Peter Criss is the debut solo studio album by Peter Criss, the drummer of American rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978, but yet under the Kiss label, coming out alongside Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The album was produced by Vini Poncia, who went on to produce Dynasty (1979) and Unmasked (1980) for Kiss.

Composition

Peter Criss, in contrast to the anthemic hard rock of Kiss, was described as "pop rock, sung in the style of Rod Stewart," by Daly Andrew of MusicRadar. "My album reflected my musical taste," Criss explained in his 2012 autobiography Makeup to Breakup. "Motown-inspired R&B with horns and backup singers." Producer Vini Poncia aimed for emotional and relatable songs to Criss, recalling "he was able to do some white R&B, and bluesy kind of things that he grew up with. He was able to show the world a different side to him."

Four of the tracks ("I'm Gonna Love You", "Don't You Let Me Down", "That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes" & "Hooked on Rock 'n' Roll") were originally written in 1971 for Criss's pre-Kiss band, Lips. Criss also covers "Tossin' and Turnin'", which was a No. 1 hit for Bobby Lewis in the U.S. during the summer of 1961. The song was subsequently covered by Kiss on their 1979 tour.

Reception

Reviews for Peter Criss were mostly negative. In a retrospective assessment AllMusic called it "the most undistinguished of the bunch, lacking hooks on either the pop-metal rockers or the power ballads, as well as personality throughout." Of the four solo albums, Peter Criss was the only album to have two singles released from it: "Don't You Let Me Down" and "You Matter to Me", neither of which charted. In an interview in Goldmine magazine, Stanley and Simmons dismissed the record as being completely opposite of the aims of what Kiss music was about.

In rankings of Kiss' albums, Peter Criss was named the worst Kiss record by Eduardo Rivadavia of Loudwire, Wilkening commented that Criss was "clearly running as far from the band's hard rock sound as possible", instead creating an album that "leans heavily on ballads and the R&B sound of his previous groups. Even considering that, he simply doesn't have the songwriting talent or charisma to front an entire album." Elliott wrote that Criss, a fan of pop and soul music, "turned MOR crooner on lightweight toe-tapping tunes" such as "Don't You Let Me Down" and "That's the Kind of Sugar Papa Likes"; he deemed the ballad "I Can't Stop the Rain" the best song for how it suits Criss' raspy voice, but dismissively added that, overall, Peter Criss contained music that Kiss fans' parents would like. Nonetheless, he wrote that the title of "worst solo album made by a drummer" belonged to Keith Moon's Two Sides of the Moon (1975).

Cover versions

  • Harvey Milk covered "Easy Thing" for their compilation album The Singles.
  • Awaken covered "I'm Gonna Love You" on their double album Party in Lyceum's Toilets.
  • The Slam covered "Hooked on Rock 'n Roll" on their album Hit It!.

| align="center"| 59

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| align="center"| 40

|-

|}

Certification

Release history

  • Casablanca NBLP-7122 (September 18, 1978): 1st LP issue (with poster)
  • Casablanca NBPIX-7122 (September 18, 1978): US picture disc
  • Casablanca 826 917-2 (1988): US 1st CD release.
  • Mercury 314 532 386-2 (September 16, 1997): Remastered CD (with poster)
  • Universal Music B0020537-01 (2014): Remastered LP (with poster)

References

  • Kiss FAQ – Peter Criss, Accessed on July 13, 2005.
  • KISSONLINE.COM Discography- Peter Criss, Accessed on July 28, 2008.
  • The KISSFAQ- RIAA Certifications, Accessed on July 28, 2008