Peter Criss of KISS

peter criss is not known, for me, as a bad drummer. it played with kiss and if you want to listen to his works try Alive1 and Alive2 from Kiss. to me a rock drummer!

 

Last I heard, he had left KISS.....again.

 

Peter is an under-rated drummer. He added a lot of finesse and style to what would have otherwise been very basic riffs. Its popular now to ridicule him because he doesnt have the same over-the-top, sell-it-or-else attitude that many current KISS fans prefer.

 

Get this guys. my grandpa (whos now dead) worked with peter criss of kiss. no joke. My grandpa didnt even know who the heck kiss was. he told his son in law (My dad) and he freaked out. i think hes underated to. hes a decent drummer.

 

Peter Chris is a terrible drummer, who can, at very best, ALMOST keep time. His stroke is incredibly weak, which makes his snare and cymbal hits sound very "blah". Did we all know that he didn't even play on the first 2 (or was it 3?) KISS albums?

Yeah, he's bad... but hey man, KISS was never about being good musicians.

 

I've never listened to Kiss and thought 'What a terrible drummer' but I've also never thought 'What a good drummer'. In fact I dont even think I've ever even noticed the drumming when I listen to Kiss, which says it all really.

 

I liked what he played on duece, unless that was eric carr. I dont know, but back to what beermonkey said. rumor has it that peter would come to the studio and record the track and then when he left they would bring in a session player to re-record his parts. I don't know if its true or just an urban legend. I haven't read any of the books.

O yea, this is how much peter criss means to kiss. after he quit during their "last" tour, they had their former drummer from the no makeup days put on the cat makeup and finish the tour.

I like some of kiss's music, most of it is pretty cheesy, but their claim to fame is their live performances, which I do like.

 

come on boys, don't be ridiculous, you'd sell your mother to have a carrer such as Peter's. and if you want to judge how he plays or played drums please listen to what he did in the '70s. now he's old and he deserves respect. if you listen to alive1 and alive2 you'll have an idea. he's not a virtuoso nor a genius, he's not comparable to great rock drummers like bonzo bonham, but you can't say that he's ****.
be honest and try to be a little bit more mature when speaking about music.

 

I am honest. And a bad drummer is a bad drummer. I don't have to respect Peter Criss at all. I think he's an downright awful drummer, he might be filthy rich and bear a recognized name but that doesn't change the fact that I don't respect him as a musician. As a showman, perhaps.

I'm not even remotely a KISS fan, but I think they were just SO much better musically during the Singer/Kulick years.

 

in some aspects i agree with you man, but if you want to listen to the best kiss drummer you have to listen to eric carr during the 80s. i was saying that peter deserves respect not becauses he's talented or a good drummer. he was honest in what he did. he deserves respect because he's a quite aged man i have respect fot aged men, it's a matter of education. keep in mind that if i go to see kiss playing live i'm not there for the gene simmons grooviness or peter criss touch. i'm there for the rock'n roll. for the high volume, for the blood, fires, girls. otherwise i'd go to a jazz show. and rock'n roll don't necessary need talented musicians to work well.

 

Keep your eyes peeled.

Rumour has it that Peter Criss has made his foray into acting and will be joining the cast of "Oz".

(Of course, die hard KISS fans out there will shout it out loud that Criss has already made his acting debut in that cinematic masterpiece known as "KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park". Ah, yes........quite the..er...um...."thespian".)

 

Criss always struck me as being considered a "Ringo" by drummers...adequate and lucky to be in a huge band.

Criss comes from a big band type of background, according to Simmons and Stanley. Might explain his plodding style.

Still...he's not Don Henley!

 

I think he is typical of the band. very average. I don't think I have ever played with a drummer that didn't make fun of him. But, I wouldn't call any of the members of Kiss great. The ONLY talent among the four that I see personally as above average is Paul Stanley's singing (during their prime) Other than that, they all sort of are amazingly average.

Funny this string came up. That movie Detroit Rock City (The one about the teens who want to see Kiss) was on last night. My wife and I were discussing this very fact.

If Kiss would have tried to make a living writing what they wrote and playing how they played, while wearing blue jeans and T-shirts. Your basic Rock and Roll presentation, they would have never made it IMHO.

But they didn't. They are genious for what they did. I loved seeing them. And even thought they were very average, I loved them as a kid.

Chas

 

Yeah I agree Chasarms. Its amazing how heated some people get about this band. I always enjoyed them and actually think they've written some excellent songs. Musical talent was not their thing. I dont think any of them are great nor do they stink. Peter was just as good as the rest at playing. I have seen them recently, both on VH1 and at the Civic center in Maine. Peter did just fine.

 

Just read that silly, silly post 3 or 3 back about Peter Criss being like Ringo- the lucky guy in a band. Peter Criss has been having his parts recorded for him by better players for years (as has Gene Simmons and certainly Ace Frehley), but Kiss has never been about music, so who cares? However, Ringo was a phenomenal drummer in his prime. He has a fantastic feel and powered some of the greatest records ever made. Any bass player would be lucky to play with such a solid drummer and anyone who has ever played witha really thick sounding drummer would recognize this. You want people to think you're an amazing bass player? Find yourself a really solid drummer to play with and people will tell you that you sound great all day long.

 

well, despite KISS being all about the unholy trinity (I mean, who isn't?) the thread is still about Criss's playing ability rather than his attitude. I think that he has always been no more (yet no less) than a mediocre drummer. Not that it's his fault-his playing prime was during an era where drums weren't all that big in rock n roll and heavy metal yet. All the drum talent laid where music was evolving at that time, and that music was blues rock. i mean, take a look at Led Zeppelin. 'nuff said, or maybe I should shut my trap cuz I'm only some punk kid who doesn't know S--- about S--- and needs to pull up my pants. (heh, what was it? 22 inches of underwear? anyone here now that dennis leary act?)

 

don't forget that pter wrote the kiss' best selling single: beth. i don't say that's a great song, and i don't like beth in a particular way, i only remind you that he wrote that song.

 

Smash, did the book mention anything about Paul Stanley being gay? Not that there's anything wrong with that....just interesting in light of the fact that he's always been presented as a Love God and pictured in videos, etc with women hanging all over him. Then again...most gay guys I know have women all over them too....

Also, any mention of the fact that Gene and Paul despise each other and only speak when necessary?

My drummer was backstage at a KISS show a while back and said these things were pretty apparent to him...

 

Yeah, I'm defending Peter on this thread but still wouldnt ever consider putting him anywhere near Ringos class.