Kiss, Peter Criss – Peter Criss

I’m looking for just the OBI if anyone has one they are willing to part with?

Great album by Peter. Loved it since my childhood. Ok…Ace wins but Peter is a solid second place of the four solo records.

I bought this remastered release on cd, 2nd hand, cost me NZ$10. I had never heard any of the solo albums, so Peter’s was the first (and only one to date) I purchased. I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge Kiss fan, back in 1979-1980 New Zealand, every kid seemed to be though. I always loved I Was Made For Lovin’ You, which is a song staple played at every drunken pub on a Saturday night still. However when my son turned 11, for some reason he gravitated towards Kiss. As he was learning the drums, Peter became of interest to him.
I began buying Kiss albums, Dynasty first, then Unmasked, and The Elder, their three worst albums (apparently) however all 3 I enjoy listening to again and again. I tried listening to their earlier, and later albums, but disliked them immensely, and didn’t purchase them. did purchase Double Platinum and MTV unplugged, which I also enjoy. Regarding the solo albums, I think Peter’s is very listenable, whereas the other 3 solo records are dreadful. I can honestly say, I enjoy Peter’s album.

Say what you want about the Kiss solo album project of 1978, but it was ambitious. Outrageously ambitious.

My dad owned a head shop that sold records, so I got them all at once, which was pretty exciting. But once the cellophane came off and I put the vinyl on the turntable, the 11 year old me found them mostly disappointing.

Gene Simmons' album was a mashup of styles with only a few really good tracks, and delivered none of the dark menace that the portrait on the cover promised. Paul Stanley's sappiest tendencies threatened to sabotage his fairly solid hard rock outing. Ace Frehley's album was the best, but was largely geared toward the unrepentant stoner.

Peter Criss's album, to me at the time, was almost unlistenable. It seemed like one of my mother's records, but worse. It surprises me now that I did not keep the cover and the poster and throw the record away. I don't think it was ever played more than once. "That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes"? Seriously?! Peter Criss, you owe a million kids an apology.

I have since revisited the album a few times, and listened to Criss's two 1980s solo albums. Concurrently, I began listening to many full albums released in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many of these records were by established country and rock stars, often containing just one recognizable single, if any. Guys, there were a lot of very mediocre albums released by very talented people during that time, and while the production and playing on them is very fine, they are a chore to listen to. I would not say that the Peter Criss solo album is any worse than many of those albums by A-list artists.

When you consider that this was his first solo album, released only five years after the first Kiss record, it's not that terrible. It simply never should have been marketed to children instead of adults. The next Criss solo album, "Out of Control" (1980), is not much better. But his third record, "Let Me Rock You" (1982), is a solid effort with a few really great songs. Criss's voice sounds confident, and the songwriting is interesting and engaging. Actually, the worst clunker on the record is a dragging cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy".

Peter Criss's Kiss solo album is not a very good one, but when viewed in a better context, I've heard worse. Much worse.

I am old and I remember buying it in a bin from a Venture store in Illinois. It is a clipped corner copy. I had all of them and put the posters up in in my room. It still is, and always will be what I consider the worst album ever recorded. Dynasty and the other solo albums except for Ace Frehley also come in close second to being as atrocious, but this one stands at the top. Whoever was the sound engineer on this must have felt like recording Mark Walhberg and John C Really in Boogie Nights

Mine has the Dynasty inner vinyl label like all NZ reissues

Looking for this one. DM if you have one for sale please

I quite like this album. A bit of everything... R&B, Rock, Soul, a couple of ballads and a 1960s cover version ("Tossing & Turning"). Okay, a few songs are better than others but overall, it's on par with (but quite different from) Gene, Paul, and Ace's solo efforts. I don't understand the hate. Perhaps it's because this sounds nothing like a KISS album and fans of that band had high expectations of the same ol', same ol'... but I'm quite fond of it. Maybe that's because when I first got this album, I was expecting a lot worse and I was pleasantly surprised. A couple of tracks have that Bob Seger / Southside Johnny feel to them and "I Can't Stop the Rain" is a fine closing ballad with a great melody... so yeah, what's not to like? Well, yeah... okay... "Kiss the Girl Goodbye" is kinda sappy... but if I can forgive Paul Stanley for "Hold Me, Touch Me" then I can certainly throw Crissy a bone here. The vinyl looks really cool and sounds good, but the usual picture disc problems apply.

This was my second record ever as a child, purchased fresh in '78. Of course then, I didn't realize how monumentally crappy it was. I remember it came with a cool poster that interlocked with the other three solo posters. Yes those were hanging on my wall.

Presently I don't believe I have any record in my collection that gets one star, only this one.

Avoid.

I haven’t A/B this pressing against others but I will say as a fan of KISS this one sounds great.

In general Peter’s album was met with mixed reviews. I believe it was so different from what we had expected from KISS that people reacted negatively. But this was a solo album and in part meant to show a bit of the creativity and origins of what each member was inspired by and wanted to put forth.

As a teenager I found myself listening to this every now and then. I also enjoyed Peter Frampton and Rod Stewart so a less heavy rock album was a nice thing to have in the mix.

I must admit this has some songs that will bore down in your musical brain, and I think that’s a good thing!