Released in 1978 with the other three KISS solo albums, Peter's solo album in generally regarded as the worst of the KISS solo albums, and a terrible album. What do I think of the "Catman's" first solo effort, read on my fellow KISS fans (I'm guessing that you are?).
The album opens with "I'm Gonna Love You", a fairly upbeat and generic rock and roll song. One of the better songs on the album, I like the Rod Stewart like character of Peter's voice. Also, the horns add a nice touch, very Stones-like. Very different sounding from KISS, but certainly not a bad track at all. "You Matter To Me" is very disco-ish. The synthesizer leads, the rollicking electric pianos, and cheesy backing vocals are all disco hallmarks and sound very dated today, but you can't hold it against Peter for going in a more pop direction. Not a terrible song, but not rock and roll, and something that would have never seen the light of day on a KISS record.
"Tossin and Turnin" is a cover of the Bobby Lewis original. It shows where Criss' roots really lie, and him trying to "get back where he came from", musically speaking. While it's nice to see Criss exploring the music he is passionate about, this is a pretty boring cover. Nothing especially terrible about it, just not my cup of tea. "Don't You Let Me Down" is a musical refugee from Criss' pre-KISS band, Lips (most of the songs were already recorded in some form during the early 1970s). I really don't like this snoozer, the piano is very annoying, too high and dominant in the mix. The acoustic guitar is barely audible, and Criss sounds like he is asleep, both on vocals and the drums. Skip it.
"That's The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes" is a horrible song. The guitar solo is neutered and poorly played, the female backing vocals start to grate your nerves, and in general, it suffers from very bad production, sounding very tinny. Hands down the worst song on the album, and one of the worst songs of Criss' career. "Easy Thing" takes us into Rod Stewart territory again. A ballad about losing love, the lyrics are very cliche. Not really any worst than a lot of 1970s schlock, it just is something that KISS fans would never want to hear, almost like their parents music (in 1978). I appreciate that Criss had the guts to write songs that he wanted, but I can't imagine many KISS fans stomaching this very lame song. "Rock Me, Baby" is another Rod Stewart-like rocker. The female backing vocals really start to seem like a joke at this point, as almost every track contains the same goofy-sounding backing vocals , very annoying. Very repetitive, I can't say that I like this track, and by this point, I really want this album to end.
"Kiss The Girl Goodbye" sounds like something written by Mr. Van Driessen from Beavis and Butthead. A sappy and soggy soup of misguided pop, it's in the same vein as "Beth", but without any impact. Criss sounds rough on this track, encountering vocal limitations. A really bad song by any definition, there are no redeeming qualities to this lame-duck. "Hooked On Rock "n" Roll" is not terrible (for this album anyways), and does seem genuine and earnest. Criss sounds quite good here, delivering the famous "whiskey" tone in his voice that he is famous for. Easily the best song on the album, it's the most KISS-like on the album, and a decent rocker. "I Can't Stop the Rain" is another Sean Delaney (he wrote several KISS songs) turd of a song. Another ballad, most KISS fans cringe upon hearing this song, easily the sappiest song on the album. It honestly makes Beth seem hard, this is music for your grandmother, totally devoid of rock and roll, just a swirling mess of strings and a few guitar plucks here and there, terrible.
"Peter Criss" is awful, even compared to Gene Simmons' (I will review this one next) fairly awful solo album. While I certainly like his drumming and some of this contributions to KISS, most of his solo work has been fairly sub-par, and this stinker is easily his worst solo album. Stay far away from this one folks, as bad as people say.
Rating-2/10
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