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KISSFAQ's Audio Archives:
Peter's Pre-KISS Recordings I
Originally written for KISS Magazine, it wasn't used. This article appeared in issue #53 of KISS Kollector fanzine, unfortunately incorrectly credited to Joop.

It's always exciting when new audio material surfaces related to KISS. Some of the most recent additions to the "unofficial" audio corpus are a result of Lydia Criss' Backstage Auction in November 2004. In that auction several previously unknown and unavailable Peter Criss recordings were offered. This article will explore those recordings.

In Lydia's auction three lots of Peter related recordings were offered: 1) A Barracudas 7" single from early 1967; 2) a Sound of Soul 10" acetate featuring three cover songs; and 3) a single song 7" acetate from "The Vintage." It had long been rumored, but never substantiated, that on of Peter's pre-Chelsea bands, The Barracudas, had recorded and released a single. With Lydia's auction confirmation was finally possible. The band recorded "Affection" and "It's Been So Long" in late 1966 and released the songs on MFT Records (MFT-102) in early January 1967. Both songs were written by Carlos Cancel, the band's lead guitarist, arranged by Ted Eddy, and produced by Marty Craft. "It's Been So Long" is a ballad that has more in common with the male vocalist material from the early 1960s. Ironically, the sound of the song is very similar to the material recorded in the early 1960s by later Casablanca Records boss Neil Bogart. "Affection" was a mix of California surf-style music and the 1960s garage band sound similar to ? And the Mysterions' "96 Tears." Interestingly, the Barracudas also released a second single in late 1967 or early 1968. Like the MFT Records single, this second single would be issued on a small independent Brooklyn based label, De-lite Records (who included artists such as Kool & The Gang and later became part of PolyGram Records). This single featured the songs "Chicken" and "No Use" (De-lite 502).

As was the case with the first single, both of the songs were written by Carlos and also produced by Marty Craft. Peter's involvement in this single is currently not clear, as it is likely that he had already moved on to another band by the time it was released. Lydia didn't recall having heard the song titles. It should be noted that it was not uncommon for bands to record several songs and release them separately, sometimes with a year or more between releases (a good example of this is Steven Tyler's pre-Aerosmith band, The Chain Reaction, who recorded 4 songs in 1966 and released two in '66 and the others in '68). "Chicken" is similar to the famed gimmick songs of the early 1960s, such as "Peppermint Twist," but also adds a somewhat psychedelic keyboard twist. If Peter were involved in the recording of this song, he'd be well versed in the style of song due to his experience playing with Joey Dee. Like "Affection" this song has a strong "garage" style. Of the four Barracudas songs, "No Use" is in some ways the most interesting, for the striking chord patterns that are very similar to the style of Gene Simmons' "Leeta."

During 1967 Peter would leave the Barracudas and join another band, Sounds of Soul. This band performed a mix of R&B with a touch of psychedelia. While a member of this band, Peter would find a couple of musicians with whom he'd have several bands until he joined Chelsea: guitarist Joe Lucenti, horns player Tom Ventimiglia, and keyboard player Joe "Pepi" Gennarelli. The band would be completed with bassist Angelo Opper. The band would remain active until the spring of 1968, though during this time the band managed to record several demos at Gotham Records in New York. It should be noted that the recordings that Sounds Of Soul did were covers of songs that were had been hits prior to 1967, the date that is assumed for the recordings. The songs are also probably very representative of the material the band was performing at venues such as Caesars Pad or Villa Capri. "Since I Fell For You" had been written by Buddy Johnson, but was a hit for Lenny Welch in 1963 when it reached #4 on the US charts. "My Girl" really needs no introduction, though it is somewhat ironic that Ace Frehley's post-KISS band, Frehley's Comet, would also later cover this song - though it wouldn't make it past demo stage either. The song had been a #1 hit for the Temptations in 1965. "Respect," which sounds like it may have been sung by Peter, had been made famous by the arrangement that Aretha Franklin took to #1 in 1967. However the song had been written by Otis Redding who had only managed a minor hit with the song in 1965 when it reached #35 on the singles charts. Aretha's version has the distinct "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" section, unlike Otis' original. Sounds of Soul covered the original arrangement. All of the Sounds Of Soul recordings have a "Blues Brothers" feel...

By early 1968 Peter was playing in another band, The Brotherhood. It is not currently known whether the band's lineup included any other members from Sounds Of Soul, or whether the band had simply changed their name. By the end of the year the band had either changed its name to The Vintage, or Peter had reconnected with Joey and Pepi from Sounds Of Soul, and added bassist John Balsamo. In January 1969 the band won their section at a talent/variety show, "New Groove '69," held at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn. They performed an original song, "The Gypsy," at the competition. As a result the band were awarded a recording session at Associated Recording Studios which resulted in the recording of "What Is A Man." Written by Pepi Generelli, the song is a mix of folk and pop, with subject matter similar to "Polly Von" which Chelsea later covered. The Vintage would play shows as late as October 1969 (The Headline Club), but by the end of the year Peter had moved on. At his January 1970 wedding to Lydia, Peter would jam with guitarist Kevin Reese and bassist Peter Shandis. The three would be in a band called Nautilus until mid 1970. In August 1970 Peter placed an ad in Rolling Stone magazine that resulted in his recruitment as the drummer/percussionist in an "acid rock" band called Chelsea...

About the author:
Julian Gill is the webmaster of the KISSFAQ website which delves into the history of band and chronicles some of the most obscure KISS factoids. Julian is also the author of two privately published non-sanctioned KISS books: “The KISS Album Focus” (2002, out of print) and “The KISS & Related Recordings Focus” (2004).