Peter Criss: Tossed And Turning!

 

Special Saturday Post! 

Check out my Pal Mikey and his Good Friend Uncle Meat’s spin on the KISS’s Unmasked  album for a Triple Header Post Today! More value bang for the Buck around these parts!

Click the Link Below Friends…

http://wp.me/p2hc2t-eHK

If you have been reading my Yammering for months now! Thanks I appreciate it. You would probably know or if you don’t recall my earliest favourite bands were AC/DC/Aerosmith/Cheap Trick/New England/Queen/Van Halen & KISS.

Kiss were the first band that I had started listening to back in 1977 and my first ever live show two years later in October 1979 on their Dynasty Tour which touched down in Duluth. You can read my first ever blog posted here at Arena Rock back in August 2014 here….https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/1979-the-return-of-kiss-2/

Seven months later (May 1980) Peter Criss gets the boot out of Kiss! Wowzers! Whut? This doesn’t happen to bands or does it? My 12-year-old noggin(1980) at the time couldn’t fathom it!

Sure Aerosmith had changed members but around 1980 they were caput kinda until 1982 when they released the criminally underrated Rock In A Hard Place.

By The time AC/DC came to me it was Back In Black! Sure there was a member change as Bon Scott died and Brian Johnson replaced him so that doesn’t count.

Cheap Trick,VH and Queen all had the four original guys that started the band so how does Paul Stanley,Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons do this?

Did Peter use all the Maybelline and the other guys in Kiss got pissy pants? Who knows! Dudes in bands don’t get divorced well not until now(1980) Silly young DeKEs!

I posted that clip at the top it’s interesting to hear $immon$ comments in regards to Criss quitting.  Simmons says Peter doesn’t want to tour anymore whereas Criss says the exact opposite that he will tour and he will be the Quarterback of the band  calling the shots! Did Peter even tour in the  early 80’s? Don’t be thinking so.

Who knows the truth? Like Nuno & Gary  from Extreme  said 11 years later in 1992.  There’s  Three Sides To Every Story.

1-Yours- which in this case is Gene & Paul

2-Mine- which would be Peter Criss

and #3 which is the …..

Truth– is there such a thing when a longtime member splits?Ha…none, all the way from Blackmore splitting from Deep Purple a couple of times to Sam Hagar being fired or quitting depending  on whose spin your believing. Tons of Drama with a lot of my favourite bands. You know the culprits! One of the funniest ones was the whole Motley Crue debacle of 92. I won’t elaborate as this is a KISS post but man I think I gotta post something about it in length….

Having said that….

 

When it comes to leaving a band it basically fizzles out the ex members career who splits while the band he quit from  continues and moves forward.

In Criss’ deal he splits Kiss when their career is in nosedive mode in North America but Pete soldiers on releases a solo album titled Out Of Control and it was like if Peter was playing his tune’s on the deck of the Titanic when it went  down in the Atlantic Ocean! No one cared even super Kiss Fanboys like myself and buddy Muc! We all passed on it.

Look Mikey! CD Japan!

Kiss hired Eric Carr(RIP) and after the dismal showing of 1981’s The Elder Kiss had a smidge bit of a bounce back with(the fantastic) Creatures Of The Night (1982)even Kiss knew they had to do something so off comes the war paint and viola a resurgence in sales and MTV video spins….

Peter Criss’ solo career went straight into the bars  and it wasn’t until Gene and Paul wanted to make quick cash decided to give Pete and Ace(Ace is another story for another time) another go round in 1996….

 

 

 

 

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What You Think Is Cool Is Not To Others

 

So being that today is October 6 2016 it serves an important date in my life as October 6 1979 was my first ever live  concert and that was KISS/John Cougar( Judas Priest were a no show! Gah!) at the Duluth Arena, 37 years ago=Yikes! Here’s some footage from the Dynasty Tour that I saw as a young Whipper Snapper! Cool to watch this now after so much time as KISS is unravelling at this point! Peter Criss plays Black Diamond at super speed while  hollering the lead vocals while Ace is completely Blitzed! Give Em Credit Folk’s at least Ace and Petey emphasized Rock N Roll.

My folks were real cool. Got my 11-year-old ass down to Duluth and friends of my parents eldest son and his girlfriend took a young geeked out Deke’s to the show and basically ruined me forever! Ha!

Actually I reviewed this show as my first ever post from Aug/14. Check it out …..https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/1979-the-return-of-kiss-2/

So Kiss was on the decline in 79(great album title wouldn’t it be? Decline In 79? Better yet a better name for my blog!) I didn’t know Kiss was hitting the skids. I was too young to notice. Kiss wanted it that way! I bought 1980s Unmasked ( sold it to my pal Tbone than shortly after required it back) 1981’s The Elder I bought it along with my pal Muc. I made it known publicly I had bought The Elder whereas Muc kept a lid on it….haha…

So once I entered Highschool (Grade 9/Sept 1981) Kiss was finished in the minds of many. Fair enough but being 13 just about to turn 14 I didn’t care so once day I wore my Kiss Dynasty Tour Shirt to school and I received t a tongue lashing and smart ass remarks about Kiss not being cool! What was I to do?

Like a smart 13-year-old I kept my Trap(mouth) shut! It did not matter as the Grade 11’s looked huge so I wasn’t gonna mess with em! One of them even doused me with their Mothers Perfume for a real beautiful like stench that lasted the whole afternoon at school! Ha!

Basically the Dynasty shirt got put away and it didn’t stop me from listening to Kiss but it did stop me from wearing my Dynasty shirt to school.

1982’s Creatures Of The Night was a step in the right direction but Kiss was still hurting as there Duluth show was cancelled due to lack of tickets being sold. Kiss though soldiered on and it’s funny as once the Makeup came off and Kiss released 1983’s Lick It Up many were back on board!

So much so that a fella named Jeff Law seen the Lick It Up show in Toronto and he picked me up a Lick It Up T-shirt from the show! He told me KISS packed out Maple Leaf Gardens….

Yup I wore it to school! No problem/No comments not even from the 5 Knuckleheads( who were in Grade 13 at this point) who were bugging me two years earlier!

Kiss slapped off the makeup had a bounce back while I took the Kiss T out of the drawer and wore back at school…….

This post you may think  has irked me all these years. No it has not one bit but it just goes to show you how you may feel about one thing whereas the General Public is not thinking how you re thinking….

Stick To Your Guns….

What comes around goes around comes around! 37 years later I came across this T-shirt site in the U.S and I clicked a bunch of bands and viola they had in stock the  retro Dynasty Tour T’s(see pic below)! This is an exact duplicate of the Shirt I bought at my first ever concert! Wowzers! Instant Purchase By Deke’s….

Try Dousing Me With Yo Mama’s Perfume Now MotherF**Ker!

As you were…

 

 

 

 

Iron Maiden/Maiden Japan

So our local University (LakeHead) had a record sale with local businesses and  people selling used/sealed Vinyl,Cds,DVDs,T Shirts basically that kind of stuff so me and my wife Sue along with our 5 month old dog Fender (the wonder dog!) sauntered on down (Saturday Sept 19th) to look for some vinyl for our daughter Lexie as she had to work and as it turns out I scored……

Lemme tell Ya about it….

Muc was the fella who basically got Maiden Japan(recorded May of 1981)the day it came out in  late 1981(Muc bought it in Duluth!)and when i first heard Maiden Japan for the first time I friggin drooled all over my Kiss Dynasty Tour T …I mean geesh this was my first time hearing Maiden Live as just a few months earlier in the summer of 1981 I joined the Maiden ranks in purchasing Killers and becoming a lifer forever!(Yep even thru the Blaze years!)

I was blown away when I heard Maiden Japan for the first time ever! WOWZERS! Iron Maiden was on full audio assault on my young noggin! Live they brought it big time and delivered ….

I was hooked…..

Clive Burr(RIP),Adrian Smith,Dave Murray,Steve Harris and soon to be punted out lead singer Paul Dianno deliver a 5 song Live Ep that just flat out rocks!

Banzai Maiden!

Side 1-

RUNNING FREE-  Dianno asks The Japanese faithful ‘wanna hear Ya sing!”Maiden punch the gas fast and furious on Running Free! I have  heard a lot of versions over the years with Bruce but this one is played at a quick clip and Dianno delivers this tune lyrically (sounds almost autobiographical)and vocally. Too bad his career totally hit the shitter after 1981 but on Maiden Japan there are no quams about his performance! Smith And Murray are in synch on there dualing lead guitar bits whereas Harris and Burr drive the rhythm bus to the finish line “puller here at bottle top,whiskey dancing,disco hop now all the boys are after me,that’s the way its gonna be! Yup Crank The Vid posted!

REMEMBER TOMORROW-this song like Running Free is from the debut album called well,Iron Maiden! Remember Tomorrow starts off real chill and it builds up as it goes along and just unleashes when Dianno and the guitars go “aaaaaaaaargh”. Looking back you could see Harris had the vision of wanting to write epic numbers and Remember Tomorrow is a fantastic start! Brooding dark guitar bits during the verses,cranked power chording metal licks during the chorus with Burr playing a metal type shuffle on his drums. This is epic Maiden and after two full albums(debut and Killers) Maiden is kicking some serious Ass! This ends Side 1….Say Whaaaaaaa?

Side 2-

WRATHCHILD-here comes the first of three from Killers!  Burr smashes the hi hat and Steve-o slaps da Fender Bass while Murray and Smith launch there riffs and we’re off and this this is soooo good! Amazing that Harris being the young chap and composer back in 81 didn’t fall into any cheese schlop metal rock and kept his noggin focused and wrote deadly friggin metal tracks! WrathChild is one of the best from Killers and I love the bass during the guitar solos it just thumps and thumps and Harris riffs on his bass like a madman! Dianno lays down the law with ‘I’m comimg to getcha!” I believe him! I really did back than!

KILLERS-Killers is a wicked wicked song! This is Maiden creeping around those shady streets of London! Big time bass and drums start with Dianno throwing out some “yah yah yah!” And different lyrics which would end up on Killers! While Mr Murray and Mr Smith lay waste on there guitars and Killers rocks the grooves of the vinyl heavy! “Scream For Mercy” Watch the live vid from 1981 and guess what kids it’s from Japan! Case in point Murray and Smith are just sick on there solos! Hoooooooly Sheeeeit!

INNOCENT EXILE-Steve starts off Innocent Exile with some bass riffing and the Maiden fellas all join in! Cool that Innocent Exile was released on the Maiden Japan albums in Canada only! Ha who woulda thunk it right?! Maiden and especially with the guitars they would have little certain melodic samplings and than it all goes out the window with Murray and Smiths soloing! Innocent Exile ramps right up towards the end! Clive does some real slick power drumming and we’re done…..Say WHAAAAAAA …

IN CONCLUSION- Maiden drops down a 5 song live Ep and leaves us all wanting more! They were smart man..I was like More More More…Harris and smart manager guy Rod Smallwood go Nope Nope Nope! Leave them wanting more  and hell it worked! Maiden solidified with me the fact that they were becoming one of my favs quickly! Murray and Smith the dynamic guitar duo basically were making major strides as a quick one two punch to the throat in the dual lead  guitar school. I mean there playing is unbelievable here! Steve Harris not only played  bass but he was the main songwriter as well! Dianno sings awesome on these tracks and too bad he combusted his whole career after Maiden booted him and hired the Air Raid Siren!

Also give Maiden credit they even put it bold white print on the back of the record that a few studio overdubs were done but who gives a shit! Ha good on them! Imagine if Gene And Paul put that on the back of there Live Albums! Hahahaha ……like that would ever happen! Silly buggers those Kiss fellers are…

1979 The Return Of KISS

October 6 1979 …

It was two days away from my 12th Bday and my parents surprised me with Tickets to see Kiss live in Duluth! Needless to say I was stoked beyond belief ! I mean think about it, for me as 11 yr old it was Kiss non stop 24-7. The saga began two years earlier when a buddy John Young had the Kiss Originals which was the first three Kiss albums packaged as one! As soon as I saw the black cover with the fire coming out of Simmons yap I was hooked! But by 79 when Dynasty was out and Kiss subjected the world to rock disco ( I Was Made For Lovin You) they were calling their latest tour The Return Of KISS,huh they never left  well not in my mind anyways so when I made It to the show that night in October it was like an epiphany for me. Here they are in the makeup and supposed million dollar stage show .. And up they come up beside  the drums Ace,Peter,Paul and Gene….they launch into King Of The Nightime World and I’m gone and now they keep going and going  little did I know that yrs later there were cracked foundations within,Ace was loaded,Peter was coked,Gene banged groupies,Paul well Paul was Starchild but it didn’t matter to me I was too young to realise about inner band personal problems! For me a personal problem back than  was not being able to get my math homework done by Monday!

Looking back nowadays I remember the show pretty good…I remember them playing songs like Radioactive, New York Groove and Move On from the solo albums sorry Peter you weren’t represented that night. Also of course Black Diamond with the huge drum riser….and pyro lights smoke man talk about a mind blower from a kid who had posters on the wall!

Thanks Mom&Dad…..

Also it was advertised that Judas Priest was gonna be the opening act…but they cancelled and were replaced by a young Johnny Cougar who royally was booed from the get go! The only cheer that was mustered for him was when he announced his final song. But don’t feel bad for him three yrs later in 1982 out came Hurts So Good and Jack and Diane and I’m sure playing Duluth that night back in October of 79 did not register……