. Instead, they got crooners like Easy Thing and Kiss The Girl Goodbye and a cover of Bobby Lewis’ Tossin’ And Turnin’. This wasn’t a KISS album and the KISS Army soundly rejected it.

Criss co-wrote six of the ten tracks on the album with Stan Penridge, who co-wrote many of KISS’ early tracks including their biggest hit, Beth, and songs such as Hooligan and Baby Driver. The other tracks were written by Sean Delaney (I Can’t Stop The Rain, Rock Me Baby), Vini Poncia, John Vastano, and Michael Morgan (You Matter To Me), and Tossin’ And Turnin’ written by Ritchie Adams and Malou Rene. Criss holds his voice back for the most part on all of the tracks, never screeching or wailing as fans were accustomed to on songs like Getaway and Black Diamond.

The album featured ten tracks. Two singles were released and, unsurprisingly, failed to make an impact on the charts. The singles were Don’t You Let Me Down and You Matter To Me. The album managed to reach #43 on the US Billboard 200, making it the poorest charting solo album of the four released in 1978.

Track Listing:

1. I’m Gonna Love You
2. You Matter To Me (single)
3. Tossin’ And Turnin’ (cover)
4. Don’t You Let Me Down
5. That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes
6. Easy Thing
7. Rock Me, Baby
8. Kiss The Girl Goodbye
9. Hooked On Rock N’ Roll
10. I Can’t Stop The Rain

Personnel: Peter Criss (all drums except where noted), Allan Schwartzberg (drums on Easy Thing, Rock Me, Baby, and I Can’t Stop The Rain). The following artists appeared on multiple tracks. Please refer to the individual album notes for specific songs and a complete list of vocalists: Bill Bodine and Neil Jason (bass guitars), Art Munson, Stan Penridge, Elliot Randall, John Tropea, Brendan Harkin, and Steve Lukather (lead and rhythm guitars), Bill Cuomo and Richard Gerstein (keyboards), multiple backing vocalists, Tom Saviano (horn arrangements) and Michael Carnahan (saxophones).

In total, Criss had twenty-three musicians and vocalists join him on his album. Of special note are Allan Schwartzberg (Mountain, Peter Gabriel, Linda Rondstadt, B.J. Thomas), Art Munson (Dick Dale and His Del-Tones), and Steve Lukather (Toto). Only Gene Simmons had more performers on his solo album.

The primary theme of Criss’ album, at least in my opinion, is love and the influences of his past. Criss was the oldest member of KISS, so it makes perfect sense that he grew up listening to fifties and early sixties rock, doo-wop, and soul. He is also a professionally trained jazz drummer, so that influence is definitely felt across the album.

Although Peter Criss didn’t sit well with KISS fans and critics, you cannot deny that Criss was the biggest risk taker with his solo album. His album was also one of the most consistent, never straying too far from its formula. Only Ace Frehley is more consistent in my opinion.

I really like Peter Criss. It’s probably my third favorite album of the solos but that’s mainly because it is so different from the rest of the pack. My favorite tracks on the album include Hooked On Rock N’ Roll, You Matter To Me, and Easy Thing. I can listen to any of those three tracks any day of the week and they find their way into my playlist regularly. The rest of the tracks are good, but I have to be in the right mood to listen to them.

Say what you want about Peter Criss. It’s a much better album than critics and many members of the KISS Army would have you believe. It’s so vastly different from the rest of the solo albums that I don’t think that KISS fans were ready for it. As the years have gone by, many members of the KISS Army have found a soft spot in their hearts for at least a few of the album’s tracks. I’m pretty fond of it as well.

Thanks for checking out my review. I’ll review Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons next month during my Summer Solo Break in the Year of KISS!