Peter Criss is Retiring his Drum Sticks

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Yeah I have to admit like many others my first drum hero was Peter Chris (and Eric Carr, I didn't realize they were two different people). End of an era for sure. Personally I think KISS gets a bad wrap. Great, fun, high energy music that stands the test of time. And unlike most bands they where fortunate enough to have not 1 but 3 great drummers. What's not to like?
 
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BeaTniK said:
I was maybe twelve at this point in time.

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Remember the thread about Chad Smith busting his drums up? Seemed a little forced.

In this setting the complete destruction of the drum set seems entirely appropriate :laughing6: Pretty good vid that was fun.
 
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Houndog said:
Ignorant question. Was Criss among the first to play a set with huge concert toms in concert? Was this the beginning of power sizes?

I've seen the Hal Blaine kit from the 60s, but, as young as I was at the time, it seems the huge drum set as concert spectacle was not in widespread use in 73-74.
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I think Nigel Olsen - Elton John had the first power tom set up ...you can see some old big band guys with extreme power toms as well ,but that's usually just one drumout of the set put in the middle kinda like Frank Beard ....
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1971, heads/rims removed but lugs still there,
 
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Well, I started playing 1973, when I was 13, and I Grew Up in the 70s. I well remember all the hysteria KISS caused with their music and their stage costumes. There were bands before them who *sounded* like them with the power guitars and just raw volumes, but no band ever looked like them with the make up and outlandish (some would say ridiculous) costumes.

As a young drummer, I certainly listened to Peters work, especially on the "Alive" album.

I'd have to say that my recollection is that in my circle of drummers, the feeling was that Peters playing was solid, good, heavy rock playing, but I dont recall anyone really jumping up and down. I really think, looking back that the big appeal of KISS was in the stage show, the costumes and the make up. They were absolutely Perfect for the decade of the 70s and I think that was their biggest asset.

I did like "Hard luck woman" alot, and I always thought that Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five would have had a number One record with that song.

For those here who missed the decade of the 70s...what a wonderful decade to grow up in. Middle aged men were letting their hair grow and growing moustaches. My math teacher in high school had longer hair than me, and i thought that was the greatest thing in the world. People in general, were ready to just "take it easy" then. It was a much lighter and more fun time.

I DO recall my fellow drummers jumping up and down for Nigel Olsen's playing.
 
Bandit said:
As a teen I never gave Criss a second look, because of the band he was in. Looking at some of his playing now, I probably would of liked him if he had of been playing in a band I liked. He was busy, and played fun, large kits.
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Same here. I never took KISS seriously. I'm sure they are better than I gave them credit for.
 
Never got into Kiss - I was a Black Sabbath/Deep Purple fan and they seemed exclusive of each other when I was young. LOL

Solid career - and obviously that band has done very well to remain relevant and make money considering they have maybe 5 hit songs.
 
retrosonic said:
Well, I started playing 1973, when I was 13, and I Grew Up in the 70s. I well remember all the hysteria KISS caused with their music and their stage costumes. There were bands before them who *sounded* like them with the power guitars and just raw volumes, but no band ever looked like them with the make up and outlandish (some would say ridiculous) costumes.

As a young drummer, I certainly listened to Peters work, especially on the "Alive" album.

I'd have to say that my recollection is that in my circle of drummers, the feeling was that Peters playing was solid, good, heavy rock playing, but I dont recall anyone really jumping up and down. I really think, looking back that the big appeal of KISS was in the stage show, the costumes and the make up. They were absolutely Perfect for the decade of the 70s and I think that was their biggest asset.

I did like "Hard luck woman" alot, and I always thought that Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five would have had a number One record with that song.

For those here who missed the decade of the 70s...what a wonderful decade to grow up in. Middle aged men were letting their hair grow and growing moustaches. My math teacher in high school had longer hair than me, and i thought that was the greatest thing in the world. People in general, were ready to just "take it easy" then. It was a much lighter and more fun time.

I DO recall my fellow drummers jumping up and down for Nigel Olsen's playing.
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Enjoyed your last paragraph. Everyone writes off the 70's for various reasons but as you pointed out we had some fun. I guess we took it for granted but looking back offers a different perspective.
 
As a music lover, I'm glad I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I love the internet, but before that there was a mystery about bands. All you had were Creem, Rolling Stone and a few other mags to keep up with bands. It's odd to think about now, but no one knew anything about the guys in Kiss back then, and in a time of Bowie and Alice Cooper, it fit right in while being even more over the top. It was a cool time. I definitely got my $8 worth seeing them live (my first concert ever - 1978).
 
The reason I got into playing drums originally was Ringo, but as a young teen I listened to Kiss and Led Zeppelin. In the mid 70's I remember doing a make-over on my bass drum reso head using masking tape, Elmers glue, and glitter to recreate the Kiss logo on Peter's drum kit. I practiced along with their albums daily. I would drag my drums into the living room while dad was at work and jam out using his console stereo system(he had to replace the speakers twice..guess they were just defective. lol)

Peter Criss was an influence in my early days of playing drums. Sorry to hear he's retiring. He did play a part in shaping rock music during that era. He was a drummer that people our age(back then) could identify with. I wish him the best in his retirement. :hello2:
 
BeaTniK said:
I was maybe twelve at this point in time.

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Great clip. 'Black Diamond' was a classic Kiss tune. I never saw this vid before. Thank you for sharing it!
 
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In 1975, the younger kids were listening to KISS Alive...it was a cultural phenomenon. It was a fun time to be a kid. The music was at it's Zenith, we had tons of freedom riding our bikes all over the place, long hair, no cell phones. We just had to be home by the time the street lights came on. It was a great time to be a kid!
 
Polska said:
As a music lover, I'm glad I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I love the internet, but before that there was a mystery about bands. All you had were Creem, Rolling Stone and a few other mags to keep up with bands. It's odd to think about now, but no one knew anything about the guys in Kiss back then, and in a time of Bowie and Alice Cooper, it fit right in while being even more over the top. It was a cool time. I definitely got my $8 worth seeing them live (my first concert ever - 1978).
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That's a great point. Maybe that's why I sometimes think of those times as special for music. Bands were indeed mysterious in a way that I don't believe those who didn't live then could understand, and like you said, the music magazines, and a couple of late night TV shows, were all we got to see of the bands. The big album covers and inner sleeves were where a lot of the bands' identities came from. It was normal for me to hold the album cover looking at it while the record played. Their dirty laundry, habits, and relationships were were not instantly displayed to the world. Press releases meant something. Could a band really conceal their faces in current times for as long as Kiss did theirs?
 
Fun 2 Drum said:
As a music lover, I'm glad I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I love the internet, but before that there was a mystery about bands. All you had were Creem, Rolling Stone and a few other mags to keep up with bands. It's odd to think about now, but no one knew anything about the guys in Kiss back then, and in a time of Bowie and Alice Cooper, it fit right in while being even more over the top. It was a cool time. I definitely got my $8 worth seeing them live (my first concert ever - 1978).
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That's a great point. Maybe that's why I sometimes think of those times as special for music. Bands were indeed mysterious in a way that I don't believe those who didn't live then could understand, and like you said, the music magazines, and a couple of late night TV shows, were all we got to see of the bands. The big album covers and inner sleeves were where a lot of the bands' identities came from. It was normal for me to hold the album cover looking at it while the record played. Their dirty laundry, habits, and relationships were were not instantly displayed to the world. Press releases meant something. Could a band really conceal their faces in current times for as long as Kiss did theirs?
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Gary: I guess you haven't heard of Ghost, currently selling out every venue and selling lots and lots of records--without revealing their identities.

Here's the wiki: Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2008.[1] In 2010, they released a 3-track demo followed by a 7" vinyl titled "Elizabeth", and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous. The Grammis-nominated album was widely praised and increased their popularity significantly. Their second album and major label debut Infestissumam was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015, to much critical acclaim and high record sales, reaching number one in their home country of Sweden and number eight in the United States. Its lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.


 
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At 13 I saw this

KISS_AliveII-gatefold.jpg
 
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